Deep in the forest, the raven flies around, crying: “Come to the party at Elverhøj! The Elf King's daughters are getting married!” The sun sets, the ground and trees creak, and the lizards scurry in fright—but the earthworms know better: Elverhøj opens, and the guests begin to arrive.

Benedicte Riis has reimagined this tale based on H.C. Andersen’s Elverhøj, creating props and an original song for the story. Children and educators at SPIREN kindergarten in Hadsund bring the story to life on the playground. Behind the kindergarten is a large hill—perfect for becoming Elverhøj. On this rainy day, the children, along with lantern men, earthworms, ravens, and elf girls, journey up the hill and into the enchanted mound, where the wedding celebration for the Elf King’s seven daughters is about to begin.

Watch the video and listen to the song Benedicte composed especially for this day, inspired by Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt.

Hear Michelle Overgaard and Anette Holt share their experiences with play and H.C. Andersen’s fairy tales.

Both participated in the HCA Play Communities project.

Michelle Overgaard
Anette Holt

Watch more videos from HCA Play Communities, inspired by H.C. Andersen.