Trollfjord, along the coast of Norway
The west coast of Norway is rightfully famous for the beautiful fjords that slice into the land from the sea. Geologists tell a tale of ice advancing during each glacial episode and retreating during the interglacial episodes of the great Pleistocene ice ages. Each time the ice advanced it carved, gouged, sculpted the landscape. Fjords are deep valleys that were once filled with ice but are now flooded by the sea. Above them tower steep valley walls, rounded knobs once covered by ice, and sharp peaks and arêtes that stood out above the ice. The last retreat of the Scandinavian ice occurred only about 14,000 years ago, a mere blink of the eye in the long history of the earth. It was ice that formed the landscape that we now explore by ship, Zodiac, and kayak.
Or was it? There is another tale to be told – a tale of Trolls. Trolls are creatures of the Scandinavian night. Norwegian children grow up hearing stories of the trolls. They learn that trolls always think the opposite of us. We think that trolls are really quite ugly; trolls think that they are very handsome, indeed. (Especially the boy trolls, who are quite proud of their tails.) We think that trolls are rather dim; they think that they are very clever. Norwegian children who stay out late at night risk an encounter with trolls, and they must then use their wits to escape. But trolls have one serious design fault: they can only be out at night, for if trolls are struck by the rays of the morning sun they are turned into stone. So just maybe the lumps, bumps, and peaks of the Norwegian coastal landscape are really the petrified remains of trolls who, distracted by their troll games, chanced to stay out too late and met their fate in the morning light. At least, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
The west coast of Norway is rightfully famous for the beautiful fjords that slice into the land from the sea. Geologists tell a tale of ice advancing during each glacial episode and retreating during the interglacial episodes of the great Pleistocene ice ages. Each time the ice advanced it carved, gouged, sculpted the landscape. Fjords are deep valleys that were once filled with ice but are now flooded by the sea. Above them tower steep valley walls, rounded knobs once covered by ice, and sharp peaks and arêtes that stood out above the ice. The last retreat of the Scandinavian ice occurred only about 14,000 years ago, a mere blink of the eye in the long history of the earth. It was ice that formed the landscape that we now explore by ship, Zodiac, and kayak.
Or was it? There is another tale to be told – a tale of Trolls. Trolls are creatures of the Scandinavian night. Norwegian children grow up hearing stories of the trolls. They learn that trolls always think the opposite of us. We think that trolls are really quite ugly; trolls think that they are very handsome, indeed. (Especially the boy trolls, who are quite proud of their tails.) We think that trolls are rather dim; they think that they are very clever. Norwegian children who stay out late at night risk an encounter with trolls, and they must then use their wits to escape. But trolls have one serious design fault: they can only be out at night, for if trolls are struck by the rays of the morning sun they are turned into stone. So just maybe the lumps, bumps, and peaks of the Norwegian coastal landscape are really the petrified remains of trolls who, distracted by their troll games, chanced to stay out too late and met their fate in the morning light. At least, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
