Soria Moria Castle () is a Norwegian
fairy tale
A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...
made famous by
Peter Christen Asbjørnsen
Peter Christen Asbjørnsen (15 January 18125 January 1885) was a Norwegian writer and scholar. He and Jørgen Engebretsen Moe were collectors of Norwegian folklore. They were so closely united in their lives' work that their folk tale collection ...
and
Jørgen Moe
Jørgen Engebretsen Moe (22 April 1813–27 March 1882) was a Norwegian folklorist, bishop, poet, and author. He is best known for the '' Norske Folkeeventyr'', a collection of Norwegian folk tales which he edited in collaboration with Pe ...
in their classical ''
Norske Folkeeventyr
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
*Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*Norwegian language, including the two ...
''. Later
Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang (31 March 1844 – 20 July 1912) was a Scottish poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a folkloristics, collector of folklore, folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectur ...
included the story in his series of fairy tale collections in ''
The Red Fairy Book''.
Synopsis
A poor couple had a son named Halvor who was like the Ash Lad (), good for nothing but to sit about groping in the ashes. One day, a skipper asked him if he would like to go to sea. He went, and a storm blew them far off course. When Halvor got off the ship, he walked and found a castle. When he reached it, a princess warned him that a
troll
A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human bei ...
with three heads lived there and would eat him. Halvor refused to leave. The princess fed him and asked him to try to wield a sword. He could not, and she advised him to drink from a flask; afterwards, he could wield it. He killed the troll on its return. The princess told him of her two other sisters, also held captive by trolls, and Halvor rescued them as well, though one troll had six heads and the other nine.
They offered that any of them would marry him, and he chose the
youngest princess, but he missed his parents and wanted to tell them what had happened. The princesses gave him a ring to
wish
A wish is a hope or desire for something. In fiction, wishes can be used as plot devices. In folklore, opportunities for "making a wish" or for wishes to "come true" or "be granted" are themes that are sometimes used.
Sociology
Several cu ...
himself there and back but warned him not to name them. His parents took a long time to recognize this grand lord as their son, but they were very pleased with him. The young women were abashed before him, because they used to mock him. He wished the princesses were there to show them how abashed they should be. They appeared. The youngest princess persuaded Halvor to lie down and sleep, put a ring on his finger, took the wishing ring and wished them back to Soria Moria Castle.
He set out to find them, bought a horse, and found a cottage with an old couple where the woman had a nose long enough to stir the fire with. He asked if they knew the way to Soria Moria Castle, and they did not, nor did the Moon when the old woman asked it, but the old woman traded him a pair of
boots
A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearl ...
that took twenty miles a step for his horse, and asked him to wait for the West Wind. It knew where Soria Moria Castle was, and that there was to be a wedding there. Halvor set out with the West Wind to reach it. There, Halvor put the ring the princess had given him into a cup and had it brought to the princess. She recognized it and married Halvor instead of the
new bridegroom.
Commentary
To Norwegians ''Soria Moria Castle'' is probably among the best-known Norwegian folktales. The search for Soria Moria castle might be thought of as a progression, the symbol for perfect happiness. According to legend, the path to the castle is not clearly marked, and the journey is solitary because all people are different and therefore cannot reach the goal in the same manner. It is characteristic of most Norwegian folktales in that it contains a unique undertone of realism and folk humor. These folktales express many customary values, ideas, and characters. One of the most common values expressed is the idea of a common person rising above the circumstances of his birth and becoming successful.
The legend has continued to capture the Norwegian imagination. In 1881,
Theodor Severin Kittelsen painted his well-known (to Norwegians) painting for publication in an edition of ''Norske Folkeeventyr''. This legend was written as a poem within
Ole Edvart Rølvaag's 1933 novel ''The Boat of Longing''. More recently, it appeared in the form of a song titled ''Soria Moria'' in a 1989 album from Norwegian singer
Sissel Kyrkjebø
Sissel Kyrkjebø (; born 24 June 1969), also known abroad as Sissel, is a Norwegian soprano. She is considered one of the world's top crossover sopranos. Her musical style ranges from pop recordings and folk songs to classical vocals and operati ...
.
The Declaration of Soria Moria
The Soria Moria declaration is a Norwegian political statement forming the basis of Jens Stoltenberg's second and first government. The statement outlines the focus and priority of the so-called Red-Green Coalition government of Labour Party, ...
, which was negotiated during 2005 at the in
Oslo
Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
, formed the basis of the first and second government of the earlier prime minister of Norway,
Jens Stoltenberg
Jens Stoltenberg (; born 16 March 1959) is a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party. Since 2025, he has been the Minister of Finance in the Støre Cabinet. He has previously been the prime minister of Norway and secretary general of NATO.
...
.
Musician
Phil Elverum
Philip Whitman Elverum (; born May 26, 1978) is an American musician and songwriter known for his Independent music, indie bands the Microphones and Mount Eerie. Based in Anacortes, Washington, in the mid-2000s he began to spell his surname Elv ...
mentioned the painting of the castle and chasm on his 2017 album ''
A Crow Looked At Me'' as
Mount Eerie, using it as an allegory for the seemingly untraversable path taken to escape grief.
Tale type
The tale is classified in the international
Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index as type ATU 400, "The Man on a Quest for the Lost Wife". In this tale type, the hero finds a maiden of supernatural origin (e.g., the
swan maiden
The "swan maiden" () is a tale classified as Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index, ATU 400, "The Swan Maiden" or "The Man on a Quest for His Lost Wife," in which a man makes a pact with, or marries, a supernatural female being who later departs. The ...
) or rescues a princess from an enchantment; either way, he marries her, but she sets him a prohibition. The hero breaks the prohibition and his wife disappears to another place. He goes after her on a long quest, often helped by the elements (
Sun
The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as visible light a ...
,
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...
and
Wind
Wind is the natural movement of atmosphere of Earth, air or other gases relative to a planetary surface, planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heatin ...
) or by the rulers of animals of the land, sea and air.
Interpretation of the name
The exact meaning of the name ''Soria Moria'' is not known. It may be related to
Moriah
Moriah (Hebrew language, Hebrew: , ''Mōrīyya''; Arabic: ﻣﺮﻭﻩ, ''Marwah'') is the name given to a region in the Book of Genesis, where the binding of Isaac by Abraham is said to have taken place. Jews identify the region mentioned in G ...
, the name given to a mountain range in the
Book of Genesis
The Book of Genesis (from Greek language, Greek ; ; ) is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its incipit, first word, (In the beginning (phrase), 'In the beginning'). Genesis purpor ...
. According to tradition, this was the place where
Abraham
Abraham (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father who began the Covenant (biblical), covenanta ...
almost sacrificed
Isaac
Isaac ( ; ; ; ; ; ) is one of the three patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baháʼí Faith. Isaac first appears in the Torah, in wh ...
. It could also be related to the Greek words "sophia" (meaning '
wisdom
Wisdom, also known as sapience, is the ability to apply knowledge, experience, and good judgment to navigate life’s complexities. It is often associated with insight, discernment, and ethics in decision-making. Throughout history, wisdom ha ...
') and "moria" (meaning '
foolishness').
JRR Tolkien acknowledged that the name (in sound, not meaning) lay behind his "Mines of Moria."
["Moria..first appeared in The Hobbit chap. 1. It was there, as I remember, a casual 'echo' of Soria Moria Castle in one of the Scandinavian tales translated by Dasent... I liked the sound-sequence; it alliterated with 'mines', and it connected itself with the MOR element in my linguistic construction." ''The Letters of JRR Tolkien'', ed. Humphrey Carpenter (1981), No. 297]
See also
*
East of the Sun and West of the Moon
*
Hind Horn
*
The Beautiful Palace East of the Sun and North of the Earth
*
The Raven
"The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. First published in January 1845, the poem is often noted for its musicality, stylized language and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a distraught lover who is paid a visit ...
*
The Rider Of Grianaig, And Iain The Soldier's Son
*
The Sister of the Sun
*
The Story of Bensurdatu
*
The Three Princesses of Whiteland
References
Other sources
* "Soria Moria Castle", Lang, Andrew. ''The Red Fairy Book'' London: Longmans 1890
transcript
External links
{{Wikisourcelang, no, Soria Moria slott
Transcript "Soria Moria Castle" Asbjørnsen, Peter Christen and Moe, Jorgen. ''East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon''. George Webbe Dasent, translator. ''Popular Tales from the Norse''. Edinburgh: David Douglass, 1888
Norwegian fairy tales
Scandinavian folklore
Fairy tales about trolls
Fairy tales about princesses
Fairy tales about magic
Fairy tales about magic rings
Folklore featuring impossible tasks
ATU 400-459