A Literary Analysis of the Norwegian Folktale Soria Moria Castle Essay

"Once upon a time," the way most famous most Norwegian folk tales start. Although Soria Moria Castle states There was once a couple who had a son, the idea is basically the same. The people in Norway are used to long and harsh winters and have had to find something to pass the time for centuries. One of their more prominent methods of passing the time has been the re-telling of folktales. Possibly the most famous, Soria Moria Castle is one of their favorites. In the following pages a brief description of this most wonderful tale will be presented, along with an analysis of the function the tale and a summary of archetypal values, characters, and ideas expressed throughout the story and how they relate to the culture of Norway. The folktale, Soria Moria Castle, involves a young male named Halvor, the folktale hero of this story. All he ever wanted to do was rake in the ashes no matter what his parents did to try and get him interested in other things. Then one day he left with a skipper to go out at sea and see foreign parts. After a while a storm caused the boat to end up on an unknown coast. Halvor went ashore and found a path which led him to a great castle. Upon entering the castle, he found a beautiful princess who was surprised to see him, and she warned Halvor about a Troll who lives in the castle and eats people. But Halvor said the Troll does not scare him, so the princess told Halvor to get the Troll's the sword and when the Troll came Halvor chopped its four heads off. After freeing that princess, he continued on his journey to rescue the other two sisters of the princess. He eventually came to another castle, bigger than the last, where he found the second princess who warned him of an even bigger troll than Halvor had...

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