Hello one and all!
Harpans kraft was a popular Scandinavian folk ballad, which has similarities with the Greek myth of Orpheus. The title means "The Power of the Harp", and as the name suggests it is a supernatural tale that showcases the potency of music.
Harpans kraft
Long ago there was a women who was about to married, but she wasn't overjoyed, instead, she was anxious about her wedding to man called Peter. Her worry became so apparent over the days that her betrothed noticed, and he guessed it must have been because he wasn't rich enough. Then he gave it more thought; maybe it was because her father forced her to marry, or perhaps she didn't want to leave her family home.
After these doubts began to overwhelm Peter, he went to his wife-to-be, to ask what troubled her. She replied:
I grieve, I grieve, I can certainly grieve,
I know all, what fate I must undergo.
I grieve much more for the wide bridge,
from which fell my two sisters.
I grieve much more for the raging stream,
from which fell my five sisters.
The groom was relieved to learn what troubled his beloved, and he vouched that his squires would protect her when she crossed the bridge.
On the special day she rode out on her horse, accompanied by the squires on either side. Her mount became spooked when it stepped onto the bridge, and the bride-to-be tumbled out of her saddle and into the river. While she gasped for breath a water sprite appeared and abducted her before anyone could react.
The guards informed Peter of what happened and that she must be presumed dead. Grief stricken, he sent for his harp. As the man started to play emotions poured out of him, and magic flowed out of his instrument and drifted to the water sprite. The being couldn't help but weep when the notes reached its ears. The water sprite, moved by the power of the harp, returned all of the women it had abducted.
Our tale ends with Peter and his wife wedded in a happy ceremony, surrounded by all of her sisters. Within a year a little boy was born to the couple. The tyke would listen in wide eyed disbelief as they recounted the story of how Peter defeated the water spirit through music.
Thank you for reading!
Harpans kraft was a popular Scandinavian folk ballad, which has similarities with the Greek myth of Orpheus. The title means "The Power of the Harp", and as the name suggests it is a supernatural tale that showcases the potency of music.
Harpans kraft
Long ago there was a women who was about to married, but she wasn't overjoyed, instead, she was anxious about her wedding to man called Peter. Her worry became so apparent over the days that her betrothed noticed, and he guessed it must have been because he wasn't rich enough. Then he gave it more thought; maybe it was because her father forced her to marry, or perhaps she didn't want to leave her family home.
After these doubts began to overwhelm Peter, he went to his wife-to-be, to ask what troubled her. She replied:
I grieve, I grieve, I can certainly grieve,
I know all, what fate I must undergo.
I grieve much more for the wide bridge,
from which fell my two sisters.
I grieve much more for the raging stream,
from which fell my five sisters.
The groom was relieved to learn what troubled his beloved, and he vouched that his squires would protect her when she crossed the bridge.
On the special day she rode out on her horse, accompanied by the squires on either side. Her mount became spooked when it stepped onto the bridge, and the bride-to-be tumbled out of her saddle and into the river. While she gasped for breath a water sprite appeared and abducted her before anyone could react.
The guards informed Peter of what happened and that she must be presumed dead. Grief stricken, he sent for his harp. As the man started to play emotions poured out of him, and magic flowed out of his instrument and drifted to the water sprite. The being couldn't help but weep when the notes reached its ears. The water sprite, moved by the power of the harp, returned all of the women it had abducted.
Our tale ends with Peter and his wife wedded in a happy ceremony, surrounded by all of her sisters. Within a year a little boy was born to the couple. The tyke would listen in wide eyed disbelief as they recounted the story of how Peter defeated the water spirit through music.
Thank you for reading!
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