Per

Once upon a time there was a man who had three sons: Per, Paul, and Espen Askeladd. But he had nothing but his sons, for he was so poor that he didn't even own the shirt on his back.

Therefore he often told them that they must go out into the world and earn their living; at home with him there was only hunger and misery. Not far away lay the King's farm, and right outside the king's windows there had grown an oak tree that was so large and mighty that it shaded all the light.

The king had promised a great reward to anyone who could chop down the oak, but no one succeeded, because as soon as a chip was cut from the trunk, two new ones grew in its place. The king also wanted a well dug that would hold water all year round; all his neighbors had a well, but he did not, and he thought that was a disgrace.

To the one who could dig such a well as would hold water all year round, the king had promised both money and other rewards. But no one managed it, because the King's Manor lay high, high up on a hill; as soon as they dug a few inches into the ground, they hit hard rock.

Once the king got it into his head that he wanted these tasks done, he had it proclaimed from every church hill far and wide that whoever could chop down the great oak in the King's Yard and provide him with a well that held water all year round should have the princess and half the kingdom.

There were plenty who wanted to try, you can be sure, but no matter how much they chopped and clawed, and no matter how much they dug and rooted, it didn't help; the oak only got thicker with each blow, and the rock didn't get any softer either.

After a while, the three brothers also wanted to go out and try their luck, and their father was very pleased with that; for if they didn't win the princess and half the kingdom, they might get a job with a good man somewhere, the father thought, and he didn't wish for anything more.

When the brothers said they wanted to go to the King's farm, the father said yes at once, and then Per, Paal, and Espen Askeladd set off. After they had walked a while, they came to a pine forest, and right above it there was a steep hill.

There they heard something chopping and chopping up in the heath. "I wonder what it is that is chopping up in the heath?" said Espen Askeladd. "You are so clever with your wonderings, you are," said Per and Paal; "it is surely something to wonder about that there is a woodcutter working away up in the heath!" "I want to see what it is, anyway," said Espen Askeladd, and then he went.

"Oh yes, if you're so childish, you deserve to be taught a lesson!" shouted the brothers after him, but Espen didn't care; he set off up the slopes to where he heard the chopping, and when he got there, he saw that it was an axe standing and chopping at a pine trunk.

"Good day!" said Espen Askeladd; "are you standing here chopping?" "Yes, now I've been standing here chopping for many long ages, waiting for you," answered the axe. "Well, well, here I am," said Espen, took the axe and struck it off the handle, and stowed both axe and handle in his knapsack.

When he got back down to his brothers, they began to laugh and make fun of him. "What strange thing did you see up on the heath?" they said. "Oh, it was just an axe we heard," said Espen. After they had walked a while longer, they came under a cliff wall.

Up there they heard something chipping and digging. "I wonder what it is that chips and digs under the rock wall?" said Espen Askeladd. "You are so clever at wondering, you are," said Per and Paal again; "haven't you ever heard birds pecking and tapping on trees before?"

"Yes, but I want to see what it is anyway," said Espen, and even though they laughed and made fun of him, he didn't care; he set off towards the rock wall, and when he got up under it, he saw that it was a pickaxe that stood there chipping and digging.

"Good day!" said Espen Askeladd; "are you standing here chipping and digging all alone?" "Yes, I am," said the pickaxe; "I have stood here chipping and digging for many a long age, waiting for you." "Well, well, here I am," said Espen again, took the pickaxe and knocked it off the handle and hid it in his knapsack, and then down to his brothers again.

"That was surely something terribly strange you saw up there under the rock wall?" said Per and Paal. "Oh, it was nothing much, it was just a pickaxe we heard," answered Espen. So they walked a good stretch together again, until they came to a brook.

All three were thirsty after walking so far, so they lay down by the stream to drink. "I really wonder where this water comes from?" said Espen Askeladd. "I wonder if you're quite right in the head," said Per and Paal.

"If you're not crazy, you soon will be with all that wondering. Where the stream comes from? Have you never seen water spring up from a vein in the ground?" "Yes, but I still want to see where it comes from," said Espen; he walked up the stream, and even though his brothers called after him and laughed at him, it didn't help; he went on his way.

When he got far up, the stream became smaller and smaller, and when he got a bit further, he saw a large walnut; from it the water trickled out. "Good day!" said Espen again; "are you lying here trickling and running all alone?" "Yes, I am," said the walnut; "I have lain here trickling and running for many a long age, waiting for you."

"Yes, yes, here I am," said Espen; he took a tuft of moss and stuffed it into the hole so that the water could not get out, and then he put the walnut into his knapsack and went back down to his brothers again.

"Now you've seen where the water comes from? It must have looked terribly strange, I suppose?" taunted Per and Paal. "Oh, it was just a hole it flowed out of," said Espen, and the other two laughed and made fun of him again, but Espen Askeladd didn't care; "I wanted to see it anyway," he said.

After they had walked a bit further, they came to the King's farm. But since everyone in the kingdom had heard that they would win the princess and half the kingdom if they could chop down the big oak and dig a well for the king, so many had come to try their luck that the oak was twice as thick and big as before; because two splinters grew out for each one they chopped out with the ax, as you may remember.

Therefore the king had now set the penalty that those who tried and could not fell the oak would be put on an island and have both ears cut off. But the two brothers were not frightened by that; they thought they would surely get the oak down.

Per, who was the eldest, would try first. But it went with him as with all the others who had chopped at the oak; for each chip he cut out, two grew in its place, and then the king's men took him and cut off both his ears and put him out on the island.

Now Paal wanted to try, but it went exactly the same with him; when he had struck a couple of blows, they saw the oak grow, and the king's men took him too and put him out on the island, and they cut his ears even shorter, because they thought he should have learned to be careful.

Then Espen Ash Lad wanted to try. "So you really want to look like a marked sheep? We'll gladly cut off your ears right away, so you don't have to bother," said the king, who was angry with him because of his brothers.

"I'd like to try anyway," said Espen, and he was allowed to. He took his axe out of his knapsack and fastened it back on the handle. "Chop yourself!" Espen said to the axe, and it began to chop so the chips flew, and it wasn't long before the oak had to come down.

When that was done, Espen pulled out his pickaxe and put it on the handle. "Dig yourself!" said Espen, and the pickaxe began to pick and dig so that dirt and stones flew, and up came the well, you can be sure.

When he had made it as deep and as big as he wanted, Espen Askeladd took out his walnut and placed it in one corner of the bottom; there he took out the moss plug. "Filter and run!" said Espen, and it began to run so that water gushed out of the hole; in a little while the well was full to the brim.

Then Espen had cut down the oak that shaded the king's windows and provided a well at the King's farm, and so he got the princess and half the kingdom, as the king had said. But it was good for Per and Paal that they had lost their ears, otherwise they would have heard every single hour that Espen Askeladd had not wondered so badly after all.