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Author
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Comment
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BlackHolly
Registered User
(8/10/02 10:45:24 pm)
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Trolls
I've been trying to do some research on troll folklore and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by my own ignorance. I found a few websites and picked up a book of Scandinavian folktales including a few stories with trolls in them, but am unsure where to proceed from here. Are there classics of troll research? Is it worth the money to get the D'Aulaires Troll book? Can anyone give me recommendations?
Holly
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Lotti
Unregistered User
(8/11/02 12:12:41 pm)
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Serious? No, fun!
Hi Holly,
the thing that came to my mind first was a lovely children's book
I got years ago in Norway called "Trolls and their relatives".
It has the most delightful, adorable watercolors of all kinds of
trolls and advice on how to cope with them... And of course, the
Norwegians should know!)
While this is no way "serious" reading, if you can get your hands on a copy, you simply have to read it!
Of course, especially the Norwegian fairy tales feature quite a number of trolls, so it is worth looking for that (not only Asbjoernson).
Best regards
Lotti (secret Troll-lover)
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Helen
Registered User
(8/11/02 9:01:03 pm)
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Some general guides ...
Dear Holly:
While I can't think of any particular troll-texts offhand (which, oddly, sounds as though I can't think of just what it is that trolls would put on their equivalent of the NYTimes best-seller list...) I can recommend a few good general texts that might have good references to point you in the right direction. _A Field Guide to the Little People_, by Nancy Arrowsmith and George Moore, is fun and informative; I think that it might be out of print, but you should be able to get a copy through inter-library loan. _The World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves, and Other Little People_, by Avenel, has a decent section on trolls. Also, I remember that Carol Rose put out a generalist's guide to magical creatures (two, I think - anthropomorphic and non - not certain which one trolls would be in). Sorry that I couldn't be of more help. Good luck!
Best,
helen
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Laura
McCaffrey
Registered User
(8/12/02 5:19:47 am)
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Re: you've probably seen this, but in case not...
Holly,
This site looks like a good introduction, with a short but distinguished
list of collections for folklore of Norway - web.simmons.edu/~roachj/n...klore.html
I've read some of Asbjornson's and Moe's _Popular Tales from the Norse_ and there were plenty of trolls in there, but it's not just a troll collection.
Good luck.
Laura Mc
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Charles Vess
Unregistered User
(8/12/02 6:33:01 am)
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Trolling for books
There is a great book that is pretty accessiable through second hand stores called GREAT SWEDISH FAIRY TALES pub. by Delcourte Press in 1973. Most of the tales therein are concerning trolls and the book is also filled to the brim with great illustrations by John Bauer (THE Swedish fairy tale artist).
Well worth the effort in seeking it out.
Good luck,
Charles
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BlackHolly
Registered User
(8/13/02 10:09:38 am)
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Re: Trolling for books
Thanks everyone!
I do have the Arrowsmith & Moore book as well as the Rose book and have one of the collections (Scandinavian Folk and Fairy Tales) that Laura suggested, so I guess I wasn't off to a bad start after all.
Thanks especially for the Great Swedish Fairy Tales recommendation. I love John Baur and any excuse to get more of his art is welcome.
Edited by: BlackHolly at: 8/13/02 10:10:07 am
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Charles Vess
Unregistered User
(8/13/02 6:07:14 pm)
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More Trolls...
Holly,
I just finished opening all the boxes of stuff that I sent back from a recent convention and came across a gift that a English fan had brought me, NORWEIAN FAIRY TALES by Gert Strindberg translated and published in 1947.
The small book had six tales all concerning trolls: mountain trolls, forest trolls, etc. along with several b/w illustrations by the author.
Interesting...
Haven't read then yet but I'll let you know what I think when I do.
Best,
Charles
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Rebecca
Unregistered User
(8/14/02 7:42:26 am)
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Some random troll stuff...
H.A. Guerber's book The Norsemen has a few informative and interesting bits on trolls. I probably wouldn't recommend buying it unless you have a general interest in Norse myths and legends, but it might also be the sort of book you could find in a library.
One of my favorite passages from the Prose Edda begins with the line: "A witch dwells to the east of Midgard, in the forest called Ironwood: in that forest dwell the troll-women, who are known as Ironwood-Women." I think, though, that in Norse myth trolls and giants are often synonymous, or else it is suggested that trolls are what giants sort of degenerated into as the initial powerful race declined. (By the way, you can find the Prose Edda online if you are not already familiar with it. I can't remember if trolls are ever mentioned again, but it is certainly worth a read, anyway).
Another general resource is The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable.
Sorry if I've just repeated things you already know...
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BlackHolly
Registered User
(8/14/02 9:57:10 am)
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Re: Some random troll stuff...
"A witch dwells to the east of Midgard, in the forest called Ironwood: in that forest dwell the troll-women, who are known as Ironwood-Women."
This is fabulous and no, I've never read the Prose Edda, although I guess I better.
What I find particularly interesting about this is the emphasis on iron, somethat that our Celtic faeries have a particular dislike of.
Hmmm!
Holly
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Rebecca
Unregistered User
(8/15/02 10:53:58 am)
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Ironwood
Holly,
That is interesting; I hadn't made the connection. It made me curious as to why exactly the forest was called Ironwood -- I found that forest stood just before the gate to 'Hel's Kindgom,' and all the trees were either bare or had leaves of iron. It was there that the wolves were born that would eventually swallow the sun and the moon, signaling Ragnarok, the destruction of the world. So, a generally forbidding sort of place.
It seems that the 'little people' of Norse legend were split into two groups: the 'dark elves' and the 'light elves.' The dark elves included creatures like trolls and goblins and dwarfs and were thought to be so ugly that they were forced to stay underground during the day or else be turned to stone. The light elves were more like the Celtic faeries and lived in the airy regions, somewhere between heaven and earth. I didn't come across any mention of these 'light elves' being averse to iron, but it does not seem that the two worlds interacted much.
When I was searching for the Ironwood bit, I first looked in the book, The Lore of the Forest, and while that wasn't in there I came across another intriguing troll story. It was about a man named Helgi, who while traveling through a forest came across three women wearing red and riding on red horses. The women were trolls but they were very beautiful. He lived with them for three days, then returned home, but after a time he was again 'fetched away' and stayed with the troll-women for many years. Eventually, a king won Helgi's freedom by praying, but he was blind.
One of those teasingly obscure stories that begs to be fleshed out... Anyway, I thought it might be of interest.
Rebecca
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Rebecca
Unregistered User
(8/15/02 11:59:02 am)
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Re: Ironwood
I recently came across a reference to the Guerber book that said that some of the information in it is faulty, and so the book should be read with caution... It was in that book that I found the description of Ironwood, so perhaps that isn't even accurate; I haven't been able to find it anywhere else. So... There is another book that *is* supposed to be useful called Northern Mythology by Benjamin Thorpe, which has folklore in it as well, so that might be more reliable. Sorry about that.
Rebecca
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BlackHolly
Registered User
(8/16/02 11:02:21 am)
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Pretty Trolls, Cute Trolls, etc.
<<When I was searching for the Ironwood bit, I first looked in the book, The Lore of the Forest, and while that wasn't in there I came across another intriguing troll story. It was about a man named Helgi, who while traveling through a forest came across three women wearing red and riding on red horses. The women were trolls but they were very beautiful. He lived with them for three days, then returned home, but after a time he was again 'fetched away' and stayed with the troll-women for many years. Eventually, a king won Helgi's freedom by praying, but he was blind.>>
It is interesting how trolls are described so differently in different accounts (and when illustrated by different artists). I don't have _Lore of the Forest_ and I suppose I better put it on my list of books to get (along with the Strindberg book that Charles suggested).
Holly
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