A Molbo story is a Danish folktale about the people of Mols, who live in eastern Jutland near the town of Ebeltoft. [1] In these tales the Molboes are portrayed as a simple folk, who act foolishly while attempting to be wise. [2]
A Molbo story is a Danish folktale about the people of Mols, who live in eastern Jutland near the town of Ebeltoft. [1] In these tales the Molboes are portrayed as a simple folk, who act foolishly while attempting to be wise. [2]
Molbohistorier (Molbo stories) were handed down by generations of Danes before finally appearing in print. Christian Elovius Mangor, [3] who by permission of the Danish monarch Christian VII had started a printing press in Viborg, published the first collection, Tales of the well-known Molboes' wise and brave actions, in 1771. [4] A second edition followed in 1780. [5] Over the years Molbo stories have been published in books for adults and children in several languages, including Danish, [6] Norwegian [7] and English. [8] Similar narratives are found in other cultures. England, for instance, has "Lazy Jack" [9] and "The Wise Men of Gotham." [10] In Finland there are stories about the people of Hölmölä (Hölmöläiset). [11] [12]
In 1898 the operetta "Molboerne" (The People of Mols) by composer Olfert Jespersen and lyricist Herman Petersen premiered in Copenhagen. The work not only had a memorable score but also references to Molbo stories, such as "The Stork in the Grain Field" and "The mixed legs". [lower-alpha 1] [16]
Norway, which for nearly three centuries was part of the kingdom of Denmark-Norway, received many cultural influences from Denmark. Consequently, Molbo stories are known in both Denmark and Norway, and the word “Molbo” is used in both countries as a term of disparagement. The expression "Molbo politics" is prohibited when speaking from the rostrum in Norway's parliament. [17]
From Tales of the well-known Molboes' wise and brave actions, 1771 [18]
One summer, when the grain was high in the field, the Molbo people had been visited by a stork. It had acquired the nasty habit of strutting back and forth on their fields to catch frogs. And it was bad news, because the Molbo people were very afraid that it would trample all the grain down on the field. They talked together for a long time back and forth about,... how to chase it away. In the end, they agreed that the shepherd should go into the field and drive the stork out.
But just as he stood and was about to enter the grain, they discovered that he had such big and wide feet, and then they were afraid that he would step on more grain than the stork. There they stood - . Finally one of them got a good idea! He suggested that the shepherd should be carried into the field, then he could not tread down the grain. They all thought that was good advice. So they lifted the field gate and set the shepherd on it; ... and then eight men carried him into the corn, so that he could chase the stork out. That way, the shepherd did not trample down traces in the grain field with his big feet.
The Wise Men of Chelm used a similar trick to prevent the city shammes to trample the beautiful fresh show in the early morning.
Eric, often known as Eric of Pomerania, ruled over the Kalmar Union from 1396 until 1439. He was initially co-ruler with his great-aunt Margaret I until her death in 1412. Eric is known as Eric III as King of Norway (1389–1442), Eric VII as King of Denmark (1396–1439) and has been called Eric XIII as King of Sweden. Eric was ultimately deposed from all three kingdoms of the union, but in 1449 he inherited one of the partitions of the Duchy of Pomerania and ruled it as duke until his death in 1459. Eric of Pomerania was a pejorative intended to point out that he did not belong in Scandinavia.
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Mols is a small Danish gathering of hilly peninsulas in the southern part of the larger peninsula of Djursland on the east coast of Jutland. The largest peninsulas of Mols comprise Skødshoved to the west, and Helgenæs to the east.
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In folklore, a simpleton is a person whose foolish actions are the subject of often-repeated stories. Simpletons are also known as noodles, fools, and gothamites. Folklore often holds, with no basis in fact, that certain towns or countries are thought to be home to large numbers of simpletons. The ancient Greeks told tales of stupid populations in Abdera and other cities; in Germany, men of Schilda are conspicuous in these stories; in Spain hundreds of jokes exist about the supposed foolishness of the people from Lepe; and in England, the village of Gotham in Nottinghamshire is reputed to be populated by simpletons. In Sri Lanka whole districts in the central, southern, and western provinces are credited with being the abode of foolish people.
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The Story of The Farmer's Three Daughters is an Icelandic fairy tale collected by author Jón Árnason in his 1864 compilation of Icelandic tales and legends. It is related to the theme of the calumniated wife and classified in the Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index as type ATU 707, "The Three Golden Children".
The Beautiful Palace East of the Sun and North of the Earth is a Swedish folktale collected from Smaland by Swedish folktale collectors George Stephens and Gunnar Olof Hyltén-Cavallius. It features versions of the swan maiden, a mythic female character that alternates between human and animal shapes.
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