I’m a one person company located in the Swedish countryside in between the forests of Småland and Västra götaland.
I began my journey as a self-taught ball jointed doll doll sculptor back in 2011, I’m a traditional media sculptor and that means that I use clay for my master sculptures.
Back in 2012 I began my biggest project so far, and my first finished ball jointed doll. A troll doll named ‘Ramunder’.
The name Ramunder comes from a kinda small Mountain that dwells in the middle of an Eastern Swedish town. And this Ramunder mountain has a folklore tale connected to it that can be traced as far back as the 1300-century.
A story about a maiden called ‘Sankta Ragnhild’, that becomes ‘bergatagen’ (kidnapped) by the troll / gigant Ramunder and impregnated by him. When later saved by her beloved the town decides to punish her for this, which is unfair but not common through history. They do so by letting her get burned at the stake. Ragnhild prays to god to save her, the water surrounding the town then rises and takes out the flames, saving her life.
This is a very old tale, and it has many variations to it, but to me Ramunder was always a troll. As a child I often visited this mountain and I learned about this story and it fascinated me, as did many other tales and artists I grew up with. The folklore, and mostly the trolls, stayed with me and are still an important part of my life and who I am as an artist.
It took me around 9 years to complete him and to make a casted prototype. So, as you can probably guess I am very proud to be able to present him to you, and offer him up for you to adopt.
I hope that you will feel all the love and care I have poured into this doll, my childhood and my love for my Swedish heritage, the lore and the tales that shaped me. I hope he can bring some magic and mystery into your lifes with and a sense that there might just be something out there in the deep forest, watching us. And that he can remind you to not lose touch with your heritage and your culture, wherever you are and wherever you come from.
Love
/ Nattmaran