Why Does an Ancient Troll Attack Norway?

TL;DR

The ancient troll is traveling toward Nidaros to avenge the persecution of trolls under King Olaf and the church. Nora and her allies initially use military UV lights and a friendly troll against him, but both attempts fail, forcing the group to investigate troll history, Olaf's missing law, and the creature's route to understand his true objective.

Transcript

For a long time, humans and trolls lived in harmony. Eventually, Christianity took over Europe, and it wasn't tolerant of the old myths. King Olaf of Norway sent out his soldiers to drag the trolls out of the caves into the sunlight, which turned them all to stone. The soldiers traveled the country to kill every troll they could find, and soon the ... Read More

Key Insights

• The conflict began when King Olaf's soldiers drove trolls from their caves and exposed them to sunlight, which turned them to stone. The surviving cultural memory of this campaign explains why trolls fear Christian symbols, including church bells and carvings placed inside an old hunting pit.
• The awakened troll is a hibernating organism whose only initial sign of life is a pulse. Marion reports that his DNA has more in common with plants than humans, while UV lights are installed around him because their radiation can burn or potentially kill trolls.
• Nora awakens the captive troll by touching his nose and humming, repeating a form of contact rooted in her father's stories. Although nothing happens immediately, the facility's computer detects changing vital signs before the troll opens his eyes, breaks his restraints, and escapes.
• The government's central dilemma is whether to preserve the troll for research or destroy him to protect civilians. Marion favors capture, Prime Minister Brinman prioritizes public safety, and Nora opposes another killing because the troll from the earlier attack had only wanted to return home.
• The military's UV-equipped helicopters can burn exposed areas of the troll's body, but repeated close-range attacks leave the aircraft vulnerable. The troll counters by throwing an electric pole, severely damaging one helicopter and causing a crash that kills everyone aboard.
• Beautiful is the surviving child once used as bait in a hunting pit designed to kill the troll king. Nora earns his trust through repeated visits, gentle nose contact, humming, and possession of his father's stone, demonstrating that at least some trolls can form peaceful relationships with humans.
• The attempt to use Beautiful against the ancient troll fails when the attacker stomps hard enough to crack the ice beneath him. Beautiful falls into freezing water and sinks, leaving Nora devastated and eliminating the group's planned nonmilitary defense against the advancing creature.
• The troll's route follows a pilgrim's path north toward Nidaros, the former capital where Olaf ruled. Nora and Marion infer that his destination is connected to revenge because the church governed from there and Olaf's campaign was responsible for the trolls' persecution.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why does the ancient troll attack Norway?

The group concludes that the troll is seeking revenge for humanity's historic persecution of his kind. King Olaf sent soldiers across Norway to drag trolls from their caves into sunlight, turning them to stone. The creature follows the pilgrim's route toward Nidaros, the former capital where Olaf ruled and where the church exercised power without mercy.

Q: How do the scientists accidentally awaken the troll?

The troll is kept chained inside a power station under UV lights while researchers study his hibernating body. Nora enters the chamber, reaches the highest platform, touches his nose, and hums. The computer detects a change in his vital signs, and he awakens. Marion then disables the UV system by spilling coffee on its controls, allowing his escape.

Q: Why are UV lights used against the trolls?

UV lights are used because they burn a troll's body and provide protection against an awakened specimen. The hidden research facility surrounds its captive troll with UV equipment, and military helicopters later carry UV lights during an attack at the ski resort. Repeated passes burn several places on the creature, although they do not stop him permanently.

Q: Why does Nora oppose killing the ancient troll?

Nora carries a fragment of the troll killed during the earlier attack as a reminder of her mistakes. She believes that creature was innocent and only wanted to return home. She also argues that humans have mistreated trolls for years and that a force of nature cannot simply be controlled, making communication preferable to another immediate killing.

Q: Who is Beautiful and why does Nora trust him?

Beautiful is the child of the troll king whom humans once kidnapped and placed in a hunting pit as bait. Nora has visited his cave repeatedly for three years, allowing him to become comfortable with her. He responds peacefully when she presents his father's stone, touches his nose, and hums, and he even teaches Andreas that friendly contact is possible.

Q: How does the plan to use Beautiful against the troll fail?

Nora draws the ancient troll toward an icy location by firing a flare, and Beautiful rises from the snow to confront him. Instead of engaging directly, the attacker stomps on the ground and cracks the ice. Beautiful cannot react quickly enough, falls into the freezing water, struggles briefly to remain afloat, and eventually sinks beneath the surface.

Q: What happens during the military attack at the ski resort?

The ancient troll tears open the ski resort, reaches inside, and grabs people to eat. Military helicopters arrive with UV lights and burn him during two close passes. He retaliates by throwing an electric pole, severely damaging one helicopter. The aircraft crashes in an explosion that kills everyone aboard, while the remaining damaged helicopter avoids further reckless action.

Q: How does the group discover the troll's destination?

At an air ambulance base, the group studies a map tracking the troll's journey. Marion recognizes that his path follows the pilgrim's route north toward Nidaros. Nora connects this observation to her father's stories, recalling that Nidaros was the capital where Olaf ruled. They therefore infer that the troll is heading there to pursue revenge.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Nora, a paleontologist whose father taught her stories about trolls, is recruited to examine a gigantic creature hidden inside a power station. Scientists awaken the hibernating troll, but damaged UV controls allow him to break his chains, destroy the facility, kill Professor Wangle, and escape into Norway.

• Prime Minister Brinman orders the military to kill the troll, while Nora argues that humans cannot control a force of nature. Helicopters fitted with UV lights injure the creature at a ski resort, but the troll retaliates by damaging the aircraft and causing a fatal crash before continuing his journey.

• Nora recruits a peaceful troll she calls Beautiful, hoping he can stop the attacker without further bloodshed. The ancient troll breaks the ice beneath Beautiful, causing him to sink. By tracking the attacker's route toward Nidaros, the group concludes that he seeks revenge connected to King Olaf and the church.