Many supernatural creatures populating today’s scary movies and graphic novels didn’t spring from modern writers’ twisted imaginations – they evolved centuries ago out of specific geographic regions that influenced their form and behavior. And so it is with these creepy yet charming characters who have surprised shoppers at QBO estate sales. From the lands of Thor and Odin, Northern Lights and the Midnight Sun, come these Troldfolk, Bjergtrolde, Trollen, Tusser, Turse, Skessa, Jontu… otherwise known as TROLLS. Having only four toes per foot and three fingers plus a thumb on each hand, trolls can also be distinguished from humans by their long noses and long, tufted tails. Solitary dwellers of crevices and caves, Nordic trolls could be as small as a mole or large as a mountain, and possibly capable of shape-shifting. Nocturnal creatures who can see in the dark, if exposed to sunlight, trolls turn instantly to stone.
Associated with long nights and isolated landscapes, in ancient times scary tales of trolls had quite a range – they manifested as far east as the Scandinavian Rus Empire in Russia, and as far south as the Shetland Islands in Scotland, where there flows a “Trowie Burn”, or “Troll River”, linguistic evidence of a Viking influence. Lore claims trolls as inhabitants of Norway before humans ever arrived, and trolls seem to have had an uneasy relationship with us ever since. As Christianity spread throughout Scandinavia in the 11th and 12th centuries, “having contact with, and seeking knowledge from trolls” was explicitly forbidden by law in 1276. Note that this is not a law discouraging “false beliefs” or old religions, it is a law forbidding interaction between real humans and (presumably) real trolls.
Although you can’t tell from the photos, these figurines produced by Ny Form of Norge (Norway) are surprisingly large, between 8″ and 18″ tall and could be considered “life-sized”. Made of ‘natural, unbreakable materials’ since 1964, the Ny Form trolls are still in production, and often sold as souvenirs. New, they are not cheap, with mid-size troll figurines selling for over $60. The hand-crafted, hand-painted characters have a devoted Ny Form Troll Collectors Club. The Ny Form trolls are pretty adorable, having lost their trollish ‘edge’, in fact their fans claim that they are ‘friendly’, but never forget that Nordic tradition says otherwise!
The best known troll tale would be the kid’s story 3 Billy Goats Gruff, a Norwegian folk tale first recorded in 1841. “Trip-trap, trip-trap, who’s that crossing over MY bridge?” “’tis I, Little Billy Goat Gruff”. Our goats try, one at a time, to cross a bridge under which a fearsome troll dwells. Both the smallest and the mid-sized goat fail, hastily retreating as the ferocious troll erupts from the depths intending to devour them. Finally the biggest goat delivers the troll such a mighty head-butt that he goes flying and our protagonists safely cross the bridge and make it to greener pastures. It helps to have a burly big brother! For adults and in the same vein as “Blair Witch Project “, “Troll Hunter” is a pseudo-documentary film wherein a ‘documentary crew’ trails a crazed, professional troll hunter through spooky twilight forests. The Norwegian-made horror film delivers on its title with what (we assume!) are some spectacular special effects.
And trolls have stuck with us. Loners hiding in the dark, nursing an irrational dislike of humans and only venturing forth to attack, they currently plague every corner of the internet. (Where is Big Billy Goat Gruff when you need him?) So be mindful of the Swedish saying, “Näe man tala om trollen, stär de i farstun” – “When you speak of trolls, they’re standing in the hallway!”
Tuesday Treasures was started by our staff member, Jeanne Lusignan. Each week she will be featuring items that have been found at our estate sales. If you would like to submit a treasure for Jeanne to feature in a future installment of “Tuesday’s Treasures”, please follow the button below and send us an email! Please attach a few photos of your treasure in a beautiful setting as well as any details you have about your item such as manufacturer, use, age, region of origin. If you don’t know about the piece, that’s okay! We still might be able to research it for you! Don’t forget to tell us what makes this item such a treasure to you!