These guys may look familiar if you caught our Six Forgotten Giants post from out and about around Copenhagen. The same recycled materials artist, Thomas Dambo, crated another magical moment in nature. We realized we were going to be less than an hour away, so we carved out time from our Antwerp trip to head to Boom, Belgium to see what these Trolls were all about. It. Was. Amazing.

Unlike Copenhagen, these massive sculptures are all houses in the woods of the Tomorrowland Festival, Provinciaal Recreatiedomein De Schorre. The park itself is one of my most favorite organized nature spots and we went back three times because of it’s extensive offerings and magical paths. Atlas experienced rock climbing, and even did his first full size zipping over the tree tops of the forest. Though the boys may look back at that being the most exciting part of our exploring, I have to say the paths in the forest were epic. It truly was awesome exploring on and off the paths to find the Trolls, and the Trolls themselves were glorious. So many hidden nooks of thickets, carved faces in trees, elevated paths through wheat fields, small hikes on the edge of a lake, many tiny carved and hidden animals, stone pathways, and of course the Trolls! The one with the tower is really something to go out of your way to see.

The Trolls do not have a map like the Giants do, so finding them can be a little tricky. You can go to the community center desk and ask for a map if you get stuck (we couldn’t find the last one and later found out we were circling it!). Though no formal map, there is a poem from the artist Thomas, with clues to who has what name.

They were seven good friends both together and alone
by the river in the valley in the forest they had home
they had seen the sun set and rise a million times
the seven trolls stood as tall as the pines

Una and Joures were friends for life and like to lay in the grass
watching the skies crawl by telling stories about the past
Mikil was strong as a dragon and always on his way
Kamiel was wearing a mask a new for every day

Arvid like to carve his dreams into ancient trees
Hannes to put pearls on a string for everyone to see
and little Nora had only seen the sun rise around a million times
she was still a growing troll with her tail and young mind

They could see past the forest to where the future emerged
they had seen civilizations crumble and new rise from the dirt
they had seen the mountains grow turn to ice melt and burn
seen the fish turn to birds and seen the continents turn

And now they saw these little people with actions so great
It could break what forever and ever had made
And the trolls got afraid life should never be borrowed
It was meant to be shared with the day of tomorrow

So the seven trolls gathered up on a mountain top
To find a new way the old way of now had to stop
and Kamiel spoke up – we must help them get better
the little people mean good but they are too young to be clever

Let’s build them a tower as tall as a troll
and show them all beings are one in the soul
It took them all winter by summer it was done
they then invited all the little people to come

And the little people walked to the top where they opened their eyes
and saw past the forests the mountains and skies
they saw to the future with tears in their eyes
what they saw no one knows but the eyes never lie