Portland’s giant troll sculpture completes construction – here’s how to see it

Construction of a much-anticipated giant troll sculpture was completed Friday morning at the campus of the nonprofit Nordic Northwest in Southwest Portland near Washington Square mall. The exact location was mostly kept under wraps from the public to prevent construction interference until now.

The 19-foot-tall troll is nestled between trees behind Fogelbo, a home filled with Nordic antiques and art on the National Register of Historic Places. The troll was constructed over 10 days with the help of 60 volunteers, according to Brady Jenson, Nordic Northwest board vice president.

In all, the crew spent more than 500 hours constructing the creature and 40 additional volunteers provided morning and lunch meals, Jenson said.

The troll is named Olebolle and is peering into a red house and is apparently looking for a giant cookie jar. The scene is based off a poem the artist wrote.

The troll is part of a six-sculpture exhibition called “Northwest Trolls: Way of the Bird King.” The exhibition plans to place giant Nordic troll characters in natural landscapes across the Pacific Northwest.

The trolls are the brainchild of Danish artist and environmentalist Thomas Dambo. He constructs them with volunteer help using recycled materials — namely, old wood pallets. His whimsical trolls appear in forests, along streams and rivers, and in other natural areas.

The Oregon troll was created using 99% recycled and reclaimed wood, according to Jenson. Reclaim Northwest donated the lumber used to frame the troll. Oregon Canadian Forest Products, a local saw mill and lumber company, and Walter E. Nelson Co., a janitorial equipment supplier, donated lumber and shipping pallets used to create the exterior cladding and “fur.”

Dambo has already created about 100 troll sculptures around the world. These will be the first installed in the Pacific Northwest.

Nordic Northwest even had a “troll cam” and live streamed some of the building process:

If you go:

The public is welcome to see the troll starting Sunday, Aug. 13 and will be closed Saturday, Aug. 12 for an event.

You can visit the troll during daylight hours at the campus of the nonprofit Nordic Northwest at 8800 S.W. Oleson Road, not far from Washington Square. The troll isn’t be visible from the street, and visitors will need to travel down a gravel path to find it. Follow the troll signs.

– Teresa Mahoney, Vickie Connor and Samantha Swindler