Troll cross

In Sweden (and potentially Norway),[1] a troll cross (Norwegian & Swedish: trollkors) is an old superstitious protection sigil to ward off evil, malevolent supernatural powers and creatures, etc, from entering households to harm people or their belongings.

It consists of a cross carved into or by other means decorated onto an object, sometimes featuring further magical ornamentation, such as being flanked by two giant horns.

If the name is old, it could stem from the older sense of troll, meaning something akin to "supernatural malevolent creature", which was used to describe anything fitting the description, including giants, ghosts and devils.

[2] They belong to an old superstitious belief system and folklore, common in rural parts of the country before modern times.

While it does bear some resemblance to the othala rune ᛟ found in Elder and Anglo-Saxon futhark, it is more likely that Erlands mistook a house mark for a protective symbol.