Tolkien described the trolls of that region, including the three from The Hobbit, as stone trolls, suggesting that hill trolls might be a subclass or alternate term for such. Hill-trolls are described in the chronology at one instance as having killed Arador, grandfather of Aragorn, in the Coldfells.Originating in Norse mythology, an extremely widespread belief in its time, there are many types of trolls, each unique to its inhabitants: The equivalent term in Black Speech was Olog. Torog was the Sindarin name for those of troll-kind. Their apparently caustic blood, however, melted his axe, allowing Orcs to swarm over him and bind him, his capture ending the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, where Morgoth triumphed over the united armies of Elves, Men, and Dwarves.ĭuring the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, there is a reference to "men-like half-trolls", also called troll-men, but it is unclear whether these men actually had some trollish ancestry or were simply compared to trolls (for some readers, the first interpretation is supported by the similar and interchangeable terms "orc-men" and "half-orcs", referring to crossbreeds of Saruman). While leading his men in a final stand to protect the retreat of Turgon and the continued secrecy of the Kingdom of Gondolin, the great warrior Húrin faced them and, due to Morgoth's emphatic orders to have Húrin captured alive, he managed to kill many of them. They also have very disgusting manners.ĭuring the wars of Beleriand, Gothmog, the Lord of Balrogs, had a bodyguard of trolls. They seem to be fond of meat, and will eat almost any animal or being they come across. There is reference that sunlight will return them to the stone they were made from in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. However, they could be based on another race of Middle-earth, as neither Morgoth nor Sauron had access to the Secret Fire, and therefore could not create things, only alter that which already existed. Their hide was as thick as stone and nigh-impervious to physical attacks. It is stated that they were created by Melkor, although it's not clear exactly how. The Ent Treebeard says that trolls were "made in mockery" of Ents, as Orcs were of Elves, though not necessarily from Entish stock. Some were described as being able to speak, while others appear to be as irrational as animals. The major weakness of at least some trolls was that they turned to stone in sunlight. Trolls were strong and vicious, but generally dim-witted. As a result of the One Ring being destroyed, most of the trolls present at the battle were killed, and the others are known to have fled. In the subsequent Battle of the Black Gate, the hobbit Peregrin Took killed a large Olog-hai troll with his barrow-blade. Sauron used Olog-hai in the Siege of Gondor and Battle of the Pelennor Fields. As things seemed perilous, however, the trolls fled (although this was due to the approach of the Balrog, Durin's Bane). Boromir's sword recoiled off the scaled hide of one troll. Rendition of an armored Mountain Troll for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Kingĭuring the War of the Ring, Frodo and the Fellowship encountered Cave-trolls alongside various Orcs within Moria. They even had normal names: Tom, Bert, and William (Bill) Huggins (the only one with a given surname). While threatening, the trolls in The Hobbit serve as a comic element. They enjoyed eating anything they could get their hands on. While most trolls could not bear exposure to sunlight without turning to stone, the Olog-hai apparently could (to the same extent as Orcs) this attribute was mentioned in The Return of the King as making them particularly dangerous.Ī mountain troll at the Black Gate, used for opening the gateĭuring Bilbo's quest to the Lonely Mountain, trolls were known to speak with thick Cockney accents, specifically three Hill-trolls who had dwelt on the Ettenmoors and moved down to the Trollshaws . They turned to stone when exposed to sunlight, for stone, as told in The Hobbit, is what trolls were originally made of. He created the Olog-hai, which were smarter than earlier breeds of trolls. In the Second and Third Age, trolls were among Sauron's most dangerous warriors. Many trolls died in the War of Wrath, but some survived and joined the forces of Sauron, the greatest surviving servant of Melkor. They were very strong, but turned into stone in sunlight. Melkor created trolls before the First Age.
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