e is in the Maelar lake a bay, and vice versa, so
that both the Maelar lake and Sjaelland island have one form, one is
land, the other water. This tradition is common over Denmark, and with
us has become classical. The woman's name was Gefion."

"I have seen a delineation of the tradition," said Hardy, "at one of
your Danish palaces, on a ceiling at Fredriksborg."

"Yes, it is there; but you will find it everywhere in Denmark,"
replied the Pastor. "Of traditions of churches, they are endless; but
we will take one example, possibly by no means the best. When Hadderup
church, between Viborg and Holstebro, was building, the Trolds tore
down every night what had been erected in the day. It was therefore
determined to attach two calves to a load of stones in a waggon, and
where the calves were found in the morning to build the church. This,
however, did not answer, and at last an agreement was made with the
Trolds that they should allow the church to be built, on the condition
that they should have the first bride that went to the church. This
succeeded, and the church was built. When the first bridal procession
should, however, go to the church, at a particular place a sudden mist
fell upon them, and when it cleared off the bride had disappeared."

"A very striking tradition," said Hardy. "It has a good deal of
picturesque colouring."

"Yes," said the Pastor, "and that is why I told you that particular
tradition. But of places there is a tradition of Silkeborg, with
nothing supernatural about it; but as you have been there fishing, it
may interest you to know why it has obtained that name. The story is,
that a bishop wished to build a house there, but he was uncertain
where; so he threw his silk hat into the water as he sailed on the
Gudenaa, and he determined that where his silk hat came to land, that
there would he build his house. The hat came ashore at Silkeborg. The
bishop, however, could not have sailed up the Gudenaa, and the
probability is he must have gone down the lake, as the Gudenaa runs
from the lake through Jutland to the sea at Randers."

"There is a similar tradition," said Hardy, "in Iceland. When the
Norwegian chiefs were conquered by Harold the Fair-haired, about 870,
they cast the carved oak supports of their chairs, that they were
accustomed to sit in at the head of their tables, surrounded by their
dependents, and decided that where these drove ashore, they would
found a colony; and where they did