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The Tale of Norna-Gest: Difference between revisions
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{{work|wppage=Norna-Gests þáttr}}
{{Infobox book
[[File:Nornagest (gunnar vidar forssell).jpg|thumb|350px|''Death of Norna-Gest'', by G. V. Forssell]]▼
| original title = Norna-Gests þáttr
| image = Nornagest (gunnar vidar forssell).jpg
▲
| author =
| central theme =
| elevator pitch = The saga of the Norse hero Nornagestr
| genre = Fairy tale
| publication date = circa 1300
| source page exists =
| wiki URL =
| wiki name =
}}
A stranger called Gest appears at the court of King Olaf Tryggvason in Trondheim, [[
When he was recently born, his father had invited three seeresses, or norns, to foretell the child’s future. Two of the norns made good prophecies, but the last one was in a bad mood and when some rude guests enraged her, she cursed Gest to live no longer than the candle that burned beside his cradle. So the other norns extinguished the candle and told Gest’s parents to keep it, and Gest [[Immortality|gained immortality]] -- he [[Immortality Inducer|cannot die before the candle is used up]].
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On the wish of King Olaf, Norna-Gest agrees to be baptized. After a time, King Olaf asks him how long he plans to live. [[Who Wants to Live Forever?|Norna-Gest says that he wants to die]], being three hundred years old. In the presence of King Olaf, he lays down on a bed and lights the candle. A priest gives him the last rites. When the candle burns out, he dies.
Can be read online [
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▲=== Tropes in "Tale of Norna-Gest": ===
▲----
{{tropelist}}
* [[The Ageless]]: An interesting case. Phenotypically, Gest seems to be simply an "undying" character -- he does not age beyond a certain point and cannot die of natural causes. [[Fridge Logic|The more complex problem]], could he be killed by fatal violence or accidents, as long as the candle exists? Apparently not, or else the [[Curse Escape Clause]] would be proven invalid. In other words, the norn's spell must also have caused an in-universe [[Contractual Immortality]].<ref>Of course, it's speculation whether the author ever thought of that.</ref>
* [[Curse Escape Clause]]: The curse of the angry norn is pretty easily neutralized by exploiting [[Exact Words]].
* [[Elderly Immortal]]: Norna-Gest looks old, but is still healthy and vigorous.
* [[Exact Words]]: The norn's curse was not really well-thought-out. Presumably she meant that Gest should live no longer than the ''flame'' on the candle.
* [[Fairy Godmother]]: The good norns are more or less fairy godmothers. The plot's opening is indeed practically identical to that of "[[
* [[Frame Story]]: "Norna-Gest's Tale" uses Norna-Gest's life at King Olaf's court as a framing device to present several tales from the ages of heroes, told through the mouth of the protagonist.
* [[Immortality Inducer]]: The candle.
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:
[[Category:Fairy Tale]]
[[Category:The Tale
[[Category:Literature
[[Category:Norse Literature]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tale of Norna-Gest, The}}
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