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All Trolls Are Different: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:trolls-doll-red-hair-small.jpg|frame|The terror of mythic Scandinavia.]]
{{quote|'''Thor:''' I think trolls should be hardworking blacksmiths, toiling away underground forging magical weapons.
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{{examples}}
== Anime and Manga ==
* Would you believe that "Totoro", in ''[[My Neighbor Totoro]]'', is actually a mispronunciation of troll? (Japanized, it would be "tororo", and Mei doubled up the wrong sound) Totoro is the leader of a family of friendly forest monsters, and he looks like a big, furry cat-owl-rabbit thing.
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==
* Like [[Harry Potter]], in [[Alexandra Quick]], Trolls are are none too possessed of smarts, making them ideal for dull, monotonous work. Hence Wizarding America employs them in tollbooths for the Automagicka.
== Film ==
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*** Not just any meat locker, but a meat locker that is supernaturally cold due to some trickery to do with time.
** Trolls also act as a version of computer-driven robots - they can only properly count in binary, have thought processes running on silicon brain-chips, and can overheat, causing them to shut down.
*** The book ''[[
*** And they're not even the only ones fitting the metaphor; the Golems fill that niche as well. And would you believe the Golems are ''completely different''.
*** And then there's also the Gargoyles, which seem to be some sort of city adapted troll... though there's not yet been any explanation as to how they work, especially as they seem to be made of stone, like the Trolls and Golems, but eat pigeons.
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** Tomte can also refer to elf- or gnome-like creatures, depending on the story (Santa's helpers, and even Santa Claus himself are called tomte in Swedish, since the Swedish word for Santa Claus is Jultomte (which approximately translate into Christmas troll).
*** Er, troll in Swedish is, well, "troll", but the word can also mean a wizard or a magician, since trolls in Scandinavian lore usually have magic powers.
* When it comes to mythological trolls, [https://web.archive.org/web/20131219024929/http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/stories/dovrefjell/dovrefjell_01.php Kaja Foglio's adaptation] of ''The Cat On The Dovrefjell'' actually hit the nail on the head. Certain legends even described the males of the species as being hideously ugly, but the females ([[Cute Monster Girl|tails and occasional other weird features notwithstanding]]) as quite attractive by human standards. (For an example of this in modern media, do a Google search for "Cutefase.")
** The beautiful troll females described in the story above (as well as in the Foglios' [[XXXenophile]] story, see the comic books folder) are known as Huldra. To further complicate matters, Huldra are considered to be related to both trolls and [[Fair Folk]]. They prefer human men, though.
*** This is consistent with actual [[Norse Mythology]], in which a [[wikipedia:Huldra|huldra]] (or huldre) is generally speaking a beautiful, if [[Tsundere|tempermental]] woman with a cow tail and unusual strength; they're both trolls, [[The Fair Folk]], and confusingly, ''also'' a type of "Alf" (Elf, that is).
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* [[Earthdawn]]'s trolls are this, with a dash of vikingian [[Sky Pirate]]. They make good wizards, especially Elementalists.
* Trolls in ''[[RuneQuest]]'' are a bit bigger than humans, but about as smart. They're [[Extreme Omnivore]]s, occasionally cannibals, and a [[Dying Race]] due to an ancient curse.
* ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'' trolls [https://web.archive.org/web/20070517115600/http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=122405 are] [
** ''Magic'' trolls are also often hexproof—that is, unable to be targeted by opponents' spells.
** The modern pattern for trolls is pretty consistent: Green, with regeneration, hexproof, or both. The hexproof part is so iconic (though primarily through the efforts of the previously-linked Troll Ascetic) that before it was known officially as "hexproof", the ability "cannot be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control" was often known by the [[Fan Nickname]] "troll shroud" (after the keyword "shroud" for "cannot be the target of spells or abilities [controlled by anyone]").
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* The Trolls are a street gang in ''[[City of Heroes]]'' who all have green skin and grow horns and super strength as they move up in rank. These are all side-effects of a [[Psycho Serum|super steroid]] that they abuse called Superadine. They also tend to have [[You No Take Candle|stunted speech]], but this is just an extremely limited side effect of the Superadine—a Troll retains their basic level of intelligence, even if they do start talking like a stereotypical caveman.
** And since the players can have green skin, horns, and the same superpowers, there are quite a few Troll heroes and villains out there. A lot of the player-made ones are [[Cute Monster Girl|cute monster girls]] since The Trolls are an all-male street gang.
* Trolls in ''[[The Elder Scrolls]]: Oblivion'' are [http://static.squidoo.com/resize/squidoo_images/-1/draft_lens1503817module8717698photo_elder_scrolls_oblivion_troll_190305.jpg1205627027 big ape-like beasts with green, moss-like fur and three eyes]{{Dead link}}. They have low-level health regeneration and can be killed by normal means, but are especially vulnerable to fire.
** ''The Elder Scrolls: Arena'' borrowed ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' trolls. Unlike some of the other inconsistencies between ''Arena'' and later titles, this is never really addressed, beyond their more dramatic regenerative capabilities being written off as a myth.
* Trolls in the [[Gothic]] series are huge ape-like creatures with massive arms and short legs, brown fur and incredibly tough skin, but no regeneration. A young troll is a tough fight for two skilled warriors, a fully grown troll requires the main character to be up to borderline-demigod prowess or [[Good Bad Bugs|competent at circle strafing]], and the even bigger and scarier-looking black troll is stronger yet. Their punches will also send you flying. Luckily, there is a spell called "shrink monster" that will - well, you figure it out.
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* Trolls in ''[[Dark Age of Camelot]]'' were a playable race in the Midgard realm who looked like hunchbacked, gray-skinned versions of [[Fantastic Four (Comic Book)|The Thing]].
* Trolls in ''[[Stonekeep]]'' are corrupted faeriefolk, and look as such (kind of like evil hobbits). They cannot cross iron spikes driven into the ground and have an aversion to faerie garb—if you equip yourself entirely in faerie clothing, you become completely immune to the attacks of trolls, even though you look very stupid doing so.
* The Trolls found in ''[[Kameo: Elements of Power]]'' are what most would consider to be "standard" Trolls, to the point of being generic. Brutish, violent, fairly dim and always spoiling for a rumble. However, there are some sub-species that are encountered along the way, some lethal (Fire Trolls, Ice Trolls and Shadow Trolls) and some not so lethal (small Trolls who hide in metal balls, Trolls that are part plant). The "normal" Trolls stand out from the magical folk of the game by having a unique affinity with machines; a trait which forged the foundation of a shaky truce until Thorn (a "cunning Troll") took control of the entire race and began yet another war.
* In Bungie Studio's old ''[[Myth]]'' series of strategy games, there were the Trow (an alternate spelling of "troll") who were twelve foot tall giants with bodies like stone. The Trow are immortal unless killed, and incapable of reproduction (all existing Trow having been created by the god Nyx at the begining of the world according to the Trow's own legends.) They are capable of [[Made of Iron|surviving anything short of dismemberment]], and wear belts of skulls about their waists. When fighting creatures smaller than they are (which is to say, most creatures) their combat techniques generally involve [[Blown Across the Room|kicking those creatures across the landscape]] with [[Ludicrous Gibs|messy results]].
* The trolls of ''[[Total Annihilation Kingdoms]]'' are generic monster men from Zhon, slightly stronger than most humans.
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== Web Comics ==
* Nearly every fictional Troll makes an appearance in [
* Lampshaded in ''[[The Order of the Stick]]'', where the gods argue at creation what elves, dwarves, and trolls should be like (as quoted above), with the [[Continuity Snarl|massive disagreement]] creating [[Eldritch Abomination|the Snarl]].
** Oddly enough, the only trolls we have seen are the "Sea Trolls". Lord Hinjo and Lien [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0507.html discuss the differences] between land trolls and the aquatic trolls they encounter.
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* [[Ursula Vernon|Ursula Vernon's]] work features trolls that look like [[Ugly Cute|really rather adorable]] pudgey frog/goat things. Their eyes get ''huge'' at night, as the protagonist of ''[[Digger]]'' finds out. In Vernon's taxonomy, trolls and goats are actually descended from a common ancestor, which is why they're very embarrassed about that whole "billy goats" thing, and it's impolite to bring it up. Furthermore, the word "troll" also serves as a [[Troll Bridge|job title]]—meaning that the first "troll" we meet is actually a shrew.
* ''[[No Rest for The Wicked (webcomic)|No Rest for The Wicked]]'' gives a troll [http://www.forthewicked.net/archive/04i-01.html a cameo] under the bridge.
* In ''[[Errant Story]]'' the trolls were one of the original species (possibly the second after the dwarves) to inhabit the world, though their civilization was destroyed and their numbers devastated once the various elven races got together and launched a long, though ultimately unsuccessful campaign to exterminate them. They were likely created by Anilis and Senilis, the elven creator gods, though the elves believe that the mortal (albeit long-lived) trolls were failures and sought to wipe their creators' "failure" from existence. Humans and elves tend to have very little contact with them, considering trolls to be violent, unintelligent monsters. From what the audience has actually seen of the trolls they are large, strong, and matriarchal (as apparently only the women are able to use magic). They are cannibalistic, though it is more of a religious ritual than a survival mechanism, trolls don't believe in an afterlife and thus deceased individuals are eaten by their tribes so they may live on in another sense. They seem to mirror the Kroot of Warhammer 40k in this regard, but without the freaky genetics that make it actually true, and like the Kroot having your remains eaten after you die seems to be something of a compliment (they do it to humans only if suitably impressed). In fact, their culture's capital punishment specifically requires that the criminal's corpse [https://web.archive.org/web/20090814214202/http://www.errantstory.com/comic.php?date=2009-07-08 be left for the worms.] They consider cremation very offensive, and burning a troll's corpse will royally piss them off.
** Also, despite the aforementioned cannibalism, they seem to have an [[Only Sane Man]] thing going compared to the other powers that be. Their reaction to the Woobie Destroyer of Worlds approaching them and asking for an alliance is to peacefully but loudly decline, then immediately decide to uproot their settlement and move to a place with less crazy.
* In ''[[Serenity Rose]]'', trolls are big hairy creatures with almost completely featureless faces [http://www.heartshapedskull.com/2008/10/15/goodbye-crestfallen-page-045/], conjured by witches to defend the Inconsolable Wood from intruders, and are specifically designed to take orders from any witch.
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== Other Media ==
* As mentioned briefly above, a number of years ago, it was something of a fad to collect small plastic humanoid toys that had [[Anime Hair|large, brightly-coloured hair]] and were referred to as Trolls.
** And even then, they brought out a toyline aimed at MEN. MANLY MEN. with muscular, barbaric trolls who (according to the wrapping) were the enemies of the cutesy girly ones. Though they still sported the same hairdos.
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]▼
[[Category:Our Monsters Are Different]]
[[Category:Our Tropes Are Different]]
[[Category:Fairy Tale Tropes]]
[[Category:Index of Fictional Creatures]]
▲[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
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