An Interested Party Presents: For Whom the Troll Dwells

Editor’s Note: About a decade ago, we bought a floor lamp at a well-known San Francisco American Craft Shop, V. Breier. We were told that it was made by Bill Roan, the ironworker and creator of the troll referenced below. Our lamp incorporates a theme of Cerberus, the dog of Hades. It’s our favorite lamp for jigsaw puzzle sessions — currently a Giovanni Paolo Pannini painting of Picture Gallery with Views of Modern Rome. A new troll has been placed on the East Span Replacement bridge and the ‘old troll’ will find temporary residence at the Oakland Museum of California where we are members. Cerberus is safe in our Berkeley home and continues to shed light.

For Whom the Troll Dwells: A Legendary Case for Supplemental Safety Measures on the New San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge East Span 2013

Trolls are symbolically linked to the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge East Span Replacement Project in many ways. Renowned for their protective powers, longevity and superhuman strength, trolls represent a history and spirit that deserve to be both commemorated and continued.

Recommendations for the Troll Bridge Program; Oversight Committee, Project Management Team, Toll Bridge Seismic Retrofit Program*

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In the wake of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, just after repairs were completed on the failed section of the Bay Bridge East Span above Pier E-9, a troll appeared on the upper deck of the East Span. His arrival was a surprise, but the fabricated steel figure was soon accepted as part and parcel of the bridge. With the new Bay Bridge East Span scheduled to open in 2013, and the old span slated for demolition, the troll’s fate is unclear. Ideally, this long-serving guardian would be retired to a place of honor, and a new troll welcomed onto the new bridge. Such action would be consistent with a longstanding tradition that recognizes trolls for their superior strength, longevity and protective powers — all characteristics for which the new East Span of the San-Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge is designed as well.

HISTORY  &  SYMBOLISM of TROLLS

The first legends in which trolls appear were recorded over a millennium ago in medieval Scandinavia. They appeared frequently in the annals of Norse mythology, where the word “troll” was associated with magical enchanters.1 From these origins, trolls worked their way into the folklore of diverse regions. In Denmark they were imagined as hook-nosed humpbacks called “trolds,” while on the Shetland and Orkney Islands they became known as “trows.”2  Today, the mythology surrounding trolls is so vast that no one definition suffices. Instead, a few critical features bear mentioning.

Physically, trolls have been described as being any size or shape. Two consistent features are their great age and enormous strength.3 But perhaps the most important characteristic is their intolerance for light. Indeed, many tales recount how trolls turn to stone when exposed to the sun. As a result, trolls hid within the Nordic landscape. They were thought to live in caves and forests, beneath bridges, or underwater. If they were caught swimming or strolling at sunrise, they turned into massive rocks, which formed beautiful islands and mountains.4

The trolls of Norse mythology shaped the landscape in other ways, too. Trolls were known as master builders, and skilled craftsmen. Metalwork was their specialty.5 And indeed, many stories recount how trolls were hired to speed along special construction projects.6

Although there are tales about trolls and humans sharing and doing favors for each other, trolls generally are considered to be solitary and anti-social. This may explain why, in Norse mythology, trolls 7

1 Terence H. Wilbur, “Troll, An Etymological Note,” Scandinavian Studies, 30.3 (1958): 243-262.

2 Carol Rose, “Troll,” Spirits, Fairies, Gnomes and Goblins, 1996, 316.

3 Relmund Kvideland and Henning Sehmsdorf, Scandinavian Folk Belief and Legend (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 1998).

4 Lise Lunge-Larsen, The Troll with no Heart in his Body and Other Tales of Trolls from Norway (New York: Pantheon Books, 1999) 17.

5 Rose, 316.

6 Lone Thygesen Blecher and George Blecher, Swedish Folktales and Legends (New York: Pantheon Books, 1993)

7 Ibid.

Above, the ‘new’ Bay Bridge troll, seen in front of the just opened bridge. (Metropolitan Transportation Commission). Forged out of iron by a local craftsman, the new troll stands more than two feet tall and carries a hammer in one hand, and a torch in the other.