Trolls

Trolls are frequently found in Scandinavian folklore. They’re similar to jötnar in that they’re wild beings that live outside the boundaries of normal human life, but they tend to be “smaller” than their more unfathomable cousins. Trolls take on many different appearances, and their “bodies” can be any number of things, such as rocks, trees, cats, or even humans. But despite these different appearances, these are all the same kind of troll. This is because the word “troll” largely describes an otherworldy nature and character as opposed to a specific “thing,” which is also why it’s used in many compound-words related to magic within the Scandinavian languages.

Trolls were possibly inspired by the boulder-littered landscapes of Northern Europe, with people seeing these giant rocks as the smaller offspring of the much larger mountains. How friendly trolls are towards humans simply depends on their individual disposition. Some greatly enjoy human company, while others are very grouchy if disturbed.