#trows

Contrary to what is represented in most modern media, there are a lot of different types of trolls in the Nordic tradition. As a Dutch person my research is necessarily second-hand, but here is a short introduction of “the common troll” as depicted by the stories I know from various countries:

Norwegian Trolls

Appearance: Very large, almost giant-like, scary and aggressive looking. Often have big noses. Sometimes have one eye, three heads or a tail.

Habitat: Usually inside mountains where they have entire palaces or hoards with rare riches, but are also found stomping through the forest. Usually live alone, but often as neighbours, where sometimes three brothers or sisters live in a row.  

Characteristics: May kidnap princes or princesses to marry. Some are capable of using powerful magic. Can smell “Christian blood” or “Christian bones” and may very well eat people, especially children. Often turn to stone in sunlight.

Swedish Trolls

Appearance: Larger than humans but not huge. Often have very long, matted hair, big noses, long ears and a tail, so are often described as ugly.

Habitat: The forest or the mountains. Have a society of their own with a “troll king of the mountain”, often live in big clans.

Characteristics: Might kidnap children or youths because they like them, but could also eat them. Can leave changelings that grow up normally, but stay rather trollish at heart. Have a habit of stealing farm animals. Might be helpful or kind when treated with respect. Sometimes turn to stone in sunlight, but many are out and about during the day. Some have to keep their word or rule of trades like fae and cannot harm those pure of heart. Some possess (simple) magic.

Icelandic Trolls

Appearance: Ranging from large to huge giants, with big teeth and a terrifying, ugly appearance. Apart from that rather human, no tail for instance. Often female, while tales from other countries usually skew a little to the male side.

Habitat: Mountains and cliffs. Often live alone but as neighbours, may live in family groups.

Characteristics: Have terrifying, booming voices and are generally aggressive and violent. Fast runners and climbers, fearsome fighters. Kill and/or eat people. Are generally afraid of the sound of church bells or Christian blessings, and of the sun, which might turn them to stone.

Danish Trolls

Appearance: Human sized, often has a tail and sometimes short horns.

Habitat: The woodland, hills or mountains which might hide their treasures but may also just be big cosy camps. Live in large family groups.

Characteristics: Like to party with lots of food and drink and dancing around the fire. Sometimes steal children but never eat them. They may leave a troll changeling or a log turned into a child in their place. Some trolls wanted human children because they could go onto hallowed ground, which trolls could not. Inclined to steal things. May be befriended by leaving food and drink out for them. Has no problem going out during the day. Some can make themselves invisible to humans or use other types of magic.

The ‘trows’ from Shetland and Orkney (honorary trolls)

Appearance: Short, usually ugly or strange looking but might pass for human. Often called “the grey neighbours”.

Habitat: Inside grassy mounds and hills, called “howes” or “knowes”. Inside these mounds they have dazzling halls to have parties in.

Thank you for reaching out! ❤️

Well I am in one of the red zones (although as of today the whole nation has been put into some degree of lockdown), but so far only one case has been found in my tiny hometown and my lifestyle isn't experiencing that much disruption because I... Didn't have a lot going on at the moment. It's more about the psychological toll of seeing projections of the infection curve, and knowing that ICUs are reaching full capacity with medical staff running on neverending shifts; on top of this, the impact on the economy. So on the one hand it's like "for once staying home with netflix and a book and avoiding social contact is actually endorsed", on the other it's all pretty stressful and I hope it ends as soon as possible.

Tbh that’s a really nice thing to remember.

I’m normally remembering really tragic stuff about the characters but that one makes me smile. I’m on the opposite end where I sometimes forget things like that and then upon rereading I’m like ‘naw Pia you fluff monster that’s really nice and sweet.’

Man the trows love Gwyn so much. Well, not the sea trows.

I want to be her best friend aaaaa jing these panels are BEAUTIFUL, they really are! What brushes are you using for that texture??

You know, I‘ve been racking my brain, but I only know one folkloric explanation for missing objects: It Got Stolen By a Creature.

These thieving creatures come in two varieties and feature in folklore from all over the world.

1) The household spirits. These belong in a home and are usually friendly, unless offended. When they do take things, it’s usually a harmless prank or a sign they have been mistreated. For instance:

Brownies. Particularly in stories from Scotland and England, this generally helpful creature is known to steal items from its household when it is miffed with its inhabitants. Many stories state a brownie must be spoken of with kindness and be given offerings of food, or they will turn against you. When amends are made, the stolen items may be returned. The German kobold is much the same, although they can also be found on ships and in mines and are often a few sizes smaller. (Interstingly, the Dutch huiskabouter and the Scandinavian tomte and nisse, seem slightly less likely to steal things and tend to just leave when insulted.)

Knockers. Stretching the definition of “household” a bit, these are creatures from primarily Wales and Cornwall that share a lot of the brownie’s features, but live in mines and both help and hinder miners. One the one hand they are known to steal tools, but on the other they were often reported to give warning knocks to let miners know that there was a cave-in coming. Knockers should also be treated with kindness and be left a bite of food from the miner’s lunch.

Lutins. The French cousin of the kabouter or nisse, usually even including the red pointy hat. Unlike their cousins, lutins have a habit of disguising themselves as various domestic animals. In French-Canada, particularly Quebec they are blamed for various pranks including stealing things. Either because they have been offended, or because you just happen to have the misfortune of meeting a malevolent lutin.

2) The wild neighbours. These are the creatures humans share space with whether they like it or not.

Pixies and fairies. Various Gaelic-Celtic traditions tell of little fae who see the land humans live and work on as much more belonging to them and they often feel free to help them to crops, livestock or tools. Stories often include the nicer fae giving the item back after their victim has lamented loudly enough that they will never be able to find it, presumably because this has good comedic timing.

Trows. Nocturnal creatures somewhere between a Celtic fae and a Scandinavian troll from Northern Scotland (the Orkney and Shetland islands). They share the well-known traits of living in mounds, dancing and stealing musicians. But they look more like the small, weathered brownies that the beautiful elves. They were said to sneak into people’s houses at night, and sometimes stole things that they took a liking to.

Dokkaebi. Perhaps not quite belonging here, but very interesting nonetheless. Dokkaebi are Korean spirits that are formed by the possession of discarded household objects or items that have become stained with human blood. The object is now lost to the human world and the dokkaebi’s true shape becomes humanoid, sometimes ogre-like. They are most likely to inhabit abandoned buildings. While usually mischievous, some are said to be helpful to the good and malicious to the bad. Certain rituals and offerings can be made to please them.

Nope :/ I’m about to go hang flyers around the neighborhood in a short while.

Hmmm, they’re not really ‘offensive’ fae in terms of their magical capabilities.

Tbh, I think if they wanted to, they could probably do a lot of damage, but they don’t really have any fight instinct at all. We see this a lot in Game Theory. They don’t react to Efnisien breaking a trow’s arm with anger with violence or defense. They always, always run at the slightest sign of violence, even if that violence is Augus throwing Gwyn down on the floor to have sex with him.

Their flight/fight instinct is geared almost solely (I’d say 100% but hey there’s probably like one trow who likes to fight who was kicked out of the clan and has to live on their own) towards flight, I’m not even sure they can biologically fight other fae. They are sort of like, immensely powerful within their own category of what they do: which is provide things and look after a household (except for dusting). They can find almost anything.

Which would be great if like, Gwyn wasn’t already a very accomplished finder himself (he doesn’t know this, but this is actually one of his magical abilities, which I’m pretty sure the Raven Prince realises in The Wildness Within in that one chapter), and the answer to this story would be to find some magical object to defeat Olphix (which it’s kind of not).