Tiriltunga - Heming og Gygra (Norwegian medieval ballad)

Details

Description

Artist: Tiriltunga

This is another ballad about Heming, a young Norwegian man in the viking age known from a small norse saga, Hemingsþáttr. The other ballad about him can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKnp4j5xEmU.

The title of this ballad means 'Heming and the gýgr', a gygr is a female jotun, a troll. There are A LOT of versions of the ballad, over 40, and its very old.

There are some variations in the diffrent versions, the version in this upload is a slightly shortened one, but here is the story the ballad tells:

Heming is out skiing in the mountains during Yule, hunting and shooting 15 white bears. Night is approaching and it's getting dark, but he sees a light further down the mountain in a cave, and there sits a troll woman with a fire. He goes to her, and she asks what this frail man (Heming) wants. Heming replies that he wants to live with her here within the mountain.

The troll puts on her ramhide boots and walks out to invite others to the coming wedding of her and Heming.
While she is gone Heming finds a key to a room within the cave, and in the room is a maiden which the troll held imprisoned. Heming releases her, and they both escape the cave with a lot of treasure.
But the troll woman discovers it and hunts them in rage, then the sun rises and the troll is turned to stone.