Trolls have always existed in Swedish Folk Tale. Nowhere is there as many of them as in the Dark Woods and Mountains of the province Värmland, where I live...

The look of a Troll can vary, from a small "cute" being, to a huge grotesque and unpredictable beast. You can always recognize them by the tail, the pointed ears and the broad nose.

Unlike the Woodnymph that lives alone, trolls like company and they live together in groups. They also like to be around human beings - who they unfortunately abduct when they get the chance!

The Troll family lives deep in the Swedish Woods, maybe under a big rock, underground or under a uprooted tree. You can also find them deep inside the mountain. It is almost impossible to get a glimpse of a troll - they absolutely HATE sunlight - it can even kill them!

Human beings who have met a troll tell about their big flat, broad feet with only three or four toes on each foot. It is not likely that you will see a troll - they can make themselves invisible. They use this ability to steal food and to swap a troll-kid for a human child! A Trollmother really want her trollkid to be raised as a human. If a human mother suspects that she has a changeling in the house, she can threaten to put the "child" in the fire - then the trollmother comes running to save her kid - and the human mother gets her own child back. The best thing to do is to baptize your child as soon as possible. Trolls hate everything that has to do with Christianity!

Trolls are very greedy and take all the gold and silver they can get. Here in Sweden a common saying about a wealthy person is: "Rich as a Troll". But to find the troll treasure is almost impossible, trolls can make the gold look like something completely different. Woe the one that searches for the treasure - Those who have searched have been found as totally gnawed skeletons...

If you ever meet a troll you shall be nice and polite! If you run into an angry troll - run as fast as you can to the nearest church - that is the only thing that will save you!

And oh... did you know that "Troll" is a Swedish word..?