On the Halsarve-road in Lau there
can be found a large, beautiful deep cave in the mountain that is known as "Godugnen"
("the Good-oven") In this "oven", or as we might say "forge" all the best scythes
were maid in the olden days. These scythes were called "dags-bitare" or "day's-biters"
because they could be used for a whole day without needing to be sharpened.
The payment for such a fine scythe was a black ram - this was brought to the
cave and set loose within. The ram simply disappeared and the scythe was brought
outside out but no-one was ever to be seen.
Source : See below
Once Jakob Hansson Bukles was out on Holm cutting
trees. His horses that were tied to a tree but suddenly they became so terrified
that they broke their straps and ran away. Jacob let go of his axe in surprise.
He looked up and saw a horrible troll with eyes that seemed as large as the
moon and gaping mouth as an big as an oven. He started to pray for himself.
The troll soon went away. When Jacob finally found his horses, he could see
the troll's foot-prints in the snow. They were large as the base of a barrel
and showed sharp claw-marks.
Source : See below
Note : "Trolls" are called "Trull"
in Gutnish (Gotlandish). Holm is a point on the island of Faroy, northern Gotland
Once, on a night when some fishermen were hard
at work putting out their nets, the "Havfreui" or "Mermaid" appeared a short
way from their boat. She stayed a long while, watching them with her big eyes,
and at last she reached out to them with her hands. One of her hands wore a
glove and but other one bare. The Havfreui said: "Heu, heu, iag frausar!"
which means "Hey, Hey, I´m freezing!".
One of the fishermen threw a glove to her, saying
politely: "Here you are". The Havfreui took the glove and swam back down into
the depths. Some while later the same fisherman was out as sea. The Havfreui
suddenly arrived and said to him: "Hankleven, hal in ei kveld!" which means
"Glove-friend, haul in this evening!" The fisherman took this wise advice and
hurried back to the shore. He had just got back to land when a terrible storm
broke. Many fishermen drowned, and many only just saved themselves. But the
glove-friend was home and dry.
Source Texts for the folktales
from Gutland Gotländska sägner uppt. av P.A.Säve , Gustavson & Nyman.; Sagornas
ö, Nihlén; the versions in this text are adaptations and retellings by Shaun
D. L. Brassfield-Thorpe .
Notes : "Havfreui" - literally
"Ocean-Woman" or "Sea-Wife" is a term literally equivalent to "Mer-Maid".