East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon by Jørgen Moe
"East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon" is a collection of Norwegian folktales compiled by folklorists Jørgen Moe and Peter Christen Asbjørnsen in the 19th century. These tales are characterized by their oral-formulaic nature, making them memorable through the use of repetitive phrases and familiar narrative structures. The collection features a variety of storytelling forms, including magic tales, trickster stories, and fables. Central to these stories is a fantastical setting, described as a mythical land where anything is possible, allowing the characters to embark on quests filled with magical encounters and challenges.
The narratives often revolve around themes of cleverness and morality, showcasing how the clever, often underprivileged protagonist can triumph over more powerful adversaries. The folktales also reflect aspects of Norwegian culture and society, revealing insights into the lives and values of the people during the time they were collected. These stories remain significant in both Norwegian literature and folklore studies, illustrating the rich tradition of storytelling in Norway and its influence on contemporary narratives. The collection has been translated into English multiple times, with a notable version by G. W. Dasent that maintains the oral authenticity of the original informants' tales.
East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon by Jørgen Moe
First published: Selections from Norske folkeeventyr, 1841-1844, 1852 (as Popular Tales from the Norse, 1859; as East o’ the Sun and West o’ the Moon, 1921); illustrated
Subjects: Animals, coming-of-age, gender roles, love and romance, and social issues
Type of work: Short fiction
Recommended Ages: 10-18
Form and Content
The stories found in this selection from Norske folkeeventyr (Norwegian folktales) are all oral-formulaic: They are passed from generation to generation orally, and they are easy to remember since they are built on formulae—of language, of characters, of plots—which results in a certain style that separates folktales from literature. Stock phrases occur, such as “once upon a time.” Often, three brothers try their luck at winning a princess, and inevitably the younger one is successful. A cat may be a princess in disguise. The poor but clever person (possibly in the shape of an animal) outwits the rich but stupid person. These formulae—they are numerous—are easily transferable from one tale to the next at the storyteller’s discretion.
East o’ the Sun and West o’ the Moon contains examples of three of the major types of folktales: the magic tale, the trickster story or anecdote, and the fable. The very title of the volume refers to the setting of the magic tale, for it takes place in a never-never land, east of the sun and west of the moon, where anything can happen and where the magical is natural. A primary example is the title story. The plot of such a tale takes a well-known course: Initially, something is wrong or goes wrong; the hero or heroine sets out on a quest to right matters; he or she encounters magical helpers and/or opponents; they are subjected to tests; and, when those tests are passed, they are rewarded with “happiness forever after.” This structure is in itself a major formula. It can be varied, but as a rule two human beings who belong together find and help each other. As they pass through dramatic and thrilling events, they defeat evil and ensure that goodness will reign. The magic tale is jubilantly optimistic.
In the trickster stories, the plot usually demonstrates how a smart person, often poor, uses his or her wits to trick a person of higher social standing. The mood is bawdy, the emphasis is on low humor, and the magic of the “once-upon-a-time-tale” has given way to the critical and satirical depiction of society, in this case a Norwegian farming society.
The fables depict animals, often engaged in the same kind of trickery, and that are fallible human beings in disguise. In the fable, however, the moral lesson becomes more pronounced than in the trickster story.
In some of these fables, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe come close to the type of folktale called legend—one underrepresented in this collection. Legends are often told in response to a question. In “The Fox as Herdsman,” a woman tries to hire a herdsman; she wisely rejects the bear and the wolf, but she is taken in by the fox. When she discovers that the fox has eaten her sheep and goats—which he, trickster that he is, gleefully tells her—she flies into a fit of rage and throws a morsel of cream at the fox, and that is “why the fox has a white tip to his brush.” Similarly, in “Why the Bear Is Stumpy-Tailed,” the tricky fox tells the bruin how to fish: He must stick his tail into a hole in the ice and wait for the fish to bite. The bear does exactly that, and soon his tail freezes. When he wants to leave, the end of the tail snaps off, and “that is why Bruin goes about with a stumpy tail this very day.”
Critical Context
During the nineteenth century, Norwegian collectors and editors Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe traversed the countryside of their native land to listen to and record folktales. Those tales served a nation that was in the process of gaining its independence, for they demonstrated that Norwegian culture was saturated with splendid and comic stories that ordinary people had told for centuries. The example set by, among others, the Brothers Grimm led to a craving for folklore by the educated classes. Such tales continue to be immensely popular and are taught in many folklore courses throughout the world. In addition, these tales have had a strong impact on Norwegian literature, such as the dramas of Henrik Ibsen and the novels of Sigrid Undset.
These tales have been translated into English several times, but G. W. Dasent’s selection from 1859 has proved to be a resilient publication. That translation is faithful to Asbjørnsen and Moe’s oral tone; many nineteenth century collections of folktales are heavily edited, and the vernacular of the informants—those people who told them to the collectors the tales—was altered. Asbjørnsen and Moe, however, had a profound respect for their storytellers and preserved the oral quality in their recording of the tales and that, in part, may be why these stories continue to enthrall readers.