A first critical account dates from 1750, by . Corylander points out that not only is the legend clearly fictional, but that it's also improbable that the statues in the cathedral would actually be intended as an illustration of the legend. The construction of the cathedral is in fact well documented, he argued, and both the first architect and the kings who supported its construction are well known. "However superstition has been carried so far, that Saint Lawrence, who lived far more than 800 years before the construction of our cathedral and who could not even have dreamed of Scania, still has had to take the responsibility for its foundation, and an equally innocent troll for its construction", he is quoted by .