What is the story behind the song Villemann og Magnhild? (og = and)

"'Wild Man and Magnhild' is a public display of the kind we call medieval ballads. It is in Norway also known by other names: 'Gudmund and Signeliti', 'Gaute and Magnhild' and 'Harp game will force Nykken'. It is also [known in] Swedish and Danish under the name Harpans force, in Icelandic as Gautakvæði and the Orkney Islands as King Orfeo.

Plot:

Magnhild crying because she knows it is her destiny to drown in river. Wild Man builds a solid bridge, and allow many people look at her, and yet stumble bride her horse when they are across the river, and she falls into the water. Villemann submit bids for harp and his game his forces Nix to give up Magnhild."

Click "translate" on this next link:

Villemann og Magnhild - Wikipedia - [Translate this page] -- [Zb]

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=Villemann+og+Magnhild&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=&aqi=

As I do not read Norwegian, I used the Wikipedia translation, which is less than fluent. The Norwegian version might read more smoothly, for those who can appreciate it.

http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villemann_og_Magnhild

The version I have has a repeated line 'For he wanted victory over the runes', and there appears to be a troll (trolli) as well as a water nymph (nykken - Nix in the Google translation). Villemann might be a wild man, but he plays a 'harp of gold'. There's no mention of a bridge.

Just looked at the text above - very different to the one I've got.

Even if you can't read the article, go to that no.wiki link for the Wiegand illustration. (And walk down Lord Street if you want to see the real life version....)

Ta for that, looney. Wonder if author will come up with something more....

I haven't checked if this is a good translation, but here is one:

Villeman went to the river
To the most beautiful of all the lime trees
There he wanted to play the golden harp
Then the runes promised him luck

Villeman went to stand over the stream
To the most beautiful of all the lime trees
He could play the harp so skillfully
Then the runes promised him luck

He played it tenderly, he played it smartly
To the most beautiful of all the lime trees
The birds went quiet in the trees
Then the runes promised him luck

He played it softly, he played it loud
To the most beautiful of all the lime trees
He played to release Magnhild from the arms of a Troll
Then the runes promised him luck

Then the Troll rose from the depth of the sea
To the most beautiful of all the lime trees
Mountains rumbled, and the clouds thundered
Then the runes promised him luck

Then he hit the harp with all his fury
To the most beautiful of all the lime trees
And so took his strength and power
Then the runes promised him luck

http://cs-cz.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=111416535214

In Swedish it is known as "Harpans kraft", which means "the force of the harp".

http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpans_kraft

I clicked on the Wiegand woodcut in the Norwegian Wiki. More information is on that page, so I clicked on a link and got to this beautiful online version of "Wonderful Stories from Northern Lands" by Julia Goddard, with more Wiegand illustrations. Just click on the page of the book to turn it.
http://www.archive.org/stream/wonderfulstories00goddiala#page/n7/mode/2up

Besides, "Nøkken" ("the Nøkk") is the Norwegian name of a water spirit. I don't know if it's called "Neck" or "Nix" in English.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nix

Is Villemann a name or does it mean 'wild man'? The word 'Nix' is used in the introduction to Julia Goddard's book for a water nymph or sprite. It's not commonly used in the UK currently (not that most people talk about water nymphs anyway....).

The Wiegand illustration on the Norwegian article is used in Goddard for a story called 'Christin's Trouble', which has a 'Sir Peter' as the harp playing hero, and Christin as the victim (along with her two already captive sisters).

A word of warning to anyone doing a search for Wiegand - don't go the link on Google that refers to Noah S Ark. It takes you to an extremely dubious 'anti-malware' site that probably installs the nasties it claims to find. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find anything about him anywhere. I'm sure I know the name from somewhere, though.