The king of the trolls speaks...
The king of the trolls speaks:
They made me their king although I’m not big.
Actually: I am the smallest king of the Trolls ever!
Some people think I’m even rather big for a Troll. But those people didn’t quite get it cause Trolls are giants!
Long ago we ruled the earth. Th earth itself is built from the remains of a giant, the giant Ymir. From his eyebrows the mountainchains were erected. The fertile earth is his flesh and the rocks and stones were once his bones.
His skull is being carried by four strong dwarfs. We all know there names. We only forgot these are are names of these dwarfs: North, East, South and West!
Ymir’s skull is gigantic. When we look up we see that heaven firnament!
Language fails by desribing how big the giant was. One thing is clear Ymir was a huge giant. Once he walked a planet many times as big as ours, many, many times...
Everything comes from us giants. The Aesir stole lot’s of it, those low breeds.
They are our offspring and we love them but they turned against us. Not all of them did. Some remained friends and in time of peace they’re all our friends. Althought peace never lasts long since there’s humans around. Odin loves this. Odin that son of a cow, god of war. It was him who cut his grandfather the giant Ymir to peaces in the beginning of it all.
Ans then his son Thor is even worse, born from one of the eathmothers. Ht name was Jord. If there is one person we giants hate it’s Thor, Thor with his lightning hammer Mjölnir, the pulverizer...
And what do you think Thor likes to pulverize most of all? Ah, no, don’t say it! Don’t even think it. The idea alone gives me a terrible headache. And then, now thinking about it, I realise it was through the works of Loki, that no good traitor, son of giants really, Thor got this hammer. Yes, it almost cost Loki his head. But that is another story.
We giants all think the same. We are like the mountains, all one of the same thought. Even if we are named differently and appear in different shapes. We all draw our thoughts and memory out of the same source of knowledge. That’s how I can speak for others. Because in the end we are all one and the same. I remember well that once I was known by the name of Hymir. A gigantic troll I was. My looks could actually kill and destry. My hate towards strangers was huge. Especially when they dared to enter my house uninvited!
The chance that they would leave my house alive was little or none. My first look was the deadliest. After that I needed time, at least a full moon cycle, to regain my powers.
Once I came home from hunting. And I smelled it right away, it was not the smell of man, flesh or human remains. No, the smell was unbearable. It was the smell of that nasty son of gods, that goat farmer, thunder beater, red haired, wild bearded and strong mussled Thor, son of Odin. I felt the temperature of my blood reaching the boiling point. That murderer of trolls was under us. If I could only lay my eyes on him. Then it would be over with him for once and for all.
My wife pointed in the direction of some pilars on which a part of the roof of our house was resting. I could feel this all consuming anger within me. For a moment I felt the power of a thousand vulcanos rushing through my veins. I could control the powerful outburst no longer. I rapidly moved my head in the direction my wife was pointing out. My eyes were burning as fire, broadened into gateways, gates of horror and destruction. Then at once it bursted through my eyes: this powerful primal force of destruction. The pilars were pulverized. A part of the roof collapsed. An huge roofbeam that carried my priceless drinkingcauldrons came down. Smashing them one by one. Only my biggest and most beloved cauldron remained in one peace, fortunetely.
But what did I see much to my awe, this horrible exterminator of trolls: Thor, and he still stood with his hammer Mjölnir in his hands. Ans I was exhausted. I was ready to fight him. I could not pacify him, not even in my own house. I felt terrible. Thor looked at me and said: “I come in peace, Hymir. I only want your biggest cauldron!” “What, how dare you, you villain!” Uninvited you came into my house and you know who I hold responsible for this mess. And are not most of my beloved cauldrons torn down much thanks to you! I know what we will do. Tomorrow I’ll go fishing and when you can hook up a bigger fish than me you can have my cauldron!” This ofcourse would never happen.
That night I slept long and deep and snorred so loud the earth trembeled.
The next morning I woke up quite happily for a troll. I completely forgot about Thor and the day before. I almost smiled. I took my fishing gear and walked towards my longboat to go fishing at sea.
And there he came walking annoyingly happy as ever. With his thundering eyes he looked at me: “Well Hymir, you did not forget about me, did you? And where can I find some bait? I looked at him crossed and knew that my strenght was not by far back to where it supposed to be so I could not destroy him with my anger. “There in the gras”, I pointed with my head in the direction of the grasland where my most beautiful prizebull standing. He should look for earthworms overthere. As long as he doesn’t think I invited him in my longboat! I saw him walking towards the grassland. So that’s one problem solved! I pushed my longboat into the water. ‘You’re not leaving without me, are you?” I turned around and much to my surprice there that scoundrel stood with the head of my beloved pricebull under his arm. With obvious amusement in his eyes he looked at me: “That’s what you meaned, didn’t you? I needed bait...” Again he made my blood boil. I had to keep myself under control. What could I do. On that very moment Thor and his hammer were more powerful than me. “I’m a very good rower!” Thor said and had the oars already in his hands and stepped into the boat. I didn’t like it at all. But on the other hand I didn’t need to row. And rowing is like working and if there’s one thing we giants do not like it’s rowing! So I stepped in the boat aswell. And before I landed in my seat Thor already started rowing. And Thor was not just rowing. He was rowing like a madman. The speed with which we navigated through the water... I would rather say the speed with which we flew over the water scared me. But I didn’t show Thor. He must have thought I was completely cool with the situation. But to go even futher up into the ocean that really was irresponsible. “Ho Thor, you can stop now, stop here! “ I yelled. ”I’m not going out for flatfish!” , Thor shouted and laughed out loud “You’re not afraid are you!?” “Ofcourse not” I replied, but turned white and a little green. I felt nauseous and a bit seasick. I really didn’t like it anymore. I never went this far from the shore. This is were seacreatures live that scare the hell out of us giants. Finally Thor stopped rowing. He took he anchor in his hands. Was he really going for anchor? What was he thinking?!
“I don’t think that anchor will be usefull here Thor.” I smiled at him, He can be such a dummass. He looked at me annoyed and said: “Do you have a better hook for me?”
It’s hard to have a conversation with a madman. I turned around and ejected my fishing rods. I immidiatly got hold of not one but three whales. So I pulled them in my boat. So that’s what I call a good catch! Let’s see if Thor is doing any better, I guess not! So I turned around again. And what did I see much to my surprice. It didn’t make me happy. That’s for sure! Thor had tied the head of my pricebull to the anchor. It had never been his intend to go fishing in the first place. Thor had only one goal and that was his mortal enemy, nothing else. The Jormungandur was his prey, the horrible midgardsnake that crawls along the continents. It was already to late I saw that got hold of the snake. The sea turned black and the sky above us wasn’t lookig any prettier. Waves as high as mountains all around us. As a giant I’m not quickly impressed. but this was terrifying.
I saw Thor using all his strenght. His fishing rod was bended and tightly stretched. The horrible head of the monstrous midgardsnake already rising above the water. Thor was holding a firm grip on himself and the fishing rod. The whole of his body swelled up. His feet pushed through the bottom of the boat. But Thor kept swelling up, getting bigger and bigger. Big as a giant he was. He stoond with is feet on the bottom of the ocean. He had the midgarsnake in his grasp. His left hand still holding the fishing rod. The midgard snake pushed and pulled, wiggeling in all directions. Thor now grapped his hammer. I knew on that very moment the end of time was closing in. If Thor would hit the snake with his hammer the end would be in sight. There was only one moment left. No time to hesitate. No Thor was not allowed to kill the Jormungandur. I grabbed my knife and jumped. This was my moment of pure heroism. Never I will forget. Never I will regret! My knife cut the thread that was keeping a hold of the midgardsnake. Immidiately the snake was released and fell back in the deepness of the ocean and Thor fell back in to the water.
There wasn’t much left of my longboat. So I had to swim back to the shore. Thor waded through the water pulling the three whale along.
Now we were even. Although my losses were much bigger than his.
Thor looked me in the face and said: “ If you would have let me my catch would have been bigger than yours. I think I won this competition, didn’t i?”
I had to admit he was right. And you can sy what you like but we giants we keep our word of honour.
I allowed Thor to take my only, most beloved and most beautiful cauldron with him.
He putted the cauldron like a helmet over head. But the cauldron was so big, it fell over his shoulders on to his hips.
That’s how I saw him walking away with the handle everytime bouncing against his calfs.
Philip Aswind van de Zee, copyright, 2-3-2014 Geldermalsen
