The Story Behind the Name

I am descended from an old Swedish family named Trolle, its lineage dating back to the 14th century. The Trolle family has a coat of arms that displays a headless troll. The story goes that one Christmas morning, a knight named Herved set out from his farm in Ed, Västra Götaland County, riding south towards a church in Våxtorp on the western coast. When he reached the northern end of Lake Flåren, his way was blocked: a bridal party had gathered across the narrow road.

At the bridge, the bride herself stepped forward and offered Herved a drink from a gilded horn. But Herved, hawk-eyed, noticed something strange - a tail flicking out from beneath her gown. Realizing the ruse, he accepted the horn with his left hand, tossed the drink over his shoulder, and with his right hand drew his sword. In one stroke, he cut off the bride’s head. She was no bride at all, but a troll in disguise.

The other trolls, terrified by what they’d seen, fled into the mountain nearby, which became known as Trolleklippa (troll cliff). Herved continued on to the church, where he placed the horn on the altar.

On his way home, he crossed the bridge again. The trolls were all gone, except the headless body left in the road. From that day forward, Herved’s family bore the name Trolle, and their coat of arms showed the slain troll.