Trolls: An Unnatural History

This book is a natural history of trolls from their first appearances in folk tales—some people reported actual encounters with trolls, and others found such encounters plausible even if they were not sure—and follows a natural transition from folk belief to trolls in other domains of popular culture. Indeed, trolls would not be interesting had they not made this jump, first to illustrations in the Nordic book market, then on to Scandinavian literature and drama, and far beyond. Since then they have never gone away, and in their various guises they continue to appeal to the imagination across the globe. From the Moomins to Brothers Grimm to Three Billy Goats Gruff this book explores the panoply of trolls and their history and their continuing troubling of our imagination today.