Der er i Danmark et gammelt slot, som hedder Kronborg, det ligger lige ud i Øresund, hvor de store skibe hver dag sejler forbi i hundredvis, både engelske, russiske og prøjsiske; og de hilser med kanoner for det gamle slot: "bum!" og slottet svarer igen med kanoner: "bum!" for således siger kanonerne "goddag!" - "mange tak!" – Om vinteren sejler der ingen skibe, så ligger alt med is lige over til det svenske land, men det er ordentlig ligesom en hel landevej, der vajer det danske flag og det svenske flag, og danske og svenske folk siger hinanden: "goddag," - "mange tak!" men ikke med kanoner, nej med venligt håndtag, og den ene henter hvedebrød og kringler hos den anden, for fremmed mad smager bedst. Men pragten i det hele er dog det gamle Kronborg og under det er det at Holger Danske sidder i den dybe mørke kælder hvor ingen kommer, han er klædt i jern og stål og støtter sit hoved på de stærke arme; hans lange skæg hænger ud over marmorbordet hvori det er vokset fast, han sover og drømmer, men i drømme ser han alt hvad der sker heroppe i Danmark. Hver juleaften kommer en Guds engel og siger ham at det er rigtigt, som han har drømt, og at han godt kan sove igen, for Danmark er endnu ikke i nogen ordentlig fare! men kommer det i en, ja, så vil den gamle Holger Danske rejse sig så bordet revner, når han trækker skægget til sig! så kommer han frem og slår så det høres i alle verdens lande.
Sådan starter HC Andersens eventyr, Holger Danske. Nu skal du finde eventyret frem og svare på nogle sprørgsmål:
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In Denmark there stands an old castle named Kronenburg, close by the Sound of Elsinore, where large ships, both English, Russian, and Prussian, pass by hundreds every day. And they salute the old castle with cannons, "Boom, boom," which is as if they said, "Good-day." And the cannons of the old castle answer "Boom," which means "Many thanks." In winter no ships sail by, for the whole Sound is covered with ice as far as the Swedish coast, and has quite the appearance of a high-road. The Danish and the Swedish flags wave, and Danes and Swedes say, "Good-day," and "Thank you" to each other, not with cannons, but with a friendly shake of the hand; and they exchange white bread and biscuits with each other, because foreign articles taste the best. But the most beautiful sight of all is the old castle of Kronenburg, where Holger Danske sits in the deep, dark cellar, into which no one goes. He is clad in iron and steel, and rests his head on his strong arm; his long beard hangs down upon the marble table, into which it has become firmly rooted; he sleeps and dreams, but in his dreams he sees everything that happens in Denmark. On each Christmas-eve an angel comes to him and tells him that all he has dreamed is true, and that he may go to sleep again in peace, as Denmark is not yet in any real danger; but should danger ever come, then Holger Danske will rouse himself, and the table will burst asunder as he draws out his beard. Then he will come forth in his strength, and strike a blow that shall sound in all the countries of the world.
This is how the fairy tale, Holger Danske, by HC Andersen begins. Now you have to find the fairy tale and answer some questions:
