Hilda and the Mountain King (2021) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Hilda was transformed into a troll through a changeling spell, likely cast when she was a baby, making her believe Trylla was her real mother. The spell cannot be reversed through magic, Hilda remains a troll until the end of the story. However, when Baba (another changeling child) is reunited with her troll family, the spell breaks in reverse: Baba becomes a troll while Hilda regains her human form.

Foreshadowing: Johanna discovers Baba in Hilda's absence and deduces the changeling spell with Tontu's help, establishing early that changelings can be swapped back.

• changeling spell
• hilda transformed
• hilda troll
• trylla
• baba changeling

Trundle is a giant troll who was imprisoned in a bell-covered cave, blinded by the bells that bound him. He reveals himself as the Mountain King when Hilda retrieves his eye, the red orb, and his sight is restored. The Mountain King is the legendary troll leader who once led attacks against Trolberg but was defeated and hidden away.

Foreshadowing: Trylla shows Hilda the ruins of the Mountain King's castle early in the story, establishing the legend before the reveal.

• trundle
• mountain king
• blinded troll
• giant troll
• cave bells

The red orb is actually Trundle's eye, which was removed and hidden in the Mountain King's castle ruins. When Hilda touches it during her final task, she experiences a vision of a massive troll mother attacking Trolberg, warning her of the catastrophic consequences to come. The orb's retrieval is what enables Trundle to see and assume his role as Mountain King.

Foreshadowing: The distress signal Hilda hears throughout the story hints at the trolls' connection to something beneath Trolberg, foreshadowing the mother troll reveal.

• red orb
• trundle eye
• mountain king castle
• vision
• hilda vision

Amma is an ancient troll matriarch who has slept beneath Trolberg for centuries to avoid causing disruptions for humans above. If the Safety Patrol attacks the trolls aggressively, she will awaken and retaliate, destroying the city. Hilda recalls the Mountain King's warning about this sleeping mother, which is why she convinces Ahlberg to stand down.

Foreshadowing: Trundle's vision and Hilda's experience when touching the orb both depict a giant creature attacking the city, foreshadowing Amma's role.

• amma
• mother troll
• sleeping troll
• beneath trolberg
• safety patrol attack

The belltowers surrounding the Stone Forest emit sounds that are unbearable to trolls, preventing Hilda from leaving during daylight hours. Trolls can only move safely at night when the bells become harmless. This is why Hilda is trapped in the Stone Forest until she learns to navigate around them with Trundle's help.

Foreshadowing: Hilda is petrified by sunlight early on, establishing the trolls' vulnerability to light and sound-based threats.

• belltowers
• trolberg
• troll sunlight
• stone forest
• hilda trapped

The distress signal is a sound that calls trolls toward Trolberg, growing stronger throughout the story. It originates from Amma, the mother troll beneath the city, who has been trying to reconnect with the trolls for centuries. The signal intensifies as the trolls draw closer to Trolberg, ultimately allowing them to hear her voice.

Foreshadowing: Hilda hears the signal while hiding in the Stone Forest, and it grows louder as the story progresses toward the climactic invasion.

• distress signal
• troll hearing
• trolls call
• amma voice
• stone forest

Hilda regains her human form through a reversal of the changeling spell. When Trylla is reunited with Baba (who was taken by the Safety Patrol earlier), the magic that binds the changelings reverses, Baba becomes a troll while Hilda transforms back into a human. This happens when Hilda and Johanna present Trundle's eye to his lair.

Foreshadowing: The changeling spell was established as permanent earlier, making this reversal a surprising but logically consistent payoff.

• hilda human
• hilda transformed
• changeling reversal
• baba troll
• trylla reunion

Night of the Trolls is an annual celebration created by Gerda, the new Safety Patrol leader, where trolls are permitted to enter Trolberg. This tradition allows trolls to reconnect with Amma beneath the city and bridges the gap between humans and trolls. It represents the resolution to the conflict and a new era of coexistence.

Foreshadowing: The trolls sprout vegetation after hearing Amma's voice, symbolizing new life and connection that the celebration institutionalizes.

• night of trolls
• trolberg celebration
• trolls humans
• gerda safety patrol
• peace treaty

Trundle attacks Trolberg because, as the Mountain King, he believes trolls must reclaim their place in the world after centuries of separation from Amma. His blindness kept him imprisoned and disconnected, but now that he can see, he rallies the trolls to march on the city. However, Hilda's intervention prevents full-scale warfare by showing Ahlberg the vision of destruction.

Foreshadowing: Trundle's mention of the distress signal and his urgency to leave the cave hint at his leadership role among the trolls.

• trundle attack
• troll invasion
• mountain king rally
• trolberg battle
• safety patrol

Frida attempts a body swap spell to help Hilda but fails because Kaisa warns her it's too risky and the spell requires specific conditions that aren't met. Frida's magical connection to trolls (established in season 2 with the Kraken's mother) allows her to communicate mentally with them later, but the direct body swap approach doesn't work.

Foreshadowing: Frida's past experience connecting with the Kraken's mother establishes her unique ability to communicate with trolls magically.

• frida spell
• body swap
• kaisa warning
• magic fails
• frida troll communication