Norwegian stories say trolls turn to stone in sunlight. That's why in old tales, you only meet a troll at night or in the deep shadows under a bridge. If a troll is caught out by the rising sun, it freezes in place forever - and that, the stories say, explains all those funny rock shapes you see in the Norwegian mountains.
Trolls have huge noses, mossy hair, and tails they try to hide. They are not exactly bad - they are just slow, hungry, easily fooled and a bit lonely. In one famous story called The Three Billy Goats Gruff, three goats trick a troll under a bridge by sending the smallest goat first and the biggest last.
Trolls live on in Norwegian place names. There is a road called Trollstigen ('the Troll's Path'), a mountain called Trollveggen ('the Troll's Wall'), and a peak called Trolltunga ('the Troll's Tongue'). Each one has a story behind the name.
Modern Norwegian children grow up reading troll books and watching troll films. You will see wooden troll statues at gift shops by the fjords, with kind faces and silly grins. They are friendly reminders of one of Norway's oldest folk traditions.