A priest who lived in the northlands had raised a young maid as stepdaughter. The priest had a meadow farm high amongst the mountains where he liked to send his cattle and sheep where they were cared for by the young maid and a shepherd.
When the maid was older, she headed the meadow farm and fulfilled those duties as well as she had all others. She was a clever housekeeper, pretty to look at and with a mastery of many things. In this region of the land, there was none to equal her, and so many wealthy men sought her hand, but she rejected them all.
The priest once spoke with the young maid, advising her to marry because he was now an old man and could not always be there for her. But she would hear none of it; her feelings were remote from such things. She said that she was quite happy with things as they were, and that not everyone finds their happiness in marriage. So for the time being there was no further talk of the matter.
When a part of the winter had passed, it began to appear to people that the maid was becoming somewhat round below her belt. The closer it came to spring, the rounder she became. In early spring, her caregiver spoke again with her asking her to be open and honest with him about her condition. He thought that she must certainly be expecting a child and so it would be best for her not to go to the high meadow farm this summer.
But she said that she was not with child, was fine and would perform her tasks at the high meadow this summer just as she did before. The priest saw that he would not be able to get her to confide in him and so gave in to her will. Nonetheless, he ordered the men who accompanied her to the high meadow not to leave her alone, and this they promised faithfully to obey.
Once again, at the high meadow farm the maid was cheerful and happy. Time passed uneventfully with the men watching her closely and never leaving her alone.
Then one evening it happened that the shepherd could not find the sheep or cattle. Everyone who was able had to leave the meadow to search, and only the maid stayed behind alone. The people’s searching went slowly, and soon thick fog settled in so that only during the following morning were the livestock found.
When they returned to the farmhouse, the maid was already up, unusually agile and light on her feet. As time passed, they also saw that she was no longer as portly as before but knew not how that had come about. They also found that she was no longer plump in the manner of a woman expecting a child.
When fall came, they returned home from the meadow, man and beast, and the priest then saw that the maid was slimmer than she had the previous winter. He belabored the other meadow people, asking if they had gone against his orders and had left the maid alone. They told him what had happened, that they had only once left to find the missing livestock. The priest was upset, wishing them all misfortune because they had gone against his orders. Besides, he had suspected something of the sort when the maid left for the high meadow.
The next winter, a man came wishing to court the priest‘s stepdaughter. She, however, wanted nothing to do with such courting. The priest however said that nothing should prevent her from marrying the man, and everyone agreed, praising him and saying that he came from a good family. In the past year he had taken over his father’s farm and was responsible for his mother’s care.
The proposal was accepted, whether or not the maid wished it. The wedding was in the spring, but before the bride had donned her wedding dress, she told her betrothed, “As you marry me against my will, I want you to promise me something: that you will never take a winter boarder without telling me beforehand; otherwise, you will suffer!” This, he promised.
The wedding was celebrated and she moved in with her lord, taking over the household. But this she did with little enthusiasm; she was never happy and she always bore a grim expression even though her husband waited on her hand and foot and gave her every comfort.
Every summer she stayed at home while the others were busy with haymaking in the fields. Her mother-in-law was always with her, trying to cheer her up and helping her with her duties. Sometimes she sat and sewed or spun while the old woman told tales to entertain her daughter-in-law.
Once, when the old woman was finished with her stories she said to her daughter-in-law that she should now tell some stories. But the young woman replied that she knew no stories. Still, the old woman insisted and so the young woman promised to tell the only tale she knew. And so she began as follows:
“There once lived a maid on a high meadow farm. Near the meadow were large cliffs that she often passed. Within the cliffs lived a handsome huldre youth whom she soon came to know. He was so kind and loving to the maid that he never denied her wishes and always met her every wish.
“The result was that after a time the maid expected a child. When the next summer approached and time came for her to return to the meadow, her employer insisted on knowing if she was with child. But she denied this, and left again for the high meadow, as was her normal manner.
“But her employer ordered those who were with the maid never to leave her alone, which they promised him never to do. Nevertheless, they did leave her one time to search for the livestock and it was then that she felt the labor pains of childbirth. Her lover came to her, sat by her and helped her with the birth. He washed and swaddled the child.
“Before he left with the child, he let the maid drink from a glass. It was the sweetest of drinks that I ever…” – and here the needles with which she was knitting fell from her hands. She bent down for them and recovered her composure – “… that she had ever tasted, I meant to say, and she was then healthy and free of any ill effects.
“After that time, the maid and the huldre youth never saw each other again. The maid was married to another man against her will, but her heart was always with her first love. From that time, on, she never had a happy day. And with that, the tale ends.”
The old woman thanked her for the story, keeping it in mind. The time passed uneventfully. The young woman went about her life, carrying her cares with her, but always good and loving to her lord and master.
One summer when the hay harvest was well under way, two men came to the farm, one large and another somewhat smaller, approaching the lord in his field. They both wore wide-brimmed hats so that one could only dimly see their faces. The larger man spoke first, asking the farmer for shelter for the winter. The farmer answered that he could not take anyone in without first discussing the matter with his wife.
The man asked him to not speak so awkwardly as though he were hiding behind his wife and could not decide for himself such a small matter as that of taking in two people for the winter. The result then was, the farmer promised them a place for the winter without first asking his wife.
That evening, the strangers came with the farmer to the house where he granted them entry and asked them to wait. He then went to his wife and told her the state of things. His wife was very unwilling and said that it had been her first wish and most probably the last. So now that he had taken them in by himself, whatever happened during their winter’s stay was his affair. After this, there was no more discussion of the matter.
Everything was then peaceful until the fall when the married pair wanted to attend communion. It was then the custom, as it is still in various parts of Iceland that those who want to sit at the Lord’s Table first go to each person in their farm, kiss them and ask for their forgiveness of any offenses. The wife had avoided the winter guests until this day, not letting herself be seen. Also, even now she did not go to them to say good-bye.
The couple left. When they were outside the fence of the farm, the farmer asked his young wife, “Did you wish our winter guests well?” She answered, “No.” He asked her not to be so godless and to leave without first bidding them well.
“In most things you show that you pay me little heed, first in that you took in these men without asking me, and now that you will force me to kiss them. Nonetheless, I’ll obey you. But you must accept the consequences by yourself because it means my life and with all probability, yours too.”
She then turned back to the house, and because it took so long without her returning the farmer also returned to where he expected to find his winter guests, finding them in their room. Here, he found how the larger guest had embraced his wife, and was lying with her on the floor, both having died from hearts broken from sorrow. The other guest stood crying next to them when the farmer entered but immediately afterward, he vanished without anyone knowing where he went.
But now everyone knew what the the tale was that the wife had told her mother-in-law: that the larger guest was the huldre man that she had met at the high meadow and the one who had vanished was her son.