Be original: say it with trolls

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone celebrating it and to everyone who thinks it is a painful day too. I found the picture of this lovely couple on the Facebook page of the Arensbak Trolls, which from what I understand is now called Trolls of the 5 Arts Studio (but I prefer the old name). If you want to offer something original today, why not trolls like these ones? After all, love means never having to say you're ugly (as this movie says), and this lovely couple is so darn cute with their tails wrapped together like that.

Troll the Ancient Yuletide Carol

I found this picture on the Facebook page of the Arensbak Trolls. I had to share it here, just because. I recently mentioned that Christmas owes a lot to Nordic myths and folklore. And we can't have an old fashioned Christmas without a few trolls here and there. So here's one for you.

Say it with... trolls?

Valentine's Day is coming very soon. I don't like Valentine's Day much: too stressful when you are in a relationsip, too depressing when you are not. And in times of pandemic, it makes things a bit more complicated. If I lived in Montreal (where there is at least one shop that sells them), I knew what I'd like for Valentine's Day: this troll which I found on the Facebook page of the Arensbak Trolls. you gotta admit, he's really cute.

A house troll

I blogged not so long ago about the Arensbak Trolls. These trolls are not like the trolls of Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore, they are not evil monsters, but more akin to spirits of nature and, since these trolls are for home, they are also household guarding spirits. My brother and have gathered some through the years, thanks mostly to my parents' generosity. This one is mine. It is comfortably set on one of my bookshelves in my bedroom, guarding my books. I was very tempted to bring him back with me, but then I thought better of it: the bookshelves here are already cluttered and this troll has been guarding my books all his life and this is how he should remain. I recently showed the picture to the Ticklers, who thought my troll was really cute and spontaneously said they wanted one like this. Maybe one day I should.

Trolls

There is this shop on Saint-Denis, on the Plateau Mont-Royal, that sells gems and stones and New Age(ish) stuff. But it also sells trolls made by this American company. You can see their Facebook page here. The trolls are hand-made with natural fabrics (such as pine cones) and of various shapes and forms. Some are as small as say glass and can stand on a bookshelf or a mantelpiece, others are as tall as a child, such as the one you see on the left. As I love folklore in general and Norse folklore in particular, you can guess that I I always loved them. I have one back home in Chicoutimi, which I might show on the blog one day. This is one is at the entrance of the shop. I am blogging about them because I always stop at the shop and rediscover them when I stay in Montreal. These trolls are far kinder than the original Norse monsters, they are more like spirits of nature than malevolent creatures, so they belong to a home, as guardians or simply dwellers. I was thinking about buying two as presents to the Ticklers, but the girls might prefer something a bit cuter (although they love scary stuff). I could buy one for myself, but the bookshelves at home are already crammed. So I might just enjoy their display in the shop.