Troll Magic: Hidden Folk from the Mountains and Forests of Norway

by Theodor Kittelsen, Tiina Nunnally (Translator)

A collection of macabre and magical folklore from the “godfather” of the Norwegian troll  Across the stillness of the sprawling mountain heath, the shadow of the mighty forest falls, its wildness calling to the child in all of us. Here the Hidden Folk the stalwart little nisse , farmyard spirit and irrepressible prankster; the seductive hulder , with her crown of flowers and cow’s tail; the fiddling fossegrim , summoning the music of wind and water; and most fearsome and enchanting of all, the one-eyed troll, head high above the treetops. A veritable bestiary of Nordic folk creatures was conjured by artist Theodor Kittelsen, whose late nineteenth-century paintings and illustrations gave these macabre and magical figures their enduring forms. In this book, first published as Troldskab in 1892, Kittelsen spins tales of wonder around creatures rumored to haunt the fields, forests, and waterfalls of Norway. Striding, gamboling, and slithering across these pages are witches and gnomes and sea monsters, fiery dragons waking from their stiff-winged slumber, mermaids rising from the deep, and the sly, shapeshifting nøkk . But first and foremost are the trolls, hapless, horrible, or just plain silly, working their spells and making their mischief to the terror and delight of the presumably human reader. Tailoring his whimsical artistic style to each tale, Kittelsen’s stories, in Tiina Nunnally’s nimble translation, reveal a Nordic world of wonder, myth, and magic as real as the imagination allows.

Genres: Fantasy, Folklore, Art, Mythology, Short Stories, Fiction, Literature

96 pages, Hardcover

Published June 21, 2022

About the author

Theodor Severin Kittelsen was a Norwegian artist. He is one of the most popular artists in Norway. Kittelsen became famous for his nature paintings, as well as for his illustrations of fairy tales and legends, especially of trolls.

Reviews

[Suzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read.

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received my copy free through Goodreads Giveaways

An interesting set of folk tales.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A relatively recent translation of a collection of illustrated folktales and stories by a Norwegian illustrator from the late 19th century. There's a fair bit of biographical information about the artist, Theodor Kittelson (more than I really care about, but easy enough to skip) and also some other examples of his art, either from other works he illustrated or perhaps stand-alone pieces, it isn't perfectly clear. His art is dark and evocative (perfect for the material it illustrates) and his stories have a distinct style, told with a sort of familiar immediacy and no attempt at preamble or explanation. It is an interesting read and unlike most collections of folk- or fary-tales that I've read.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love that I and others can partake in Kittlesens stories in English. That said the flow of the stories aren't too solid, which is likely a part of the authors originality and not a mistake by the translation. I will say that I don't think it translates well.
Both the originality and the common myths and how they are weaved together is so curious and I loved exploring them. Thank you translator.

[Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you enjoy or are a fan of:
- Nordic Folklore
- Dark, Macabre Fairy Tales
- With frequent moments of humor
- That practically bed to be read fire or by candlelight.
- Mythical monsters
- Detailed, well-executed 19th Century pen-and-ink of the above, which are beautiful and spooky.

Then get this book, if you haven’t already.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The artwork is exceptional.

[Stella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird stories about strange creatures.

[Beka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always nice to find a new teller of folk tales. These were all quite new to me.

[Mercyfaith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are gorgeous with just enough text to fill in my rather large knowledge gaps of the subject matter.