Tales from the Fjeld: A Second Series of Popular Tales from the Norse of P. Chr. Asbjörnsen | Annotated Tale

COMPLETE! Entered into SurLaLune Database in July 2018 with all known ATU Classifications.



Box with Something Pretty in It, The

"ONCE on a time there was a little boy who was out walking on the road, and when he had walked a bit he found a box.

                "'I am sure there must be something pretty in this box,' he said to himself; but however much he turned it, and however much he twisted it, he was not able to get it open.

                "But when he had walked a bit farther, he found a little tiny key. Then he got tired and sat down, and all at once he thought what fun it would be if the key fitted the box, for it had a little key-hole in it. So he took the little key out of his pocket, and then he blew first into the pipe of the key, and afterwards into the key-hole, and then he put the key into the key-hole and turned it. 'Snap' it went within the lock; and when he tried the hasp, the box was open.

                "But can you guess what there was in the box? Why a cow's tail; and if the cow's tail had been longer, this story would have been longer too."

Bibliographic Information

Tale Title: Box with Something Pretty in It, The
Tale Author/Editor: Asbjørnsen, Peter Christen & Moe, Jørgen Engebretsen
Book Title: Tales from the Fjeld: A Second Series of Popular Tales from the Norse of P. Chr. Asbjörnsen
Book Author/Editor: Asbjørnsen, Peter Christen & Moe, Jørgen Engebretsen
Publisher: Chapman & Hall
Publication City: London
Year of Publication: 1874
Country of Origin: Norway
Classification: ATU 2250: Unfinished Tales








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