Over the last year or so I've been collecting a series of books of Scandinavian folk tales to read on trains, partly because the edition is unusually slim and fits nicely in the pockets of a coat or bag, and partly because they are curious and entertaining stories, a testament to life before heavy industry and urbanisation.
A lot of scholars wrote down folk tales in the nineteenth century to preserve them, although they often altered them to make them more consistent and readable. The Brothers Grimm (Germany) or W.B. Yeats (Ireland) or Joel Chandler Harris (African-American) are among the best known such collectors.
Very many of these Scandinavian stories are about how to steal valuables from witches, or rescue princesses from trolls who can be made to explode in various imaginative ways. But one tale from Iceland resonated very much and I think you'll see why.
Before telling you the story, first let's look at the Icelandic notion of the world of Men and the world of Elves. Most pagan Norse tales and religious practices have come to us via the subsequent writings of medieval Christian monks and priests, in the same way that we know a lot about Greek and Roman pagan practices and beliefs because Augustine and others described them in order to criticise them. So why there are Men and Elves (the Hidden Folk) in separate realms has come down to us in this way:
Once upon a time, God went to visit Adam and Eve, so Eve started bathing her children to make them presentable but she only managed to wash half of them before God entered the house, so she hid the dirty ones away. God praised Eve for her beautiful children but since there seemed to be fewer children than he remembered, he asked if she didn't have more. Eve, embarrassed, denied it, but God wasn't fooled and said that those who had been hidden from him should be hidden to men, too. And so it came to pass that Eve's children whom God had seen became the race of Men and those who had been hidden became the race of Elves, remaining invisible to Men unless they wished to be seen. This is why they are called the Hidden Folk.
And so, with that information, we come to the Tale of King Oddur. It's not a long story but I have shortened it and emphasised the more interesting details.
The Tale of King Oddur
Once upon a time there was a king who loved by his people who thought it a pity that he was childless. But one day another king named Oddur came from far away with an army and the king was defeated and died in battle. Oddur then reigned over his kingdom instead. Like his predecessor, he soon became loved by the people, though they also thought it a pity that he was childless.
One day a stranger came asking for lodging over the winter and King Oddur accommodated him in the palace on the condition that on the first day of summer he should tell a secret about the king that nobody else knew, on pain of execution.
The winter came and passed but on the first day of summer, the stranger was unable to tell any secret that he had discovered about the king. And so he was executed.
The following winter, the same thing happened: a stranger came asking for lodging over the winter and and the king accommodated him in the palace on the condition that on the first day of summer he should tell a secret about the king that nobody else knew, on pain of execution.
The winter came and passed but on the first day of summer, this stranger was also unable to tell any secret that he had discovered about the king. And so he too was executed.
So it continued for a further four years. Until in the seventh year, when another stranger came and made the same request. He was duly accommodated in the palace on the same conditions as the previous six. He accepted but also requested that, if the king was agreeable, he would like to sleep in the king's own bedchamber. King Oddur agreed to the stranger's additional request.
For a long time the stranger was unable to find out any secrets about the king even though he always stayed close to him. By night, the king slept soundly and did not talk in his sleep; by day he only talked about known affairs of state.
On Christmas Eve, however, the king got up in the middle of the night, checked to see if his guest was asleep, and crept out of the bedchamber. The stranger was, in fact, awake and just feigning sleep, and stealthily followed the king out of the palace, through the grounds, across a river and into a different land where there was much revelry.
For a moment, the stranger lost sight of the king but when he saw him again his kingly robes were being removed and he was instead being dressed in a beautiful dress and ornaments fit for a queen. A king approached and greeted this queen with much affection and the stranger realised that King Oddur in the realm of Men was actually a queen here. The king and queen went to preside over a great banquet at the palace and the stranger was able to follow them in unseen and hide near their thrones.
The king whispered to the queen, "Has anyone guessed your secret yet? This is the seventh and last year that this curse on you could be lifted by a stranger speaking the truth about you. Without that, we will be separated for ever."
The queen looked at the king sadly and said that she had left the latest stranger asleep at the palace and was worried that no-one would ever know her secret and that she would never be released from the curse and be able to live as the queen in her rightful realm.
That's all the stranger needed to know. He sneaked away and returned to the palace the way he had come and by the time King Oddur had returned to the bedchamber, the stranger was genuinely asleep, snoring contentedly.
King Oddur became more and more preoccupied as winter wore on and his ministers and counsellors could see his worry but not even their best news could cheer him up. The first day of summer came and the king summoned the stranger and asked him if he was able to tell a secret about him that nobody else knew.
The stranger replied that the only thing he knew was that the king had other clothes that were far more fetching than those which he wore in this world of Men.
The curse was lifted. King Oddur, with tears and affection, embraced the stranger, and, without revealing more, called his entourage and told them that he was leaving his kingdom to the stranger so as to return to his true home.
And they all lived happily ever after.
The translator feels that the main character may be transgender, or is at least of ambiguous gender. It's not actually clear as Oddur inhabits two split and incompatible realms in which they have different gender roles. What resonated with me, though, was the feeling that one's female life is the real one whereas in the human world one has to play a fake male role that someone else has designated. And that we are often wanting others to know our true nature so that we can live authentically and happily, escaping what, to all intents and purposes, is a curse. Interestingly, Oddur doesn't reveal more to the bystanders and is content that just one worthwhile person knows of her reality.
Maybe you feel something similar after reading the story, or maybe it doesn't resonate at all.
Over the years, I've presented historical and cultural material, much of it very ancient, that to me suggests that gender variance is common to all ages and cultures and should be regarded as a normal part of human experience. Obviously, some experience and see gender variance more than others, but I have never come across any age or place that has ever been totally binary.
Sue x
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