Take cue from Scandinavia and make a troll
Give your troll the personality you prefer by making his features scary, funny or happy.
YOU'VE PROBABLY heard the story about the three billy goats who crossed a bridge by outwitting a hapless troll, but other than that fairy tale, you probably haven't thought much about trolls. Most people in the United States don't believe trolls live in our country, but in Scandinavia, it's a different matter.
Trolls are the subject of much folklore and legend far to the north, in the windswept mountain regions of Norway. When the Nordic people first settled the country, they began to believe it was already populated by creatures with supernatural powers. They mostly saw the strange creatures on moonlit or stormy nights, and soon began to call them trolls.
Trolls had very distinct and strange features. It is said they had long, crooked noses, four fingers and toes on each limb, and many had long bushy tails. Some trolls were giants, while others were quite small. It wasn't uncommon for people to claim they saw two- and three-headed trolls with only one eye in the center of their wrinkled heads.
Soon folks realized that the shaggy-haired, scary-looking trolls were good-natured even if they weren't very smart. Today, it's still considered a good idea to stay on good terms with trolls because you never know when you might meet one yourself.
Make your own troll with some craft supplies and leftover bits of fabric or felt. Give your troll the personality you prefer by making his features scary, funny or happy.
Supplies you will need
* 2 craft corks
* Glue
* Felt, fabric or crepe paper
* Yarn or ribbon
* Fake fur
* Wiggle eyes
* Pompoms
* Foam sheets
How to make it
Begin by gluing the widest ends of the corks together.
Cut a piece of the fabric or felt into a rectangle wide and long enough to cover the bottom cork. Wrap the fabric around the bottom cork, overlapping in the back. Glue in place. Tie a ribbon or a piece of yarn around the cork for a belt.
Cut a small piece of fake fur and glue to the top of one cork for hair. Glue on facial features using wiggle eyes, a pompom nose and a mustache cut from a foam sheet. Add a hat, if you'd like.
Shape arms and feet from a foam sheet and glue to the sides and bottom of the corks.