The artwork is fantastic (as ever), however, I have some difficulty with the presentation of the lore in the description.
Quote:
But most often trolls kept to themselves. They avoided humans if they could. But some humans still tended to have an easier time to spot trolls - for some reason the trolls couldn't sense them as easily. Those humans were the feeble, the mad or the very young.
The part I've italicized seems out of place or in need of elaboration. The sole effect of mentioning that humans had difficulty spotting trolls is to introduce a subclass of humans (e.g., the feeble, mad, young) that are an exception to that disability. It is then this subclass that creates grief for the trolls, particularly because the trolls have difficulty sensing them.
I find this a little confusing because if the only humans the trolls can easily sense are ones who can't spot the trolls, it argues against the idea that humans should be particularly avoided. Even if the trolls are erring on the side of caution (a reasonable approach), the disability of most humans to spot the trolls does not contribute to the story being conveyed. It is the trolls' difficulty in sensing the young, feeble, and mad that is the central conceit of the painting; whereas the human's ability to spot trolls offers no contribution or explanation by itself (it would be enough to state that trolls have difficulty sensing the presence of children).
If I might be so bold as present an alternate description:
Quote:
In Scandinavian folk lore, trolls lived under the hills and in the deepest of forests. They were not necessarily monstrous. Whereas there are stories of evil trolls, others tell of trolls of great beauty or of troll clans trading and granting gifts to their human neighbors. But most often trolls kept to themselves. They avoided contact with humans if they could, and this was aided by the fact that most humans could not easily spot trolls. However, some humans -- particularly the feeble, the mad or the very young -- possessed the ability to spot trolls but for some reason it was these very same humans who the trolls had difficulty in sensing.
Better still, I would specify that most humans could not spot trolls
unless the trolls showed themselves, but this might not be how Scandinavian troll folklore works.
Login
Register
Tweets
FAQ
Advanced Search
You always do a good job with atmospheres.
