Tracking Trolls (and Underjordiske) from Norway to the New World

media release: As part of an ongoing 2024 celebration of Mount Horeb’s most mysterious and (in)famous residents—including the May debut of the all-new, always free Troll Museum, the Driftless Historium is proud to host internationally recognized folklorist (and Village native!) Jim Leary. On Monday, July 08, 2024 at 6:00 p.m., Dr. Leary will present “Tracking Trolls (and Underjordiske) from Norway to the New World.”

Ever wonder why our small town is known as the *trademarked* Troll Capital of the World? Nordic immigrants arrived with stories and beliefs aplenty about trolls and underjordiske (underground/hidden creatures). While most considered these supernatural creatures permanently confined to the forests, fjords and mountains of Scandinavia, others imagined their evolving New World presence. Join Dr. Leary for a multi-media presentation tracking troll legendry from Norway to southwestern Wisconsin, including segments featuring Mount Horeb from a 2006 Norwegian television documentary, “Ja, de elsker.”

Dr. Jim Leary is emeritus professor of Folklore and Scandinavian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he co-founded the Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures. His books include Wisconsin Folklore and So Ole Says to Lena: Folk Humor of the Upper Midwest (which features local Norwegian champion Oljanna Cunneen). Born and raised in Rice Like, Leary called Mount Horeb home since 1988.

This free event is supported in part by a Wisconsin Humanities grant. 

The Mount Horeb Area Historical Society operates the Driftless Historium Museum and Research Center. The Society was founded in 1975 to collect, preserve and share the history and heritage of Southwestern Dane County. The Troll Museum exhibit, mentioned above, is open to all during the Driftless Historium’s regular business hours of Friday through Tuesday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For more information call 608-437-6486 or email mthorebahs@gmail.com.