Anonymous, Búkolla

Romina Werth (University of Iceland)
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The Icelandic wonder tale about a magic cow named Búkolla, who understands and speaks human language, is one of the most popular folktales in Iceland. The tale is classified as ATU 313

The Magic Flight

in the international tale-type index (Uther, 194-97). In Einar Ól. Sveinsson’s Icelandic tale-type index, the tale of Búkolla is given the reference number EÓS 313 (Sveinsson 1929, 15). The tale was first printed in Jón Árnason’s collection of legends and folktales,

Íslenzkar þjóðsögur og ævintýri

, published in two volumes between 1862 and 1864 in Leipzig, Germany (Árnason, II, 445-46). In Árnason’s collection, the tale is titled

Búkolla og strákurinn

[Bukolla and the Boy]. It was contributed by Árnason’s friend and colleague, Magnús Grímsson (1825–1860), who…

2112 words

Citation: Werth, Romina. "Búkolla". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 28 June 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=41014, accessed 09 December 2024.]

41014 Búkolla 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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