The Wonderful Adventures of Nils 1732 Studios

Swedish · The Wonderful Adventures of Nils

Hos Holger Nilssons

At Holger Nilsson's

210 sentences · 20 notes

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  1. 1

    It was a day when the weather was hazy and heavy.

    Detitden · pronoun, neuter, singularsubject of dag
    varwasvara · auxiliary verb, past, indicative, activecopula linking to dag
    enaen · determiner, common gender, singulardeterminer of dag
    dagdaydag · noun, nominative, common gender, singularhead of the phrase
    dåwhendå · subordinating conjunctionintroduces the clause of disigt
    detitden · pronoun, neuter, singularsubject of disigt
    varwasvara · auxiliary verb, past, indicative, activecopula linking to disigt
    disigthazydisig · adjective, nominative, neuter, singularadverbial clause on dag
    ochandoch · conjunctionlinks the coordination
    tungtheavytung · adjective, nominative, neuter, singularmodifies väder
    väderweatherväder · noun, nominative, neuter, singularcoordinated with disigt

  2. The wild geese had been grazing on the great fields around Skurup church and were sitting taking their midday rest, when Akka came up to the boy.

  3. “It looks as though we're going to have calm weather for a while now,” she said, “and I think we'll be crossing the Baltic tomorrow.”

  4. —“I see,” said the boy shortly, for his throat had tightened so that he could not speak.

  5. He had, after all, still been hoping that he would have been freed from the spell while he was still in Skåne.

  6. 2

    “We're fairly close to Västra Vemmenhög now,” said Akka, “and I thought you might like to go home for a while.

  7. It will be a long time before you get to see any of your own people again.”

  8. —“It's probably best to leave it alone,” said the boy, but it could be heard in his voice that he was glad of the suggestion.

  9. —“If the gander stays here with us, then surely nothing bad can happen,” said Akka.

  10. “I think you ought to find out how things stand at home.

  11. Perhaps you can help them in some way, even though you don't become human again.”

  12. —“Yes, you're right about that, Mother Akka.

  13. I ought to have thought of that before,” said the boy, growing quite eager.

  14. 3

    In the next moment he and the gander were on their way to Holger Nilsson's, and it wasn't long before Akka landed behind the stone wall that ran around the crofter's place.

  15. “How strange, how everything here is just the same,” said the boy, and climbed quickly up onto the fence so he could look around.

  16. “It doesn't feel like a single day has passed since I sat here and watched you come flying up in the air.”

  17. 4

    “I wonder if your father has a gun?” said Akka suddenly.

  18. —“Yes, he probably does,” said the boy.

  19. “It was on account of that gun that I stayed home instead of going to church that Sunday.”

  20. —“Then I don't dare stand here waiting for you,” said Akka.

  21. “It will be best if you come and meet us at Smygehuk early tomorrow morning; then you can stay home overnight.”

  22. —“No, don't leave yet, Mother Akka!” said the boy, and jumped hastily down from the fence.

  23. He didn't know how it came about, but he was struck by a feeling that something was going to happen to the wild goose or to himself, so that they would never meet again.

  24. “You can surely see that I'm sorrowful, because I can't get my proper shape back,” he went on.

  25. “But I want to tell you that I don't regret having gone along with you this spring.

  26. No, I would rather never become human again than not have made that journey.”

  27. Akka drew in a breath a couple of times before she answered.

  28. “There's something I ought to have spoken to you about before, but since you weren't going to return to your own people, I thought there was no hurry.

  29. It can never hurt, though, to have it said.”

  30. —“You know well enough that I'm glad to do as you wish,” said the boy.

  31. —“If you've learned anything good from us, Thumbietot, then perhaps you don't think human beings ought to have the earth all to themselves,” said the gander solemnly.

  32. “Consider that you have a great country, and that you could well afford to leave a few bare skerries and a few shallow lakes and marshy bogs and some barren mountains and remote forests to us poor creatures, where we might be left in peace!

  33. All my life I have been hunted and pursued.

  34. It would be good to know that there was a refuge for one such as me, too.”

  35. 5

    “I would certainly be glad if I could help you with this,” said the boy, “but I'll probably never have any power among human beings.”

  36. —“No, here we are talking as if we would never meet again,” said Akka, “and yet we'll surely see each other again tomorrow.

  37. Now I must go back to my own.”

  38. She raised her wings, but came back once more, stroked her bill a couple of times up and down over Thumbietot, and then flew away at last on her way.

  39. 6

    It was broad daylight, but not a soul stirred about the farm, so the boy could go wherever he liked.

  40. He hurried to the cowshed, for he knew that the cows would give him the best news.

  41. It looked dismal in the barn.

  42. In the spring there had been three fine cattle there, but now only a single cow stood there.

  43. It was Majros, and it could be seen on her that she longed for her companions.

  44. She hung her head and had scarcely touched a wisp of the fodder lying in front of her.

  45. 7

    “Good day, Majros!” said the boy, and ran fearlessly into the stall.

  46. “How are Mother and Father?

  47. How are the cat and the geese and the hens, and what have you done with Stjärna and Gull-Lilja?”

  48. 8

    When Majros heard the boy's voice, she gave a start, and it looked as though she meant to butt him.

  49. But she wasn't as fierce now as before; instead she took the time to look at Nils Holgersson before she struck.

  50. He was just as small as when he had gone away, and he was dressed the same way, but all the same he was quite unlike himself.

  51. The Nils Holgersson who had gone off in the spring had had a heavy, slow gait and a drawling voice and sleepy eyes, but the one who came back was light and nimble, quick of speech, and his eyes were ones that shone and flashed.

  52. He carried himself so smartly that one had to feel respect for him, small as he was, and although he himself did not look happy, whoever saw him grew happy.

  53. 9

    “Moo,” lowed Majros.

  54. “They said that you had changed, but I haven't been able to believe it.

  55. Welcome home, Nils Holgersson, welcome home!

  56. This is the first happy moment I've had in ever so long.”

  57. —“Thank you, Majros!” said the boy, and felt truly glad to be so well received.

  58. “Now tell me how Father and Mother are doing!”

  59. 10

    “They've had nothing but sorrows ever since you went your way,” said Majros.

  60. “Worst of all is that costly horse, who has stood there eating all summer.

  61. Your father doesn't want to shoot him, and he can't get him sold either.

  62. It's because of the horse that both Stjärna and Gull-Lilja have had to leave here.”

  63. 11

    There was another matter the boy really wanted to know, but he was too embarrassed to ask outright.

  64. So instead he said: “Mother must have been quite sad indeed when she found that Morten Goosey-Gander had flown away?”

  65. 12

    “I don't think she would have grieved so much over the gander if she had known how it happened when he went his way.

  66. Now what she complains of most is that it was her own son who slipped away from home and took the gander with him.”

  67. 13

    “I see, she thinks I stole the gander?” said the boy.

  68. —“What else should she think?”

  69. —“Father and Mother probably imagine that I've been roaming about all summer like some tramp.”

  70. —“They think things have gone badly for you,” said Majros, “and they've grieved for you the way one grieves when the dearest thing one owns has been lost.”

  71. 14

    The boy went quite hastily out of the cowshed when he had heard this, and made his way into the stable.

  72. It was small, but neat and fine.

  73. It could be seen in everything that Holger Nilsson had wanted to arrange it so that the newcomer would be comfortable.

  74. Inside stood a splendid, handsome horse who fairly gleamed with good health.

  75. 15

    “Good day in the stable!” said the boy.

  76. “I've heard there's supposed to be a sick horse here.

  77. Surely it can't be you, looking as healthy and well as you do?”

  78. The horse turned his head and looked closely at the boy.

  79. “Are you the son of the house?” he said.

  80. “I've heard a lot of bad things about him.

  81. But you have such a good look about you that I would never believe you were him, if I didn't know that he'd been turned into a little imp.”

  82. —“I know well enough that I've left a bad name behind me here on this farm,” said Nils Holgersson.

  83. “My own mother thinks I ran off like a thief, but that doesn't matter, since I won't be staying home long.

  84. Before I go, I'd still like to hear what's wrong with you.”

  85. 16

    “A pity you're not staying,” said the horse, “for I have a feeling we would have become good friends.

  86. There's nothing else wrong with me except that I've gotten something in my foot — the tip of a knife, or whatever it might be.

  87. It's hidden so well that the doctor hasn't been able to find it, but it pricks and pricks, so that I simply cannot walk.

  88. If you would tell Holger Nilsson what's wrong with me, I believe he could easily help me.

  89. I would be glad to be able to make myself useful.

  90. I'm truly ashamed to stand here eating without working.”

  91. 17

    “It's a good thing you don't have any real illness,” said Nils Holgersson.

  92. “I'll try to see to it that you get cured.

  93. It won't hurt you if I take my knife and cut a little here on your hoof, will it?”

  94. 18

    Nils Holgersson had only just finished with the horse when he heard voices in the yard.

  95. He pushed the stable door open a little crack and looked out.

  96. It was Father and Mother, coming walking up from the road to the house.

  97. It could clearly be seen that they were weighed down by worry.

  98. Mother had gotten many more wrinkles in her face than before, and Father's hair had turned gray.

  99. Mother walked along talking to Father about how he ought to try to get a loan from her brother-in-law.

  100. “No, I don't want to borrow any more money,” said Father, just as he walked past the stable.

  101. “Nothing is as hard as being in debt.

  102. It's better to sell the cottage.”

  103. —“I wouldn't mind so much if we got rid of it,” said Mother, “if it weren't for the boy's sake.

  104. But where will he turn, if he comes home one day, poor and wretched as one must expect him to be, and we're no longer here?”

  105. —“Yes, you're right about that,” said Father, “but I suppose we'll have to ask whoever comes after us to receive him kindly and tell him that he's welcome to us.

  106. We won't say a single harsh word, whatever state he's in.

  107. Shall we, Mother?”

  108. —“Oh, no indeed!

  109. If only I had him back here, so I knew he wouldn't have to starve and freeze out on the roads, I wouldn't ask for anything else.”

  110. 19

    When Father and Mother had said this, they went inside, and the boy could hear no more of their conversation.

  111. He grew very glad and moved indeed on hearing that they held such great love for him, even though they believed he had gone astray, and he would have liked to hurry forward to them.

  112. “But it might be an even greater sorrow for them if they saw me as I am now,” he thought.

  113. 20

    While he stood there hesitating, a carriage came and stopped at the gate.

  114. The boy nearly cried out in astonishment, for the ones who got out and went in through the yard could be none other than Åsa the goose-girl and her father.

  115. They held each other's hands as they walked up to the house.

  116. They came so quietly and gravely, yet with a beautiful glow of happiness in their eyes.

  117. When they were about halfway across the yard, Åsa the goose-girl stopped her father and said to him: “You do remember, Father, that you mustn't say anything to them about the wooden shoe or the geese or the little imp who looked so like Nils Holgersson that, if it wasn't him himself, he must at least have had something to do with him.”

  118. —“No, certainly not,” said Jon Assarsson.

  119. “I'll only say that you got good help from their son several times while you went about searching for me, and that we've therefore come here to ask whether we can't do them some service in return, now that I've become a well-off man and have more than I need, thanks to the mine I found up there.”

  120. —“Yes, I know well enough that you can put your words well,” said Åsa.

  121. “It was just that one thing I didn't want you to say.”

  122. 21

    They went into the cottage, and the boy would have dearly liked to hear what they talked about in there, but he did not dare venture out onto the yard.

  123. Not a particularly long time passed before they came out again, and then Father and Mother walked with them down to the gate.

  124. It was remarkable how happy they now were.

  125. It looked as if they had been given new life.

  126. 22

    When the visitors were gone, Father and Mother stood at the gate and watched them go.

  127. “Well, now I don't care to be sad anymore,” said Mother, “now that I've heard so much good about Nils.”

  128. —“It wasn't perhaps so very much that they told about him,” said Father thoughtfully.

  129. —“Wasn't it enough that they came traveling specially to say that they wanted to help us, because our Nils had done them great services?

  130. I think you should have accepted their offer, I do, Father.”

  131. —“No, Mother.

  132. I don't want to take money from anyone, whether as a gift or a loan.

  133. I want to make myself free of debt first of all, and then we'll work our way up again.

  134. We're not so worn out with age yet, are we, Mother?”

  135. Father actually laughed when he said this.

  136. “I believe you think it will be fun to sell this place, that we've put so much work into,” said Mother.

  137. —“You understand well enough why I'm laughing,” said Father.

  138. “It was the boy being lost that weighed me down so, that I've been quite powerless, but now that I know he's alive and has turned out well, you'll see that Holger Nilsson is still good for something.”

  139. 23

    Mother went into the cottage, but the boy had to hurry to creep away into a corner, for Father was coming to the stable.

  140. He went into the horse's stall and, as he was accustomed to do, lifted up its foot to try to discover what was wrong with it.

  141. “What's this?” said Father, for he saw that there were some letters carved into the hoof.

  142. “Take the iron out of the foot!” he read, and looked around him, wondering and questioning, but nevertheless began to look and feel about the underside of the hoof.

  143. “There, I do believe there's something sharp there,” he muttered after a while.

  144. 24

    While Father busied himself with the horse, and the boy sat huddled away in the corner of the stable, it happened that other visitors came to the farm.

  145. The truth was that when Morten Goosey-Gander found himself so close to his old home, he simply hadn't been able to resist the urge to show his wife and children to his old companions at the crofter's place, and had simply taken Dunfin and the goslings with him and set off.

  146. 25

    There wasn't a soul out in the yard at Holger Nilsson's when the gander arrived.

  147. He landed in perfect security and walked calmly about, showing Dunfin how splendidly he had lived when he was still a tame goose.

  148. When they had looked over the whole yard, he noticed that the door to the cowshed stood open.

  149. “Look here a moment!” he said, “so you can see how I used to live in the old days!

  150. It was quite different from staying about in swamps and bogs, the way we do now.”

  151. 26

    The gander stood on the threshold and looked into the cowshed.

  152. “There's not a soul here,” he said.

  153. “Come, Dunfin, and you shall see the goose pen!

  154. Don't be afraid!

  155. It's not the least bit dangerous.”

  156. 27

    Whereupon the gander, Dunfin, and all six goslings walked straight into the goose pen to see in what pomp and splendor the great white one had lived, before he had taken up with wild geese.

  157. 28

    “Yes, this is how we had it.

  158. That was my spot, and there stood the feeding trough, which was always filled with oats and water,” said the gander.

  159. “Wait, there's a little food in it right now too!”

  160. And with that he rushed over to the trough and began slurping down oats.

  161. 29

    But Dunfin was uneasy.

  162. “Let's go back out!” she said.

  163. —“Just a couple more grains!” said the gander.

  164. At that very moment he let out a cry and hurried toward the exit.

  165. But it was too late.

  166. The door slammed shut, the mistress stood outside and put on the hook, and there they were, locked in!

  167. 30

    Father had pulled a sharp piece of iron out of Svarten's foot and stood quite pleased, stroking his horse, when Mother came hurrying into the stable.

  168. “Come, Father, and see what a catch I've made!” she said.

  169. —“No, wait, Mother!

  170. Look here first!” said Father.

  171. “Now I've found out what was wrong with the horse.”

  172. —“I believe our luck is beginning to turn back to us,” said Mother.

  173. “Just think, that big gander who disappeared in the spring must have gone off with the wild geese!

  174. He's come back here in the company of seven wild geese.

  175. They went into the goose pen, and I've shut them all in there.”

  176. —“Well, that is remarkable,” said Holger Nilsson.

  177. “And do you know, Mother, the best part of this is that we no longer need to believe that the boy took the gander with him when he left home.”

  178. —“Yes, you're right about that, Father.

  179. But I'm afraid we'll be forced to slaughter them tonight.

  180. We have Martinmas goose in a couple of days, and we'll have to hurry if we're to get them into town in time.”

  181. —“I think it's a real shame to slaughter the gander, when he's come home to us with such a great following,” said Holger Nilsson.

  182. —“If times were different, he could live, but since we ourselves are to move away from here, we surely can't keep the geese.”

  183. —“Yes, that's true, that.”

  184. —“Come and help me carry them into the cottage!” said Mother.

  185. 31

    They went on their way, and a couple of moments later the boy saw Father come with Dunfin and Morten Goosey-Gander, one under each arm, and go into the house together with Mother.

  186. The gander cried out: “Thumbietot, come and help me!” as he was accustomed to do when he was in danger, even though he had no way of knowing that the boy was nearby.

  187. 32

    Nils Holgersson certainly heard him, but he stayed put in the stable doorway all the same.

  188. He hesitated not because he knew it would be good for himself if the gander were laid on the chopping block — he didn't even think of that in that moment —, but because, if he was to save the gander, he would have to show himself to Father and Mother, and he had a great reluctance to do that.

  189. “They have it hard enough as it is,” he thought.

  190. “Must I bring them such sorrow?”

  191. 33

    But when the door had shut on the gander, life came into the boy.

  192. He rushed off across the yard, jumped up onto the oak plank in front of the entrance door, and ran into the front hall.

  193. There he slipped off his wooden shoes out of old habit and approached the door.

  194. But it still went so much against him to show himself to Father and Mother that he could not bring himself to raise his hand to knock.

  195. “It's Morten Goosey-Gander this is about,” he thought then, “he, who has been your best friend ever since you last stood here.”

  196. And in an instant he remembered everything he and the gander had gone through on frozen lakes and stormy seas and among dangerous beasts of prey.

  197. His heart swelled with gratitude and love, and he overcame himself and knocked on the door.

  198. 34

    “Was there someone who wanted to come in?” said Father, and opened it.

  199. 35

    “Mother, you mustn't touch the gander!” cried the boy, and at that very moment the gander and Dunfin, who lay bound on a bench, let out a cry of joy, so that he heard that they were still alive.

  200. 36

    The one who also let out a cry of joy was Mother.

  201. “Why, how big and fine you've grown!” she cried.

  202. 37

    The boy had not come into the cottage, but stood still on the threshold like one who is not sure how he will be received.

  203. “Thank God I have you here again!” said Mother.

  204. “Come in!

  205. Come in!”

  206. —“You shall be welcome!” said Father, and not another word could he get out.

  207. 38

    But the boy still lingered on the threshold.

  208. He could not understand that they would be so glad of him, such as he was.

  209. But then Mother came and threw her arms around him and drew him into the room, and only then did he notice how matters stood.

  210. 39

    “Mother and Father, I'm big, I'm human again!” he cried.

The particulars

The text
Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige, Selma Lagerlöf. The Wonderful Adventures of Nils.
Translation
Public-domain Swedish (Lagerlöf, d. 1940; published 1906–07). English translation © 2026 1732 Studios, LLC.
Words
Every word of the text, by letter.
Data
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Two whoopie pies and a pine. An inside joke.