Friday, October 16, 2009

Trolls: Ungainly Beauty on Etsy



Handpicked on Etsy
In Norse mythology, trolls were magical creatures imbued with special skills, often dwelling in caves, mountains or woodlands. More threatening are J.R.R. Tolkein's trolls of the The Hobbit, who inhabit the Middle Earth and are portrayed as oversized, ungainly, super-strong, crude, rather stupid humanoid creatures with comical Cockney accents who enjoy their meat and beer. In my search last week for fairy-inspired creations on Etsy, I ran across doll-makers whose repertoire includes trolls and decided this theme deserves a special showcase. Whether or not you are a doll or a troll afficionado, I suspect most of us can marvel at the artistry displayed by today's featured Etsy artisans who use their sculptural skills and various media in making these imaginitive creatures. Click on the pictures to go directly to these listings. Prices range from $39.99 to $290.00
From top left to bottom right, today's Etsy artists include: ToadstoolsNTreestump, UtesTrolls, thepaintedpoppet, fairyrealm, petradi, jennifercarson, ArtFeyStudio, DollThreadsandClay

5 comments:

Cait Throop said...

Oh Andria! These are so beautifully ugly!!! I love them and really the artistry is amazing!
xo Cait
http://www.barefootweaver.etsy.com
http://www.barefootweavercait.blogspot.com

Andria said...

Hi Cait, I never really gave much much thought or credit to makers of dolls, but when you look closely at what's involved in creating fantasy creatures as interesting as these, you realize the crafter is like a sculptor!

Browsing Etsy's search pages is like a wandering along pathways I normally don't take, so it is really fun to discover things I've not paid enough attention to before.
Cheers and enjoy your weekend!
Andria

Unknown said...

Thank you Andria,
Looks like my Forest Troll is in really good company.
Rima (fairyrealm)

Lynelle said...

I love trolls. Most misunderstood of the monster realm!

Live, Love, Laugh, Write! said...

Wow - love the trolls!