[[quoteright:243:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ronja_5184.jpeg]]

A Swedish novel about a [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin robber's daughter]], originaly written by Creator/AstridLindgren in 1981.

Ronia is the daughter of Matt, the chief of a group of bandits living in a fort hidden in the woods.
One day she journeys out on her own and meets Birk, the son of Borka, the chief of a rival bandit clan. [[DefeatMeansFriendship While competing over who can leap over a chasm the best]], Birk is rescued by Ronia from falling to his death and they secretly become friends.

The extremely faithful [[TheFilmOfTheBook movie version]], directed by Tage Danielsson, was made in 1984 and became the highest-grossing film in Sweden that year. There is also a musical (by Axel Bergstedt) and a stage adaptation (by Barbara Hass), both of them [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff German]].
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!!''Ronia the Robber's Daughter'' provides examples of:

* AllTrollsAreDifferent: There are numerous races of trolls, goblins and FairFolk living in Matt's wood, most of them based on Scandinavian folklore and all of them with drastically different personalities and appearances.
* BoisterousBruiser: Almost every robber. They happily sing when at home, in battle and when robbing.
* CallingTheOldManOut: Ronia is not happy about finding out how her father makes his living. [[spoiler: She is even more displeased when she discovers what he has done to Birk]].
* CoolOldGuy: Noddle-Pete
* DefeatMeansFriendship: Birk and Ronia pretty early, [[spoiler:Mattis and Borka at the end]].
* DubNameChange: There are two English translations: the 1983 Methuen Children's Books' ''The Robber's Daughter'' and the 1985 Puffin Books' ''Ronia, the Robber's Daughter''. Both versions made some changes in the character names, the former being far more drastic. In the Methuen version, Ronja is called "Kirsty" while Puffin simply modified the spelling to [[SpellMyNameWithAnS "Ronia"]]. TheOtherWiki has a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronja_Rövardotter#Translations more extensive list]] of name-changes.
* TheFairFolk: In one scene, Ronia is almost abducted by them when they hypnotize her with their songs.
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Well, it's Swedish, so the radar might not be as alert, but in the movie, when the robbers are celebrating Ronia's birth, Matt is laughing because Borka doesn't have any children and "probably doesn't even know ''how to make 'em''." The great belly-laugh from the other robbers leave the adult viewer with no doubt as to what Matt is talking about here.
* HeyItsThatGuy: Ronja's parents are played by Börje Ahlstedt and Lena Nyman, who 15 years earlier played lovers in the nigh-pornographic ''I Am Curious (Yellow)''. If you've grown up watching ''Ronja'', it can be a bit disconcerting watching Lovis go down on Mattis.
* HiddenElfVillage: The robbers hideout at Matt's castle, for obvious reasons.
* [[IHaveNoSon I Have No Daughter]]: Matt's reaction when Ronia tells him she doesn't want to be his daughter after he kidnaps Birk.
* InevitableWaterfall
* LargeHam: Börje Ahlstedt as Matt in the movie is one of the largest and most legendary hams in Swedish cinematic history.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: Ronia and Birk begin to call each other "brother" and "sister" as a sign of their friendship despite their fathers being bitter enemies. Possible subversion in that they're only around 10 years old, so there's no romance ''yet.'' Birk's mother Undis even lampshades it:
-->'''Birk''': She is my sister.
-->'''Undis''': Sister? (scoffs) Well you know how that's going to turn out in a few years.
* LightningCanDoAnything: In the wery first chapter, lightning strikes Matt's castle and splits it and the mountain beneath it in two, creating a deep casm.
* LowFantasy: Somehow still manages to be a pleasant children's book.
* MafiaPrincess
* MamaBear: Lovis, even when her daughter's father becomes, in her words, "More than legally insane" with [[IHaveNoSon I Have No Daughter Syndrome]].
* ManChild: Matt.
* NakedPeopleAreFunny: At one point, all of Matt's robbers are chased out of the fort, stark naked, to "bathe" in the snow. The scene is played entirely for laughs.
* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: Even though they are rivals, Matt springs Borka and his men from jail at great personal risk.
* OverlyLongScream: The film version has [[http://youtu.be/N-YqaoFo8bw a memorable one]].
* PapaWolf: Matt
* RebelliousPrincess / RebelliousPrince: Ronia and Birk.
* TheRival: Matt and Borka
* SadlyMythtaken: Harpies aren't part of Swedish folklore. Maybe that's why Lindgren didn't even call them "harpies". She called them "Vildvittror" (wild creatures), which is a much more generic term.
* SeparatedByTheWall: Well, by the deep chasm, anyway.
* AWolfInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler:Borka, when he and his henchmen are dressed in women's clothing to ambush Matt]]
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