The Fiddler and the Sea Nymph

Many years ago, in the village of Brästa in the parish of Stora Mellösa, a dance society planned a grand Christmas celebration. On the appointed day, people old and young came from near and far, knowing that Sexton Kant from Norrbyås would be there with his fiddle, and they were sure the fun would be wild. Kant was no ordinary fiddler; he was very proud of his skill and was always ready to praise himself to the skies at the least compliment.

As the festivity went on late into the night, and the pleasure was at its peak, someone remarked that few could match Father Kant when he let his bow leap over the strings and played in "four voices," as he himself called it. That was all the encouragement Kant needed. Always eager to show off, he declared that even the devil, who was said to be a good player, could not beat him in the waltz they had just heard.

This boast nearly cost Kant dearly. When the dance ended and he set out for home in the night, he met, near the hill of Bjurbäcka, a young woman dressed in white. She greeted him and said, "If you will play a polka for me, Father Kant, I will dance for you."

So said, so done. Father Kant sat on a stone and raised his bow to the strings. Instantly he lost all control. Such a polka came from his fiddle that he had never imagined he could play. The notes seemed to flow without his help. The bow jumped over the strings, and his arm was forced to follow. One melody followed another; his arm grew numb, but the music kept on in its wild beat.

Kant now realized that something was wrong. At last he burst out, "God forgive me, poor sinner! What have I brought upon myself?"

The moment he spoke, the fiddle strings snapped, and a horrible laugh echoed from the brook at the foot of the hill. With a heavy heart, Kant hurried home, admitting to himself that the devil was indeed better than he. For a long time, he could not be persuaded to pick up his fiddle again. But when he finally did, he discovered that one of the beautiful waltzes he had played that fateful night stayed in his memory, and he became even more famous as a fiddler than before.