All Trolls Are Different: Difference between revisions
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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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* 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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== 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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