The Genre of Trolls - Doria

phery in relation to the home and farm, the centre of the world of the peasant;
between centre and periphery the cultivated landscape, which provided
the farmer’s livelihood, was located (Stattin 1992: 55). Nevertheless, the
boundary between the farm and the wilderness was not distinct, the border
zone could be extensive and consist of a mixture of human and supernatural
domains (Stark 2002: 111). The forest was a part of the human world, and
man had to use its resources in daily life, but it was viewed as belonging to
the otherworld whose inhabitants also made use of these resources. Because
of this, a system of working in shifts, so to speak, was applied in order to
regulate the use of common resources; the day belonged to humans, while
the night belonged to the supranormal. As we will see, this division is not
entirely straightforward (cf. Tarkka 1994: 293–294; Stark 2002: 119). In this
sense, man may be regarded as the traverser of boundaries when the encounter
takes place in nature, and this role is further emphasized when
humans arrive at the dwelling of the troll. 17 The road (SLS 56: 153; SLS
280: 312) and the country shop (SLS 28, 12) are more public sites of encounter
(as noted in chapter 2.3.1, local shops were already operating in the
countryside at the end of the 19th century). The road may be considered
both a boundary—between centre and periphery (Stattin 1992: 55)—and a
means of crossing that boundary, as it connects physically and cognitively
separate spaces. The shop is an integrated part of the human world, and
the troll is now the one to bridge the gap between the worlds, as is the case
when the encounter occurs on human territory, at home or on the farm. 18
The time of encounter varies greatly. Nocturnal confrontations are common,
19 but morning is mentioned in one record (SLS 280: 132), and it
seems as if trolls do not particularly shun the light of day, for many associ-
ate meetings with daytime activities. 20 Certain festivals are depicted as
Sagor I, 8; SLS 202 Sagor II, 66; SLS 213, 184; SLS 220:240–242; SLS 280:129; SLS 280:132.
17 Nyland 1887, 77; Nyland 1896, 129; R II 175; R II 427; SLS 22, 4; SLS 22, 11; SLS 31, 141;
SLS 31, 146; SLS 65:49; SLS 137 I, 1; SLS 137 II, 1; SLS 202 Sagor II, 28; SLS 280:635–636;
SLS 299:33–34; SLS 338:21–22.
18 Nyland 1887, 77; R II 11; R II 70; R II 76; R II 336; R II 338; SLS 22, 21; SLS 31, 146; SLS
137 II, 1; SLS 202 Sagor II, 8; SLS 215, 250; SLS 280:357; SLS 280:362; SLS 280:375.
19 Nyland 1887, 77; Nyland 1896, 129; R I 86; R II 328; SLS 22, 4; SLS 31, 141; SLS 56:152;
SLS 65:49; SLS 71:32–34; SLS 80:46–47; SLS 202 Sagor II, 8; SLS 280:362; SLS 374:10–12.
20 Nyland 1887, 19; R II 70; R II 325; R II 336; R II 338; SLS 1, 3; SLS 1, 11; SLS 22, 11; SLS
28, 3; SLS 28, 12; SLS 31, 146; SLS 37, 6; SLS 37, 9; SLS 56:153; SLS 65:45, 47; SLS 137 I, 1;
The Conditions of Encounter 87