Notes

*Sten said, "Sten literally means 'stone' – so the whole thing can probably better be translated as 'Apple of my eye'. Do bear in mind that in parts of Norway we traditionally have a dish which is half a sheep's head, including the eye. The center of the eye looks very much like a stone, and can't be eaten, this is where I believed that the 'stone' part came from as a kid.

Monique wrote me, I've searched for this rhyme on the internet, and for the last word, many have 'hakesnipp', and 'snipp' is 'collar', which I believe means, 'goatee'.

Thanks and Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Jennifer the granddaughter of Tobias Trygsland for this rhyme. Thanks also to Tor-Arne for help with the correct Norwegian spelling, to Sten for his help with the meaning of "øyesten" and to Monique for the alternate last word.

Tusen takk!