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| our troll friend, Ole "the troll" Johnsson in Flåm, Norway |
Trolls have been around in Nordic lands for ages, but have a special place in Norway. Throughout Norse folklore, trolls are described as living in remote places, often alone or in a small family, and are not described as being friendly or helpful. (Fun fact for the Swedes- in old Swedish law, trolleri was described as a specific kind of magic intended to do harm!)
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| gift shop trolls |
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| trolls on our hike up Mt. Fløyen |
The most common fairytale featuring trolls is the Three Billy Goats Gruff. Three Bill Goats Gruff is a Norwegian fairy tale, featuring three bill goats who must cross a bridge under which a fearsome troll lives.
As you can see from the above pictures, my family found a friendly troll and spent some time with him while hanging out in Flåm before our trip through the Norwegian fjords. We decided to name him Ole 'The Troll' Johnsson, and spent a few hours sharing our beers with him. If you are ever in Flåm and see Ole, make sure to say hi- he is one of the friendly trolls!
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So many trolls dotted around during your Norwegian adventure! I have some postcards with trolls like these on them from Norway. It's nice to see that Norway embraces it's folklore :)
ReplyDeleteFiona, Norway is definitely known for embracing their folklore!
DeleteI learned about the folklore in Norway when I visited Disney's Norwegian pavilion. This is something that I really love about Norway, it seems like such an enchanting and marvelous place to visit. Norway is on my top five list of countries to visit within the next three to four years.
ReplyDeleteVanessa, I definitely hope you can make it to Norway in the next several years. It is not the most popular destination, but holds so much beauty in such a majestic country.
DeleteSuch fun folklore! I love reading up on local myths, legends, history, and literature when I travel--that information provides a much richer experience for me. Sadly, the extent of my experience in Norway extends to the country's pavilion in the Walt Disney World Epcot showcase, but I'd love to visit the real deal one day. I'm totally willing to brave the cold for some Norwegian adventures! :)
ReplyDeleteNatalie- if you head to Norway in the summer its really not cold! I was there in October, and it was probably 50 F or so!
DeleteThat is so awesome. I would take a photo with the troll, too. I love to read about folklore and country traditions since I do not get much of a chance to travel. I have never been abroad. Because I am Irish and follow a lot of the Celtic readings, we have a lot of fairy love in our house.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't really learned about Norway's obsession with trolls until this trip, but it was definitely a fun fact to pick up. Like you said, Chrystal, we had to take a couple pictures with the trolls!
DeleteThat is so cool! I didn't know that Norway had so many trolls, or that they the magic was common to do harm. :) But I think it would be fun to see them everywhere like that. And yes I'd have to stop and take pictures!
ReplyDeleteAmy, I didn't learn about Norway's obsession with trolls until this trip. It was so cool to learn about and experience everywhere!
DeleteOh wow, there are a lot of trolls all over there - very cool one at the playground. I would love to take a picture with some of them - they make ideal photo ops, for sure. My favorite one is the troll in the gift shop with the helmet on and sword in his hand. Even though most are supposed to have unattractive features, he's kinda cute.
ReplyDeleteYona, I think all of my family except myself purchased a couple trolls to bring back home! I had previously been to Norway so had some troll souvenirs already. So much fun!
DeleteI haven't been to Norway yet, but it's on my list. When I go, I will definitely look out for the trolls. From your photos, they look to be so ugly that they're cute. Plus, I can always use a little magic in my life.
ReplyDeleteMindi, I hope you can make it to Norway as it is such a beautiful country. The trolls definitely were so ugly they were cute!
DeleteI have never been to Norway before but wow that sure is a lot of trolls haha. I love that they can be a reminder wherever you go and that they're pretty fun to find as well. They look a bit scary but in person they're probably cute. Thank you so much for sharing this, I would have never known that Norway had random trolls in different areas, that's pretty cool!
ReplyDeleteMichelle, I didn't learn about the trolls in Norway until this trip really. They weren't as common in Oslo, but fun to see throughout the West Coast!
DeleteThat is one cute troll, I think that's the cutest troll I've seen so far, we had a troll statue here at our place and it is very weird looking same as what troll is describe lol. Planning to visit Norway next year. ;)
ReplyDeleteManu, I bet you will love Norway! Where are you planning on visiting?
DeleteThat is so cool! I've always wanted to go to Norway.. and especially this year because it's the peak of the 11 year cycle for the Northern Lights. It's supposed to be amazing there. :) Is Frozen supposed to be set in the Norwegian region? They had trolls in that movie!
ReplyDeleteEsther, I didn't realize it was the peak of the 11 year cycle! I have a Northern Lights tracker (hoping to see them here in Sweden!) so I'll have to start super carefully monitoring it! And I'm not sure- I've actually never seen Frozen!
DeleteThey have trolls like this in Norway at EPCOT and I always wondered why - and then they put the trolls in Frozen too! I love your troll's name, he looks very friendly and not at all like he'd eat your goats! I'd love to visit Norway, it looks magical in every travel show I see.
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