East of the Sun and West of the Moon: A Norwegian Folktale

“A great White Bear waits outside. He has faithfully promised to make us all rich if he can but have our youngest daughter.”

Often called the Scandinavian Beauty and the Beast, this Norwegian folktale follows the journey of the youngest daughter of an impoverished woodsman, who—for the sake of her poor but large family—agrees to leave everything she has ever known and accompany a White Bear to his mountain castle.

After discovering the White Bear’s true identity, she seeks to rescue him from a forced marriage to a troll Princess. Her search leads her to the homes of the Four Winds, who may be her only hope in locating where her beloved now resides, in a castle which lies East of the Sun and West of the Moon...

[Folklore Type: ATU-425A (Search for the Lost Husband)]