Trolls

 

 

ORIGIN

They are from Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore.

 

FIRST SIGHTED/RECORDED

There is no clear date as to when the tales of Trolls first came around. They seem to be as old as time.

 

APPEARANCE

They are extremely ugly and old. They are also very slow witted but very strong. They can also look and behave just like humans. Sometimes their appearance can depend on their region. They can have tusks or cyclopic eyes. The males have poor intellect whereas the women are quite cunning.

 

GENDER

They can be either male or female.

 

ALSO KNOWN AS

Jotunn (this is a negative name for a Troll that is also used for Witches and Berserkers), Trow (Shetland and Orkney folklore), Troldfolk "Troll folk", Bjergtrolde "Mountain Trolls" and Bjergfolk "Mountain folk" (all from Denmark), Tusser (Norway).

 

REPELLED BY

In most tales they are repelled by sunlight. If they are exposed then they turn to rock. The same may go for false UV rays. They are also said to be frightened by lightening. The ringing of church bells causes them to leave for other lands, but before they leave, they will try and destroy the churches. In Scandinavia, they are known to fear iron.

 

MAGICAL POWERS/SKILLS

They are supernatural beings which gives them supernatural strength. They also apparently have the power of invisibility and are able to shape shift.

 

HISTORY/ABOUT

They are best known not only for their horrible appearance but their unhelpfulness to humans. They are considered to be very dangerous and are often referred to as man-eaters. They are known to live together in small family units (this is usually as father and daughter or mother and son). Even though they are quite recluse, they do have some form of social organization. They have a habit of BERGTAGNING (this is kidnapping or "mountain taking"), if they are not doing that then they are over running a farm or an estate. If they have not eaten the humans, then they may take them as their slaves. They are sometimes associated with particular landmarks; these can be explained as being formed from a Troll that was exposed to sunlight. They are not Christian.

 

CAN BE FOUND

They usually dwell in isolated places such as rocks, mountains or caves. Smaller Trolls can be found in burial mounds.

 

TALES

They are mentioned throughout the Old Norse Corpus. An unnamed Troll woman is mentioned in the PROSE EDDA book "SKALDSKAPARMAL". Numerous tales are recorded in Scandinavian folklore. Grendel, from the tale of Beowulf, is described as a Troll.

 

ANY SIGHTINGS?

A "Peg legged road Troll" was spotted in 1981 along the Tyson Mountain in Arkansas. There are numerous photos and video footage on the internet of people who have believed they have caught trolls, or troll like creatures, on film.

 

SIMILAR CREATURES

Changelings