About this episode

A retelling of a fairytale involving a prince, a queen, and a witch with a twist.

Once upon a time there was a Prince who needed to find a Princess to wed. Yes, we know this tale! BUT there is a twist! He does NOT have to rescue her from a curse or a dragon, or any such thing... it's much, much worse! In tonight's fairytale reading, we follow Prince Sigurd on his little mission to find a beautiful bride, watch as they make a little family, and then, in anguish, bemoan his untimely slumber as she is snatched up by a witch in a stone boat, who tricks the poor now-king into believing she is her! Right! Not confusing. Also, the witch sends the poor queen off to marry the witch's brother, a troll? Instead of accept this fate, the tricky queen has a plan to not only see her son again, but maybe get rescued, too! It's not the best plan and it leaves a lot to chance, but what are you going to do? If ONLY those nerdy chess players would have reported their findings to the king sooner. Alas! Join me for tonight's fairy tale, "The Witch in the Stone Boat," which is read in a soft voice and set to some light and soft background music. I do hope you enjoy the this evening's Icelandic fairytale story! "Ascending the Vale, Teller of the Tales" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)…

People in this episode

Host: a bit late

Topics covered

• fairytale
• trickery
• trolls
• magic
• family
• adventure

Keywords

• fairytale
• Prince Sigurd
• witch
• troll
• queen
• adventure
• Icelandic

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Witch in the Stone Boat, Yellow Fairy Book

More episodes of a bit late

• Snowdrop (Snow White) - A Grimms' Fairytale · May 25, 2026 · 21 min
• A Very Weird Fairytale: Prince Lindworm · May 11, 2026 · 20 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the a bit late podcast page.