Trolls
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Trolls | |
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Race | |
"The Three Trolls are turned to Stone" by J.R.R. Tolkien (coloured by H.E. Riddett | |
General Information | |
Origins | Created by Morgoth in mockery of Ents |
Locations | Mordor, Ettenmoors |
Affiliation | Mostly Morgoth and Sauron |
Rivalries | Ents |
Languages | Black Speech, various Mannish tongues |
People | Cave-trolls, Hill-trolls, Mountain-trolls, Olog-hai, Snow-trolls, Stone-trolls, Troll-men and Half-trolls |
Members | William, Tom, Bert |
Physical Description | |
Distinctions | Strong beasts with limited intellect |
Average height | Large |
Skin color | Grey |
Gallery | Images of Trolls |
Trolls were large monsters of limited intellect. They were strong and vicious, but they could not endure sunlight.
History
Morgoth created Trolls at the end of the First Age (twilight of the Elder Days).[1] Their exact origins are unknown, though it is stated by Treebeard that Trolls were "made in mockery of" Ents, similar to the way that Orcs were a twisted parody of the Elves.
Many Trolls died in the War of Wrath, but some survived and joined the forces of Sauron, the greatest surviving servant of Morgoth. In the Second Age and Third Age, Trolls were among Sauron's most dangerous warriors and breeds of the various kinds of Trolls could be seen in several conflicts.
In the Third Age, Sauron created the Olog-hai, which were more powerful than earlier breeds of Trolls. While most Trolls cannot bear exposure to sunlight without turning to stone, the Olog-hai apparently could, something that made them particularly dangerous.
Kinds of Trolls
- Cave-trolls
- Hill-trolls
- Mountain-trolls
- Olog-hai
- Snow-trolls
- Stone-trolls
- Half-trolls
- Some trolls are said to have more than one head, perhaps only in legend.[2]
Names
The Sindarin word for a "troll" is torog.[1] The Black Speech equivalent is olog.[3]
The name Rhudaur is translated by Tolkien as "Troll shaw", with rhû translated as "evil, wicked".[4]
Other versions of the legendarium
In an early chart of different creatures, trolls are given the Qenya name maulir. Patrick H. Wynne and Christopher Gilson have suggested that maulir is posibly related to Qenya maule ("crying, weeping"), thus perhaps "referring to cries made by these monsters or to the weeping of their victims".[5]
Inspiration
Trolls were originally a part of the Norse mythology (as a negative synonym for jötunn, "giants") and Scandinavian folklore (as ugly, large creatures of remote wildlife areas).
Other fiction
In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight are mentioned the "wood-trolls" (translated by J.R.R. Tolkien from the manuscript word wodwos).[6]
Portrayal in adaptations
Trolls in adaptations | ||||||||||||
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Films
- The three Trolls' position in the narrative was taken by two creatures called "Groans".[7] They had wooden, bark-like skin, and, instead of stone, turned into dead trees when exposed to sunlight.
Games
2011: The Lord of the Rings: War in the North:
- Compared to other enemies, Trolls are much stronger. Trolls first appear in Fornost, where one traps Eradan, Andriel and Farin.[8] Another troll appears at the end of the level, where Eradan, Andriel and Farin have to protect Elladan and Elrohir. When this Troll is killed, the player is able to enter the Citadel to confront Tharzog and Agandaûr.[9]
2014: Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor:
- The Udûn and Sea of Nûrnen regions of Mordor are inhabited by large troll-like creatures known as "Olog Graugs". According to their Nature article in the Appendices menu, Sauron intends to use the Graug to crossbreed with ordinary Trolls, and create a new breed of "hill-trolls" that can withstand direct sunlight. Graugs are very rare in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game due to technical limitations, but are more abundant in the PS4, PC, and Xbox One versions.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix F, "The Languages and Peoples of the Third Age", "Of Other Races"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "Roast Mutton"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings", in Parma Eldalamberon XVII (edited by Christopher Gilson), p. 136
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings", in Parma Eldalamberon XVII (edited by Christopher Gilson), pp. 115, 170
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "Early Qenya and The Valmaric Script", in Parma Eldalamberon XIV (edited by Carl F. Hostetter, Christopher Gilson, Arden R. Smith, Patrick H. Wynne, and Bill Welden), pp. 7, 9
- ↑ Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 555
- ↑ Gene Deitch, "Comment 5311" dated 25 July 2012, genedeitchcredits (accessed 17 October 2012)
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, Chapter 1: Fornost, Outer Wards
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, Chapter 1: Fornost, The Citadel