The Troll and her Prince

“Herr Mannelig, Herr Mannelig, will you be betrothed to me?” she cried.

The songs - the way the good prince told it - tell of the wicked, false-tongued troll and her attempted courtship of the god-fearing prince. But you ask how the troll might have retold these series of events? This, fair listener, I will share with you.

The trolls, as you know, live deep in the mountains, their only company being the birds and beasts. The trolls prefer it this way, to live amongst the trees and to leave the world of men alone. You see, trolls, like their forefathers the Jotnar, are not always evil. They are mischievous and devious, yes, but that is why trolls and men do not live together. Their feud is one that is as old as time itself.

Our story begins with a troll princess, the fairest of her kind, whose figure was clad in the finest of silks and her radiant white hair was accented in the finest of moss. Red gold hung from her frame like morning dew on grass. The trolls are carefree folk, their reclusion offering them a valuable peace of mind, but our troll maid wanted for only one thing in this world: love.

You see, there were plenty of troll men of equal status, many of whom sought her hand in marriage, but she was not happy. None of them caught her eye or fanned the fires of romance in her heart. Of course, this was no fault of hers -or theirs even- for their unions were not meant to be. But the princess waited while she watched the other trolls find love as easily as rain finds the sea. This pained her, for her heart remained empty while others brimmed so full.

This was until early one day, when the sun had yet to rise and the birds had only just begun their song, she had been wandering in the woods far from home, as trolls are wont to do. She saw a lone house in the wood whose window was lit by pale candlelight. From this house, she heard the sweetest humming, a song she had never once heard. This intrigued her, so she moved closer to the house. There in the window she saw the most handsome man she had ever seen, a mortal man. He was dressed in fine clothing and carried a saber. A hunting musket was slung over his back, but he carried himself as her equal.

“A human prince,” she whispered knowingly to herself. She moved closer and closer to the window.

She saw him eat bread by the fire, preparing for a morning hunt. She stood there shyly, but in awe. His beauty and demeanor moved her as never before. Her heart ached in knowing that she must act now or risk the possibility of losing him forever.

She stepped away from the window and began to sing, “Herr Mannelig, Herr Mannelig, will you be betrothed to me? For all I will give you so gladly! You may only answer yes or no whether you wish to or not.”

She stopped and listened for the reply. She thought very well of herself, for these very brusque and direct proposals were the way of troll courtship. The prince stood up from his meal with a start, putting his hand on his rifle reflexively. Startled, the princess jumped into the bushes, wondering if she had done anything wrong.

After a tense moment of waiting, she continued singing, “To you I will give twelve horses who graze in a shady grove of roses. Never have they been given either saddle to their back or bridle to their mouths!”

The prince, thoroughly startled, disappeared from the window. The princess, feeling a sudden pang of bravery, stepped out of the bushes and in front of the house.

She sang once more, “Herr Mannelig, Herr Mannelig, will you be betrothed to me? For all I will give you so gladly! You may only answer yes or no whether you wish to or not.”

The prince opened the door, leveling his rifle at the princess. The troll princess, thinking the mechanism an odd sort of spear, stood her ground. For all she knew, this was the way of human courtship.

“To you I wish to give the twelve mills that are between Tillö and Ternö. The millstones are made of the reddest gold and the wheels are covered in silver!” She sweetly sang.

The prince did not move as the princess calmly smiled. Instead, his face softened. He was uneasy about the princess’ noteworthy height over him, and the fact that she looked him directly in the eyes. For a moment, as visible in his eyes, he appreciated her outlandish beauty, but it was quickly lost under suspicion and fear.

“Who are you, troll? And why do you seek me here? Speak, you!” He ordered.

She smiled warmly, “Herr Mannelig, Herr Mannelig, will you be betrothed to me? For all I will give you so gladly! You may only answer yes or no whether you wish to or not.”

The prince was visibly confused. He finally lowered the musket but remained silent. Thinking victory was close at hand, the princess smiled wider.

“To you I wish to give a gilded sword, one that chimes of fifteen rings! And fight however well you may, with this any battle you will surely win!”

The prince smiled, as these gifts seemed increasingly enticing. To trolls, gifts are no small affair. Once a gift is made, it is the promise of mutual friendship and loyalty. Then, supposing some semblance of this fact, the prince regained his hostility.

He shook his head, “This is some foul trick! Begone, temptress! I have no need of your sorceries and cursed gifts.”

The princess was taken aback by such talk. Never before had she been spoken to in this manner. However, determined not to lose this handsome man, she continued and offered one last gift. Perhaps she had not offered enough.

“Herr Mannelig, Herr Mannelig, will you be betrothed to me? For all I will give you so gladly! You may only answer yes or no whether you wish to or not. To you I wish to give a shirt so new, the best, one which you will want to wear! It was not sewn with needle or thread, instead crocheted with white silk.”

She gestured to her own finery for comparison. She saw on his handsome face that he was won over. He gazed longingly at her silk and gold and looked upon her face with the pleasantest of glances. But to her surprise and confusion, he rubbed his eyes and furrowed his brow. His muscles tensed and blood boiled.

“Such gifts and proposals I would surely accept, were you a Christian woman. Alas, you are neither Christian nor a woman. You are the abominable spawn of a Neck and the Devil! You are an ugly thing, abhorrent and sinful! Begone from me, temptress! I will take no more of this wickedness!”

This brought a tear to the princess’ eye. She was finally so close to true love, only to have her hopes come crashing down around her. But alas, the prince did not answer her proposal in the proper way. She tried once more.

“Herr Mannelig, Herr Mannelig, will you be betrothed to me?” she cried, “For all I will give you so gladly! You may only answer yes or no whether you wish to or not. Will you not deliver me from this torment I feel, deliver me from my plight? Herr Mannelig, Herr Mannelig, will you be betrothed to me?”

The prince growled, “No! Once and a thousand times, no! What will it take to rid me of you, foul thing! What sorcery is this, troll maid, fair of face, to make me feel as I do? To offer me such temptations that surely can only bring damnation, what purpose does my ruin serve you? Cease your futile temptation and resume your foul nature! Cast this guise from yourself, demon, and leave me be!”

Such accusations were far from both truth and intention, but the princess had her answer. His hurtful words brought a sadness unlike anything she had felt before. She wailed as tears fell from her face as strongly as a summer rain. Her pain was heard for leagues around and echoed down the mountains as she ran from the prince’s door, never to be seen again by mortal eyes.

And tell me, listener, how different is this story from the song? One’s trial by temptation is another’s tragedy, and one should always endeavor to see things from every angle. Could the troll and her prince have ever been, or was this dire finale simply the poisonous sting of infatuation? Perhaps we will never know.