Hector






the

He is a one of a kind hand sculpted original piece of art by Antoine.

He stands at approximately 10 inches tall, and was created over a chopstick and wire armature.

click on any image to see it full sized
Troll
Travelers Beware!

In 1881 in West Montrose, Ontario, Canada the Kissing Bridge was built.  It was the very first winter after the bridge was completed that Hector moved in.  Being completely made of wood, the bridge, of course, attracted many bugs and vermon which kept Hector well fed and happy.

But, as the years passed and the wood abutments were changed to steel, wood concrete, asphalt and stone, the abundance of bugs and critters grew smaller, and Hector grew increasingly aggitated due to hunger.
It was then that his demeanor changed.

"Since it was first built, the West Montrose bridge has been labelled as "the kissing bridge," the traditional toll being a kiss. After all, it was secluded and it was against the law to travel over any bridge faster than a walk. Local girls learned to be wary when their escort’s horse stopped inside the bridge without any command from the driver. "(1)

Now, given that lots of people walked over this bridge, and the fact that Hector was very hungry-- he took to creeping up on them while they kissed and biting them on the ankles.
With each bite came just a bit of flesh,
and that was enough to satisfy him for several hours.  

He found that hiding in the rafters wasn't as conducive to biting the romantic couple as hiding out beneath. Hence, Hector moved down below, and would peak out over the edge of the bridge. 

Although he looks sweet, and kind, he really has become quite the sod over the last century plus, leaving bite marks and scars on nearly everyone who has crossed over the bridge.
Hector loved school days. There was a time in the mid 1900's when the school bus, too heavy with a load of children, was unable to pass-- it would stop and "one student would then cross the bridge and wave a red flag at the other end to stop oncoming traffic.   The rest of the students would then cross, and the empty bus followed."(2)  When they were all safely standing on the other side, the empty school bus would slowly travel across to its own safety, pick up the children, and continue on to school... 

For many many years, parents were up in arms trying to figure out how each day of school at least 6 children (and sometimes as many as 11) were coming home with cuts and abrasions with no apparent explanation.
 Some of the children had caught a glimpse of Hector and tried to tell their parents about him, but they just wouldn't listen.  "Trolls don't exist" was the answer the kids heard from their frustrated parents. "They're just something someone wrote about in storybooks!"

Hector was very happy now, having the never-ending parade of school children, and the midnight walks of lovers trailing across his bridge. 

He was well fed, and content.
Hector still lives in West Montrose, but is not so diligent in his attempts to bite the passers by-- now, he sits and tries to lure his victims with a kind smile, and a gentle movement of his finger. 

He looks harmless, standing at just under a foot tall, patiently awaiting a stranger's hand, reaching out to pet him in awe of his being; just to snap at them, give a good belly laugh, and run into hiding.

I imagine Hector will be around for many years to come!

If you really want Hector to be yours, email me.  He is $3800.00 including shipping.  Price subject to change without any notice.

(1), (2) were taken from the website "Visiting the Region of Waterloo, located at http://www.region.waterloo.on.ca/web/region.nsf/0/4f08d9c14e31e3a085256b090055cf08?OpenDocument