Many people are familiar with mythology. Every single culture in the world has their own mythology, all with their own creatures and wonders, and this is for a reason. The people who made and shared mythology lived in a time when natural phenomena, as well as the human condition, were misunderstood. Myths offered a sense of control and of understanding of not only the world, but themselves. When a group passes down their mythology to the next generation, they share important revelations about the group’s origins, history and who they, as a people, are. These are all important parts of preserving any culture and it is no wonder that, despite the huge amount of time between now and when they were started, myths have continued being passed down in humanity’s collective consciousness.
The days when myths were regarded as reality are long past, though. Much has changed. As the world has continued to develop, science has taken the place of mythology when it comes to giving explanations. Myths that were once regarded as sacred facts have slowly turned into stories passed down; widely regarded as untrue, but still a large part of certain cultures. However, many of these tales might actually be rooted in truth.
It sounds impossible for mythological creatures to exist, and that is because it is; but even though the stories told about the creatures may not be true, that does not mean that those stories were not based on real events. After all, as the saying goes, in every lie there is a bit of truth, and many mythological creatures, such as trolls, may have very real roots.
The history of troll mythology, and even defining what a troll is, seems to be an arduous task. Norse mythology, which trolls are a part of, is believed to have been created as early as the 5th century AD, but some scholars believe it to be closer to the 7th and 8th centuries. The creation date is ambiguous because Norse tales were passed down orally until the 13th century. The transient nature of passing down these tales through generations upon generations allowed the stories to change over the centuries, resulting in Norse tales influenced by other religions and cultures. Christianity’s influence on trolls in Norse mythology is particularly notable; as Christianity took over, which is believed to have occurred around the 10th or 11th century AD, a belief in trolls was not in line with the church and religion – unless, of course, trolls were integrated. It is believed that this is the reason why some tales of trolls describe them as having a weakness to church bells and bible passages and being able to smell Christian blood.
Even among tales with no religious ties, though, descriptions of trolls vary greatly depending on the story. In Norse mythology, trolls are believed to have been created from a frost giant named Ymir that, when killed, was used by the other gods to create the Earth. Trolls often get mixed up with many other beings in the literature; according to Andrew McKay, “There’s much overlap in the terms jötunn (giant), troll, þurs (hostile monsters) and risi (heroic beings). Some theorize that they’re four distinct classes of beings while others believe that troll is a catch-all for ‘mischievous creatures’.” Trolls come in a few different forms in mythology; the two most common are a giant species of trolls, who live in the forests and mountains, and a short, cave dwelling version. All species of troll are very connected with nature, and are said to turn to stone in the sunlight and when they die. They have few other things in common as well, namely that they are ugly, short-tempered, strong and not particularly bright. In some descriptions, trolls have multiple heads or tails, and in others they are able to shapeshift to trick people. Female trolls, a notable exception, are often described as significantly more human-like than their male counterparts, but appear in some myths as seductresses.
There have been several theories by scholars as to what the mythology of trolls was based on, with each having their own merits.
One theory posits that trolls were made up as an explanation for both natural disasters and how geographical features, like mountains, formed. This theory is mostly based on the fact that many parts of the mythology surrounding trolls, especially the core elements of their mythology and creation story, seem focused on explaining natural phenomena. In Norse mythology, after the world was created using Ymir’s body, rocks were the result of sunlight shining on, and petrifying, trolls. Due to this, many scholars believe that trolls were made, at least initially, to explain the rugged landscapes, mountains, and odd rock formations featured across Scandinavia. Even now, many Scandinavian rock formations and landmarks still boast names related to trolls, a testament to the power of a region’s mythology on its inhabitants.
It is also believed that trolls, along with other Norse giants, could also have been used as an explanation for natural disasters, such as earthquakes; after all, during a time when humans did not have any way to understand the world around them, giants seemed as good an explanation as any. Another natural phenomenon explained by the mythology surrounding trolls is lightning strikes; Thor, the Norse god of war and fertility who controlled thunder and lightning, was said to hunt trolls to the point where they feared lightning because of him. For Norse people, that meant that lightning strikes were just Thor trying to kill trolls, and not a scary, unknowable force. This theory most likely compounded belief in trolls even more, as lightning is attracted to tall things and the highest structures around would be mountains and forests, where trolls were thought to live.
Another theory believes that trolls in Norse mythology held a similar place to fae changelings in Irish mythology. In Irish mythology, changelings were children, often infants or toddlers, who were swapped by the fae for their own children. In Scandinavian mythology, trolls were said to replace “healthy mortal infants,” with their own children, as trolls “found [human children] more beautiful and appealing than their own peevish, hairy troll children.” In reality, though, the mythology of changelings was used as a reason for infanticide and child abandonment, and an explanation for deformities or other conditions, such as autism. A few conditions that could have influenced tales of trolls include dwarfism, where a person’s growth is stunted, and gigantism, a genetic condition where children grow faster than normal and taller. Some depictions seem to point to other “monstrous” disorders that may have been labeled as the works of trolls as well; in a few stories, trolls are described as having two heads, like conjoined twins might have, or a tail, which does occur, albeit rarely, in some as what is known as a human tail or vestigial tail. Many other conditions and birth defects or deformities could also have been labeled as ‘ugly,’ and could have led to a person or child being labeled as a troll changeling. Unfortunately, similarly to fae changelings, the mythology of the time instructed parents to hurt the changelings in order to get back their ‘real child.’ Although less reported on than the murders and child abandonment that happened as a result of the myth of fae changelings in Ireland, there were most likely at least a few cases where children were hurt or abandoned due to this myth. The conclusion is the same, either way: there were no changelings, only children, and infanticide is easier if the child is not seen as a child but instead a magical being.
One other theory states that troll mythology was rooted more in culture, as a way to create an “ethnic other” by making marginalized social groups into monsters and to reinforce the status quo of the time. Trolls are sometimes described as broad-faced, skilled in the arts, and ignorant; the Sámi people, an indigenous people native to Scandinavia, were considered to have or be all of those things by other groups that considered themselves more civilized, including the Nordic people. The Sámi people also spent a great deal of time outdoors as compared to their Scandinavian counterparts, which could explain troll’s connection to nature in the myths.
Aðalheiður Guðmundsdóttir dives deeper into the implications of the Sámi people being the inspiration for trolls, stating that, “some scholars believe that by equating the trolls and the inhabitants of the North and Northeast of Scandinavia, the sagas contain an emphasis on their savageness and that this represents a race-based ideology, with notions of the superiority of the Nordic and more civilized inhabitants of the Scandinavian peninsula.”
This helps contextualize certain stories in a different light; there are several different tragic love stories between trolls and humans, in which the author “makes it very explicit that the relationship between the [troll and human] is not acceptable, and that young men should, above anything, not seek for a wife outside the civilized community.” This theory is helped by the fact that, through the times in which the mythology of trolls was being built, Norwegian law also forbade Nordic people from communicating with the Sami, and in Southern Norway the Sami people of the North were counted as tröll.
There is also another theory that speculates that misogyny and the male gaze played a part in the myths as well. Troll women also helped keep the status quo in check; any woman who lived in woods alone, was strong or stepped outside the societal norms of the time could be written off as a supernatural being, thus forcing ‘regular’ women to either reject society completely and become a monster or fall in line.
In his article, Guðmundsdóttir states, “We see [troll women] as representing women who step outside of their accepted role or behavioral pattern; in such cases, women are severely punished or even killed.” He also states that “symbolically, the grotesque image of the troll-women may simply represent exaggerated images of women, showing the fear of young male heroes of women as sexual beings, or of their quintessential feminine qualities,” and that “the stories of amorous troll-women may also reveal male fantasies about casual sex, [which] was not accepted in the saga heroes’ own community.” Finally, Guðmundsdóttir points out that, “even if it is not advisable for young male heroes to seek for a wife among the trolls, they are allowed to seek for sexual favours from these inferior female creatures while on their heroic journeys; this is even advisable and seen as one factor in the process of becoming a man.”
The theory of trolls representing the Sámi people becomes even more plausible with the historical evidence that it was customary for Sami men to offer sexual relations with their wives to distinguished guests, such as Sacdanavians. This practice may explain some of the misogynistic aspects in the stories surrounding female trolls as well, specifically the stories in which they are seen as sexual beings. Although many scholars differentiate between the theories of the Sámi people inspiring female trolls and misogyny inspiring female trolls, as each does have their own separate points, it is also important to acknowledge the link between the two theories and how they may be connected.
There is also speculation from scholars that another, separate group may have been the inspiration behind trolls: Neanderthals. Some believe that memories of Neanderthals, and human – Neanderthal interaction, could have inspired the tales. The difficulty with this theory is how much trolls change from story to story; as Hunt states in his article, “Trolls… are often difficult to define as mythical creatures with possible meanings shifting throughout Scandinavian literature, and they sometimes possess magical powers that cannot be explained by the late Sagas since Icelandic literature preserves in writing what may not have been recorded in prior Old Norse oral tales.”
The lack of original written tales makes sorting out links between Neanderthals and trolls, especially more subtle links, difficult. Thus, many focus on the more scientific pieces of evidence making this theory viable: the similar perceptions of trolls and Neanderthals and the likelihood of Neanderthal – human interactions. The similar perceptions of trolls and Neanderthals are prevalent even in modern culture; despite strong contrary evidence, Neaderthals are still stereotyped as idiotic, a feature prevalent in troll mythology. Known Neanderthal features and toll features also align in many ways, with both sides having or being described as having heavy, large-boned skeletons, thick skin, pronounced brows, and broad-based, possibly large noses. Neanderthals’ homes also align with trolls well; specifically, cave dwelling trolls, which also happen to be perceived as closer to human-sized, and mountain trolls. These places would have not been considered optimum by increasingly sedentary humans of the time, which could explain why early humans would be inclined to consider Neanderthals as mythical beings rather than another tribe of people.
There is also a strong possibility that the myths could have been inspired by Neanderthal – early human interactions. Although many deny that Neanderthals could have interacted with early humans due to the century-long debate over there being no known provable Neanderthal materials in Scandinavia, there is some evidence that, when combined, seems to tell a different story. In his article, Hunt makes the point that “Scandinavia itself up to at least 55 ° latitude north – and possibly further north – could have supported Neanderthal populations through some interglacial periods until glacial periods.” He also points out the “ambiguous bone and stone artifacts lacking firm stratigraphic contexts… where Scandinavian troll folklore is strongest,” as well as some evidence for Neanderthal activity in Scandinavia based on genomics rather than artifacts. All this points to the conclusion several folklorists have come to: that Neanderthal-human interactions, and Neanderthals in general, could have influenced or been a direct inspiration for the mythology behind trolls.
Humanity may never know if the myths surrounding trolls were created with cultural attitudes or an explanation for natural phenomena in mind, or if the meaning behind and use of trolls changed throughout the ages. In the end, though, that does not matter. No matter what actually happened, it is still important to look back and remember why these myths came about; though the stories may not be real, the culture and attitudes surrounding trolls are, and so it is worth looking back to try to see what may have inspired the myths of the Scandinavian trolls, the “others” described as “the dark side of the wilderness… everything beyond human control and everything opposed to humanity.”
