Family Quote by Ursula Vernon
““Trolls have a longstanding animosity for goats--"Who's that trip-tapping across my bridge!?"--and this led me to think that perhaps trolls are related to goats, since it seems a lot more plausible to me that your relatives would make you insane than some random hooved mammal, however ecologically destructive it might be. What if trolls evolved from goats? Or, no, better yet, what if goats evolved from trolls? Or were domesticated from trolls by human shepherds? And the trolls despise their domesticated cousins as a disgrace to the once-proud troll race, (much as I assume wolves would despise Chihuahuas if they ever gave them much thought) and eat them at every opportunity.””
About This Quote
The passage humorously speculates about a mythical rivalry between trolls and goats, using absurdity to explore how we create narratives to explain unknown origins.
In simple terms: A funny imagined conflict between trolls and goats.
Key Takeaway
Embrace imagination to question assumptions.
Themes
humor
myth
creativity
identity
conflict
Mood
playful
curious
ironic
Type
anecdotal
satirical
speculative
When to use this quote
- storytelling
- creative writing
- fantasy worldbuilding
- academic discussion of myth
- social commentary
Key Concepts
folklore
anthropomorphism
evolutionary metaphor
Questions to Reflect On
- What does this absurd rivalry reveal about how we assign meaning?
- How can humor help us examine our own biases?
A Different Perspective
The joke may obscure serious discussion about cultural myths.
![“The thing I am most interested in is power relations - it is so easy in a relationship like that [of an artist and a gallery manager], to imagine that the other person is living a perfect life.” quote by Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7d7/miranda-july-1600_artist_the-thing-i-am-most-interested-in-is-pow_70745.jpg)
![“If I do manage to come up with a scheme [to naming], however, I stick to it, which is why my cats are named after gods-Loki and Athena, who are, respectively, absolutely straightforward and affectionate, and dumber than dirt. I learned my lesson. I will name my next cat 'Satan' or 'Marduk' or…” quote by Ursula Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/85d/ursula-vernon-21101_affectionate_if-i-do-manage-to-come-up-with-a-scheme_100482.jpg)
