Pomperipossa

Published in Nuda:Saga

The story of Pomperipossa with the long nose is a Swedish children’s tale written by Axel Wallengren in 1895.

Once upon a time, many, many years ago, there was a horrible old witch named Pomperipossa. That’s not a very pretty name, but it’s much prettier than she was. Can you imagine how she looked? She had small red eyes and a large mouth bearing only three teeth. Her hands were full of warts, and she had a big hump on her back. But her nose was the worst, for it was almost two feet long. She lived alone in a little house in the woods, though she was awfully rich. The house was built of sausages and hams, and instead of bricks, there were large pieces of toffee. So rich was Pomperipossa. But no one dared to visit her, not even the trolls, because she was so terribly cruel. 

When anyone came to see her, she would instantly turn them into a table or a bowl or something else. She was a very dangerous witch. Her biggest remorse was that her nose got longer and longer each time she used her magic on someone. It was her punishment! There was also a king of the country where Pomperipossa lived, and he had a little prince named Pipi and a little princess named Fifi. One day they were walking in the park, escorted by a marshal of the court who was so noble that he could only answer “Ah!” or “Oh!” or similar things to anything they said to him. 

Pipi: I want to go out in the woods!

The marshal: Ah!

The marshal went with Pipi and Fifi into the woods. After a while, they arrived at a swamp, and the marshal’s feet got wet through his silk shoes.

The marshal: Oh! 

The marshal immediately turned back home to put on a pair of jackboots. But before he left, he put his finger on his nose…

The marshal: Ba!

He meant, “wait here until I get back, wearing my big jackboots!” But the royal children did not understand him, so they went further into the woods. It was the same forest where Pomperipossa lived.

The birds in the forest:  Do not go there!

But Prince Pipi did not understand the speech of birds.

Pipi: Shall we go on an adventure? It’s so boring at home. I have six cents. How much do you have, princess?

Fifi: I have just one penny, but I can fry apples.

And so they started on an adventure in the dark forest until they came to Pomperipossa’s little house, which was built of sausages and hams and toffee. Prince Pipi, who was hungry, broke off a huge sausage from the house.

Pipi: Let’s eat supper!

Pomperipossa stuck her long nose through the window and looked at them.

Pomperipossa: Come on in! I’m your kind godmother. I will give you jam pancakes.

Prince Pipi and little Fifi believed her and went in, even though they were terrified.

Pomperipossa: Hm! I have not eaten roast goose in a long time…

Pomperipossa turned the prince and princess into two small geese, who looked at each other, terrified. “Marshal!” Prince Pipi wanted to scream in his agony.

Pipi: Honk, honk!

But he just sounded like a goose. He could not speak any longer, only honk.

Pomperipossa: Ouch!

Pomperipossa screamed and hit herself on the nose, which had grown nearly one foot when she turned Pipi and Fifi into geese.

The birds in the forest: That is just what she deserves!

Pomperipossa:  Beware birds! I will send my troll cat after you all!

The birds: We should get help.

All the birds flew off to ask the stork for advice. The stork was the wisest of all birds, for he traveled every winter to Egypt and studied the hieroglyphics in the pyramids.

Pomperipossa: Now you get to swim, my little geese!

Pomperipossa drove Pipi and Fifi in front of her with her big stick, driving the poor prince and princess down to the lake.

Pomperipossa: Eating makes you delicious, and you will taste better when I fry you tonight.

Pipi and Fifi: Honk, honk!

They wailed, but they still had to go into the cold water. The enchanted geese had to eat tiny black tadpoles and wet grass – they were definitely not jam pancakes! Pomperipossa stood on the beach, leaning on her long nose, which was now as tall as her legs. Just then she heard a rustle behind her in the woods and turned around. It was the marshal, who had come back from getting his jackboots and had been anxiously looking for the missing royal children ever since.

The marshal: Ha! 

The marshal pulled his long sword to chop off her nose. But Pomperipossa immediately turned him into an old crow, who now anxiously jumped around on the beach going “Caw, caw!”

Pomperipossa: Yes, caw on, you! There is nothing that can free you from the curse unless you hear the most terrible screams in the world that you can imagine. That would turn everyone I have enchanted back into their true form again, and then I would turn into a stone. But let’s hopethis does not happen for a few million years yet.

her nose got longer and longer each time she used her magic on someone

Pomperipossa snorted up two pounds of snuff.

The birds in the forest: You would deserve it!

All the little birds had come back with the white stork.

Pomperipossa: Stop teasing me. You’re making my nose burn from blushing.

Pomperipossa stuck her nose into the lake to cool it. She shouldn’t have done that, for at the bottom of the lake was a great crawfish that had not eaten for three days. The crawfish snapped at Pomperipossa’s long snout with its claws. Pomperipossa screamed so terribly that she became blue as a plum in the face. But the crawfish did not release his hold. Then the witch cried even worse, and her screams could be heard all the way to deepest Africa.

The stork: These are the most terrible screams in the world that you can imagine!

And he told the truth, for no bird can lie. Lo and behold! Everyone’s enchantment was broken, and the small white geese became prince and princess again. The old crow, romping around on the beach, became the marshal, with his wig, sword and jackboots.

The marshal: What? Ah! Good!

The marshal grabbed Prince Pipi and Princess Fifi, one in each hand, running with them as fast as he could through the forest back to the palace, where the king was waiting for them with a whip in his left hand and a big apple in his right. He was furious at them for having been away so long.

The marshal: Na!

And the king knew at once that the marshal meant to say that Pomperipossa had enchanted them and that they could not help it. Then the king was moved, put the whip away and gave Prince Pipi and Princess Fifi half of the big apple each. Pomperipossa was immediately transformed into a large rock. You can see her yourself if you go to that lake, although now she is so overgrown with moss and shrubs that she looks like a small mountain. But once a year, on the day she was petrified, she turns into a witch again. And then the crawfish pinches her on the nose, and then she again yells so terribly that it echoes in the mountains. But what day it is, only I know, and I’m not telling you, and it’s no good if you go out and look for it because if you do, your little nose is going to be as long as Pomperipossa’s – and that, I think, you do not want!

Photography	Viktor Naumovski
Stylist	Nicole Walker
Makeup, prosthetics & Hair	Johanna Larsson
Makeup assistant	Danella Ericson