Trolling Christianity
by Michael Cook, MercatorNet:
Today is the twelfth day of Christmas, so it’s my last chance before taking down the decorations to reflect upon what The Guardian drummed up for the holiday season.
One of its most distinguished columnists, Polly Toynbee, who is also a vice-president of Humanists UK, contrasted the joy of the festive season with the “loathsome” barbarity of Christian beliefs. She is especially shirty with Christian members of Parliament who oppose assisted suicide. “Christmas comes with good cheer, enjoy it,” she concludes. “But know that it comes with religious baggage we should shed.”
I was thinking of Ms Toynbee as I watched Troll, a Norwegian monster movie released in December on Netflix. Norwegian monster movies are not a well populated genre, so Troll, directed by Roar Uthaug, is well worth watching. (It scores 89% on Rotten Tomatoes.)
Here’s the skinny.
Environmental activists inadvertently awaken a sleeping troll in the remote Dovre mountains. The Prime Minister and her advisors are understandably reluctant to believe in this fairy tale creature. But the troll – which is incredibly ugly, made of rock and 50 metres tall – stomps on towards Oslo creating havoc everywhere. However, Nora Tidemann, a clever young paleontologist, remembers folklore that says that trolls are killed by sunlight. She manages to keep it busy until sunrise – and the troll is toast.
Whether or not the producers of this absurd and hugely enjoyable film intended it, the figure of the sleeping troll is clearly a symbol of the pre-Christian paganism that Ms Toynbee is so nostalgic for.
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