Prevod

Once upon a time there was a woman who had an only son, and he was no bigger than a thumb, so they called him Tommeliden. When he had reached the age of discretion, his mother told him he must go out and woo a bride, for she thought it was high time he began to think of getting married.

When Tommeliden heard this, he was delighted. They got the carriage ready and set off, and his mother sat him on her lap. They were bound for a royal palace, where there lived an enormously big princess; but when they had gone a little way, Tommeliden vanished. His mother searched for him for a long time, calling his name and weeping because he was gone and she could not find him again. “Peep, peep!” said Tommeliden;

he had hidden in the horse’s mane. Then he came out, and had to promise his mother he would not do it again. When they had driven a little farther, Tommeliden vanished once more. She searched for him and called and wept, but he was nowhere to be found. “Peep, peep!” said Tommeliden, and she could hear him laughing and giggling, but she could not find him anywhere. “Peep, peep, here I am!” said Tommeliden, and out he came from the horse’s ear. Then he had to promise not to hide again, but when they had driven a little farther, he vanished once more;

he simply could not help himself. His mother searched and wept and called for him; but he was gone and stayed gone, and search as she might, she could not find him anywhere. “Peep, peep, here I am!” said Tommeliden. But she could not make out where he was at all, for his voice sounded so muffled. She searched, and he said, “Peep, here I am!” and laughed and chuckled to himself because she could not find him again. But all at once the horse sneezed, and sneezed Tommeliden right out, for he had settled himself in one of its nostrils. His mother took him and put him in a bag;

she could think of nothing else to do, for she could see that he could not help himself. When they reached the royal palace, the betrothal was soon arranged, for the princess thought him a handsome little fellow, and it was not long before the wedding took place either.

When they sat down to the wedding dinner, Tommeliden had his place beside the princess; but he was in a terrible fix, for when he tried to eat, he could not reach the table, and he would surely not have had a bite if the princess had not lifted him up onto it. Now all went well enough as long as he could eat from a plate, but then a great, great dish of porridge was brought in, and he could not reach up into it;

but Tommeliden knew what to do: he sat himself on the rim. But </noinclude> there was a pool of melted butter in the middle of the dish, and he could not reach that, so he had to sit right at the edge of the butter pool;

but just then the princess came along with a great spoon, meaning to dip a good spoonful of porridge into the butter, and she knocked against Tommeliden, so that he fell in and drowned in the pool of butter.