I first came across the story Leap The Elk and Little Princess Cottongrass when I fell in love with John Bauer’s spellbinding illustration Princess Tuvstarr and the Fishpond, painted in 1913. There is something magical about this painting and I felt instantly attached to it. The story has become one of my most favourite and I have since grown very fond of John Bauer’s beautiful art.

Princess Tuvstarr and the Fishpond ~ John Bauer

Being a great lover of folklore and fables, I felt compelled to find out the story behind this little princesses sadness. I managed to source the author Helge Kjellin back to a compilation of stories entitled Great Swedish Fairy Tales translated from Swedish into English as a second hand library book on ebay.

Leap sets off, surefooted, across the marsh

Sagan Om Älgtjuren Skutt och Lilla Prinsessan Tuvstarr as the fairy tale is originally known in Sweden is an enchanting story set deep in the dark woods about Princess Cottongrass, a tiny, vunerable little girl with long blond hair and a pure heart. One night she slips away from Dream Castle and meets Longleg Leap the Elk. He is strong and wise and is persuaded by the Princess against his better judgement to carry her on his strong back out into the big wide world. The elk is reluctant to expose her to the dangers and evils of the places that lie far from the castle but Princess Cottongrass is convinced that as she is warm and good, she can share this with those that she meets along the way.

It is almost midnight and a few small stars are shining

At first the Princess is delighted with the adventures that she encounters but little by little, the wickedness of the world robs her of her innocence. She ends up losing all that she has, including her fine white gown. The elk becomes anxious that he cannot protect her and so he takes her to the safety of a pool that no human has ever seen. Leap warns the little Princess not to go too near to the water and to be careful of the golden heart chain around her neck. However, the waters of the pool entrance Princess Cottongrass and she leans over only to lose her heart into the murky depths. The elk advises the princess not to dwell on this or she may forget everything else but it is too late. The Princess has stopped noticing the elk is there and sits at the side of the pool, gazing into the water in search of her heart.

The witch begins to slither from tree to tree, following the elk as it runs

“Many years have passed. Still Princess Cottongrass sits and looks wonderingly into the water for her heart. She is no longer a little girl. Instead, a slender plant, crowned with white cotton, stands leaning over the edge of the pool. Now and then the elk returns, stops, and looks at it tenderly. Only he knows that this is the princess from Dream Castle. Perhaps she nods and smiles, for he is an old friend, but she does not want to follow him back; she cannot follow any more, as long as she is under the spell. The spell lies in the pool. Far, far under the water lies a lost heart.”