The Scream from Lake Totak
Transcribed from Troll. The Norwegian Troll, Its Terrifying Life and History. “Troll. Det norske trollets forskreddelige liv og historie.”
by Frid Ingulstad and Svein Solum, translated by Joan Felicia Henriksen Glydendal Norsk Forlag, Oslo, publisher. 1993.
One Christmas night some years ago in Telemark, people heard yelling and screaming in the vicinity of Lake Totak. A man named Dyre Vå was the bravest man in the village. He decided to go down to the lake and find out what the uproar was all about. He figured the noise was coming from the other side of the lake.
It was a cold, gray December day, and a frosty fog blanketed the surface of the lake. The trees were heavily laden with snow, and dark clouds marched across the winter sky.
He went down to his boat and climbed in. It was almost impossible to see his hands, and all the time he heard unpleasant sounds from the other side of the lake. Thoughts of a troll went through his head, but he pushed them away.
The ice-cold snow bit his face. Once in a while the moon slid into view between cracks in the clouds. Each time the screams from the other side stopped, the sound of the oars was the only thing that broke the silence. The contrast increased the eeriness.
When he neared the beach on the other side, the moon had disappeared again and it had begun to snow heavily. A dismal groan reached him and made his heart pound in his chest. For the first time in his life, Dyre felt the beginnings of fear.
Suddenly an unclear, monstrous shape appeared through the snow. A black shadow showed for a second and was gone. Then came a deep, rumbling voice: “If you want to save your life, row me across the lake!”
Dyre Vå trembled when he realized it really as a troll, but he wasn’t called the village’s bravest man for nothing. “Sit down in the back, but first let me see what you look like,” he answered.
The troll gave a husky, unpleasant laugh and Dyre realized he’s gone too far. Immediately something jumped on board, and the boat became so heavy that water reached the railing.
“Row!” thundered the troll. Then he became a little friendlier. “If you row me across the lake, I will leave you a sign.”
It was impossible for Dyre to see the troll through the heavy snowfall, but as he rowed he could just barely catch glimpses of a black, terrifying shadow. To sit alone like this in a boat with a troll was the most hair-raising thing Dyre had experienced, not to mention that it was exhausting to row such a heavy load. When he finally reached the other side, he was so tired that he could taste blood and knew he couldn’t have managed one stroke more. Indeed, he was so deathly tired that he didn’t even notice the troll disappearing and he forgot the troll’s promise to leave a sign on board.
When he awakened the next day, he was sure that he’d dreamed the whole thing. Then he saw his wet clothes and blisters from the oars. Excitedly he dressed and ran down to the boat.
His eyes opened wide. In the stern of the boat where the troll had been sitting lay the thumb of a troll mitten. It was made of troll yarn and was big enough to hold at least a half ton of grain.
Jan 1999
More on Dyre Vå, loosely translated by Håkon Bjerke, Honolulu, Hawaii:
Sagnet om Dyre Vaa og trollet by J. S. C. Welhaven, 1846
The finest farmer in Vinje parish was Dyre from Vaa. He was solid as a rock and had the strength of twelve men. Because of his size and strength his neighbors would tell him “you should try and play as Thor did with the trolls and mountain monsters.” Dyre would answer “only if it is dark/”
One time it happened, when Dyre was sitting and enjoying a Christmas party and drinking beer. The beer went around and as the night approached, the party drank more and more.
Suddenly the party became quiet, from the mountains a loud noise came, and it was as if a hundred gulls were screaming. To this, Dyre said “it seems to be dark now.” Dyre went straight to the Totak water and put his boat out. Somebody called to him “Who is out on the water?” “It is me, Dyre from Vaa—and you?” “Who are you who walks around in the swamps and valleys, as dark as it is?” asked Dyre.
“I am from Aashoug and I am on my way to my Glomshoug-places.” “Use your strength and put your boat here and bring me with you” said the strange voice. “Yes, but before I let you in,” answered Dyre, “remember the boat is weak, and I can imagine your body is huge, as the tallest fellows, and remember it is very dark,” said Dyre.
The troll shrank himself to a small size and when he was the size of a dwarf, sat at the other side of the boat. This make Dyre angry, and he was going to change his mind about taking the troll. “Show me what kind of a troll you are.” But the troll did not show any inclination to do what Dyre requested. The troll only muttered “No, stop now, try to get a grip.” “It is ok, it is dark now,” Dyre said.
The troll got in a better mood and smiled, and by the end of the journey he told Dyre “I will put a mark in your boat so you can recognize my presence (and measure my size). When the daylight comes, look under your sweater, and take what you find for your service, that is your ferryman pay.” “Because it is still dark,” Dyre said.
It was a mitten made of wool that was found under Dyre’s sweater. One could fill the mitten with eight pounds before it was full, and Dyre measured it often. The word came out Dyre was the man who could stand up to the trolls and mountain monsters as Thor once did.
“Preferably when it is dark,” thought Dyre.
Mandt connection?
Now, some of you may be thinking that I have some nerve trying to claim a Mandt connection to the famous troll hunter, Dyre Vå. I must confess, that as much as I would like to, I cannot say that the Dyre (ca 1585-1682) had any connection to our Mandts. Dyre Bjørgulvsson Vå lived long before our Michel Lauritzen Mandt came into Telemark fashioning and selling his silver pieces. It was several generations later that a descendant of old Dyre married a descendant of Michel, and the connection begins at that point, in about 1888. Besides the Troll story above, there are other feats of bravery that Dyre was credited with, although some feats are also credited to other characters of the time or slightly later. It was said that Dyre shot or captured a golden buck. Also, that Dyre executed amazing skiing manuavers on those long, cross-country skis, and that he was exceedingly strong.