In Norway, we have a tale of a young lad who race-ate with the troll. A lad who wanted to build a ship to reach the all mighty king with the help of a random old man. He was fighting to marry the princess of the kingdom and so much more. This guy is called Askeladden. He is a national treasure and fictional. In the stories where he shows up, he is the hero and the idealist of the story. A very likable character, indeed. This is the Norwegian tale of Askeladden. For more current Norwegian tales, Olsenbanden might be for you.
An English tale which is alike is Robin Hood and Robin Hood's hiding place
He is the youngest kid in the family that the others don't expect too much of and then comes out as the unexpected hero in the end
His older brothers
His older brothers are Per og Pål. They fail in what they try and are described as lazy. It is not expected much more from Askeladden since he is at ''the bottom'' of the ''hierarchy''.
Askeladden is young and blond with a polite and welcoming Norwegian style energy
The ''creators''
The guys who are responsible for letting Norway now about Askeladden is called Asbjørnsen og Moe. What they did was to travel around Norway to collect tales from the different villages and see how they relate to each other.
In Norway, an Askeladd is a person who does something unexpectedly in an increadibly positive manner
Personality wise
His personality is naive and a bit stupid. He is described this way so that he can even surprise the person who reads the story and not just the people inside of the story.
Fun fact: My brother Kim's kindergarten was called Askeladden.
He's in the school books
We have Askeladden in our school books because he also represents good things about Norwegians and becomes a Jesus figure. Or he is an ideal at least. He is adventurous, helpful, and has courage.
Where to find Askeladden
To have an Askeladden experience, go to Hunderfossen Familiepark which is a couple of hours from Oslo. Here they will show so many cool things about Trolls and Askeladden. It's a family park that has music theatre and adventure in an incredible Norwegian fashion.
They have carrousels, climbing towers, Norwegian traditional activities, Askeladden activities, and so much more to entertain the kids and even the adults to the fullest!
Family park of Hunderfossen
Fossekrovegen 22, 2625 Fåberg, NorgeWant to plan a trip here? Talk to AI travel assistant Maya.
The author
Kai Bonsaksen
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