It is probably known to most readers that there is a distinction
between Tradition and Saga. Tradition has, or at least seems to have,
to do with facts, usually designating some particular spot or region
where the incident is said to have taken place, often even giving the
names of actors, while the Saga is entirely free in its scope, equally
as regards incident, and the time and place of its happening. Not
infrequently the traditions of a people are founded upon actual
historical occurrences, which, often repeated in the naïve manner of
the peasantry, become, finally, folk-lore. A great many are, however,
drawn from ancient myths, which, in time, become clad in historical
garb, and are located in some particular place.
We already possess various collections of traditions drawn from the
rich treasury of our peasantry, but up to the present there has been no
attempt at a formulated compilation of Swedish folk-lore. As I now put
into the hands of the public such a collection, I ought to state that I
have thought it better to select the most typical of our traditions
than to gather everything that I might in this line, much of which has
already been written, and which would require a many times larger
volume, and occasion a repetition of the same matter when occurring, as
many do, in different localities. Instead, I have accompanied each tale
with a historical and ethnographical note in which I have so stated if
the tradition is found in different places.
The illustrations are the product of several among our best artists.
Without doubt, the book has thereby been added to greatly, not only in
outer adornment, but even in national and intrinsic value.