‘Troll’, Netflix movie: the Norse legend that inspired the giant monster

As part of its latest Norwegian productions and based on true stories such as “The Lørenskog Disappearance”, Netflix released the film “Troll” (Troll in English), which focuses on the awakening of a mythical creature.

The action fantasy film created by Alicia Vikander and director Roar Uthaug stars Ine Marie Wilmann, Kim Falck and Mads Sjøgård Pettersen.

The story begins when an explosion on Dorve Mountain awakens a giant being from its ancient slumber. So the monstrous troll starts destroying everything in its path and goes to the capital of Norway.

With the looming threat of this giant kaiju-like monster like Godzilla or King Kong, the authorities appoint a paleontologist to try to understand the troll and prevent it from wreaking havoc on the city.

But unlike these famous titans, the Netflix movie troll is based on real Norse legends who have been depicted in film, television, video games and other media for years.

Netflix’s ‘Troll’: The Norse legend that inspired the film

Just as “Vikings: Valhalla” is based on true events, “Troll” on Netflix is ​​inspired by the true stories and legends in Norway of these creatures to represent their monster.

Although the way trolls are portrayed often varies in Norse mythology, from little pixies to giants, the film stays true to legends and folktales.

These beings from Norse folklore have to do with nature. Mountain trolls are hairy, tailed, with prominent round noses, great strength, and little intelligence. moreover with sunlight they become stones.

This is why one believes that when we find huge rocks with nothing around them or in the shape of a face, it could be an unlucky troll that got petrified when hit by the sun.

For example, on the Geirangerfjord mountain in Møre og Romsdal county, there is a rock on which you can see the face of a giant troll. Something that is mentioned in the film and even in its promotional material.

In Norway many mountain places are named after these legends, such as the rock formation Trolltunga (meaning troll’s tongue) and the mountain Trollstigen.

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In Norse mythology, these creatures are enemies of the gods and fought against Thor, but the god defeated them and drove them away with his thunderbolts. This appears in several short stories and is also mentioned in the Netflix movie.

As seen in ‘Troll’, folk tales also say that people used the sound of church bells to imitate thunder and thus scare the creatures.

Another characteristic that most legends tell about trolls is that these creatures can be defeated or outwitted with riddles or mind games, taking advantage of their low intelligence.