Neil Gaiman ga for et par år siden ut en gjendikta versjon av norrøn mytologi, og han er ellers kjent for sin entusiasme for mytologi og folketro. Det er trolig derfor han ble bedt om å skrive forord til en ny engelsk oversettelse av Asbjørnsen og Moe sine folkeeventyr. I innledninga bruker han en del tid på lovord om både Norge og den nye oversettelsen, og han forklarer hva det er med disse eventyra som tiltrekker ham:
There are a great many sensible people in these stories. Quests are undertaken, disguises adopted, treasures returned with, royalty wed, yes. But there’s an ease and a community I love, as well as a way with stories. People seem—many of them—to want to help, and experiencing how information is doled out is a pleasure.
Ikke overraskende har han også noen tanker om Kittelsen:
Kittelsen was more than an illustrator or a folk artist, but he was not as well known as Arthur Rackham or John Bauer. His trolls made sense: they were as much a part of the world as the trees and the hills. His drawings and paintings felt as though they had paused in their travels for Kittelsen to create their portraits.
Les hele Neil Gaiman on the good kind of trolls på LitHub