The Blood of an English Man
"Once upon a time," the way most famous most Norwegian folk tales start. Although "Soria Moria Castle" states "There was once a couple who had a son, the idea is basically the same. The people in Norway are used to long and harsh winters and have had to find something to pass the time for centuries. One of their more prominent methods of passing the time has been the re-telling of folktales. Possibly the most famous, "Soria Moria Castle" is one of their favorites. In the following pages a brief description of this most wonderful tale will be presented, along with an analysis of the function the tale and a summary of archetypal values, characters, and ideas expressed throughout the story and how they relate to the culture of Norway. The folktale, "Soria Moria Castle", involves a young male named Halvor, the folktale hero of this story. All he ever wanted to do was rake in the ashes no matter what his parents did to try and get him interested in other things. Then one day he left with a skipper to go out at sea and see foreign parts. After a while a storm caused the boat to end up on an unknown coast. Halvor went ashore and found a path which led him to a great castle. Upon entering the castle, he found a beautiful princess
main character, Halvor. Like many folktale heroes Halvor is scoffed at by his parents folktales, such as a folktale hero, a quest, and magical items. The folktale hero is the This story exemplifies a classic folktale. It contains many common traits of Although short and sweet, "Soria Moria Castle" does a good job of expressing the Norwegian culture, along with archetypal characters, ideas, and values. It also is entertaining, which explains the purpose of all Norwegian folk tales. In the past paragraphs all of these things were discussed with a brief summary of the tale itself. The Norwegian culture, because of their harsh climate, is highly based on entertainment. After all, what else is there to do during freezing winters? They rely on all types of activities to keep them occupied during the winter season. Many of these include various forms of art and music, but their favorite has always been telling and listening to stories. Now the stories are written down and published in books, but before they were all told by word of mouth, much the same way "Soria Moria Castle" was. Although this culture has many myths, they have never been as popular to the Norwegian people as folk tales. These folktales express many archetypal values, ideas, and characters. On of the most common archetypes expressed is the idea of one person raising above their birth circumstances and becoming great. In "Soria Moria Castle" the boy, Halvor, rises above his birth to eventually kill trolls and marry a beautiful princess. Another archetype that is expressed in this tale is a man is willing to do anything for the woman he loves. Halvor leaves his home again to chase his dear princess across many, many miles just so that he may get her back. He is forced by a horse, and to follow "The West Wind" to find her. The princess herself is an archetype. She is the typical princess in folktales throughout the world. Beautiful, and willing to marry the man that has
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1318
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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