Here’s A Little Whimsy On A Wednesday!

I’ve been back from Iceland for over a week now but still haven’t had time to go through the photos I want to share with you along with my awesome adventure! So, you’ll have to wait until next week for that.

However, our guide on holiday told us many stories as we travelled around and here’s one about the troll who lived between two mountains. If you look carefully when the sun is setting in winter, you can just about see her – but don’t let her catch you looking or you could be her next plaything.

Gudrun’s Grumblegut

Once upon a time in Iceland, there was a female troll named Gudrun who lived in a dark and sulphurous cave near a deep ravine. She was married to a male troll named Sigurd who, like all male trolls, had a tendency to wander off and forget what time it was. One day, Sigurd wandered off and forgot to return to the cave before daybreak. When the sun rose he turned to stone and Gudrun was left without a husband to run her errands and please her.

Gudrun was determined to find a new husband so she teamed up with her best friend and fellow female troll, Brynhild, to snare a human farm boy. They often went wandering around looking for lost sheep and made good prototypes. Soon, a simple boy went through the ravine calling for his flock and Gudrun and Brynhild trapped him in a big net and tied him to a magical troll stone made from volcanic ash and ice.

For the next three years, Gudrun and Brynhild kept the farm boy captive stretching his arms and legs daily on the stone using their troll magic and ropes. They also fed him magical troll food which, little did he know, would turn him into a strapping male troll worthy of a powerful and beautiful troll wife.

Finally, after three long years, the farm boy became an immature male troll ready for training. Gudrun and Brynhild decided to release him and teach him how to be subservient and willing so that he could become Gudrun’s new husband. 

Gudrun named her new man Grumblegut. It was a fitting name as he was always grumbling and complaining. His human tummy hadn’t yet got used to the fermented fodder that sated most trolls. Every time she heard his gut moan she would giggle and say, “That’s just my Grumblegut!” 

Grumblegut grumbled away but never strayed too far from his loving wife as he was a new troll husband and rather clueless and a little bit frightened. But, Gudrun loved him anyway. She was grateful to have someone to run her errands and tend to her many needs once again – to the best of his ability, which wasn’t much.

However, one day, the farm boy remembered his life as a human and decided to visit his old family. When he arrived at the village he was shocked to find that his family ran away screaming with all the other villagers. He truly had become a troll. He also had a salivating temptation to snack on the villagers but couldn’t be bothered to chase them and knew that he would definitely regret eating his sister.   The once farm boy returned to Gudrun, grateful for the new life she had given him. He learned to never wander off in search of a sheep or family again and never to underestimate the power of female trolls.

From that day forward, Gudrun and her new husband lived happily ever after, always sticking together and never wandering off into the daylight.

Although it’s a legend, remember that most legends come from something. Beware of wandering off but also know that even the most unexpected things can lead to happiness.