The significance of Suur Tõll (“Tõll the Great”) in Estonian mythology

VINCENT TEETSOV

At the beginning of the 1980 animation Suur Tõll, viewers are given some advance warning of the brutal violence depicted ahead: “Eesti vägilasmuistendi ainetel” (“Based on the Estonian war legend”).

That puts it mildly really, for what is a gritty and forthright portrayal of warfare in an old fable. Who knows how many Estonian kids have tossed and turned in bed after watching it, with nightmares of ghoulish foot soldiers and dissonant, cavernous singing!

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Still from the 1980 Tall innfilm animation ‘Suur Tõll’.