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The Globeflower (Trollius europaeus)

Once upon a time there was a poor shepherd, living with his daughter in a small hut in Schleusingen. They only had enough money to survive but they were comfortable with it. The girl had such a pure heart; she couldn’t see anybody crying without being sad herself. She just wanted everybody to be happy and wherever she was able to help, she did so. If there was a poor mother along the path, taking wood from the forest, the girl carried it for her. If a child injured himself while looking for berries, the girl would take care of him. And if a farmer’s wife wanted to drive into the city, the girl looked after her family in the meantime. In the evening the girl always watched the rise of the moon with her father.

One day she went into the woods to pick mushrooms and since she was diligent, her basket filled quickly. To rest she sat down on a stump of a tree. She was astonished when the stump started whispering, ‘Run away, if the troll finds you you’ll be doomed!’ The girl kneeled down next to the stump and asked, ‘Who’s the troll?’ ‘Oh, he’s a small and frightening fellow, be careful, he has been looking for you for the last few days.’ ‘Is he unhappy?’ the girl asked. ‘I do think so, he often sat here moaning.’ ‘Then I want to help him’, said the girl while sitting down again, ’nothing will happen to me.’She didn’t have to wait long until the troll appeared. He was nasty and short with a long beard and had keen black eyes. When he saw the girl he laughed while jumping to grab her.  But she just looked him in the eyes, so he stood there in silence with his hands slowly dropping.

He was an unsteady forest spirit that always had to roam the forest.  While being scared of every hardly discernible rustle he still had to fright every human and animal in the wood. He had already seen the girl from afar and wanted to steal her. But when he stood there he lost his boldness to do so. Instead he collapsed in the grass. The girl asked, ‘What are you up to?’ He groaned and said, ‘Please, just go away as fast as you can. I wanted to kill you but I’m not able to do so now.  Just go or you’ll kill me.’ She answered that she didn’t wanted to kill him but help him instead, but she needed to know what was bearing him down.

It took a long time until the troll spoke again but then he said, ‘Listen, once upon a time I was a young, handsome and boisterous guy. Without being bad I still was lazy and I enjoyed teasing others. I saw up the drawbar of a farmer, stole the flock of a shepherd, took the clothes of a bathing girl and killed the last chicken of an old woman who then died because of her heartache. On the day of her death I became a troll. Since then I was up to no good without particularly wanting to cause harm but I have to do this. I feel bad about it but I don’t know how to change it.’