The Genre of Trolls - Doria

and outside the door was a big snow drift, so that he had to work and wedge himself
through. When he came out, there were patches of snow here and there on the ground,
’cause it was that time in the spring, when the snakes wake up and come crawling out of
the earth. When he came home they were horrified, as they thought he was dead when
they didn’t find him in the autumn when they’d made a search for him. When autumn
came around that time when the snakes creep down into the earth, he became heavy and
sleepy, so that they had to start guarding him to stop him from falling asleep. It was like
that each year in the autumn for as long as he lived.
7) Sjömamsellen
Ejngang kom på e stjep’, to e just sku’ kom’ i land in mamsell undan fartyi’ om båol, o
stjepe städd’, just to ’un kom opp. Hun há e brejv, som ’un lemna’ åt in sjöman o bá’, he
’an sku’ skaff’ fram e til’ klokkun sex om morunin. Hun sá’ namne’ på gatun o numrun på
gålin tíd ’an sku’ gá, o nemd’ han o i namn, som sku’ há e. Sjömannin tåo’ brejve’ o lova’
för’ fram e o, o hun di mamsellin fåor undi’ stjepe’ tibák’. To ’an kom i land, so byra’ ’an
siup’, o dröjdd’ enda ti’ etmiddáin föri ’an hoxa he ’an ha’ e brejv, som ’an ’a’ lova’ skaff ’
fram. To ’an kom ti han di gålin, tíd brejve’ sku’ föras, so fanns injin tär, som ha e tuku
namn som ståo’ på brejve’. Sliutligen hoxa dem he kattun ha’ e tuku namn. Sjömannin biuga’
se’ to o rekt’ kattun brejve’. Kattun tåo imåot e, men vart me ti sama in mensk o sá’: “de
här ha do båoda va’ jär me’ i morust klokkun sex.” Som ’un ha’ sakt he, so tåo’ ’un sjömannin
i örunin o fåor iut me’ ’an midt emillan två fönster, o gluddjin lemna’ opp báket’ från
ejtt fönster ti ti anna, fast e va’ stejnhius. Kattun ha’ vari sextun år i he di hiuse’. (R II 77)
7) The Sea Damsel
Once a damsel came from the sea onboard a ship when it was coming to shore, and the
ship stopped at the moment she came up. She had a letter that she gave to a sailor and
asked him to deliver it by six o’clock in the morning. She said the name of the street and
the number of the house to which he should go, and mentioned the one who was supposed
to have it by name. The sailor took the letter and promised to deliver it too, and the damsel
sank beneath the ship again. When he came to shore, he started drinking, and dallied
until the afternoon before he remembered he had a letter he had promised to deliver.
When he came to the house to which the letter should be brought, there was no-one there
with such a name as the one written on the letter. Finally, they realized the cat had such a
name. The sailor bowed and gave the cat the letter. The cat received it, but became a
human at the same moment and said: “You should’ve brought this here this morning at
six o’clock.” As she had said that, she caught the sailor in the ears and went out with him
between two windows, and the hole was left open from one window to another, even
though it was a house of stone. The cat had been in the house for sixteen years.
8) Den upphöjde soldaten
In svensk soldat, som ejngang sku’ stá på post, to konun’jin sku rejs’, ji’ osta sim’, to e va’
mytsji’ varmt om dáin, o kungen byra dröj’ fy’ leng’. Når ’an va’ i vakne’ so best so höld’
’an, he konun’jin kom tsjörand’. Han stjynda’ to opp me’ in hískeli’ fast, men henda int’
kle’ på se’ klénin, annan kasta’ renselin på ryddjin o jiväre’ på axlan, o hattin på huvu’. Så
ståo ’an to konun’jin fåor fy’bíd. Dáin báket’ vast ’an kalla’ opp ti’ håve klokkun 12 på dáin
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