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The Genre of Trolls - Doria

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5 INTERTEXTUALITY AS SOCIAL CRITIQUE<br />

In chapter 4, I examined intertextual relations between troll texts, other<br />

folklore texts and Biblical narratives as an outlet for ideological critique,<br />

and in the present chapter I retain the categories <strong>of</strong> material and the theoretical<br />

framework, but shift the focus to intertextuality as social critique,<br />

centering on the social status and power <strong>of</strong> clergymen. Thus, I am still<br />

concerned with the first level <strong>of</strong> the construction <strong>of</strong> the image <strong>of</strong> the troll,<br />

the texts and discourses out <strong>of</strong> which the portrait <strong>of</strong> the troll is woven (see<br />

chapter 1.1). In principle these two chapters could be merged into one, but<br />

it would turn into a very long chapter, and I have therefore preferred to<br />

make them separate ones. Chapter 5.2 <strong>of</strong>fers a more thorough and extensive<br />

discussion <strong>of</strong> my findings in both chapter 4 and chapter 5.<br />

5.1 <strong>The</strong> Sins <strong>of</strong> an Exorcist<br />

Three texts (SLS 213, 184; text 1: SLS 280: 635–636; text 5: SLS 338: 21–22)<br />

prolong the story <strong>of</strong> abduction studied in chapter 4 by inserting another episode<br />

dealing with the banishment <strong>of</strong> the trolls, and two (text 10: SLS 22,<br />

11: 28–29; text 7: Hembygden 1912: 20–21) feature that episode only. <strong>The</strong> folktale<br />

reverie <strong>of</strong> beautiful clothes mingles with darker Biblical associations.<br />

V. E. V. Wessman’s record from 1917 states it thus:<br />

1) I Koskeby finns ett berg, som kallas Trollberget. En gång gick en flicka efter korna, och<br />

då tog trollet henne. En söndag beddes (bad) hon att få gå till kyrkan, och fick också, men hon<br />

sku inte få vara så länge, att prästen läste välsignelsen. Hon kom till kyrkan, och var så fint<br />

klädd, att allt folk skådade på henne. Hon lydde inte sen trollet utan var där när prästen<br />

läste välsignelsen, och då vart de där fina kläderna sådana, som de var då hon körde korna.<br />

Sen var en präst två torsdagsmorgnar och läs bort trollen. Första morgonen hade prästen<br />

skott på sig vänstra stöveln före, och för detta mojtade (förebrådde, klandrade) trollen han.<br />

Andra morgonen var det och något fel med an, eftersom dem inte for, men tredje morgon for<br />

dem bort och var som svarta korpar. Dem hade frågat, om dem inte sku få fara till något<br />

annat berg, men prästen sa, att dem inte sku få lämna i hela konungariket. – I samma<br />

berget finns en källa, som kallas Trullkällan. (SLS 280: 635–636)<br />

1) In Koskeby there is a hill, which is called the Troll Hill. Once a girl went to collect the<br />

cows, and then the troll took her. One Sunday she asked to be allowed to go to church, and was<br />

given leave, but she would not be allowed to stay until the parson pronounced the benediction.<br />

She came to the church, and was so finely dressed that all the people looked at her. She<br />

did not obey the troll in the end but was there when the parson pronounced the benediction,<br />

and then those fine clothes turned into such as they had been while she was herding the cows.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Sins <strong>of</strong> an Exorcist 181

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