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.
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Even within Scandinavian folklore trolls are extremely diverse, and range from magical mischievous goblins to huge dumb giants who roamed the forest and could sniff out a Christian man's blood. Part of this comes from the isolated nature of Scandinavian communities; localized versions of monsters destroying crops and eating your porridge appeared. The word troll in Norse languages, similar to ''trolleri'' for ''magic'', is basically a blanket term for any creature that's strange, unusual, poorly understood, seemingly supernatural or vaguely inhuman.
Has nothing to do with [[
See [[Our Orcs Are Different]], [[Our Goblins Are Different]], [[Our Giants Are Bigger]], and [[Our Ogres Are Hungrier]].
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* ''[[Gold Digger (Comic Book)|Gold Digger]]'' Trolls are green-skinned tall and strong humanoids who heal fast and grow larger and stronger with age. Young ones of both sexes are [[Cute Monster Girl|often quite attractive]]. They've got something of a reputation as being less civilized, but that's largely because of prolonged wars with the elves that wrecked a lot of their old civilization; there are plenty of smart trolls including martial artists and archmages and as a species they come off no worse than the other humanoids. They have a grudge against elves, but that goes both ways and isn't universal. There's some evidence trolls and elves are even distant relatives.
* ''[[Poison Elves]]'' trolls are like taller, uglier elves with horns and the ability to [[Me's a Crowd|reproduce by bleeding]]. In the case of Dark Trolls they are also 15 feet tall. They were created to destroy all life. Elves were made from trolls with the evil burned off by mystic flames to make a counter force.
* ''[[Cross Gen|Sojourn]]'' features Trolls who look more than a little like the Uruk-Hai from the ''[[The Lord of the Rings (film)|Lord of the Rings]]'' films, being human-height but bulky, green- or brown-skinned, with glowing green eyes and often with massive horns. They were first an [[
* Due to its policy that [[All Myths Are True]], ''[[Hellboy (comics)|Hellboy]]'' ends up with more types of troll than you can shake a [[Red Right Hand]] at.
* In "A Beautiful Tale," a story in the adult comic ''[[XXXenophile]]'', trolls are a species possessed of [[Super Strength|superhuman strength]] and [[Bizarre Sexual Dimorphism|glaring sexual dimorphism]]. We only ever see the females (called "huldra") who are [[Cute Little Fangs|sharp-toothed]] [[Cute Monster Girl
* At least two different kinds of trolls have appeared in the [[Marvel Universe]]. The first are Asgardian trolls, exemplified by [[The Mighty Thor|Thor-villains]] Ullik and Geirrodur. Asgardian trolls very much resemble the Scandinavian trolls mentioned below, but are superhumanly strong - Ulik is on par with Thor, for example. The second kind were a group of myriad-seeming humanoid creatures of various colors who, among other things, hunted a young mutant for his ability to transmute elements; this group has had two story appearances to date spanning four comics.
** A third "troll" type exists, but he is an alien, not a mythical creature. Pip Gofern (aka Pip the Troll) is minor royalty of the Laxadazian race, and more resembles a short, hornless, potbellied satyr than a troll - including in his appetites.
* The trolls of [[Lanfeust]] are
* In [[The Golden Age of Comic Books|Golden Age]] [[Shazam|Captain Marvel Jr.]] comics, trolls were a race of cute, tiny magical people. The guys were just funny-looking, but the girl, Ny-O, was very pretty, albeit having a head the size of a bobble-head doll relative to her body.
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*** The Winter Fae trolls are also high-ranking enforcers of the Unseelie Court. Their opposite numbers in the Summer Court (literally; among their main jobs are to counter one another in the event of a fight) are [[Three Billy Goats Gruff|gruffs]], who work in threes.
* Trolls in Eoin Colfer's ''[[Artemis Fowl]]'' series are mindless subterranean predators with retractable talons, venomous tusks, dreadlocks, and horns. And they are ''big''.
* Trolls in [[Teresa Edgerton]]'s ''Goblin Moon'' and ''The Gnome's Engine'' are a crossbred or cursed offshoot of humanity, who resemble humans but sport bizarre, often bestial deformities. Their disfigurements are unique to each individual, which means that some can pass for human if they wear the right concealing clothes; it also means they hate their own looks. Trolls are carnivores, sometimes [[
* In Nancy Farmer's ''[[Sea of Trolls]]'', the titular creatures are intelligent, massive, hairy, matriarchal people. They are often at war with their viking neighbors to the south, but somehow seem to be on good terms with them regardless. Also, for no particularly sensible reason, [[Half-Human Hybrid|human/troll hybrids]] are [[Voluntary Shapeshifter
** They have the ability to change their form because they are caught between two worlds and two races; it appears all hybrids have this ability, as the half-kelpy in the sequel displays it as well.
* In ''One King's Way,'' second volume of ''The Hammer and the Cross'' trilogy by [[Harry Harrison]], a troll or "marbendill" is a large intelligent humanoid that sometimes feeds on human flesh, lurks in the water to pull unwary boaters under, but otherwise is rather likeable, actually. No, really. Distinguished from humans by, among other things, a much lower sex drive; human behavior in that regard rather amuses them.
* In William King's ''[[Warhammer 40000]]'' novel ''[[Space Wolf]]'', the trolls are Chaos-warped humanoids, which, in the [[Poul Anderson]]/D&D tradition, are [[Kill It with Fire|harmed mostly by fire]].
* The trolls in Rienne Poortvliet's ''Gnome'' books are nasty, ugly, foul,
** By contrast, in the animated series, the trolls are all of this but more like bullies than outright villains. David the Gnome actually rescued one of their children once. (Of course, the baby troll in question was abandoned by his mother and there were other... ''complexities'', we'll say. But it's enough to note that the Gnomes were all for saving him anyway.)
* Trolls in the ''[[Harry Potter (novel)|Harry Potter]]'' [[Potter Verse|universe]] are strong, large, and not too possessed of smarts. There's nothing really unique about them. The first troll we meet is essentially a wild beast turned loose in the castle but we later meet trolls who are somewhat nicer (at least in that they can be hired as thugs).
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* In [[Let the Right One In|John Ajvide Lindqvist]]'s short story ''The Border'', trolls look like unusually ugly humans, have a great sense of smell, and {{spoiler|steal human babies and replace them [[Tomato in the Mirror|with their own]].}}
* In Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear's ''A Companion To Wolves'' trolls fit into the "big ogrish" type physiclly. they can also move through rock and earth as easily an humans do through water and have a hivelike setup with a queen as the only fertile female, sterile female worker/soldiers and males whose only function is to impregnate the queen.
* The Trolls of ''[[Tales of Kolmar]]'' are all long dead, and as such never get described. But as the Trelli they were one of the four sentient
* Ansen Dibell's ''Summerfair'' is set on a [[Lost Colony|colony planet]] that settled into a semi-medieval pattern, with revived belief in magic. One character defines "troll" as basically one of [[The Fair Folk]]
{{quote|Trolls weren't that much different from anybody else, Sua thought: they just wanted to be sure they were welcomed and loved.}}
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** Icelandic trolls are considered the same as ogres and range from being about double the size of humans to being taller then mountains. They also eat children. Icelandic folklore is fairly consistent in that its trolls usually turn to stone if they are exposed to sunlight.
** There is also a version that turns to stone at the ringing of church bells, which would explain why trolls are so rare nowadays.
* In other tales, Scandinavian ''Tomte'' (trolls) are helpful, but mischevious, [[Fair Folk]] with [[Gag Nose|big noses]], who dwell in caves in the forest, are short, ugly and covered in fur, and not to be crossed under any
** 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.
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*** 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).
* Another mythological creature comparable to trolls in their vagueness is the Bunyip, a creature in [[Land Down Under|Aboriginal and Australian folklore]]. About the only common feature any rendition of the bunyip has is that it lives in swamps, and sometimes it's basically an [[Ultimate Evil]].
* Most traditional Norwegian trolls are very
* Besides these general characteristics, few fairy tales portray the trolls the same way as another. The most famous might be the one who lived under a bridge and tried to capture goats. One story has trolls with multiple heads. Another tells of a very stupid troll who was tricked into cutting his own belly open. Yet another troll kidnapped girls and took them into his own to marry them. (If they wouldn't he tore their heads off. Somehow everyone got better.) Trolls are [[The More You Know|truly diverse creatures]].
* Norwegian myth is actually rather consistent when it comes to naming creatures generally referred to as trolls:
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** "Skogstroll" (Forest Troll): Similar to the above, but forest-dwelling and often smaller (still larger than a human though).
** "Havtroll" (Sea Troll): Similar to those above, but lives in the sea. Its body is covered in sea-weed and its face is like that of a fish. Stories about this variant are increasingly rare.
** "Nisse" or "Tomte": Small and
** "De underjordiske" (the subterraneans): Small, usually evil creatures that live underground. Steal children either by swapping infants with one of their own (a “bytting”/changeling) or abducting lone children in the forest at night.
** "Hulder" or “Skogsrå” (forest lady): Beautiful women with cow-tails (and in some stories, a hole in their back. Somehow).
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* Trolls in ''[[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]]'' are pretty much the same, only adding on a ridiculously-caustic stomach acid, capable of digesting rock, that they like to vomit on their foes/victims.
** And even then, there are at least three kinds of trolls in the [[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]] universe.
*** Ahem. Warhammer ''World''
* The trolls of ''[[Changeling: The Dreaming]]'' are big and strong and have horns... and that's mostly where the similarity to an "average' troll ends. They're not necessarily dumb or ugly, and they're some of the best warriors of Changeling society. Their major weakness is that they're bound by honor; if they break an oath, [[Kryptonite Factor|they lose their strength]], and if someone else breaks an oath they made with a troll, well... [[Unstoppable Rage|they'd better get out of the way]].
** The spiritual heirs of the trolls in ''[[Changeling: The Lost]]'' are the Ogres, who can ramp up their strength and be more intimidating but aren't too strong against mental whammies. Thanks to the game's Kith system, they range from all-devouring maw (Gristlegrinder) to stone-skinned tank (Stonebones) to giant (Gargantuan) to river hag (Water-Dweller). One of the books in the line contains an actual Troll Kith that relies on both brute strength and cunning.
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*** In the supplement Dunkelzahn's Secrets, there is a list of candidates the dragon Dunkelzahn defeated to become President of the UCAS (what the USA became) - the republican candidate, Anne Penchyk, is a troll.
* [[Earthdawn]]'s trolls are this, with a dash of vikingian [[Sky Pirate]]. They make good wizards, especially Elementalists.
* Trolls in ''[[Rune Quest]]'' are a bit bigger than humans, but about as smart. They're [[Extreme Omnivore
* ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'' trolls [http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=122405 are] [http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=19630 all] [http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?id=49828 over] [http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=108806 the] [http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=146021 place]. At least they can all cheat their way out of death, usually by regenerating (Eventide has one that uses persist instead)...
** ''Magic'' trolls are also often
** 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]").
* ''[[Scion]]: Ragnarok'' has two mechanically-similar breeds of troll. One type are the children of the troll-wives; the other is the result of giving a giant's ''eitr'' (mutative blood) to a dwarf.
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* In a Brazilian RPG setting (called Tormenta), Trolls are Plant-people (well, maybe fugus people, can't remember), thus justifying they vulnerability to fire and regeneration. They are of the tall, mean and brainless monster variety.
** There is also a monster race from another dimension, can't remember the name, but they share the extreme sexual differences from some Troll tales, the women are beautifull elf-like, and the men are big, brutish, with green hair and four arms, but both are good.
* Trolls in ''Grimm'' all have wildly different, though hideous and roughly person-shaped appearances, but they have a few things in common: They're all man-eaters who live under bridges, maintaining them and collecting tolls from those who pass over them. They have master knowledge of the structure and maintenance of bridges, but are weakened greatly if they stray too far from their bridge. They can also hum a wondrous soothing subsonic tune that helps persuade otherwise reluctant people to cross their
* In Chronopia, the Blackblood Trolls have four armed, and are highly intelligent. Their not as aggressive as the other Blackbloods, but in combat they become a whirlwind of arms and blades.
* [[GURPS]] Fantasy uses trolls as an example for a fantastic race. Deliberately sticking to the old myths, the trolls shown are huge, ugly humanoids who turn to stone when exposed to sunlight. The troll-women are weaker than their male counterparts, but possess powerful magic.
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*** If nothing else they are the oldest indigenous race in all of Azeroth, or at least the oldest race that is still globally active.
*** It's possible this is because they breed like rabbits.
** They also have three
** The majority of the forest troll's anomalies and powers were explained by revealing that the elves had enslaved and performed cruel experiments on them several hundred years before the Second War. These experiments influenced their genetics,leading both to their green fur and regenerative abilities, as well as their overwhelming hatred of elves and The Alliance in general. In fact, {{spoiler|they only joined the horde when their chieftain, Zul'Jin, was imprisoned by the elves at the human settlement of Hillsbrad, only to be saved by the orcs}}.
* 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
** 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]. They have low-level health regeneration and can be killed by normal means, but are especially vulnerable to fire.
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* ''[[Majesty]]'' took the regeneration of trolls very literally, having them ooze together in the middle of the city to wreak havoc and then melt into a green puddle when defeated. Their appearance clearly points to ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]'' as inspiration.
* Trolls in ''[[Final Fantasy XI]]'' are large, bulky, plate-armor wearing mercenaries. They, in the past, were allies of the player-friendly Empire of Aht Urhgan, but turned against them and are now in the employ of Moblins (Goblins with fancy armor).
* The Locust in ''[[Gears of War]]'' are arguably a [[Not Using the Zed Word]] or [[Call a Rabbit a Smeerp]] version of trolls, given some of the parallels to the "repulsive underground dweller hostile to man" version of
* Trolls in ''[[Sacrifice]]'' are large, green humanoids with a [[Healing Factor]] that lack heads and have their faces on their chests instead. They serve the goddess of life, Persephone, and are as such benign. Pyro has a creature known as a firefist, which is a troll with flamethrowers attached to its
* In the 2005 [[Video Game]], The Bard's Quest, Trow (What people called Trolls on the Orkney Islands) are short, Goblin-like creatures that are an annoyance in the beginning. That is, until your average enemy becomes [[Punk Punk|Clock-Work]] Knights and ten-foot tall [[The Undead|undead]] [[Horny Vikings|Vikings]]. And don't get me started on the the Nuckelavee.
** The [[Eldritch Abomination|Nuckelavee]]? As in, [[The Fair Folk|evil water faerie]] that looks like a flayed centaur/cyclops thing?
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* In ''[[Sacred]]'' Troll is a type of undead.
* 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
* The Trolls found in ''[[Kameo]]'' 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]].
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* In ''[[Puzzle Quest]]'', trolls are large, grayish creatures with the annoying habit of regenerating health, though they are still perfectly killable. During a sidequest, however, you are told something that basically amounts to them being able to regenerate [[Squick|even after being eaten]], which can be prevented by ingesting poison.
* In [[Rift]], trolls are fairly standard hulking, stony-skinned brutes. What makes them different is that {{spoiler|they are former servants of an ancient race of titans, who are not intelligent enough to form language, but can understand psychic messages left behind by the titans. Some of them have chosen to obey the [[Our Giants Are Bigger|giants]], who used to be the middle managers between the titans and the trolls.}} Also, Asha Catari has one for a bodyguard.
* In [[Magicka]], Trolls appear as large brutish giants with a small healing factor which can be counteracted by fire, but can still be killed with other elements. they also come in various [[Underground Monkey]] varieties, each with increasing levels of strength and speed. Their intelligence is debatable, as some varieties seem little more than animals, others use weapons advanced as [[BFG
* Trolls in ''[[Drakensang]]'' are large humanoid giants full of hair who likes to eat "sweet stuff", especially honey and "sweet dust" (sugar). Other than this, they're quite likeable. In the second game you can fight a two trio of troll, but they're very dangerous.
* [[The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings]] gives a nod to the mythological notion of trolls being made of stone and petrify in sunlight. In [[This Is Reality|reality]], trolls are giant, butt-ugly humanoids, but made of flesh and blood all the same. According to the lore, they have a penchant for construction and alcoholism, and will often build bridges and charge travelers toll to cross them. The toll is always quickly blown on booze. Their relationship with humans residing in the area is often positive, as it is cheaper to pay the troll to maintain the bridge than to have other humans do it.
* The Trolls of the ''[[Adventure Quest Worlds]]'' universe rule one half of the Bloodtusk Ravine (the other half being Horc territory). They have a love of literature and art, are quite adept in the use of magic, and in the art of combat are unparalleled strategists. Physically, they're not much larger than regular humans and have skin coloration ranging from a greenish blue to dark blue, with males having big ears and differently-sized noses and tusks depending on the troll, and females being [[Cute Monster Girl
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** 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.
* In ''[[Tales of the Questor]]'' Trolls are a [[Bizarre Alien Biology|type of toadstool]], which live centuries, can eat nearly anything, and are capable of turning the average human warrior into a small red streak across the ground. They're usually too stupid to be good or evil, but they do tend to make good guards for the treasures of bad people.
* ''[[Dungeon Damage]]'' had a number biological [[Hand Wave|HandWaves]] for their regenerating
* In ''[http://www.hereville.com/2007/12/31/how-mirka-got-her-sword-page-1/ Hereville]'', Mirka {{spoiler|dreams about}} a troll which is a large bearded biped with too many eyes. Later she encounters {{spoiler|the real one, which has a blob for a body, six stick-thin limbs, carries a handbag, and likes knitting}}.
* [[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]]
* ''[[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 [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.
* In ''[http://www.swiftriver-comics.com/ Swiftriver]'', trolls are blue skinned, hairy, and [http://swiftriver-comics.com/swiftriver/2009/07/15/true-colors/ sport horns]. They tend to to be over six feet tall (not counting their horns) and have two rows of teeth. They are always of Norse or Scandinavian heritage and can project a glamour to make them appear human.
* ''[[Dan and Mab's Furry Adventures]]'' doesn't have trolls as such, but does have the 'Mythos', which is a catch-all term for any Creature race that doesn't fit into any other category.
* ''[[Homestuck]]'' plays with the dual meaning by having [[Troll|internet trolls]] turn out to be actual grey-skinned creatures with horns. Further reveals have shown that they're [[Humanoid Aliens]], with [[Bizarre Alien Biology]] implying that they're closer to insects than humans. They're a [[Higher-Tech Species]] whose society runs on [[Blue and Orange Morality]] and lots of violence. They're almost all bisexual (because gender is vestigial) and polygamous (troll reproduction requires this); many are either psychic or psychotic. {{spoiler|Most of the less-savory aspects of their culture are not natural, but were engineered by malevolent outside forces. Prior to the pressing of an in-universe [[Reset Button]], trolls were a peaceful species.}} Personality-wise, there's a great deal of variation within the 12 trolls in the cast (and [[Generation Xerox|their ancestors]]): from [[Anti-Hero|Anti Heroes]] to [[Anti-Villain|Anti Villains]], [[The Woobie|Woobies]] to [[Smug Snake
** Not quite polygamous; they have four different kinds of romance (I am ''not'' going into that here), and while they believe in finding satisfying relationships in all four quadrants, they also try to stay monogamous within a quadrant, and having the same kind of relationship with more than one person is still a no-no. As is being in more than one quadrant with the same person simultaneously.
* In ''[[Yet Another Fantasy Gamer Comic]]'' it's [http://yafgc.net/?id=1051 used] as one of [[Fantastic Slurs]]:
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* ''[[Barbie and the Diamond Castle]]'' featured a troll that looked just like a short, bald guy that happened to have greenish-brown skin, carried a scimitar, and threatened to eat anyone who couldn't answer his riddle.
* Even ''[[Dora the Explorer]]'' has a troll. He is a short, hairy humanoid with a huge beard who lives under a bridge. [[Informed Attribute|He claims to be grumpy]], but it seems like he really just likes to [[That Makes Me Feel Angry|sing a song that says he's grumpy]]. He also asks Dora riddles every time she tries to cross his bridge.
* In ''The Little Troll Prince'' trolls are small, ugly underground dwelling and [[
* Mustakrakish the Lake Troll from ''[[Metalocalypse]]'' is several stories tall with red skin, gangly limbs, claws, and fangs. It appears to hate (or enjoy destroying) modern technology, or at least high-tension electrical lines, and its only weaknesses seem to be lullabies (which [[Sealed Evil in a Can|put it to sleep in the bottom of a lake]]) and sharp objects lodged in its throat.
** And it's summoned with the [[Power of Rock]].
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