For a dissertation work on trolls from the island of Bornholm, the Council for Independent Research of Denmark allocated 2.5 million kronor (about 428 thousand dollars). Grant recipient Kofed Romer plans to study the links between folklore and the real inhabitants of the island's underworld. This was reported by the local English-language edition The Local.
In addition to Romer, eight more future candidates of science received funding under the latest decision of the Council. Council leader Peter Munk Christiansen declined to comment on specific work funded by the organization, but said the council has extremely flexible criteria for the usefulness of the study.
Photo: dr.dk
“We believe that humanitarian research should be funded on an equal footing with other scientific areas, and we support this area more than even social sciences. We declare pluralism and a wide thematic coverage - and therefore we allocate funds not only for what is currently in the greatest demand,”Christiansen said in an interview with Politiken.
Most of all, Romer is interested in the story of Krolle Bolle - the main troll of Bornholm, the hero of the book by local writer Ludwig Mahler, created in 1946. Krolle Bolle lives with his family on the top of Mount Langeberg, descending from there every night in search of adventure.
The Krolle Bolle family in the form of souvenir figurines
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Romer is going to study the traces and manifestations of troll activities on the island. “It could be these creatures themselves … and special places in nature with a unique aura,” said the graduate student.
Previously, Romer studied ghost imagery in Danish folklore and the connection between ghosts and death for several years.
The budget of the Council for Independent Research, which is part of the Danish Ministry of Education and Research, is 1.2 billion kroons, of which 22.5 million is allocated for dissertation projects outside the university system (like Romer's research).