Hidden in the wilderness and forests around the world are trolls! I AM SERIOUS!
These giant Scandinavian trolls are huge (between 13 and 60 feet tall and up to 50 feet long) and although they look a tad intimidating, they’re actually whimsical, mostly peaceful and definitely fun.
Thomas Dambo, a Danish artist based in Copenhagen, Denmark, builds giant wooden trolls all around the world and hides them in the wilderness and forests.
He builds all of these enormous sculptures using local recycled material – what most people consider trash – and transforms it into something wonderful and magical. He hopes to lure people away from their computer screens and into the wild to reconnect with nature. Not a bad thing, in my opinion.
Here in Kentucky, we’re fortunate enough to have 3 Trolls right up the road in Bernheim Forest and we visit our “FOREST GIANTS IN A GIANT FOREST” often. We’ve even taken most of our visiting friends to meet them. It’s still a wonderful surprise when we’re walking around the lake and see Little Elina appear in the distance.
Since Bernheim is right in the heart of Bourbon Country, it’s no surprise that Momma Loumari and her 2 children, Little Nis and Little Elina, are made of massive amounts of bourbon barrel staves. I have hundreds of photos, but decided to limit them to just these.
The Dambo trolls range in age from small children to wizened old men. Each troll has a unique personality and a story. They are made to be interactive – there are places to climb and sit – and I’ve overheard many children conversing with a troll during a visit.
You can hunt for Dambo’s trolls all over the world, from Denmark to Germany, from Australia to South Korea and from China to America!
Sadly, there are a few trolls that you can no longer visit.
OLAV THE WOLF
Olav the Wolf was a sculpture built for a rock festival (Copenhell) in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2015. Following festival tradition, Olav was set on fire at the end of the festival and is now “back in hell to feed from the souls of the damned.”
HECTOR EL PROTECTOR
In Culebra, Puerto Rico, Hector El Protector would throw rocks at anyone that wanted to hurt the island. He was destroyed by a hurricane. The locals missed their protector and asked Thomas Dambo to rebuild him.
In 2019, Dambo created a more peaceful version, The Return of Hector El Protector. The new protector holds out a lantern to show any future hurricane how beautiful the island is. The hurricane can then move on without destroying the island.
SIMON SELFMADE
Simon Selfmade was temporarily built in the small town of Tilst, outside of Aarhus, Denmark. It was intended to move Simon Selfmade to a new location so he was not attached to the ground. Before Simon could finish making his left foot, he was also destroyed by a hurricane.
The community was so saddened by his disappearance, that a 14 year old girl, Anine, took it upon herself to raise enough money to cover all of the expenses of his resurrection. She succeeded in only 4 days. Being a creative artist, Dambo didn’t want to duplicate Simon exactly so he changed the sculpture. When he rebuilt Simon, he added a friend, Anine.
ISAK HEARSTONE
Isak Heartstone was made for Breckenridge Creative Arts Festival “BreckCreate“. He got his name after three little girls came by and gave Isak a stone heart. Thomas Dambo put the heart in the sculpture.
Isak was so popular, that on some days he would have more than 3.000 visitors. This made some neighbors angry, and unfortunately, Isak was taken down. He is now looking for a new home in Breckenridge, and will hopefully return soon.
“THE TROLL HUNT” TROLLS
Then there are the 6 Trolls of “The Troll Hunt”. Built in the Morton Arboretum in Lisles, Illinois (just outside of Chicago), the 6 wonderful trolls were deliberately taken down by the museum despite the fact that Morton had its 2 best attendance years in it’s 100 year history while the trolls were there. The trolls were dismantled and removed in February 2021. It’s so sad (and angering!) that we’ll never get to visit Furry Emma, Joe the Guardian, Little Arturs, Niels Bragger, Rocky Bardur or Sneaky Socks Alexa, these wonderful protectors of nature.
In Troll Hunt, the trolls had gotten tired of the humans continuous pollution and destruction of their beloved nature. They decided to take matters into their own hands and catch the little beings to teach them a lesson.
There’s still many trolls waiting for a visit. I have combed the internet and tried to present the remaining Dambo trolls (and a few other installations) for your viewing pleasure. I hope you enjoy it. Hopefully, more trolls will be springing up around the world soon. May the forest be with you!
Most of this information came from the Thomas Dambo website. You can follow Thomas Dambo and his trolls (and other installations) at https://thomasdambo.com
MORE TROLLS, SCULPTURES AND INSTALLATIONS:
BELGIUM
“THE 7 TROLLS AND THE MAGICAL TOWER” are in De Schorre, Boom, Belgium
“They were seven good friends both together and alone
by the river in the valley in the forest they had home
they had seen the sun set and rise a million times
the seven trolls stood as tall as the pines”
DENMARK
“THE 6 FORGOTTEN GIANTS” can be remembered near Coppenhagen, Denmark in the western municipalities of Copenhagen: Rødovre, Hvidovre, Vallensbæk, Ishøj, Albertslund and Høje Taastrup.
“FEEL HORSENS” (Troels the Troll and his 2 children, Laura and Julian) are ready to play with you in, of course, Horsens, Denmark
MR. AND MRS. SCRAPWOOD AND LIMBOLAND
Mr. and Mrs. Scrapwood were two troll sculptures built to form an entrance to the Danish music festival “Smukfest” (Beauty Fest). By pushing a button inside Mrs. Scrapwood, limbo music would start to play and the trolls would lower their hands to perform a cheer, forcing people to limbo through the entrance.
“DEN KÆMPESTORE TROLDEFOLKEFEST!” (THE GIANT TROLL FOLK FEST!) features 10 sculptures all over Denmark
When travel was restricted in 2019-2020, Dambo’s projects around the world were canceled. His brilliant solution was to create a nationwide treasure hunt for trolls! Volunteers provided materials, time, labour and support. They succeeded in transforming a dark time into a magical one.
If you’re driving all over Denmark to see “DEN KÆMPESTORE TROLDEFOLKEFEST!” you should also include these wonderful creatures in your plans.
BIG BOSS BERTEL was made as a part of “Rising Architecture Week” in Copenhagen in 2015. Through the week, visitors of the conference would burn tattoos into wooden boards to be used in building the troll in the Ørestaden area in Copenhagen. Inside the sculpture there’s a stairway. You can go up the stairs and see the view over Ørestaden through his hat.
“Fred” means peace in Danish and Frederikke was made after the terrorist attacks in Paris and Copenhagen in 2015. Frederikke is a peace bringing woman who breaks guns, hoping to bring an end to all the shootings and violent acts caused by political and religious conflicts around the world.
CHINA
“IT SOUNDED LIKE A MOUNTAIN FELL” in Wulong, China
GERMANY
In Hamburg, Germany, “ANNA OF GREEN” represents a goddess of nature. Her body is within Mother Earth, and only her head is above ground. Her hair is a seven meter tall tree.
KOREA
“THE MOUNTAIN TROLLS” are in Pyeonggang, South Korea
PUERTO RICO
“WILSON’S CAR” was last seen in San Juan, Puerto Rico
AUSTRALIA
In Gold Coast, Australia, you might run into Rob the Snake, Steve the Shark and Kangaroo Kat.
USA – WYOMING
MAMA MIMI (Dambo’s 80thinstallation) can be found at Rendezvous Park in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. They even published tips to “Troll like a Local“. Maybe they would adopt Isak Heartstone?
USA – FLORIDA
“TERJE, BERTA AND THE BANYAN TREE” – Terje and Berta are lost and looking for their mother. They can be found at South Florida’s premier Cultural Arts Park in Pinecrest Gardens, Miami, Florida
The giant sculpture “JOEN AND THE GIANT BEETLE literally just appeared one morning during Miami Art Week on the corner of 5th Street in Wynwood, Miami.
You may find these friendly fellows during the Halloween music festival “Hullaween” in Suwannee Music Park near Live Oak, Florida.
USA – MAINE
The “GUARDIANS OF THE SEED” are at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine.
USA – OHIO
“The Troll That Hatched an Egg” is in Dayton, Ohio.
USA – TENNESSEE
“LEO THE ENLIGHTENED” peacefully looks out over the Smoky Mountains.
“They call me a troll, moon of the earth,
wealth sucker of the giant,
destroyer of the storm-sun,
beloved follower of the seeress,
guardian of the fjord,
swallower of the wheel of heaven.
What’s a troll if not that?”
Old norse corpus translation by john lindow