Ever catch a whiff of something ancient and unsettling? That’s the feeling you get standing before the Trold, der vejrer kristenblod Sculpture. It is a powerful work of art that sparks conversation.
This bronze sculpture was crafted by Niels Hansen Jacobsen. He worked on it between 1895 and 1896. The Trold, der vejrer kristenblod’s plaster version debuted at the Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition in 1897.
Brewer Carl Jacobsen commissioned a bronze cast in 1901-02. Initially, it stood before Jacobsen’s Church. This church is now known as Jesus Church. But the sculpture proved too controversial. Parishioners found it disturbing. So, it was moved to the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek art museum’s garden. A copy was erected in front of the Vejen Art Museum in 1923.
In 2002, the church requested its return. However, the Glyptotek refused to relinquish it. Instead, a copy was created and placed back in front of the church. Now, there are two Trold, der vejrer kristenblod Sculptures.
The name comes from Norse folklore. In the story, a hero hides in a troll’s castle. Whenever the troll enters, he cries, “I smell a Christian man’s blood!” The Trold, der vejrer kristenblod embodies this fearful cry.
Carl Jacobsen bought the Trold, der vejrer kristenblod in order to erect it in front of Jesus Church in 1901. He had seen a plaster version of the sculpture at the Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition in 1897.
The troll was meant to remind people of the evil in the world. It was supposed to guide them toward Christianity. But many Valby residents misunderstood. They thought the troll in front of the church was blasphemous. They wanted it removed. In the 1920s, as the land around Jesus Church was developed, the troll moved to the Glyptotek.
The Ny Carlsberg Foundation celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2002. To mark the occasion, a copy of the statue was placed in front of Jesus Church. There it stands again. It glares greedily toward the church. It also points to Christ on the cross at the entrance.
Niels Hansen Jacobsen was known to be non-religious. His art is attributed to symbolism. Symbolism sought to break with tradition and power structures. Like Nietzsche, symbolists declared God dead. They searched for truth in nature and the human soul. The Trold, der vejrer kristenblod represents darkness, evil, and death. It embodies the grim aspects of human existence.
Another version of the sculpture was erected in Vejen in 1923. There, it is called Trold, der lugter menneskekød. Today, the troll is part of Vejen’s coat of arms.
So here we stand before the Trold, der vejrer kristenblod Sculpture. It is a reminder of folklore, faith, and the artist’s vision. A controversial figure indeed, but perhaps that’s what makes it so unforgettable.