Danish Wooden Trolls on a Pacific Northwest Trek: The Troll King's Forest

Artist Thomas Dambo has strewn over one wooden troll across the Pacific Northwest. These are not simple Nordic trolls, but rather the personal work of Mr. Dambo who's been chiseling such creatures from recycled materials for some years. The tourist boards refer to them as the Northwest Trolls: The Path of the Bird King. Over five cities - Bainbridge Island, Vashon Island, Portland, Seattle, and Issaquah (not Issaquah, Washington) - six trolls have been placed.

Ole Bolle is the Portland troll. The project, sponsored by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and managed by the Seattle-based Scan Design Foundation, seeks to influence two states without appearing a tourist gimmick. However, their names suggest a feud among the trolls: from Pia the Peacekeeper in Bainbridge Island to Oscar the Bird King in Vashon Island, then to Bruun Idun in Seattle's Lincoln Park. To an online historian, this map signifies rivalry among the trolls: Oscar seems to control the birds, while Bruun Idun investigates the bird king. Each troll stands around four meters high, designed to endure forty years in the local landscape.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata