[Collected by Ivar Aasen in Midthordland, western Norway, in 1884]
There was once a wife who had a tiny baby, and like so many others, she took it along with her in a little cradle when she was out working in the fields. It so happened once that she had to go away from the cradle while the baby was asleep, and when she came back the child had been taken away. Another baby was lying in its place, but it was both tiny and ugly, and as black as dirt.
Then she shouted to her husband to come right away. He came and took the child and carried it out in the field and put it down. Then he shouted over toward the forest that whoever owned the child had to come and take it back and leave his own child instead. If they did not, they would never be left in peace again. He would shout and crash about in the forest so the ground would shake. Then he left the child lying there and went back to his work again. But as he turned and looked back, he saw a hulder come and swap the children, and slip back into the forest as fast as she could. But both the man and his wife were overjoyed, as could be expected, when they got their own child back again.