Setting: A cozy kitchen in Trondheim. It’s a chilly evening and the two friends are sitting at the table sipping coffee and eating cinnamon buns.
Ingrid: (placing a tiny iron nail on the windowsill) There we go. That should keep the trolls out tonight.
Lars: (chuckles) Ingrid, you do realize we’re not living in a fairy tale, right? The only trolls I’ve seen lately are on Facebook comment sections.
Ingrid: [laughing] You say that now, but remember what happened to Anne’s baby last year? She swore the child’s cry changed overnight. No iron cross in the cradle. Just saying.
Lars: That’s probably more to do with teething than trolls. Or maybe the baby just had gas. Honestly, Ingrid, babies do weird things. They don’t need to be swapped by supernatural beings to confuse their parents.
Ingrid: You don’t know what it’s like though. When I had Emil, my grandmother insisted we place a small steel scissor under the mattress. She said it kept the huldra from stealing him. And guess what? Nothing happened to him. He grew up just fine!
Lars: Or… maybe Emil grew up just fine because you fed him, clothed him, and raised him with love. I’m not saying tradition is bad — it’s charming, really — but correlation doesn’t mean causation. If I eat a waffle and the sun comes out, it doesn’t mean the waffle caused the weather.
Ingrid: But don’t you think there’s something comforting in these old beliefs? They’ve survived for centuries. Maybe not all of it is nonsense. Why else would people across the country, even in the north, still put iron under the cradle?
Lars: Tradition is powerful, sure. It gives people a sense of control, especially when they feel helpless — like new parents, for instance. But comfort and truth aren’t always the same thing. People used to believe in bloodletting to cure illness. Doesn’t mean we should bring back leeches.
Ingrid: I’m not saying we should throw out science. Of course not. I just think there are things out there we can’t explain yet. Maybe trolls are just a way to describe something we don’t have words for. Like… postpartum depression, or a colicky baby.
Lars: That’s actually a fair point. Old folklore can be metaphors for real issues. Maybe trolls swapping babies was just a way of saying, “My child suddenly seems different, and I don’t know why.” It’s a cry for help dressed up in a fairy tale.
Ingrid: Exactly. And if putting a cross or a little steel key in the cradle helps a mother sleep better at night, what’s the harm?
Lars: As long as it’s not replacing actual care or medical attention? No harm. But I worry when people stop seeking real solutions because they believe an iron cross is enough protection. Trolls are less dangerous than misinformation.
Ingrid: So we agree… a little superstition is okay, as long as it’s not your only line of defense?
Lars: I can live with that. Just promise me you won’t try to exorcise your dishwasher if it starts beeping weirdly.
Ingrid: [laughs] Only if it starts speaking in tongues.
Lars: Then I’ll come over with holy water and a wrench.
Ingrid: Deal. More coffee?
Lars: Only if you promise not to bless it first.
Ingrid: No promises.
(They laugh and clink their mugs together, the kitchen filled with the warm glow of folklore, friendship, and a healthy dose of skepticism.)
End Scene.
Science Vs Superstition 
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