Swedish Song - "Herr Mannelig" [English Subtitles] REACTION

[@megatwingo]

Thank you for reacting to my recommendation. Thumbs up! :) I'm not a specialist in Swedish culture, but as far as I know the catch of the song is, that the female troll is lying. In reality she offers nothing but some spiders webs and reflections on the water. Her plight as a troll is, that she turns to stone when the sun starts shining and so she has to remain a creature of the night and the marriage to the man would have gotten her rid of that curse. But maybe a Swedish user can tell you more about that. I will send you another recommendation via email. I hope you will find time to react to it. Greetings Mega

[@CeadDiscoversEurope]

@@megatwingo the song looks like it has so many interpretations. Thanks for your comment.

[@megatwingo]

@@CeadDiscoversEurope Yes...and there are umpteenth versions of it. Many different folk and metal versions and many videos for the background.

[@amnofish]

I'm swedish and I haven't checked up any interpretations of it so can only go from what I have picked up on what it's about since I was an ankle biter. "Troll" back in the day wasn't just what we today call a troll, it comes from the word "Trolldom" which basically means "magic". Magic is frowned upon by christians as it's considered something only god should be doing. The song ends with Herr Mannelig saying that he doesn't trust her because she's not Christian and call her "the worst mountain troll with Näcken and the devil's voice." (Näcken's a being that lures people to a water sourse with music and/or beautiful singing and then drowns them) (and the devil obviously a liar). So to summarise, He's Christian and she's pagan and therefore he does not trust her as he thinks she's trying to lure him away from God with gifts (whether the gifts exists or not). The curse she's speaking of I'm not sure, I've never made a good idea but I would assume that the curse is simply that she can't find a man in a land that has transitioned away from the Aesir to the Christian god.

[@megatwingo]

@@amnofish Thanks for the interesting reply. A song with many meanings, as it seems.

[@CeadDiscoversEurope]

@ I love this interpretation , thank you❤️❤️

[@derGhebbet]

Her plight btw. is having no soul. It was believed back when that creatures of myth and legend would gain an immortal soul after marrying a christian.