LeSSoN 9

THE ROAD THROUGH HEDAL FOREST (Traditional Norwegian Tale)

<< Living Without Fear >>

It's always been said that the woods are inhabited by charmed and mysterious creatures. Have you ever seen them?

In the cold lands of Scandinavia, two brothers were left orphans: a snow storm ended the lives of their parents. So they decided to look for work on the other side of Hedal Forest, famous for the strange creatures that lived in it. The two young men were very brave, but in the middle of the night when they heard a deep snort that came from the forest, their teeth began to chatter and they hugged each other scared to death...

Three gigantic trolls approached them clumsily along the path. But the two brothers realized that they were not as dangerous as they looked, because they had only one eye for the three of them. So the brothers began to chop at their legs with hatchets. The trolls tried to trap them with clumsy swipes at the air but without success. The turned from one side to another and exchanged the eye to see what was happening until being overtaken by desperation and pain, with the result that they could no longer fight or advance. And that's where they stayed, in the middle of the road, in a puddle of blood. Meanwhile, at dawn's first light, the two brothers crossed the forest triumphantly.

Fear usually paralyzes us more than the danger itself, and for that reason the only way to conquer it is to not think about it.