Later in Scandinavian folklore, trolls become defined as a particular type of being.

[7] Numerous
tales are recorded about trolls in which they are frequently described as being extremely old,
very strong, but slow and dim-witted, and are at times described as man-eaters and as turning to
stone upon contact with sunlight.[8] However, trolls are also attested as looking much the same as
human beings, without any particularly hideous appearance about them, but living far away from
human habitation and generally having "some form of social organization" — unlike
the rå and näck, who are attested as "solitary beings". According to John Lindow, what sets them
apart is that they are not Christian, and those who encounter them do not know them. Therefore,
trolls were in the end dangerous, regardless of how well they might get along with Christian
society, and trolls display a habit of bergtagning ('kidnapping'; literally "mountain-taking") and
overrunning a farm or estate.[9]
Lindow states that the etymology of the word "troll" remains uncertain, though he defines trolls in
later Swedish folklore as "nature beings" and as "all-purpose otherworldly being[s], equivalent,
for example, to fairies in Anglo-Celtic traditions". They "therefore appear in various migratory
legends where collective nature-beings are called for". Lindow notes that trolls are sometimes
swapped out for cats and "little people" in the folklore record.[9]
A Scandinavian folk belief that lightning frightens away trolls and jötnar appears in numerous
Scandinavian folktales, and may be a late reflection of the god Thor's role in fighting such beings.
In connection, the lack of trolls and jötnar in modern Scandinavia is sometimes explained as a
result of the "accuracy and efficiency of the lightning strokes".[10] Additionally, the absence of trolls
in regions of Scandinavia are described in folklore as being a "consequence of the constant din
of the church-bells". This ring caused the trolls to leave for other lands, although not without
some resistance; numerous traditions relate how trolls destroyed a church under construction or
hurled boulders and stones at completed churches. Large local stones are sometimes described
as the product of a troll's toss.[11] Additionally, into the 20th century, the origins of particular
Scandinavian landmarks, such as particular stones, are ascribed to trolls who may, for example,
have turned to stone upon exposure to sunlight.[8]