The Fremont Troll

Hulking beneath the Aurora Bridge, in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, squats the Fremont Troll and his small snack, a VW bug, which he snagged before being turned to stone. Historically, trolls are part of Scandinavian folklore. They were found either as dwarfs or giants and lived in caves by the sea, in the forest or under bridges, like this one. Most trolls used to dwell in dark places because they cannot tolerate sunlight. They are usually grey or green in color, and sometimes scaly. Trolls are described as having monstrously ugly faces and enormous noses. This Troll was created by a team, calling themselves the Jersey Devils and were led by sculptor Steve Badanes. It was commissioned and created in 1989. Taggers from time-to-time paint the Troll, but it is soon cleaned up again. This particular tagging is actually somewhat artistic. Carl toured us by the Troll on our visit to Seattle last month.