were thought to guard great treasures, which glowed brightly at night.8 This stereotype was most famously adapted by J. K. Rowling in the Harry Potter series, where specially-trained Security Trolls guard key places and objects in the wizzarding world.9
Trolls’ protective powers make them comparable to tomtes — another class of creatures from Scandinavian folklore. Like trolls, tomtes were skilled in magic and tool making. They could be kind and helpful, but also malicious and ornery. And they lived for centuries, making loyal guardians. Tomtes, however, are associated exclusively with hearth and home. Every family in Scandinavia was supposed to have a tomte on its farm, and was obliged to repay the tomte’s loyalty by leaving porridge in the barn to feed him.10
TROLLS & BRIDGES
Trolls typically are associated with bridges rather than barns. But where does this association come from? One explanation is that trolls must live under bridges because they are too big to fit anywhere else.11 Another explanation holds that bridges appeal to trolls because they provide shade from the perilous sunlight. In regions where trolls were thought to be amphibious, perhaps it was natural to imagine that they patrolled key river crossings. This image of the bridge-dwelling river troll in particular was popularized by the Rowling books.12
The most authoritative source on the symbiosis between trolls and bridges comes from the tale of Detrebukkene Bruse or “The Three Billy Goats Gruff.” This story, which appeared in the very first anthology of Norwegian folklore, was first translated into English in 1859.13 Since then, the bridge-and-troll saga has become an international classic, having been re-written and re-told in hundreds of storybooks.
There are also numerous real-life examples of bridge-dwelling trolls. The Bay Bridge troll is foremost among these. Standing 18-inches tall, the troll has large horns, carries a spud wrench, and is made of steel. The statue, designed by local blacksmith Bill Roan, was affixed to the upper deck of the old bridge by a team of ironworkers who helped repair the East Span after the Loma Prieta earthquake.14
The Bay Bridge troll appeared in secret, without Caltrans’ approval. But an article in the San Francisco Chronicle brought him to public attention in early 1990. Since then, the troll has garnered considerable local popularity. He has been featured in the New York Times, and even has his own Facebook page.15
8 Rose, 316.
9 J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (New York: Scholastic, 1999).
10 Carol Rose, “Tomar,” Spirits, Fairies, Gnomes and Goblins, 1996, 316.
11 Lunge-Larsen, 17.
12J. K. Rowling, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (New York: Scholastic, 2001).
13 "Three Billy Goats Gruff," The Oxford Encyclopedia of Children’s Literature, Oxford University Press, 2006, Answers.com 14 Aug. 2013.
14 "Bay Bridge History Timeline," BayBridgeInfo.org, Bay Bridge Public Information Office, 17 Aug. 2013.
15 Shoshana Walter, "A Small Iron Squatter Who's Soon to Be Evicted," New York Times 2 Sept. 2011: A19A.
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