Ringelihorn

Bewitched princesses and princes, sea-trolls (with mouths as wide as boat-house doors), giants, revenants, hulders, goblins, merfolk, eagles, goats, a wooden doll, seabirds, halibuts, robbers, sailors, the draug, the devil, St. Peter, and “Our Lord”. Regine Normann’s tales are packed full of the most extraordinary characters from the Norwegian fairy-tale gallery. The plots are action-packed, and the setting, when not the heart of the earth, is almost always the magical coast of northern Norway.

Born in a small settlement on the Arctic coast of Norway, Serine Regine Normann (1867-1939) lived most of her adult life in the capital city, working parallel teaching and writing careers. She published a total of 18 books; her fairy tales have not been out of print since they first appeared.

“Very few in this century have been able to compose true fairy tales. Actually, I can only think of three: Rudyard Kipling, Selma Lagerlöf, and Regine Normann” — André Bjerke, 1940