The Genre of Trolls - Doria

the unhappy troll to its present habitation. Yet the prince is not entirely
innocent in this matter, as he ought to be conscious of the risks involved in
visiting that place, the territory of the troll in the human world. Like most
children, he completely ignores the danger. Nevertheless, the troll concretely
initiates the contact by addressing the prince. In other words, all are equally
responsible for instigating the communication between the worlds.
The position of children as portrayed in the narratives under study is
much akin to that of women: their encounters with the troll are mostly unintentional,
and they are frequently exposed to the impositions of the troll
in the form of abductions, but they may also benefit from the charity offered
by denizens of the otherworld, either by being adopted into the troll’s
household or by receiving the troll’s aid in a moment of crisis, in exchange
for an earlier favour.
3.2 The Troll and Its World
This subchapter will deal more specifically with the question “what is encountered?”—the
appearance of the troll itself, its marvellous abilities, its
domain and surroundings. My aim is to provide an account of the otherworld
with regard to its peculiarities, although there are, obviously, many
similarities between the human and supernatural sphere, especially in terms
of social structure.
3.2.1 The Troll and Its Abilities
In the narratives, little attention is paid to the physical appearance of the
troll, but they still furnish the fragments of a portrait in the form of general
impressions, descriptions of clothing or individual features. The most distinct
trait of some wonder tale trolls is probably their multiple heads, either
three, six, nine or twelve (Nyland 1887, 19; SLS 202 Sagor II, 8; SLS 202
Sagor II, 1). One troll is said to be a big man with enormous eyes (SLS 65:
45). Trolls may also be small and greyclad, with red nightcaps on their
heads (SLS 220: 242). Some of them have hollow backs (SLS 280: 312), like
the rå. A member of a supernatural wedding procession is said to be a very
fine gentleman (SLS 56: 152). Two beautiful female forest trolls wear a light
green and a pink translucent dress respectively, and their hair is shimmering
(SLS 80: 46–47). Another young female troll is short, and dressed in a
shining garment (Bygdeminnen 1910: 41). The children of hill trolls can be
either pretty, properly dressed and clever (or deft, depending on the trans-
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Description of the Troll Tradition