The Genre of Trolls - Doria

which the father of the child is so poor that he cannot afford to arrange a
feast. The farmhand comes to his aid and assures him that if he lets him do
the inviting, he will get the means to hold the feast. Thus the farmhand
goes to invite the old Hoburg man. The troll wonders who the other guests
are, and when the farmhand enumerates the parson and the clerk, the troll
does not mind their presence at all, but it asks whether the drummer of the
sky is coming, and when the farmhand replies in the affirmative, the troll
becomes more doubtful. Nevertheless, it is intent on contributing its share
of gifts, giving the farmhand large amounts of food and fresh fish, and three
generous cups of money (Nyland 1896, 25). The old Hoburg man is not
particularly impressed by the church officials, but he has respect for the
drummer. The purpose of the farmhand’s visit is achieved quickly and
effortlessly, and the completed economic transaction furnishes the end
point of the narrative. It is the focus of the text, and the exploitation of the
troll becomes more pronounced than in the previous story in which the relationship
between man and troll is afforded much attention.
3.3.3 From Tolerance to Conflict
All versions of the legend of the woman acting as midwife to the troll do
not end as happily as in the texts hitherto adduced. In one subtype the
woman breaches a taboo not to smear an ointment conferring second sight,
intended for the infant, onto her own eyes, and when the troll realizes that
she has disobeyed its command, it blinds her as a punishment (SLS 28, 12:
79–80). She has wrongfully appropriated a faculty she has no right to possess,
and she is severely chastised for it.
Another example of a good relationship between man and troll being
ruined by the conduct of the human agent is the story of the wedding of
the troll. A peasant burning potash in the forest was once invited to a troll
wedding, celebrated at midnight on a Friday. He went to the parson to
consult him on the matter, and the parson gave him some sacramental
wine that he was supposed to pour into the food at the feast. The peasant
turned up at the wedding at the appointed time, and was as well received
“as a priest in hell”. When the festive dinner was to be prepared, he volunteered
to do the cooking, and the trolls had no objections to that proposal.
Secretly he poured a few drops of wine into the food, and the trolls
were so intoxicated by this concoction that they started brawling among
themselves. Eventually one of the trolls said that the man who was the
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Description of the Troll Tradition