The Genre of Trolls - Doria

watch as she is allowed to continue with her abominable depravity. It is no
victory for God and the righteous, to be sure. The insouciant response of
the witch is reminiscent of the boasting, in this instance entirely unfounded,
of the heroes in tales of the stupid ogre, where they ridicule the purportedly
puny effects of the attempts of their masters, trolls, giants or the Devil himself,
to kill them. A tale from Gamla Karleby decribes how the hero puts a
piece of wood in his bed, anticipating the Devil’s murderous intent. At
night, the Devil repeatedly hits the boy’s bed, and eventually the piece of
wood gets such a thrashing that it flies through the air. He is greatly astonished
when he finds the boy hale and hearty in the morning, though he
complains of a louse biting him during the night (R II 139). Demi-trolls
evince a corresponding tendency to belittle aggressions against them.
Returning to the second legend of Dean Hartman (text 14), the latter part
of the narrative may be considered in relation to the image of the good
shepherd. The dean fails to supervise the boy and bring him back into the
fold, and the words of Christ in Luke chapter 15 do not come true:
17) Hwilken är den man ibland eder, som hafwer hundrade får, och om han tappar bort
et af dem, låter han icke de nio och niotio uti öknene, och går efter det som borto är,
till dess han finner det? Och då han hafwer det funnit, lägger han det på sina axlar med
glädje. Och när han kommer hem i sitt hus, kallar han tilhopa sina wänner och grannar,
och säger til dem: Glädjens med mig; ty jag hafwer funnit mitt får, som borttappadt
war. Jag säger eder, at sammalunda warder ock glädje i himmelen öfwer en syndare,
den sig bättrar, mer än öfwer nio och niotio rättfärdiga, som ingen bättring behöfwa.
Eller hwad qwinna är, som hafwer tio penningar, om hon borttappar en af dem, tänder
hon icke up ljus, och sopar huset, och söker granneliga, til dess hon finner honom? Och
då hon funnit hafwer, kallar hon tilhopa sina wänner och granqwinnor, och säger:
Glädjens med mig; ty jag hafwer funnit min penning, som jag tappat hade. Sammalunda,
säger jag eder, warder glädje för Guds Änglom öfwer en syndare, som sig bättrar.
(Luk. 15: 4–10)
17) What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave
the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying
unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more
than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a
candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?
The Sins of an Exorcist 199