Suur Tõll
The Suur Tõll ("The Great Tõll") is a giant from the Estonian island of Saaremaa in Estonian mythology .
Legend
In the absence of reliable evidence of Estonian mythology , the story of the giant Suur Tõll is based on traditional folklore. After that he lived with his wife Piret in the village of Tõlluste on the island of Saaremaa . He threw large stones at his opponent, the Vanatühi or Vanapagan , who represented the diabolical . He often visited his brother Leiger from the neighboring island of Hiiumaa on foot .
The Suur Tõll is a positive figure in mythology. He was considered helpful, albeit with a quick-tempered temperament. He liked to eat cabbage , drink beer and regularly go to the traditional sauna .
In the folk lore, in the end he was beheaded by his enemies. The Suur Tõll then put his head on his sword and went to his grave himself, which is said to be near Tõlluste. When he died, he promised to come back in the event of war and to help the island's residents.
etymology
The origin of the name Tõll is unclear. Some point to an Estonian corruption of the name of the long-established noble German Baltic family von Toll . Some members of the family are said to have been up to 2.10 m tall (controversial).
Aftermath
The Suur Tõll plays an important role in the national consciousness of Saaremaa. In 2002 the Estonian sculptor Tauno Kangro created an oversized, mischievous monument for the giant and his wife on the waterfront of the island's capital, Kuressaare .
The Suur Tõll also served as inspiration for the animated film of the same name made in Tallinn in 1980 . The largest preserved steam icebreaker in the world (Vulcan Shipyard Stettin , 1913) is now called Suur Tõll . After Suur Tõll and his wife and Leiger and his wife are the four double-ended type LMG 150-EN designated to about Moonsund run.