Scandinavian literature summaries - 2023

Short summary - The Tinder Box
Hans Christian Andersen

Returning home, the soldier met a sorceress. She sent him to a hollow, where in three rooms of three chests guarded by terrible dogs, he could collect coppers, silver and gold, having previously put the dogs on an old woman's checkered apron. For this, she asked to bring her a tinderbox located there. Having done everything according to the instructions of the old woman, the soldier cut off the head of the adviser and took the tinderbox for himself. Having squandered all the money, and at the same time losing all new friends, the soldier again began to live poorly. Once he lit a candle, which was attached to the flint and a dog from the first room appeared in front of him ... It turned out that with each blow of the flint, a dog appeared from that same hollow. The soldier again healed in a big way.

One night he wanted to see the princess. The dog brought the beauty; In the morning, the girl told the king and queen her dream, in which she seemed to be riding a dog and a soldier kissed her. The next night, the maid of honor, on the orders of the queen, tracked the princess to the gate of the soldier's house, and put a cross on this very gate. But the dog saw the mark and put crosses on all the neighboring gates. The next time, the queen tied a bag of cereal to her daughter's back, which spilled onto the road. The kidnapper was found and put in jail.

On the day of the execution, the cobbler's apprentice brought the soldier a tinder box for four copper coins. The last desire of the criminal was to smoke - after the click of the tinderbox, all three dogs appeared, which began to toss the whole honest public so high that, falling, people broke. The soldiers asked the lucky man to be king and marry the princess. Dogs were also present at the wedding table "and made big eyes in surprise."