Somewhere in the
middle of Norway, you will find a small and sparsely
populated mountain village called Tynset. It is located at the foot of a
five thousand feet high mountain named Tron-fjell, which is in the Northern
end of the long and narrow valley called Østerdalen.
This is the place where you breath fresh mountain air, drink clean water
from the cold streams, and meet people who live in perfect harmony with the
trolls.
One clear and cold moonlit night in the winter of 1964, something magical
took place in an old red barn in Tynset. The countryside was deeply
blanketed by freshly fallen snow, and the full moon beamed its arctic white
light through the ice crystals on the barn windows. Inside, on a worn wooden
table, the Norwegian painter and sculptor Trygve Torgersen had just added
the finishing touches to his first troll model.
His
creation was a personal interpretation of a troll based on numerous
fairy tales and mythology steeped in the rich Norwegian folklore and
literature.
Famous Norwegian artists like the author Henrik Ibsen, the painter Theodor
Kittelsen and the composer Edward Grieg, are also among those who helped
capture stories, images and music depicting trolls in various ways based on
their own interpretations of the common folklore and mythology.
Mr.Torgersen and his wife Evelyn established together the company Ny Form in
the beginning of 1964, and the old red barn became the home and symbol for a
new breed of trolls.
Over the years Torgersen's family has also become involved with the
company. Following in the footsteps of his grandfather Mr.Torgersen, the
artist Bjørn Schulze is now responsible for creating new troll characters
along Ny Form's traditional design.
These authentic Norwegian trolls were an instant success, and have
ever since won enduring popularity among collectors around the world.
