The Genre of Trolls - Doria

not to be found in Danish folklore, and the distribution pattern of the recorded
oral variants is different from the common one (Holbek 1991: 180–
182). Once the literary derivation of the text has been established, Holbek
contemplates what the folk narrators have done with the story, how they
have turned it into folklore, and why they have chosen to integrate that
specific narrative into their repertoires. All chapbooks did not enter folklore,
after all. As for the first two questions, people retained those features
that were compatible with tradition, while transforming those that were
not. Examples of the latter are the figures of St. Peter and the Virgin Mary
who might be replaced by representatives of the church, as well as the
drummer who has been combined with the image of St. Peter or God himself,
which is more in accord with tradition (Holbek 1991: 183–186). The
third question does not receive much treatment.
Holbek then moves on to the topic of genre, and asserts that both tale
and legend, the genres to which the story might belong, serve as instruction
in right and proper conduct, but the tale creates a fictional world in which
interpersonal relations on the family level are treated, and the legend determines
the order and the boundaries of the human world in opposition to
the chaotic world outside it. However, the narrative of the old Hoburg
man does not fit squarely into either category. The chapbook, a rationalist
and rather tiresome creation according to Holbek, is supposed to be fictitious,
but there are elements in it with their roots in legend tradition. Thus,
the status of the printed source is ambiguous, and the oral versions have
followed suit. Some of the latter have not been completely faithful to the
literary text, and two distinct tendencies can be discerned in the development
of the stories. Some stress the narrative’s identity as a tale, often
linking it with tales of the stupid ogre. It is viewed as entertainment, and
the troll is thought to deserve the treatment it gets. Nevertheless, the troll
is duped by reference to powers associated with the legend and the beliefs
of the community.
Others add further legend motifs to the text, frequently connecting it
with real barrows or hills in the landscape. The peculiarity of the otherworld
is prominent, and man becomes the defender of his community
against alien intrusion. The happy end of the story brings it closer to
the tale in this respect, and Holbek’s conclusion is that the narrative is
permanently poised on the borderline between legend and tale (Holbek
1991: 187–191).
Trolls in the History of Research 15