Norwegian Troll Tales

by Joanne Asala, Diane Heusinkveld (Illustrator), M.A. Cook Design (Illustrator)

In the days now long departed, so far back that no one can quite say when, the trolls came to the land of Norway and they have been trouble ever since! Feature stories and poems by well-known Norwegian writers, including Peter Asbjornsen, Jorgen Moe, Henrik Ibsen, and Jonas Lie. Learn about thousands of trolls who have immigrated to America. Part II relates the adventures of the trolls in the New World, with essays on Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, "The Troll Capital of the World," and the troll carvings of Little Norway. Artist Judith Simundson tells how to make your own troll figurine out of paper mache.

Genres: Mythology

164 pages, Paperback

First published July 30, 2005

Reviews

[Joshua Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun and easy read, but when I began I was expecting there to be some lesson to teach with each story, which some did, but most were just short entertaining stories. They ranged from whimsical, to mysterious, to just bonkers. By the end I felt bad for most of the trolls who were taken advantage of/defeated by humans. Besides enjoying the tales there was plenty of artwork to be found within the pages, and who wouldn’t enjoy some visualizations of these clumsy, creepy, and pitiful creatures?

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Norwegian troll stories with gorgeous illustrations, the translation is beyond top notch. Here the creature known as a “troll” is a superset where lots of other Scandinavian mythical creatures are subsets, so that you will find in this collection mention of Jotun, Huldra, Fosegrims, water spirits and plenty more. It is a strong collection with the best telling of Fin Blood that I have read, a brief foray into the mountain king with its theme that we all have our own inner troll trying to get out, and even a retelling of Snow White in a variant that I had never read...and so much more. There’s a brief prose piece with giants fighting and Thor that is just brilliantly written in a whirling elemental style. There are so many fine tales, all expertly written, adjoined through out by beautiful classic troll art that was way ahead of its time when it was made. I try to be stingy with my 5 star reviews, but this work earned it. Enjoy!

[Lotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely collection of troll tales, very entertaining for a summer night.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some were silly, others fun, but all were enjoyable to read and get a taste of Norwegian troll stories from the far reaches of vast fjords and dense forests.

[Richard Marney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful…… enjoyable even for older folks (like me) 😈😈😈

[Wayne Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up at the Norway pavilion in the World Showcase of Epcot Center when we visited Disney World last year. According to the most ancient Norse myths, when the Earth was created from the fallen body of the slain giant Ymir, the maggots which emerged from his corpse were transformed by magic into the light elves and dark elves, and most of the trolls belong to the latter. There are many kinds of trolls in Norway, some ugly and others deceptively beautiful, but the vast majority are mean, skilled at thievery, and living only to cause harm or grief to others. When Christianity came to Norway, the trolls were thought to be fallen angels or the souls of pagans who had died and could not go to heaven so they now roamed the earth.

The folk tales about trolls were first collected and set down in the mid-1800s by Peter Christian Asbjornsen, a zoologist, and Jorgen Engebretsen Moe, a minister. Following the example of the Brothers Grimm, the two published their first volume, Norske Folkeeventyr, in 1852. Later editions, beginning in 1877, were illustrated by artists Erik Werenskiold and Theodor Kittelsen, the latter of whom went on to publish his own collection, A Book of Fairytales for Children. In 1994 Joanne Asala, who received her degree in medieval English literature from the University of Iowa and has edited several collections of Scandinavian, Celtic, and Eastern European folklore, published a collection of Norse troll stories called Trolls Remembering Norway, from which the tales in this book are taken.

A few of the stories are a little grotesque, with talk about cooking and eating people, and might not be appropriate for some younger or more sensitive children. There are occasional references to drinking alcoholic beverages, such as ale and brandy, and to tobacco juice. The euphemistic “heck” and the word “Lord” used as an exclamation are each found once. Many trolls are pictured as having magical powers and able to engage in witchcraft, so those who object to mention of such things in literature will not care for the book. However, those who like reading about mythology and folklore will enjoy the book, which includes stories by such well-known Norwegian writers as Asbjornsen, Moe, Kittelsen, Henrik Ibsen, and Jonas Lie. It is interesting to see the interplay between the trolls and “Christians,” and some have discerned moral lessons in the stories. The last section tells how trolls “emigrated” to the New World.

[Holly Deakyne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Distant relatives from Norway sent this to me when I was little. Fantastic illustrations.

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of folk tales.