Theodor Kittelsen
The Ash Lad, a well-known figure in Norwegian folktales, has caught sight of Soria Moria Castle glittering far away in the distant mountains. This image of the young boy espying the gleaming, far-off castle has come to symbolize the yearning for success in the Norwegian mind.
The Soria Moria Castle folktale was first transcribed and published by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in the early 1840s. In Asbjørnsen’s 1884 collection of folktales, the tale was illustrated by four pen drawings from Erik Werenskiold. Conversely, Theodor Kittelsen’s Soria Moria Castle picture series was painted first in 1900, and the narrative in these pictures varies from the original text. The paintings depict Askeladden’s encounters with figures such as the bear, the dragon, and the golden bird on his way to free the princess in the castle, before engaging in the inevitable battle with the troll. The series follows the fairy-tale tradition of happy endings and the hero winning the princess’s hand in matrimony.
Kittelsen was involved in illustrating Asbjørnsen and Moe’s folktales already in the early 1880s, making several drawings that were used to illustrate various editions of the folktales. Furthermore, Kittelsen penned his own version of the Soria Moria Castle story, publishing it in 1911 as a children’s book accompanied by the twelve paintings from the series.
We present today's painting thanks to the National Gallery in Oslo.
P.S. Visit here the Middle Earth and beyond in J.R.R. Tolkien illustrations. <3