Norwegian fairy tales: Old Tales from the North
The White Bear’s Castle
The White Bear’s first dwelling is reached through the face of a steep hill. After carrying the girl there, he knocks and a door opens into rooms illuminated with silver and gold. A ready-laid table and a silver bell provide comfort: when the girl rings the bell, what she needs appears, including access to her bedchamber. The abundance of the interior contrasts with the poverty of her family’s cottage and with her growing loneliness. This dwelling disappears after she lights the forbidden candle and learns the prince’s story. In the morning she wakes on a small green patch in a dark wood, with the bundle of rags she brought from home.
Also known as The Castle inside the Hill in the White Bear Tale
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In the sources
A door in the hillside
LiteraryThe bear knocks on the face of the hill, opening the way into the illuminated dwelling.
The silver bell
LiteraryThe girl is given a silver bell that brings what she asks for; ringing it also leads her to the bedchamber.
A return to the wood
LiteraryAfter the prince departs, the castle is gone and the girl lies in the wood beside her old bundle.
Context & interpretation
This entry follows the title tale in the undated George H. Doran edition illustrated by Kay Nielsen. Its references identify the actual printed prose and exact Reader pages.
Original passages
Source 1
East of the Sun and West of the Moon
rooms gleaming with silver and goldOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: East of the Sun and West of the Moon, printed p. 11
Actual checksum-verified public Reader prose image inspected. Printed pagination read from the text page, not inferred from illustration-list or plate-caption references. Short quotation transcribed with spacing normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0253-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0253-E001-P0013
- Original scan leaf
- 23
- Recorded leaf number
- 23
- Current Reader position
- 14
- Reader verification
- Matches the reviewed Reader
Source 2
East of the Sun and West of the Moon
both Prince and castle were goneOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: East of the Sun and West of the Moon, printed p. 16
Actual checksum-verified public Reader prose image inspected. Printed pagination read from the text page, not inferred from illustration-list or plate-caption references. Short quotation transcribed with spacing normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0253-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0253-E001-P0018
- Original scan leaf
- 28
- Recorded leaf number
- 28
- Current Reader position
- 19
- Reader verification
- Matches the reviewed Reader
Source 3
East of the Sun and West of the Moon
she began to get silent and sorrowfulOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: East of the Sun and West of the Moon, printed p. 12
Actual checksum-verified public Reader prose image inspected. Printed pagination read from the text page, not inferred from illustration-list or plate-caption references. Short quotation transcribed with spacing normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0253-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0253-E001-P0014
- Original scan leaf
- 24
- Recorded leaf number
- 24
- Current Reader position
- 15
- Reader verification
- Matches the reviewed Reader
Illustrations
Continue exploring
The Castle East of the Sun and West of the Moon
The remote castle reached with the North Wind’s help, where the girl must recover the enchanted prince.
Shared source pageThe Long-Nosed Princess
The prince’s intended troll bride, who bargains for the golden gifts and fails the test of the stained shirt.
Shared source pageThe White Bear
The enchanted prince who is a bear by day and a man by night in East of the Sun and West of the Moon.