Soon it's Christmas, and I wanted to write about the Scandinavian folklore, because it can't get any more Scandinavian than the old myths about the old mountain trolls...
The troll comes
from Norse Mythology, inspired by the cruel giants who were the main enemies of
the gods, known as Jötunn, who lived in the mountains of Utgard.
They have a human like appearance, but they are incredibly ugly and huge, and
every story about them tells of how stupid they are. In the old tales, there
were trolls of all kinds, some living in the high mountains, in castles carved
out of the stone, in deep forests, and some even by the shore. Upon the arrival
of Christianity around the 1300s, the stories changed. The trolls were able to
smell the blood of a Christian man, and basically they stood for anything of
the old times, which the new religion condemned. Oh, and if they every came in
contact with sunlight, they turned to stone.
No creature frequents the stories and beliefs that make up the Scandinavian folklore as often as the trolls. Trolls often lived inside of mountains and were then called mountain trolls or mountain people. They could also be found in big blocks of stone or simply underground. Few creatures of folklore have been entire as transformed by modern storytellers and toymakers as the trolls. We’re used to seeing them as clumsy and grotesque, furry human-like creatures. And of course they always have a tail. If only it would have been that simple!
But amongst the people of old trolls had a reputation as being very complex and cunning creatures. What they looked like is debatable and often varies from place to place. There are also stories about them being able to change their appearance at will.
Sometimes they could look just like humans, but much more beautiful of course!
Trolls especially liked to take the shape of animals.
If you happened to a strange cat or dog walking about alone you should be extra careful, because those were the trolls favourite animals to transform into.
The trolls home-life was quite similar that of people; they lived in large families and kept animals. You could sometimes hear them shouting or smell their cooking deep in the mountains or forest. And they also liked to make trouble for the humans nearby.
They often sneaked into village and farms to attempt to steal food or beer. A clever farmer would protect himself by always carrying steel (like a troll cross). But trolls stealing food was not the biggest problem. From the time to time, a villager might disappear in the forest, and then people would suspect them of having been mountain-taken, kidnapped by trolls.
"Långt bortom människans rike,finns ett land utan dess like.Fritt från Krist och lagar,så har det varit i alla dagar.Och så skall det förbli, ett land helt fritt från tiden.Här må jag vara fri,även när jag är avliden”
“Far beyond the human realm, there is a land like no other. free from christ and laws, So it has always been, and so it shall remain. A land without time. Here I may be free even after my death.”
