The Genre of Trolls - Doria

e made in this context; firstly, the nature of interpretation in general is
such that it is always influenced by individual and situational factors, and
the correspondence or not of the folk’s readings of religious writings to
interpretations sanctioned by theology becomes less important (cf. Wolf-
Knuts 1991: 44). As a folklorist, it is my task to focus on popular interpretations,
using the methods appropriate to my discipline. Secondly, these
folk readings are not generated in a social vacuum. The 19th and early 20th
century was the age of revivals, and despite the fact that individual religiosity
came to the fore in this period, the revivals were highly social phenomena.
Social networks of like-minded people were created, and forums—
official and unofficial—for the discussion of faith and religion were established.
The interpretation of religious works might have been a group
activity, effected either in private conversation with one’s peers, or at more
organized, collective meetings, perhaps involving preaching or exposition
of a text. In other words, I assume both a private and a collective interpretation
of religious texts, the former influenced by the needs of the individual,
the latter conforming to collective patterns. However, even individual
interpretations do not escape the touch of the collective, as everybody
craves to be accepted by a peer group. In the following, I will therefore
outline the religious life of the parish.
Pietism found its first advocate in Jonas Lagus, curate of Vörå in 1817–
1828, and when he moved to the Finnish-speaking parish of Ylivieska in
1828, the revival did not abate. The movement stressed individual salvation
attained through a person’s benevolent actions, and the significance of repentance.
The revival has been regarded as legalistic, since it focused so
much on the law of the Bible. In the 1830s Vörå emerged as a centre for
the Pietist revival as some of the influential families joined the movement,
including the sons of the parson. One of them, Johan Mikael Stenbäck,
continued to promote Pietism as the curate of the parish in the beginning
of the 1840s; his temporary replacement on the post, Josef Reinhold
Hedberg, did likewise. During these decades the religious meetings arranged
by the movement attracted large audiences, and speakers from other
communities were regularly enlisted. Many Pietists donned the old 18thcentury
folk costume, the long-tailed jacket (skörtdräkt) for men and the
kirtle for women. It was commonly worn in Vörå in the 1840s and 1850s,
but subsequently disappeared in the 1860s. The old-fashioned dress functioned
as a social marker, differentiating the pious from the rest of the pop-
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Material and Context