The Troll's Ride

She held up a brightly shining gold coin before Peder Lars and said she would give it to him if he would fetch the resin.

Peder Lars stepped back. "Who are you that look so evil and have so many gold coins?"

She moaned, and rubbed her leg. "Oh, how it hurts! And my mother is walking in the forest looking for me, and calling me. Listen, can you hear?"

"No, I don't hear anything," said Peder Lars. But then the woman grabbed the mane of his horse, pulled herself up, and put her hand like a trumpet to his ear. Now he indeed heard someone singing deep in the forest:

Where are you, daughter, sweet and fair?

I'm looking for you everywhere.

Peder Lars could not help laughing, because he did not think that "sweet and fair" really suited the ugly one by his side.

The woman sank rapidly back into the ditch again. But she kept her head over the edge, and her small peppercorn eyes shot fiery glances.

"You laugh like all the rest," she hissed, "and hate me! But I will give you money, as much money as you want, if only you will get me that pine resin." And she rattled the gold coins in her fist.

Peder Lars stared at her.

"No, thank you," he said. "You are a troll, and I don't want to have anything to do with a troll." And he cracked his whip and continued his journey.

He rode into the city, bought himself a bright jacket, and turned homeward again. When he came to the hill that the woman had mentioned, he could not help looking around for the seven pine trees. There they stood in a row, murmuring softly. At that moment he heard someone singing far, far away:

Where are you, daughter, sweet and fair?

I'm looking for you everywhere.

He looked up the pine trunks to see if there really was any resin to be found.