Viking Magazine - Sep/Oct 2023 - 20

Not All
Trolls
are
Evil
Disney's hit animated fi lm " Frozen, " which
is heavily based on Norwegian landscapes
and Sámi culture, fl ips the script on the
nature of trolls. Mini trolls emerge from
the boulders of the earth and are not only
wise, peaceful and helpful, but also possess
magical powers, including the ability to
look into the future and past and learn from
their visions. They emerge as major heroes
within the story, and even receive their own
musical number. The characters in " Frozen "
represent the manner in which trolls have
come to be portrayed in American pop
culture as a whole, where they are more
often depicted as cute, helpful sidekicks
instead of the cunning and evil monsters
they originated as in Norwegian folklore.
who repelled human beings with their displeasing appearances
and meticulous riddles. In many cases, they were
able to use their deep connections with nature to uproot
trees and cause natural disasters, including earthquakes
and hurricanes. Thus, it is strategically symbolic that in
most folk tales, we see clever protagonists getting the better
of trolls, especially those who are at fi rst deemed weak and
inferior, like the Ash Lad (who in one instance outwitted a
troll by cleverly challenging him to an eating contest).
Humans being able to constantly defeat these gatekeepers
of nature signifi es that their connection to the natural
world is even greater. While evil trolls try to control the
narrative through their ownership of nature, human
beings emerge as the chosen ones-the victorious creatures
who were created to live in harmony with Norway's
abundant natural wonders.
explain-trolls. And while
they may not be the
central characters of
" The Three Princesses
in White Land, " they
are arguably the
central characters of
Norwegian folklore
as a whole, making
appearances in the
vast majority of tales-
notably including a few
tales of one of Norway's
most famed folklore
characters, the Ash Lad
(Askeladden), who manages
to wittily defeat his troll
enemies every time.
What signifi cance do these trolls
hold in Norwegian culture? They actually
fi nd their origins deep in Norse mythology, present
as an explanation for the purely supernatural feeling
of Norway's tall mountain peaks, deep fjords and thick
forests. These mythological trolls were said to live deep
in remote areas of nature, disguised in the very rocks and
boulders of the earth. (Sound familiar? Disney fanatics
may be recalling the mini-size trolls who sprung up from
rock formations in the animated fi lm " Frozen. " )
Norse mythology described these creatures as gatekeepers
of the natural world, strong and dangerous giants
ed
20
Sep/Oct 2023
FROM FOLKTALE TO BIG SCREEN
Although trolls fi nd their roots in Norse
mythology, they caught on like wildfi re,
and became popular fi gures worldwide.
But they weren't the only
Norwegian folkloric tropes
to catch on. You're likely to
recognize many of your
favorite tales within the
plot lines of Asbjørnen
and Moe's folktales.
One such tale, " East
of the Sun and West
of the Moon, " details
a young girl from a
poor family who " was
so lovely, there was
no end to her loveliness. "
Her beauty was so
magnetic that one day, a
big white bear showed up
at the family's door, offering
to make the family rich in
exchange for their daughter. The
family agreed, and the white bear
whisked the beautiful girl off to a castle in
the mountains. At fi rst, the girl was distraught, but
then one night, she unknowingly discovered that her great
white bear companion was actually a handsome prince
(sound familiar yet?) trapped in a bear's body.
Although the story as a whole unfolds quite differently,
the concept of " East of the Sun and West of the Moon " is
quite similar to that of Disney's " Beauty and the Beast, "
from the main heroine's unbelievable beauty to the remote
castle in the mountains to the handsome prince trapped
in a beast's body.
sonsofnorway.com
http://www.sonsofnorway.com
Viking Magazine - Sep/Oct 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Viking Magazine - Sep/Oct 2023
