The troll in Scandinavian mythology is a humanoid being living in the forests.
It is described as a rough, shaggy and rough creature, with a large nose, often with thick hair and only four fingers per hand and foot.
Two types of trolls can be identified depending on the folkloric strand of origin: one of gigantic dimensions and of malignant behaviour (similar to an ogre) and one of human size and benevolent but spiteful behaviour.
According to tradition, a troll when struck by the light of the sun becomes stone, therefore it lives in the forests and in the caves where rarely come rays of the sun.
In Sweden, but then also in the other countries of Northern Europe, the belief spread that at night trolls kidnapped children who slept in cribs, putting their ugly and deformed puppies in their place.
Before medical discoveries this legend was used to explain children’s conditions such as autism, syndromes, disease, disability or simply their disappearance.
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