Åsmund Frægdegjevar is a medieval Norwegian legend and ballad (classification: TSB E 145) with several variations all detailing the adventures of a hero by the same name who is hired by the king to rescue a princess. It is based on a fornaldarsaga.
Contents
Summary
The story starts as many fairytales do: the fair princess has been captured and imprisoned in a faraway castle, and the King commissions a hero, in this case Åsmund, to rescue her. He and his brothers take the King's flagship Ormin Lange to the castle of the ogre Skomegyvri, where the princess is imprisoned. However, his brothers will not enter with him, so he goes alone.
He finds the princess with relative ease walking through the castle, and immediately falls in love with her. But she is under a spell of the ogre, and believing that Skomegyvri is her mother, will not leave with him. He then takes her by force.
On his way out, the ogre appears. They fight a long battle both physically and with curses and spells, but Åsmund eventually kills Skomegyvri. The princess being free from the spell, they plunder the castle and return home with all the ogre's treasure.
Parallels
The ballad tells a similar story to an Icelandic saga, where the hero is known as Ásmundur Flagðagæfa.
Recordings
A concept album based on the ballad was recorded by Lumsk.
English Translations
English translations of this ballad have been published: