...and it happend in Aagerup

Richard Doyle (1824-83):
'The Alter Cup in Aagerup'

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Between the villages of Marup and Aagerup, Zealand -
here in Denmark - there is said to have lain a great castle.
Here people frequently happen to get a sight of the underground
folk. One Christmas-eve, a farmer's servant went to look at the troll-meeting.
When he came to the place he stood for some time looking at the company who
were assembled in great numbers. The trolls danced and one of them asked him
to join them - and he did. As he was to go home he was invited to come again on
New-Year's night, as they were then to have great festivity. A maiden who held a
gold cup in her hand invited him to drink the stirrup-cup. He took the cup; but,
as he had some suspicion of them, he thew drink out over his shoulder, so that
it fell on the horse's back, and it immediately singed off all the hair. He then
clapped spurs to his horse's sides, and rode away with the cup in his
hand over a ploughed field. The Trolls instantly gave chase;
but being hard set to get over the deep furrows,
they shouted out:

"Ride on the lay,
And not on the clay'

He rode as fast as he could and the wee ones
ran after him. As he rode along by the wall of the churchyard,
he hastily flung the cup over it, that it at least might be secure.
He then pushed on at full speed, and at last got into the village and his
house; he was safe! But the trolls were so enraged, that, taking up a
huge great stone, they flung it with such force against the gate. The
stone is still lying in the middle of the village of Aagerup. The cup
was presented to the church, and the man got in return the
best farm-house on the lands of Eriksholm
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Another illustrations from the fairytale
'The Alter Cup in Aagerup'
by Richard Doyle (1824-83)
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