"The Journey of the Swallow"

Author: Selma Lagerl?f
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-09-01
Features: The protagonist of this fairy tale is a 14-year-old boy named Nils from a rural area in southern Sweden. His parents are kind, hardworking, and extremely poor farmers, but Nils is naturally rude, very mischievous, and has no interest in reading. He loves playing pranks and tormenting small animals. One day in early spring, while his parents are at church, Nils transforms into a tiny-sized (thumb-sized) person after tricking a small sprite. At that moment, a flock of geese flies overhead, and Nils’s male goose, Morten, also wants to spread his wings and follow them. To prevent Morten from flying away, Nils tightly hugs the goose’s neck, only to be carried up into the sky by the goose. From then on, he rides on the goose’s back, traveling south and north with the geese, all the way to Lapland in northern Sweden. He sees the beautiful landscapes of his homeland, gains much knowledge, makes friends from various places, hears many legends and stories, faces various difficulties and dangers, and learns many virtues from his companions and other animals. Gradually, he corrects his mischievous nature and develops the excellent qualities of being brave, kind, helpful, responsible, and hardworking. Due to Nils’s kind heart, when he returns home, he not only regains his original form but also becomes a brave, kind, helpful, responsible, and hardworking young boy.