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Trolls: An Unnatural History
Trolls lurk under bridges waiting to eat children, threaten hobbits in Middle-Earth, and invade the dungeons of Hogwarts. Often they are depicted as stupid, slow, and ugly creatures, but they also appear as comforting characters in some children’s stories or as plastic dolls with bright, fuzzy hair. Today, the name of this fantastic being from Scandinavia has found a wider it is the word for the homeless in California and slang for the antagonizing and sometimes cruel people on the Internet. But how did trolls go from folktales to the World Wide Web?
To explain why trolls still hold our interest, John Lindow goes back to their first appearances in Scandinavian folklore, where they were beings in nature living beside a preindustrial society of small-scale farming and fishing. He explores reports of actual encounters with trolls―meetings others found plausible in spite of their better judgment―and follows trolls’ natural transition from folktales to other domains in popular culture. Trolls, Lindow argues, would not continue to appeal to our imaginations today if they had not made the jump to illustrations in Nordic books and Scandinavian literature and drama. From the Moomins to Brothers Grimm and Three Billy Goats Gruff to cartoons, fantasy novels, and social media, Lindow considers the panoply of trolls that surround us and their sometimes troubling connotations in the contemporary world.
Taking readers into Norwegian music and film and even Yahoo Finance chat rooms, Trolls is a fun and fascinating book about these strange creatures.
To explain why trolls still hold our interest, John Lindow goes back to their first appearances in Scandinavian folklore, where they were beings in nature living beside a preindustrial society of small-scale farming and fishing. He explores reports of actual encounters with trolls―meetings others found plausible in spite of their better judgment―and follows trolls’ natural transition from folktales to other domains in popular culture. Trolls, Lindow argues, would not continue to appeal to our imaginations today if they had not made the jump to illustrations in Nordic books and Scandinavian literature and drama. From the Moomins to Brothers Grimm and Three Billy Goats Gruff to cartoons, fantasy novels, and social media, Lindow considers the panoply of trolls that surround us and their sometimes troubling connotations in the contemporary world.
Taking readers into Norwegian music and film and even Yahoo Finance chat rooms, Trolls is a fun and fascinating book about these strange creatures.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published April 15, 2014
18 people are currently reading
401 people want to read
About the author
John Lindow
28 books18 followersProfessor specializing in Scandinavian medieval studies and folklore at the University of California, Berkeley.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
March 16, 2020
Forest Troll by Theodor Kittelen
”Just after they had lain down, they heard something that snorted and sniffed loudly. The boys listened carefully, trying to tell if it was animals or forest trolls they heard. But then they heard even louder sniffing and something said, ‘It smells like Christian blood here.’
Then they heard something stepping so heavily that the earth shook under it, and they knew the trolls were abroad.”
My first ever encounter with a troll was in the fairy tale written by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe called The Three Billy Goats Gruff. ”Once upon a time there were three billy goats, who were to go up to the hillside to make themselves fat, and the name of all three was ‘Gruff.’
On the way up was a bridge over a cascading stream they had to cross; and under the bridge lived a great ugly troll, with eyes as big as saucers, and a nose as long as a poker.”
I wouldn’t be surprised if I’ve had that story read to me or by me somewhere in the range of five hundred times. That story indelibly formed an image for me of not only what a troll looked like, but also that trolls are grumpy.
This book reads more than a bit like an expanded doctoral thesis, but that is fine. It was a whimsical purchase, somewhat spurred by the wonderful John Bauer illustration on the cover and my lingering curiosity about trolls from my childhood that has never really been explored.
”The variety of possible meanings for the term troll in recent Scandinavian folk tradition was great. Texts recorded in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries display trolls as ordinary, large or small in stature, as fair and plain, enticing and stern, ordinary but misshapen, and one even as a cloudy wraith.” I can’t help but be curious about this cloudy wraith, but really it must be something else for trolls, in my fanciful opinion, must be large, ugly, dumb, and grumpy. A smart troll, now that would be a problem; a sharp-witted cloudy wraith of a troll would put me more in mind of a demon.
I laughed when John Lindow mentions that Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew actually translates as Taming of the Troll in Danish. I wonder how many Danish men have called their wives trolls and lived to tell the tale after their lovely, grumpy shrews battered their heads with cast iron skillets. In Scandinavian literature, trolls are predominantly female, which is surprising to me. Trolls represent ”disorder and darkness”, which for some reason those early Scandinavanian writers associated women with those characteristics, betraying a distinct lack of understanding of the fairer sex.
J. K. Rowling wrote an exciting troll scene in the Harry Potter universe. ”It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull granite grey, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs, thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible.” I think Rowling grew up with more of the same idea of a troll as I did.
”Dealing with trolls is always fraught with danger, and it is best to do as they say. Or to put it another way, the attitude towards trolls displayed in our recordings of the traditional rural culture is always ambivalent. Where there is help there may be harm, and where there is harm there may be help.” We are conditioned to think of ugly creatures as harmful creatures, even though literature is chock full of beautiful creatures who turn out to be demented demons, intent on stealing our souls or sucking our blood or feasting on our brains. Rarely does evil cooperate as to show us its real nature on the surface of its skin. We automatically think of ghosts as meaning us harm, but really aren’t we just startled by something we can’t quite comprehend and assume anything that foreign to our world has to have a disagreeable intent?
Maybe trolls just like their solitude and peace. They creep about at night, but maybe that is just to avoid people. They become disagreeable when noisy goats walk over their bridge while they are trying to snooze, much the same way I become irritable when teenagers returning late from a concert disturb my precious sleep in a hotel room. Maybe trolls are misunderstood. Lindow talks about how people, possible misshapen people like someone suffering from a humpback or a skin disease, might choose to live on the fringes of society. Maybe some of these troll stories are about human outliers. Maybe one of the first of these antisocial or shy people was named Troll. HA!
There is a terrific Norwegian movie called Trollhunter, directed by André Øvredal, that shouldn’t be missed by those who find trolls fascinating. I also really enjoyed this strange, unnerving book called Troll: a Love Story by Johanna Sinasalo, which still lingers like an unsettling encounter in the dark hallways of my mind.
I intended this to be an introduction to my pursuit of troll understanding, and it worked well for the task. With the many attacks I’ve withstood of Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter Trolls, who all seem to share the same ugly personality characteristics, It is good for me to remember that trolls used to be mystical creatures deserving of a bit of pity before their name was hijacked to describe jackasses intent on spreading mayhem and pessimism.
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May 4, 2014
I picked this up because of the illustration by Bauer on the cover.
Lindow’s book is a survey of trolls and their place in Scandinavian folklore and literature. It is not in depth, but it is worth reading. What makes the book interesting is the discussion of the idea of trolls and where the idea came from. Lindow suggests that the word was used to denote the other – including Inuit tribes that the Scandinavians came into connect with. This is a particularly interesting idea that seems to have legs, and I wish that Lindow had spent more time on it. I’ve read a fair amount of Scandinavian folklore so know the idea of a Lap or a Finn being a witch. Lindow does draw connections between these groups and trolls as well, but like with the Inuit section, I wish there had been more meat on those bones.
What is particularly interesting is the connection that Lindow really makes (and believably makes) between trolls and the zombies. He makes an interesting connection between troll appearances and decomposition. This very much like Paul Barber’s thesis of the vampire as decomposition explained. This section was very interesting, and quite frankly, worth the price of the book.
After leaving the chapters on Medieval and folklore trolls, Lindow looks at trolls in fairy stories. If you like Asbjornsen and Moe, this chapter is of particular interest, not just into eh discussion of various illustrations but also in the significant details that Asbjornsen gave to the trolls in his collections. Equal time is spent on the writers and on the illustrators. The last two chapters deal with modern literature – you will buy at least one book – as well as the movie Trollhunter, and finally, those troll dolls. The conclusion deals with the use of the word troll and the internet. Lindow feels that the folklore trolls are getting the short end of the stick in this regard, and he is right.
In short, while some parts of the book could be more in depth, this is worth a read if you like folklore.
Crossposted at Booklikes.
Lindow’s book is a survey of trolls and their place in Scandinavian folklore and literature. It is not in depth, but it is worth reading. What makes the book interesting is the discussion of the idea of trolls and where the idea came from. Lindow suggests that the word was used to denote the other – including Inuit tribes that the Scandinavians came into connect with. This is a particularly interesting idea that seems to have legs, and I wish that Lindow had spent more time on it. I’ve read a fair amount of Scandinavian folklore so know the idea of a Lap or a Finn being a witch. Lindow does draw connections between these groups and trolls as well, but like with the Inuit section, I wish there had been more meat on those bones.
What is particularly interesting is the connection that Lindow really makes (and believably makes) between trolls and the zombies. He makes an interesting connection between troll appearances and decomposition. This very much like Paul Barber’s thesis of the vampire as decomposition explained. This section was very interesting, and quite frankly, worth the price of the book.
After leaving the chapters on Medieval and folklore trolls, Lindow looks at trolls in fairy stories. If you like Asbjornsen and Moe, this chapter is of particular interest, not just into eh discussion of various illustrations but also in the significant details that Asbjornsen gave to the trolls in his collections. Equal time is spent on the writers and on the illustrators. The last two chapters deal with modern literature – you will buy at least one book – as well as the movie Trollhunter, and finally, those troll dolls. The conclusion deals with the use of the word troll and the internet. Lindow feels that the folklore trolls are getting the short end of the stick in this regard, and he is right.
In short, while some parts of the book could be more in depth, this is worth a read if you like folklore.
Crossposted at Booklikes.
March 31, 2020
An overview of trolls from the oldest records to the current day.
Some of the oldest must be deciphered. "Troll" in words often just means magic -- a "troll-woman" is a witch. "Given to the trolls" means "killed." Past that, there are legends, such as trolls caught by sunlight through the cleverness of some hero -- they may become landmarks and so useful instead of a danger to travelers. Or build churches, though you may have to guess their names to escape paying severely for it. And a law prohibits sitting outside to summon trolls.
Then fairy tales and illustrators, and when "troll" came into English -- mid nineteenth century -- on the heels of fairy tale collections. And modern day fantasy treatments, and troll dolls, and the various metaphorical uses of the modern day.
Weak in a few points -- he interprets tales that trolls can eat those who go out at night or grow fat on food cooked on Sunday as trolls enforcing human prohibitions, not that violations create a weakness they can exploit -- but a good overview.
Some of the oldest must be deciphered. "Troll" in words often just means magic -- a "troll-woman" is a witch. "Given to the trolls" means "killed." Past that, there are legends, such as trolls caught by sunlight through the cleverness of some hero -- they may become landmarks and so useful instead of a danger to travelers. Or build churches, though you may have to guess their names to escape paying severely for it. And a law prohibits sitting outside to summon trolls.
Then fairy tales and illustrators, and when "troll" came into English -- mid nineteenth century -- on the heels of fairy tale collections. And modern day fantasy treatments, and troll dolls, and the various metaphorical uses of the modern day.
Weak in a few points -- he interprets tales that trolls can eat those who go out at night or grow fat on food cooked on Sunday as trolls enforcing human prohibitions, not that violations create a weakness they can exploit -- but a good overview.
December 28, 2014
I have mixed feelings about this book - but perhaps that is very much in line with Lindow's analysis of trolls.
I found the book to be informative and somewhat entertaining, and certainly a good jump off point to find out more about trolls, with a comprehensive reference list at the back.
There was clear definition between legend and fairy tale, which I found helpful, and the evolution of trolls from Viking saga through to present day usage. If you want an enthralling read I'd not recommend this especially, but if you want a thorough grounding then this is a useful book.
I shall endeavour to find out more!
I found the book to be informative and somewhat entertaining, and certainly a good jump off point to find out more about trolls, with a comprehensive reference list at the back.
There was clear definition between legend and fairy tale, which I found helpful, and the evolution of trolls from Viking saga through to present day usage. If you want an enthralling read I'd not recommend this especially, but if you want a thorough grounding then this is a useful book.
I shall endeavour to find out more!
December 13, 2023
A rather academic examination of how Scandinavian trolls developed in stories from the Viking Age to modern times. If you want to dive deeper into the structure of legends and fairy tales, or like parsing the various translations of a particular word over time, you might find this fascinating. I found it all somewhat interesting, but I particularly liked the chapter on illustrations.
July 17, 2018
Trolls: An Unnatural History explores the entire spectrum of troll mythology, from their first appearance in the earliest Icelandic and Norse records, to their latest manifestation in popular culture, films, and children's toys. Taking alleged encounters with real trolls from long ago, and taking care to separate them from fairytale beings, this is a thorough and plodding academic exploration of the subject.
The book also takes the time to explore the human and sociological phenomena of troll existence. The darkness inherit in their name, for instance, leading to the homeless of California being referred as such - as are the unwanted, the benign, and the less fortunate across the world. In John Lindow's narrative, we find what trolls really are and what they represent.
However, the academic angle made for heavy, studious reading. This is not a light book to dip in and out of. You are required to pay attention, cross-examine, and keep up. At times, this made it hard-going. I also found that it dried and dulled the story elements, reducing them to anecdotes and footnotes. However, it is clearly a labour of love, if a little laborious in execution at times. And still a must-read for anyone interested in folk and fae.
The book also takes the time to explore the human and sociological phenomena of troll existence. The darkness inherit in their name, for instance, leading to the homeless of California being referred as such - as are the unwanted, the benign, and the less fortunate across the world. In John Lindow's narrative, we find what trolls really are and what they represent.
However, the academic angle made for heavy, studious reading. This is not a light book to dip in and out of. You are required to pay attention, cross-examine, and keep up. At times, this made it hard-going. I also found that it dried and dulled the story elements, reducing them to anecdotes and footnotes. However, it is clearly a labour of love, if a little laborious in execution at times. And still a must-read for anyone interested in folk and fae.
May 18, 2018
I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to dig deeper into the history and mystery of Trolls in Scandinavian and Germanic culture. Lindow is, as usual, quite thorough, focusing not only on the Eddas and Sagas, but also law codes, folklore, art/illustration, and even modern "troll-influence". Written in a scholarly yet (in places) jovial and conversational tone, it's also an easy read, which is a definite bonus in a scholastic field where dry, "thick" writing is the general norm.
November 29, 2020
Why I read it: The troll is my favourite folkloric being.
What I liked about it: It did expand my knowledge of trolls. Here’s what I learned:
*The origin of the world ‘troll’ is unknown.
*Word ‘troll’ is also synonymously used with the word for those giants who oppose the gods in mythology.
*Trolls are found in the language of the laws written down between the 12th and 14th centuries. The concept of the troll is associated with which craft there.
*Trolls are in trouble if the sun touches them. While bursting was to become common in later folklore, in the Middle Ages turning to stone was more common.
*The term troll might have been used to describe ethnic Others.
*Trolls and other supernatural beings were notorious for steeling beer.
*Kidnapping by trolls was used to explain disappearance in woods or mountains.
Also it provided a history of books and illustrations about trolls. How they were translated and introduced to the world etc. That was quite interesting.
What I disliked: The book was too academic. It did not tell a smooth story that would carry on between chapters. But rather just jumped into random analysis and quotation of old obscure books. Plus one of the reason this book caught my attention was the promise to link the folkloric troll and the internet one. But that was actually just briefly done in the epilogue. Partly by analysing urban dictionary definitions.
What I liked about it: It did expand my knowledge of trolls. Here’s what I learned:
*The origin of the world ‘troll’ is unknown.
*Word ‘troll’ is also synonymously used with the word for those giants who oppose the gods in mythology.
*Trolls are found in the language of the laws written down between the 12th and 14th centuries. The concept of the troll is associated with which craft there.
*Trolls are in trouble if the sun touches them. While bursting was to become common in later folklore, in the Middle Ages turning to stone was more common.
*The term troll might have been used to describe ethnic Others.
*Trolls and other supernatural beings were notorious for steeling beer.
*Kidnapping by trolls was used to explain disappearance in woods or mountains.
Also it provided a history of books and illustrations about trolls. How they were translated and introduced to the world etc. That was quite interesting.
What I disliked: The book was too academic. It did not tell a smooth story that would carry on between chapters. But rather just jumped into random analysis and quotation of old obscure books. Plus one of the reason this book caught my attention was the promise to link the folkloric troll and the internet one. But that was actually just briefly done in the epilogue. Partly by analysing urban dictionary definitions.
December 31, 2018
This read like a grad school student's final paper, workmanlike, straightforward - and completely missing the menace and mystery of the subject. Better to read the tales themselves, preferably in the George W. Dasent translations of Asbjornsen & Moe's tellings. Or, if you have kids, go for the Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire books, with their luminously lovely illustrations. And if you don't know John Bauer's trolls, do not pass go, do not collect $200, but go straight to google image and feast your eyes on his marvelous work.
September 24, 2018
Okay, I liked the pictures and the content was there but the delivery was, oh, so wordy! More than necessary for a piece about Trolls. The chapters on Fairytales and modern day consumption were interesting but there was far too much waffling. This girl can handle only so much waffle.
November 17, 2019
I loved this! It succinctly went through the history of trolls in folklore, literature, art, and now modern media. Very informative and interesting!
May 1, 2022
I really enjoyed the broad overview and the meticulous detail and research in this book. Great resource for anyone interested in folklore!
December 18, 2022
A very interesting book. I haven't read much about trolls before and this book defintely sparked my interest more than before I read this.
November 13, 2023
Interesting history on how the myth of trolls has developed over time
April 7, 2025
Very informative
May 20, 2025
I'd give this book 2.75/5. It was interesting but dragged on a bit.
February 20, 2017
Trolls
Never before have I seen a book on the history of trolls, but here you finally have it. Trolls are part of the Scandinavian landscape and people seriously believe in them. Tell someone you saw a troll and not only will they not think you are nuts but they will believe you. Of course if your in the cultural milieu tricks of the eye can be interpreted as seeing a mystical creature like a troll. First mentioned in Norwegian -Vikiung Poetry a brave warrior runs into a female troll. Troll have a connection with magic in fact they can even be shape shifters. Trolls will teach people verses and songs but you better remember what they teach you or it could be fatal. Trolls are sometimes conflated with Giants or the Jotunheim. They are also thought t be formerly dead people who wise from the dead. People can be turned into trolls or trolls can shapeshift. They are not to bright.
The author covers trolls all the way through the Earliest trolls going through the Genre of Medieval trolls, folk lore trolls, fairy tale trolls, trolls in literature all the way to the present marketing schemes too sell troll dolls to children. As time progresses the trolls can become bigger and more unbelievable . THey have magic and sometimes witches use them for magical purposes. AS time rolls on the trolls become more benevolent and much cuter. They are not always giant monster , sometimes they are rather diminutive . In their earlier carnation they were portrayed as being quite harmful to people, but as the newer stories come it they become less and less harmful. They get to the point of being helpful too people if the people help them.
In the stories Trolls are depicted as eating people and other animals.
Trolls are definitely members of the fey community, sometimes it is hard t distinguish them from elves and dwarves cause al fairy species were deemed harmful to humans and names of fey species were turned around quite a bit. Somethings about Trolls cannot be attributed to other fey species. OF course trolls are conflated with dragon and the trolls can have multiple heads. When the sun comes up they either explode or turn to stone . Troll legends borrow from Greek mythology. You wil have strikes of where three trolls share the same eye. Much. The three fates from Greek mythology.
In various literatures Trolls are sometimes conflated with witches but mire often than not they are conflated with noon Christian people. Some literature call certain people trolls. Now a days the terms troll refers too different things, like someone who disrupts a group on the Internet and causes problem. Trolls can also be those cute little dolls. The trolls of old evoked fear much like the raggedy homeless person who lives under a bridge, is totally unkempt and may frighten animals and children. The troll has not gone away but it has evolved.
Never before have I seen a book on the history of trolls, but here you finally have it. Trolls are part of the Scandinavian landscape and people seriously believe in them. Tell someone you saw a troll and not only will they not think you are nuts but they will believe you. Of course if your in the cultural milieu tricks of the eye can be interpreted as seeing a mystical creature like a troll. First mentioned in Norwegian -Vikiung Poetry a brave warrior runs into a female troll. Troll have a connection with magic in fact they can even be shape shifters. Trolls will teach people verses and songs but you better remember what they teach you or it could be fatal. Trolls are sometimes conflated with Giants or the Jotunheim. They are also thought t be formerly dead people who wise from the dead. People can be turned into trolls or trolls can shapeshift. They are not to bright.
The author covers trolls all the way through the Earliest trolls going through the Genre of Medieval trolls, folk lore trolls, fairy tale trolls, trolls in literature all the way to the present marketing schemes too sell troll dolls to children. As time progresses the trolls can become bigger and more unbelievable . THey have magic and sometimes witches use them for magical purposes. AS time rolls on the trolls become more benevolent and much cuter. They are not always giant monster , sometimes they are rather diminutive . In their earlier carnation they were portrayed as being quite harmful to people, but as the newer stories come it they become less and less harmful. They get to the point of being helpful too people if the people help them.
In the stories Trolls are depicted as eating people and other animals.
Trolls are definitely members of the fey community, sometimes it is hard t distinguish them from elves and dwarves cause al fairy species were deemed harmful to humans and names of fey species were turned around quite a bit. Somethings about Trolls cannot be attributed to other fey species. OF course trolls are conflated with dragon and the trolls can have multiple heads. When the sun comes up they either explode or turn to stone . Troll legends borrow from Greek mythology. You wil have strikes of where three trolls share the same eye. Much. The three fates from Greek mythology.
In various literatures Trolls are sometimes conflated with witches but mire often than not they are conflated with noon Christian people. Some literature call certain people trolls. Now a days the terms troll refers too different things, like someone who disrupts a group on the Internet and causes problem. Trolls can also be those cute little dolls. The trolls of old evoked fear much like the raggedy homeless person who lives under a bridge, is totally unkempt and may frighten animals and children. The troll has not gone away but it has evolved.
Want to read
October 7, 2017This reads like a lecture. Would be a really interesting college class, but a bit hard for me to get into. I want to keep reading it's just taking a bit to get motivated.
October 27, 2015
I read this book for a course at the university.
It was a good book to start with and gave an overview of the subject of trolls. You get the history, stories and how they've influenced today.
The only few things that bothered me was 1) me not being able to read the Icelandic names and 2) the author being not from one of the Nordic countries.
It feels like I should explain the second part.
(I used spoiler tags in case my explanation doesn't interest you.)
I do recommend this book to people outside of Scandinavia, who aren't familiar with the culture from where the trolls have come.
It was a good book to start with and gave an overview of the subject of trolls. You get the history, stories and how they've influenced today.
The only few things that bothered me was 1) me not being able to read the Icelandic names and 2) the author being not from one of the Nordic countries.
It feels like I should explain the second part.
(I used spoiler tags in case my explanation doesn't interest you.)
I do recommend this book to people outside of Scandinavia, who aren't familiar with the culture from where the trolls have come.
August 19, 2016
Don't let the cover fool you-- this is actually a pretty good thematic academic history. Loops in both folktale sources and modern pop culture.
January 7, 2015
An entertaining and informative history of trolls in folklore, mythology, and pop culture.
September 9, 2016
Super informative. Great for anyone wanting to take a dip in the pool of trollology.
September 10, 2014
very great
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews