Once upon a time there lived a rich couple on a farm in Gnupverjakhrepp. They had two daughters, who will be discussed in this tale. The eldest daughter was her parents' favorite, but they did not like the youngest daughter, her name was Helga. This farm had a bad reputation: whoever stayed to guard the house on Christmas night would certainly die, and therefore no one wanted to stay at home that night.
One day, the owners and all the household gathered, as usual, to church for Christmas service. They decided to leave early on Christmas Eve in order to be in time for Vespers and stay for the all-night vigil. They planned to return home the next day after mass. Her parents told Helga to stay home to milk the cows, feed the cattle, and cook some meat for Christmas dinner. They weren't afraid for her.
Finally everyone left and Helga was left alone. First of all, she milked the cows, then thoroughly cleaned the house and set the meat to cook. When the meat was cooked, a child entered the kitchen with a wooden bowl in his hand. He greeted Helga, handed her a bowl and asked her to give him some meat and lard. Helga fulfilled his request, although her mother strictly ordered her not to eat meat herself or give it to others until the holiday. The child took the bowl of meat, said goodbye and left. And Helga finished all her work, lit a lamp in the large room and lay down on her parents’ bed to read the prayer book.
Soon loud voices were heard in the yard; someone was heading towards the house. A minute later, many strangers burst into the room. There were so many of them that Helga couldn’t even get out of bed, and she saw that there were a lot of aliens not only in the house, but also in all the other buildings of the farm. Having somehow settled in, the uninvited guests began to have fun with all sorts of games and amusements. They didn't touch Helga, as if she wasn't there. She also did not pay attention to them and continued to read the prayer book.
It's time to milk the cows again. On the farm on a holiday night they usually milked only after reading a prayer, however, this is done in many places. However, due to the crowd, Helga could not even lower her legs from the bed. Among the aliens, an elderly man with a long beard stood out. He shouted loudly throughout the room for the guests to move aside and give Helga the opportunity to put on her shoes and leave the house. The guests obeyed. And Helga went out into the pitch darkness, because she had left the lamp for the guests.
Helga had just started milking when she heard someone enter the barn. The newcomer greeted her, and she answered him. Then he invited her to rest with him on the hay, but Helga refused. He repeated his proposal several times, but she refused each time. Then he disappeared, and Helga continued to calmly milk the cows. Then someone entered the barn again and greeted her. It was a woman, and Helga politely returned her greeting. The woman thanked Helga heartily for her child and for rejecting her husband's advances. Then she handed Helga the bundle and asked him to accept it in gratitude for the double service.
“Here in the bundle is a dress worthy of you,” she said. - Wear it to your wedding. There is also a belt, and it is no worse than the dress. You will always be lucky in everything, and you will marry a bishop. Just remember, this dress cannot be sold or worn until you get married.
Helga took the bundle and thanked her guest for the gift. She left, and Helga finished her work in the barn and returned home. No one even looked at her, but everyone made way for her, and she again sat down on the bed to read the prayer book. In the morning, the guests began to leave, at dawn the last ones left, and Helga felt as if no one was there. Left alone, she unwrapped the bundle and saw that the aulva had given her the most beautiful dress, and the belt for it, decorated with jewels, was even more beautiful. Helga folded the dress again and hid the knot.
She completed all the morning work and cleaned the house before her family returned from church.
“We knew that nothing would happen to her,” the parents said when they saw Helga alive and unharmed.
Everyone began to ask her what happened at night on the farm. She answered evasively, but showed the dress that the aulva gave her. Parents and all household members admired the dress for a long time, but most of all they liked the precious belt. Mother and sister wanted to take away both the dress and the belt from Helga, saying that she was unworthy of such an expensive outfit, but Helga did not give up the dress and hid it in her chest.
Time passed and nothing happened until next Christmas. Now both mother and sister wanted to stay at home; they also hoped to receive a gift from the aulva. In the end, the hostess herself remained at home, and everyone else went to church. When the housewife was cooking meat, a child came to her, handed her a small wooden bowl and asked to put him some meat and lard. The hostess got angry.
“I won’t give you anything,” she said. – Who knows, maybe you will be richer than us.
The child repeated his request, then the hostess became even more angry and pushed the child so hard that she broke his arm and the bowl rolled on the floor. The child picked up the bowl with his good hand and left in tears. Nothing more is known about the mistress's actions. When the inhabitants of the farm returned home from church, they found her on the floor with broken bones, covered in abrasions and bruises. She only managed to talk about the child and how she met him, and then she died. Everything in the house was turned upside down, broken and beaten, and food was thrown away. And from then on, no one dared to stay on this farm on Christmas night.
And about Helga it should be said that a few years later she left for Skálholt and there she soon married a bishop. However, who exactly was the bishop in Skulholt at that time is not said. For her wedding, Helga wore a dress donated by the aulva, everyone admired it, but most of all she liked the belt, because no one had ever seen such a precious belt. Luck did not leave Helga all her life, she lived happily ever after. And they don’t say anything more about her.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru