Suur Tõll lived with his wife Piret in the coastal village of Tõlluste (Tölluste) by the Baltic Sea.

He tossed huge rocks everywhere, mostly aiming for his archenemy Vanatühi (The Devil) or other enemies of the local Saaremaa islanders.

When Suur Tõll died, he promised to rise from the grave and help people in case of war.

It is supposed that stories about Suur Tõll are based on an historical person, possibly an ancient ruler of Saaremaa, who was also very tall.

Suur Tõll is sometimes connected with the local German (or Germanised) noble family Toll.