Ronja the Robber's Daughter



A Swedish novel about a robber's daughter, originally written by Astrid Lindgren in 1981.

Ronia is the daughter of Matt, the chief of a group of bandits living in a fort hidden in the woods. One day she journeys out on her own and meets Birk, the son of Borka, the chief of a rival bandit clan. While competing over who can leap over a chasm the best, Birk is rescued by Ronia from falling to his death and they secretly become friends.

The extremely faithful movie version, directed by Tage Danielsson, was made in 1984 and became the highest-grossing film in Sweden that year. There is also a musical (by Axel Bergstedt) and a stage adaptation (by Barbara Hass), both of them German.

Ronia the Robber's Daughter provides examples of:
"Birk: She is my sister.
 * All Trolls Are Different: There are numerous races of trolls, goblins and Fair Folk living in Matt's wood, most of them based on Scandinavian folklore and all of them with drastically different personalities and appearances.
 * Calling the Old Man Out: Ronia is not happy about finding out how her father makes his living..
 * Cool Old Guy: Noddle-Pete
 * Defeat Means Friendship: Birk and Ronia pretty early,.
 * Dub Name Change: There are two English translations: the 1983 Methuen Children's Books' The Robber's Daughter and the 1985 Puffin Books' Ronia, the Robber's Daughter. Both versions made some changes in the character names, the former being far more drastic. In the Methuen version, Ronja is called "Kirsty" while Puffin simply modified the spelling to "Ronia". The Other Wiki has a more extensive list of name-changes.
 * The Fair Folk: In one scene, Ronia is almost abducted by them when they hypnotize her with their songs.
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar: Well, it's Swedish, so the radar might not be as alert, but in the movie, when the robbers are celebrating Ronia's birth, Matt is laughing because Borka doesn't have any children and "probably doesn't even know how." The great belly-laugh from the other robbers leave the adult viewer with no doubt as to what Matt is talking about here.
 * Hey, It's That Guy!: Ronja's parents are played by Börje Ahlstedt and Lena Nyman, who 15 years earlier played lovers in the nigh-pornographic I Am Curious (Yellow). If you've grown up watching Ronja, it can be a bit disconcerting watching Lovis go down on Mattis.
 * Hidden Elf Village: The robbers hideout at Matt's castle, for obvious reasons.
 * I Have No Daughter: Matt's reaction when Ronia tells him she doesn't want to be his daughter after he kidnaps Birk.
 * Inevitable Waterfall
 * Large Ham: Börje Ahlstedt as Matt in the movie is one of the largest and most legendary hams in Swedish cinematic history.
 * Like Brother and Sister: Ronia and Birk begin to call each other "brother" and "sister" as a sign of their friendship despite their fathers being bitter enemies. Possible subversion in that they're only around 10 years old, so there's no romance yet. Birk's mother Undis even lampshades it:

Undis: Sister? (scoffs) Well you know how that's going to turn out in a few years."


 * Lightning Can Do Anything: In the wery first chapter, lightning strikes Matt's castle and splits it and the mountain beneath it in two, creating a deep casm.
 * Low Fantasy: Somehow still manages to be a pleasant children's book.
 * Mafia Princess
 * Mama Bear: Lovis, even when her daughter's father becomes, in her words, "More than legally insane" with I Have No Daughter Syndrome.
 * Man Child: Matt.
 * Naked People Are Funny: At one point, all of Matt's robbers are chased out of the fort, stark naked, to "bathe" in the snow. The scene is played entirely for laughs.
 * The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Even though they are rivals, Matt springs Borka and his men from jail at great personal risk.
 * Overly Long Scream: The film version has a memorable one.
 * Papa Wolf: Matt
 * Rebellious Princess / Rebellious Prince: Ronia and Birk.
 * The Rival: Matt and Borka
 * Separated by the Wall: Well, by the deep chasm, anyway.
 * A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: