The Genre of Trolls - Doria

cause of all this mischief ought to leave the party, and the bridegroom
asked the peasant to depart. He did not wish to leave before the wedding
was over, and the groom had to bribe him with nine shovels of silver coins
to get rid of him. The peasant was satisfied, of course, and gladly returned
home (SLS 71: 32–34). The conflict with the trolls has more fortunate consequences
for man in this narrative than in the story of the disobedient
midwife. The peasant can even profit economically from the controversy
(cf. Klintberg 2002: 144).
The peasant’s discussion with the parson illustrates the dual function of
the clergy: on the one hand, they wielded social authority and could be
consulted in critical situations, and on the other hand, they acted as sorcerers,
supplying protection against trolls and other supranormal creatures.
Perhaps the social interaction with the trolls poses a threat to the peasant’s
salvation? The formulation “There he was as well received as a priest in
hell” might imply that the trolls considered him to have betrayed his humanity
and religion when entering their sphere. The trick of using sacramental
wine in the food is related to its status as a particularly potent substance
in folk medicine, a reputation it shared with holy water and the
wafer (Tillhagen 1977: 82, 133). The wine wreaks total havoc among the
trolls, and it seems as if they are incapable of containing the symbol of the
blood of Christ in their veins, its symbolic significance is too overwhelming.
A movement from tolerance to conflict and back to tolerance is exemplified
in a text about the female troll Mari becoming the godmother and
later foster mother of the daughter of a poor crofters’ family. One day the
girl is prohibited to go into a specific room while Mari is away. Naturally
she cannot contain herself and enters the room, and refuses to confess when
Mari confronts her. The troll expels her from the house, and she wanders
around, finally meeting a prince whom she marries. Each time she gives
birth to a child, Mari arrives to cross-examine her, and when she stubbornly
denies her transgression, Mari takes the child from her. Eventually the girl
admits her failure to comply with Mari’s command, and all her children are
returned to her (SLS 22, 21). The problem does not appear to be that the
foster daughter has made a transgression, but that she does not assume responsibility
for her actions, for as soon as she does, everything is forgiven.
One variant of the story of the old Hoburg man exhibits a somewhat different
ending. The general outline is basically the same as in the other narratives,
but in this text the troll is not gullible, and although it fails to see
Interaction between the Realms 113