Trold, der vejrer Kristenblod Sculpture

Did a troll’s nose for Christian blood lead to a sculptural exile? Here before the Church of Jesus in Valby, Copenhagen, stands a copy of the “Trold, der vejrer Kristenblod” (Troll that smells Christian blood) sculpture. The original, crafted by Niels Hansen Jacobsen between 1895 and 1896, resides in the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek’s garden. This bronze behemoth depicts a menacing troll, claws extended, seemingly reaching for the church’s crucifix. The Trold, der vejrer Kristenblod embodies darkness and death, a stark reminder of the world’s evils. The sculpture takes its name from Norse folklore. A hero hides in a troll’s castle. The troll, though half-blind, relies on its keen sense of smell, repeatedly crying out, “I smell a Christian man’s blood!” This very line gives the Trold, der vejrer Kristenblod sculpture its evocative title. Carl Jacobsen, the brewer who funded the Church of Jesus, commissioned the statue in the early 1900s. His intention was noble: to remind people of evil’s presence and encourage them towards Christianity. Ironically, the parishioners deemed the Trold, der vejrer Kristenblod too controversial, its placement outside the church a blasphemous affront. During land redistribution in the 1920s, the sculpture was moved to the Glyptotek. In 2002, a replica of the Trold, der vejrer Kristenblod was erected in its original location, fulfilling local desires and commemorating the Ny Carlsberg Foundation’s centennial. While some still protested, their voices were less forceful this time. Now set behind a hedge, the Trold, der vejrer Kristenblod stands as a testament to art’s power to provoke and the evolving relationship between faith and folklore. This placement acknowledges the historical tension between the pagan trolls and the encroaching influence of Christian churches in Scandinavian tales.