Black Horse

The Wood of Tontla

In short: Elsie stays in the Wood of Tontla after the other children run away. A small dog’s bell leads her to an unexpected friend.

The Wood of Tontla · Tontla’s forest FAIRY TALE ATLAS · № 70 The Wood of Tontla Elsie stays in the Wood of Tontla after the other children run away. Origin Estonia Atlas record 1895 First appearance Exact date unknown SIGNATURE MOTIF Tontla’s forest Reach¹ 1/10 Suggested age² 8+ Member rating No votes yet 1 records · 1 countries or regions blackhorsestories.com

¹ Based on the number of Atlas countries, capped at 10. ² Editorial suggestion for reading this page. Discover Black Horse’s question

Origin and tradition

Estonia

In Kirby’s 1895 text, the villagers describe the wood through stories heard from others. Elsie is picking strawberries when she meets a dog with a silver bell and then Kiisike. When Kiisike throws drops of water from a leaf onto the grass, a lake takes the place of the garden. A mussel shell becomes a boat and fish bones become oars. What Elsie sees makes the forest a different place from the one described in the village.

Dated records and sources

  1. 1895 · Estonia
    W. F. Kirby · The Hero of Esthonia · Published collection

Country pages

Origin
Black Horse. The Wood of Tontla. https://blackhorsestories.com/en/atlas-tale-tontla/