The Land Within
Birdheart
Rabén&Sjögren 2003
ISBN 29-66127-7
The Lindworm swung its head up and stared straight at where the troll children sat in the treetops. The red eyes flashed, unmoving, and without blinking for a long time. Then it lurched around without warning, and opening its mouth the way only serpents can, it began swallowing all the treasure! Serpents have no hands or trouser pockets, so this is obviously what they have to do when they want to carry something with them.
Trolls have better hearing than dogs. They need their sensitive ears to help them through the deep forests. Therefore it is particularly problematic to be deaf like the boy-troll, Krus. Birdheart is about how Kurs realises his greatest dream - discovering a huge treasure. It is guarded by a Lindworm, our Nordic ancestor to the dragon. To help him he has the sparkling red birdheart, the stone which fell from the dead body of the swallow.
The swallow is a fabled bird. They are said to hibernate on the lakebed and can bring both good luck and bad luck. In its breast it has three stones. Those lucky enough to come across a swallow-stone will have great good fortune.
The best way to find a Lindworm‘s treasure is to search for a cairn that glows at night. Krus had to fight hard for his treasure and eventually managed to free the young maiden who had been enchanted and trapped within the serpent’s body. The question is, just what is the young troll going to do with all the gold and silver? Well – since it is the journey and not the destination that is important, he quite simply gives it all away!
Birdheart is the fifth and final book to be set in the Land Within. They say that one should always leave when the party is at its best. Therefore here I stopped. The adventure ended as it began, with the gnome Vollmar at a recycling plant. It is Matilda’s grandmother Hanna who is exhibiting her paintings from the Land Within at a local recycling depot (but without of course revealing her source of inspiration). Thus…
In front of the next painting stood a little man; a very little man in an overcoat that was several sizes too big for him. Matilda could see the back of his neck and a brown ponytail, which was just visible under the wide brimmed black hat. There was something familiar about him, but what?
Then she recognised the boots: It was Vollmar! He had come out of the Land Within. But… how did he dare to risk it?
“He has come to look himself,” whispered Joel. “Don’t you see?!”
Yes now Matilda saw that the painting in front of them was of Vollmar. A very proud gnome posing for the artist and looking straight out at the viewer.
Cover: Alvaro Tapia
