The Animals’ New Year’s Eve explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Folklore and Swedish Heritage

  The chapter features a traditional Swedish folktale about a Wood-nymph and wild beasts judging domestic animals, highlighting local legends.

• Humanity and Compassion

  The dean shows compassion for his horse by following it into danger, and Clement ransoms a tiny midget out of mercy.

Characters to notice

• Clement Larsson

  Clement tells a story about ransoming a tiny midget at Skansen and wins a muffler for his tale.

• Bernhard

  Bernhard tells a story about a dean who encounters a Wood-nymph on Black's Ridge.

• Nils Holgersson

  Nils is implied as the tiny midget Clement ransomed, and a pine cone strikes Clement after he mentions not knowing the midget's fate.

Key passages

• “The dean saw that he and the horse were alone on the summit of Black's Ridge. Not one of the many wild beasts was there. The ground had not been trampled by the herds that had passed over it; but the dean himself sat with his Prayerbook before him, while the horse under him stood trembling and foaming.”

  After the Wood-nymph vanished, the dean found himself and his horse alone on Black's Ridge, with no signs of the earlier gathering, leaving him uncertain whether it was real or a vision.

  This passage captures the ambiguous supernatural experience that prompts the dean to act against wild beasts.

• “No sooner had he spoken than a little pine cone came along and struck him on the nose. It did not drop from a tree, and none of the peasants had thrown it. It was simply impossible to tell whence it had come.”

  Right after Clement said he didn't know the midget's fate, a pine cone mysteriously hit his nose, suggesting the tiny folk were listening.

  This event hints at Nils's presence and the magical connection between Clement and the midget.