Collections are funny things. What inspires devotion in one, fuels indifference or outright disdain in another. Whether driven by intrinsic value or staunch indifference to it, collectors are a passionate bunch. For most, the right number of trolls is “none”. But for one whose childhood I curate, the right number was “many”. Surfer trolls, princess trolls, wedding trolls, Christmas trolls, even professional trolls. With this picture, I could rest my case if my case were collections are funny things. Alas…
This actually is about trolls. A jaunt down memory lane brought this particular troll, a harried “front line worker” with a face mask, out of quarantine. He and dozens of others had been safely tucked away and completely missed SARS, Ebola and Swine Flu- how bad could the Covid -19 pandemic be? The trolls got me thinking about how we’ve all become somewhat troll-like in the Age of Corona. In Scandinavian folklore, trolls were diminutive beings who dwelt as small family units in isolated places. That pretty much sums up what we humans have been doing. If it goes on much longer, the trolls might be asking who does our hair or how to order a cuter face mask from Etsy.
Living in small, isolated units and growing wild hair may suit the trolls, but the humans are getting restless- ready to not be quite so troll-like.