Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow - Jessica Day George [92]
And so they lived for many a long year, as happy and lighthearted as the birds in the trees and the flowers on the hill in spring.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book was made possible by the letter “ø.”
Also the letter “æ.”
The first time I saw them, I fell in love and just had to learn the language they belonged to. That language turned out to be Norwegian, with its rich history of folk tales about trolls and polar bears and clever young lads and lasses out to make their fortune. I only hope that I didn’t offend my Danish blacksmith forbears by choosing to study Norwegian instead of Danish in college.
On that note, I would like to thank my Norwegian teachers: Professor Sandra Straubhaar, Henrietta Christ-offerson (a fellow Norwegian-speaking Dane), and Justin Galloway. I also wish to thank Professor George Tate, who taught me Old Norse and introduced me to such amazing figures as Egil, Njal, and the real Skarp-Heðin. My fascination with those exotic letters, and with the amazing stories of the North, has not only led me to some strange places but also endlessly entertained me, and I have nothing but the most profound love and respect for everyone who guided me along the way.
A big shout-out also goes to my stellar agent, Amy, and my wonderful editor, Melanie, for pummeling the manuscript into shape and reining in my tendency to include long, pointless descriptions of people carding wool or peeling apples. This story also passed under the scrutiny of my writers’ group, SLAG, to whom I owe many thanks indeed.
My sister was a bit put out that Dragon Slippers was not dedicated to her. This book is also not dedicated to her, because there is a very special book with her name on it waiting to be published and I refuse to dull the impact by dedicating other books to her, even though she is both my best friend and fashion consultant. My husband, son, and the rest of my crazy family were also influential in the writing of this book, which sadly is also not dedicated to them.
But it is dedicated, with much love, to my dear, dear parents. They may have rolled their eyes when I switched my minor from Theater to Scandinavian Studies, but they continued to give me their support (and pay my tuition!). And, what do you know: Scandinavian Studies really did turn out to be more useful in the long run. For many years they put up with my passion for all things Norwegian, and I hope that in some small way this book helps to repay the debt I owe them.
GLOSSARY
Most of the names and words used are Norwegian, but some are Old Norse (ON), the root language of Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish.
Annifrid (Ah-nee-freed): one of the lass’s sisters.
Askeladden (Ahs-keh-lah-den): traditionally the name of the third, lucky son in Norse fairy tales, the “Ashlad” or male Cinderella, here the third son of Jarl and Frida.
Banahøgg (bah-nah-hoyg): ON, literally “death-blow,” the name of a troll.
Bunad (boo-nahd): a traditional woman’s outfit, consisting of a white blouse worn under a dark wool skirt and vest. The hem of the skirt and the edges of the vest are heavily embroidered in red, blue, and yellow. The vest fits tightly, the skirt is bell shaped. Plural: bunader.
Edda (ed-duh): the ancient poetry of Scandinavia, most eddas are sagas, meaning that they tell a story, whether tragic, comic, or romantic.
Einar (ay-nahr): the lass’s next oldest brother.
Erasmus (er-az-mus): the faun who serves in the isbjørn’s palace.
Falskur (fahl-skuhr): ON, faithless, false, the second moster’s horse.
Frankrike, Fransk (frahnk-ree-kuh, frahnsk): France, French.
Frida (free-dah): the lass’s mother.
God dag (goo dahg): “Good day,” a greeting.
Hans Peter (hahns pay-ter): the lass’s eldest, and favorite, brother.
Hjartán (hyahr-town): ON, heartless, the