Norwegian fairy tales

At the time that folklorists Peter Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe were researching what would become a collection of Norwegian Fairy Tales there was no official Norwegian written language. Norway had been under Danish rule for over 800 years and all writing was done in Danish. Asbjørnsen and Moe decided to write down these stories in a simple manner, using Danish as a basis, but using the grammar and word usage which was common in Norway. This decision led to the formation of a written Norwegian language which has evolved into modern Norwegian Bokmål and eventually to the creation of a second official Norwegian language called Nynorsk.

These Fairy Tales not only formed the basis of the modern Norwegian language, but they shaped the culture as well. In fact the current Norwegian government's plan for improving life in Norway is called the Soria Moria Declaration. Soria Moria is mentioned in many of Asbjørnsen and Moe's fairy tales as a sort of utopia which the characters are trying to reach. This idea is also popular in music and art. Many painters like Theodor Kittelsen immortalized many of these themes in his drawings and paintings. Here's another example in one of Sissel Kyrkjebø's songs:

Soria Moria

I en drøm
Så jeg Berget Det Blå
Gjennom storm
fant jeg veier å gå
Ta drømmen din med deg
og dra til Soria Moria
Du må ut
på de veldige hav
Du må ri
alle stormene av
Hold fast i ditt håp og
din tro
Bak blåner du ser
venter det fler
som vil dele en drøm
som er god
Gå i land
det er her du skal bo
Et folk sender båter
som smil over vannet
De tar deg i havn
og dekker sitt bord
De sier velkommen
til Regnbuelandet
og kaller deg
søster og bror
Jeg vil bo
der hvor farvene bor
Jeg vil tro på en
grenseløs jord
Jeg vet at det
finnes et land
bak eventyrfjell
seil dit i kveld
hvis du tror at en
drøm kan bli sann
gå i land, finn din drøm
gå i land