Odin in Fairyland (The People of Juvik 4) by Olav Duun

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Summary edit see section history

Originally released in Norway as I eventyre (literally, "in fairytales") in 1921, and in America in 1933, the fourth book begins the story of Odin Setran which occupies the remaining three books. Ola Haaberg, the parish clerk, had always been looking for “him who should come,” a scion of the race who should inherit the virtues of the old Juvikings and as it were justify the whole family. Odin is the one who fulfills this hope. He is the illegitimate son of Aasel’s daughter Elen, by one Otte Setran, a joiner by trade, who emigrates to America before the boy is born. In Odin in Fairyland we have the story of his childhood. When he is seven years old his mother marries a farmer named Iver Vennestad, and Odin is put out to serve as herd-boy on a small holding called Kjelvik. The people there, Bendek and Gurianna, are kind to him, and he has many adventures as he discovers the world around him. His father returns from America and asks if Odin would like to go and live with him, but the boy prefers to stay at Kjelvik. Now there are certain secrets in Bendek’s life which are best let alone, and when Odin stumbles upon one of these the old man flies into a rage and turns him out of the house on a stormy Christmas night. Odin reaches Vennestad more dead than alive, and his mother and stepfather keep him there. Till one day Gurianna comes over with the news that Bendek is ill and wishes to see Odin. The lad at once goes back to Kjelvik and stays there till Bendek dies. It is here that we first meet with Lauris, who is destined to play an all-important part in the books which follow. He is a lad four years older than Odin, and a relative of Bendek; a wily rascal who is not above petty thieving. Odin with his generous nature is no unfriendly to Lauris, though he feels from the first that some day he will have to come to grips with him. Otte Setran, who has been carrying on his trade in the neighborhood, is suspected of having set fire to his cottage for the insurance money, whereupon Odin, whose instinct always prompts him to take the loser’s part, volunteers to go and live with him. In the last scene of this book Odin is overtaken by a storm while rowing a girl called Ingri Arnesen across the fjord. The boat capsizes and they are rescued with difficulty.

Characters edit see section history

Elen Vennestad: Daughter of Aasel Haaberg; moved to Vennestad after Peder's death.
Odin Setran: Illegitimate son of Elen Vennestad and Otte Setran; the main character of this book.
Bendek: A small holder who takes in Odin as a foster son.
Gurianna: Bendek's wife.
Otte Setran: Odin's father, who emigrates to America and later returns to Norway.
Iver Vennestad: Eilert's nephew, a horse coper who marries Elen.
Eilert Vennestad: The original owner of Vennestad.
Aasel Haaberg: Elen's mother and Odin's grandmother. The eldest remaining Juviking.
Karen-Anna Jörnstranda: A young girl from Jörnstrand, who befriends Odin; she is his first love.
Astri Haaberg: Daughter of Peder and Andrea; Odin's cousin.
Martin Jörnstranda: Karen-Anna's brother, one of the many Jörnstrand boys.
Lian: Otte's sister, with whom he lives briefly when he returns from America.
Lauris: A young man from Svestadmo, four years older than Odin, who works as a mower for Bendek.
Kristine: A young girl whom Lauris dances with.
Ingri Arnesen: A girl who Odin takes to ferry him to the fair, who gets caught with him in a storm.

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Quotes edit see section history

“When he was alone he always saw her as his dream and his mermaid, but as soon as she was there it was all fun and merriment, for there was nothing she didn't take into her head. He often stopped to think it over: how was it he'd never seen before that there was fun in everything! For he had always known that something dwelt in everything there was. Now every stone became a house and every tree-stump a man...”
“The wind was still roaring, but it was fine, bright weather. And he thought now, as when he had started in the early morning, that he had got rid of the grey gloom and indoor stuffiness and had a high, clear day before him. It was queer to be walking like this all alone on a strange road. And he had felt the same when he was a little boy, sometimes: it was as though you couldn't believe in what you saw. It was just as grand for all that. And it was good for a man: to be alone.”

Setting & Locations edit see section history

Namdal: A district in Norway, to the north of Trondheim, where many of Olav Duun's stories are set.
Kjelvik: A small holding where Bendek and Gurianna live; where Odin is raised as a foster son for a while. Kjelvik exists in Odin's mind and memory as a place of wonder and beauty.
Vennestad: The farm where Elen and Iver live, and where Odin returns after living at Kjelvik for a while.
Haaberg: The ancestral home of the Juvikings.
The Holm: Lian's home, where Otte briefly stays.
The Wick: A croft where Karen-Anna serves after working at Kjelvik.
Segelsund: Home of Arthur and Mina, where they hold a store and a school.

First Sentence edit see section history

It was a shining summer evening, with the tinkling of bells from the meadows and the song of midges about one's ears, and the two who were on their way northward over the Kjelvik saddle walked slowly and solemnly, as though the weather was too fine for walking, one ought rather to sit down and keep holiday.

Table of Contents edit see section history

I. Summer Evening
II. Fairyland
III. The Father
IV. The Grey Ram And The Otter Gun
V. Homeless
VI. Up In The Parish
VII. Out Of Fairyland

Glossary edit see section history

Mere: A lake that is broad in relation to its depth; a pool or marsh.
Byre: A barn, especially one used for keeping cattle.
Joiner: A carpenter who cuts and fits joints in wood that do not use nails, usually in a workshop since the formation of the various joints generally requires non-portable machinery.
Thwart: A brace, perpendicular to the keel, that helps maintain the breadth of a marine vessel against external water pressure and that may serve to support the rail; a seat that is incorporated into the design of a small boat's thwart.
Groats: Cereal seeds with hulls removed.
Coper: A horse dealer, especially a dishonest one.
Gowk: A fool.
Wight: An archaic term for a human being or another sentient creature.
Voe: A narrow sea inlet.
Fey: Fated, bewitched, unlucky; acting in a manner that presages death.
Restive: Edgy: being in a tense state.
Gloaming: Twilight, as at early morning or (especially) early evening; dusk.

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Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 4 of 6 in The People of Juvik. (standard series)

Preceded by The Big Wedding, and followed by Odin Grows Up.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

Olav Duun (Author)

Other Contributors:

Arthur G. Chater (Translator)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: Norwegian
Publisher: Add the publisher.
Country: Norway
Publication Date: 1921
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: Add the page count.

Subjects edit see section history

Books › Literature & Fiction › Classics
Books › Literature & Fiction › World Literature › Scandinavian

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Good ConscienceOlav Duun

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Odin in Fairyland (1921) (edit title/settings)

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