Soria Moria

We are now entering the Lier tunnel which at 10.7 kilometres long is one of Norway’s longest. In the forests above the tunnel is Røyken where the authors Asbjørnsen and Moe put together their collection of Norwegian legends and folktales. All children love fairy tales! They are both fun entertainment and a way to educate younger generations about right and wrong. In Norway, legend has it that there is a castle where a Princess was imprisoned by a 3 headed troll. The story goes that the person who managed to free the Princess would win both her hand in marriage and half the kingdom. But no one knew where the castle was and those who did manage to find it were defeated by the troll – that is until a boy called Askeladden set out on his quest. The name of the castle is Soria Moria and the story both originated from and was written in this area. In Norway the art of storytelling was hugely popular and the mystical forests, mountains, rivers and waterfalls gave inspiration to the fantasy stories which are known as folktales. Askeladden or ‘Ash lad’ in English, was an atypical hero, he was portrayed as lazy, weak and incompetent. The nickname Askeladden derives from the word ‘Askefisen’ which refers to a person who blows on the coals to stoke the fire – a task that was given to those who were thought to be good for nothing else. Before Askeladden, his bigger and bolder brothers along with many others tried to free the Princess but they all came home defeated. Askeladden however, found the castle, overthrew the troll and won the hand of the Princess and half the kingdom. The moral of the story being regardless of your background and what others think of you, you can achieve what you desire if you try. But, as they say here in Norway “Snipp, Snapp, Snute” now the story is over.