Kids traveling in Scandinavia are sure to be fascinated by trolls.
If you are heading to Scandinavia with kids then you are likely to come across trolls in the course of your travels. Trolls are the magical creatures of Scandinavian folklore that, along with elves and giants, co-existed with the Norse gods. The trolls dwelt in dark caves in the mountains or in the dark forests and were reputedly terrified of the sunlight.
Stories about trolls, such as the Three Billy Goats Gruff, are a surefire way to get your kids interested in a visit to this part of the world as these stories have thrilled and terrified children for centuries. Trolls may be evil in the tales, or simply mischievous, and are known to disguise themselves as humans (although they can’t hide their tails so be sure to check if you are suspicious that you may be talking to a troll).
Trolls have become part of popular culture in Scandinavian countries, particularly Denmark and Norway, and troll figurines are highly sought-after souvenirs for travelers visiting these countries. Many believe that the purchase of such a troll will bring luck to its owner.
In Copenhagen, we found these life-size trolls that were very popular with photographers and Emma enjoyed posing with them. We purchased a troll Christmas ornament in Oslo as well as a pair of particularly ugly figures to bring home as gifts for my nephews. And just like that the image of trolls became intertwined with the memories of our Scandinavian travels.
Emma and a Viking Troll in Copenhagen
Emma with another troll in Copenhagen
Related Links
Copenhagen and the Master of Fairy-Tales
Have you liked our Facebook page yet? I post articles from the blog there as well as photo albums from our travels and other travel news. Or, if you prefer, you can subscribe to the free RSS feed or sign up for an email subscription to keep up-to-date on our travel adventures.
Becca@R We There Yet Mom?
Oh my goodness – E looks so young!!!!!! Cute photos too!! She loves the camera! 🙂
~Becca
Lisa Goodmurphy
Thanks, Becca – Emma was just a baby of 6 at the time!
Sabrina - Country Skipper
The little trolls are too cute. I always imagined them looking a little scarier. These seem like the friendly version 🙂
Lisa Goodmurphy
@Sabrina – they were quite cute – if they hadn’t been then Emma would not have got within 10 feet of them!
Mary @ The World Is A Book
Somehow cute and trolls don’t sound right but these are kid-friendly looking ones. Emma looks adorable next to them. Thanks for the heads up on the trolls. I haven’t started the Scandinavian intro with the kids yet and will be sure to read troll books. Will definitely be on a lookout for these in June.
Lisa Goodmurphy
@Mary – You are going to have so much fun on the Baltic cruise. I wish we were going again! In fact, Katie bugs me non-stop about wanting to go back to Norway so we are thinking of doing a fjord cruise in the not too distant future.
Camels & Chocolate
Funny, I don’t remember a whole lot of trolls from my time living in Denmark, but they were EVERYWHERE when I went to both Norway and Iceland! I bought my mom a whole lot of troll paraphernalia for Christmas those years =)
Lisa Goodmurphy
@Camels & Chocolate – I think you have to hang around the tacky tourist souvenir shops to find them in Denmark – my kids can’t get enough of those places. 🙂 Didn’t know that they were part of Icelandic culture as well – makes sense though.
Steve
So does this mean you have a computer again?
I’d never heard the tail tip before. That could alternately be really helpful or get me in a whole lot of trouble. How are you supposed to check for tails anyways?
Lisa Goodmurphy
Still no computer – I managed to cobble together the post on my old laptop that is on its last legs. I discovered that I had downloaded photos from a couple of trips onto it in order to show my parents when we went to visit them a year or so ago. I may have to write a lot about the Baltics and London until I get my other computer back. 🙂
My understanding is that trolls would sometimes disguise themselves as beautiful young ladies in order to lure young farmers into the mountains and take them prisoner. Getting a look from behind would reveal a tail if the young lady was, in fact, a troll but probably get the young man in a lot of trouble if she wasn’t. 🙂
Nadine
What fun!! I love the trolls and not so much the goats… bad experience with goats in real life.
Jessica
Emma is so precious! I’m glad you finding a way to keep us updated even with your computer problems.
Lisa Goodmurphy
@Nadine – my baby sister would agree with you. When she was about 4 we were visiting a farm and a goat chased her up a hill – everyone laughed but she was traumatized!
Lisa Goodmurphy
Thanks, Jessica!
InACents
I have to get out of this Country and experience some of the things that the World can offer. That’s it, I’m quitting my job on Monday and following the hobbits till we find a new spot to place our flag.
Dominique King
So cute!
We love getting Christmas ornaments when we travel, too. I love reliving some of my travels each year when we decorate our tree.
Lisa Goodmurphy
@Dominique – Christmas ornaments are our favourite travel souvenir too. It’s sometimes difficult to find one and I resort to buying anything that can be hung from the tree but the hunt is worth it when we get them out to decorate at Christmas and reminisce about our travels.