Sides of the Story

“…and snip, snap, snout, the tale is out.” The late summer sun had gone down, and the sky was starting to darken. They sat around the bonfire getting ready for supper.

“That’s a great story, Espen,” Per said to his youngest brother. “That stupid troll sure learned his lesson!”

Paul laughed.

From a cave underneath a huge figure was listening. He remembered like it was yesterday, even though he could not count the winters gone by since then. Disgusting little humans coming around to steal his gold.

Now this.

“Once upon a time…”, followed by lies, lies and other lies. “The greedy troll”, they said, and that smelly little human described as a hero.

That much he could handle. It was the end. The end were that brat supposedly had fooled him, even slayed him. Him, the King of the mountain, tricked and murdered by a human? He felt his blood boil in his veins of anger.

“Wh-what was that?” Paul, the oldest brother said.

Per and Espen looked nervously around.

“It came from down th…”

“That’s not what happeeeeeeeeened!!!” The earth shook to its core as the troll screamed. Crows flew off in panic and deer ran through the bushes. The three little men jumped out of their skins in fear.

“A troll! A horrible troll!” They ran off down the hillside, leaving all their things and the fire burning. They stumbled and fell, got up again and kept running until the sun came up.

“That,” said the troll. “That was what happened. That’s what always happens, you cowards. You run off like scared little rabbits.”

He went back into his cave and slept on his huge pile of gold and jewellery, as he had done every day for thousands of years. He liked being a troll. Being a troll was good.

 

https://legendsofthenorth.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-boy-troll-and-porridge-eating.html

https://norwegianfolktales.blogspot.com/2017/01/askeladden-who-stole-trolls-silver-ducks.html

https://folklorethursday.com/folktales/brief-history-trolls/

https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Troll

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