All Trolls Are Different: Difference between revisions

{{quote|'''Thor:''' I think trolls should be hardworking blacksmiths, toiling away underground forging magical weapons.<br />

'''Hades:''' No! Trolls should be vile monsters, living under bridges and harassing goats!<br />

 

[[Our Elves Are Better|Elves]] have [[Pointy Ears]] and live for a very long time out in the magical forest. [[Our Dwarves Are All the Same|Dwarves]] live underground, dig up jewels, and are short and like to grow long beards. [[Our Mermaids Are Different|Merpeople]] live underwater, have sea-creature features, and [[Sirens Are Mermaids|sing]]. And Trolls...

Err? Well, they're ''always'' big, ugly, brutal, and stupid, right? Except when they're small, [[Ugly Cute]] and friendly.

 

 

All right, let's admit it. Trolls are ''diverse''. It's not even a matter of [[Our Monsters Are Different|everyone wanting them to be different]]; there are so many clashing ideas of trolls in mythology ''itself'' that it's hard to decide what they are. So, really, you can't blame modern creators for putting their own spin on trolls. If there is any consistency, it is that [[What Measure Is a Non-Cute?|the less cute the troll, the meaner the troll]], but even that tends to be subverted.

 

 

Many of the differences stem from language barriers. When translating a myth from another culture, it was common habit for a previously unknown creature to be stamped as a troll. The names Ogre, Giant, and Troll were also interchangeable for many storytellers, resulting in further confusion.

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.

 

 

See [[Our Orcs Are Different]], [[Our Goblins Are Different]], [[Our Giants Are Bigger]], and [[Our Ogres Are Hungrier]].

* ''[[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.

* 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|Cute Monster Girls]] with long tufted tails.

* 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.

 

== Fanfiction ==

 

 

== Film ==

** Trope shamelessly exploited for the many unofficial sequels which had next to nothing to nothing in common with the first two apart from having some kind of monster.

* Trolls in ''[[Willow]]'' are smelly, vicious apelike brutes who hate Nelwyns.

* The little-known film ''[[A Troll in Central Park]]'' had a friendly troll who was a midget with big ears, a tail that ends in a tuft of fur, and a literal "[[Green Thumb]]" that could make plants grow. He's the only troll that looked and acted like this in the movie though, and all the other trolls are ugly human-sized flower-hating monsters with warts, large thick tails, and a thumb that turns objects into stone.

* In ''[[Hellboy II]]: The Golden Army'', creatures of every shape and size are seen at the Troll Market. At least some of them aren't trolls, but the one creature explicitly identified as a troll was spindly-limbed and hairless, casting a glamour to make her look like an old human woman. She also [[If You're So Evil Eat This Kitten|eats cats]] and is terrified of canaries.

* In the Norwegian dub of ''[[Shrek]]'', the word "ogre" is replaced with the word "troll". Apart from the fact that he is green and does not have a tail, Shrek looks like the Scandinavian idea of a troll, anyway.

** In the fourth movie, a troll is seen briefly, being mistaken for Shrek. They're slightly taller and bulkier than ogres. Or at least, that particular one was anyway.

** They occasionally interact with their ancestors, [[You Fail Biology Forever|who live behind the stove,]] which are just called trolls. They seem to be smaller, darker, hairier and very feral.

*** There seems to be different continuities, since this troper remembers an old Moomins story where they discover their mummified ancestors, who are very tall, stretched versions of the standards Moomins, and naturally come to life during the story.

*** 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.

*** 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.

* [[Neil Gaiman]]'s short story Troll Bridge features a troll with a nose keen enough to "smell the dreams you dreamed before you were born". And it eats a person's life and takes their place, {{spoiler|and leaving them, in exchange, to take the place of the troll.}}

* In Edith Pattou's [[North Child]], based on a Scandinavian fairy tale, trolls are tall, beautiful humanoids with ridged white skin and the ability to use magic, who live in the North Pole.

* In Robert Lynn Aspirin's "[[Myth Adventures]]" series, the male inhabitants of the dimension Trollia are [[Genius Bruiser|trolls]]. The females are [[Ms. Fanservice|trollops]]. While the male trolls fit the big and ugly (but ''not'' the stupid) stereotype, trollops are [[Green-Skinned Space Babe|gorgeous]].

* Trolls in Holly Black's ''[[Modern Tales of Faerie]]'' are slightly larger and much uglier than most [[The Fair Folk|faeries]], with greenish skin, protruding teeth, and black-and-gold eyes. They turn to stone in sunlight, but will recover when no longer exposed. Troll blood breeds true even when mixed with human. Ravus, the one major character who's a troll, is a little intimidating but a genuinely good guy, although it's indicated in other books that this isn't true of all trolls.

* Trolls in Jim Butcher's [[The Dresden Files|Dresdenverse]] are apparently haggish, mostly stupid creatures that haunt bridges in dark corners and apparently have dominion over "naughty children" according to the prequel short story ''Restoration of Faith''. Also, when a troll is mortally wounded, its skin collapses and a veritable army of ant-sized trolls spill out, which then apparently need quite some time to grow up back into a full-sized troll and the majority of which will be killed off by other natural and supernatural predators, keeping the troll population from growing too much.

** [[The Dresden Files|Dresdenverse]] plays this trope perfectly, as the Winter Fae "trolls" are much more like the traditionaly D&D trolls. However, their intelligence is greater and they are accomplished smiths.

* 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 [[Cannibal|cannibals]], and are fond of human flesh, yet they're superficially very cultured and educated (particularly in black magic). Male trolls believe it's good for their health if they {{spoiler|trick a human maiden into marriage, then drink some of her blood each night}}; this belief, which may just be a troll superstition, becomes a major plot point in the novels.

* 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|Voluntary Shapeshifters]].

** 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.

* The trolls in Rienne Poortvliet's ''Gnome'' books are nasty, ugly, foul, cruel -- every feature every bad troll ever had lumped into one bloated hairy little monster. And there is a subspecies, the Snotgurdle, who is ''worse''.

** 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.)

** The first troll was more along the lines of a wild beast turned loose in the castle than a [[Punch Clock Villain]].

** The trolls seen later were mentioned as [[Does This Remind You of Anything?|'comparing the size of their clubs.']]

** It's also implied that they are twisted copies of Ents in the same way as Orcs are of Elves, though whether this is biological or just metaphorical is unknown.

*** Treebeard says that the trolls were an imitation of ents, an attempt to create creatures of similar strength and durability, though they are much weaker than the originals.

*** Neanderthals ten feet tall with eternal youth, arrow-proof skin, fur, giant fangs and jaws strong enough to crack a skull, mouths large enough to bite a human head off, and arms long enough to knuckle-walk. So, maybe not ''exactly'' like Neanderthals. Maybe a much, much earlier hominid like Gigantopithecus, with magical overtones.

* In [[Mercedes Lackey]]'s ''[[Elemental Masters|Reserved for the Cat]]'' the troll is an evil earth elemental with the ability to [[Voluntary Shapeshifting|shapeshift]] into many different forms, including humans.

** Should be noted that "Troll" is what the ersatz Vikings in the books call them. Their name for themselves is Qanuc

* In Terry Brooks' ''[[Shannara]]'' books there are several different sub-species of trolls. Rock Trolls live in the deep northland mountains and are shown to be about 8 feet tall with thick black bark-like skin. While they work for the villain in the first book they are not depicted as evil and help the humans, dwarfs, and especially the elves in the latter books. They are a [[Proud Warrior Race Guy|Proud Warrior Race]], shown as incredibly loyal and brave, of normal intelligence, and have a good mind for battle strategy. In the 3rd book there is a race of creatures related to trolls, Mwellrets, who live in the northeast swamps. They are normally large bipedal reptilians but can change their shape rather easily. They are sinister, greedy, and crafty and are seen as godlike overlords by the feral gnomes that serve them. The remaining two that exist (the Forest and River Trolls) have little information given about them. Terry must have decided that trolls were too varied to make just one race.

** Given their backstory of being horrifically mutated humans, it makes sense that there would be multiple kinds.

* Trolls in [[The Hollows]] novels are the typical tall and strong type but are relatively well behaved and not prone to violence. [[Shout-Out|They usually live as squatters under public bridges]].

* Trolls in John Ringo's ''[[Council Wars]]'' series are Elves that have been warped and Changed into brutish warriors, much as humans have been Changed into Orcs (His Elves are genetically engineered [[Super Soldiers]]).

* Tanngnost in Brom's ''[[The Child Thief]]'' resembles a huge satyr and is apparently the [[Only Sane Man]] in Avalon.

* In Johanna Sinisalo's ''Not Before Sundown'' trolls are a scientifically acknowledged class of mammal that live in the northern forests and tundras. They're so reclusive that they were thought to be legend until somebody found a real corpse. They're about human-sized, bipedal, combine feline and primate traits, and have sleek, black fur and whip-like tails. As it turns out during the story, their pheromones are strong enough to cause obsessive love, or even sexual attraction in humans in some circumstances. {{spoiler|They're also sentient, and have just recently learned to use human firearms, and have started poaching for hunters.}}

* In [[Dean Koontz]]'s ''Frankenstein'', Harker, one of the doctor's New Race, gives birth to a creature in chestburster fashion that resembles an albino dwarf and is dubbed a troll by Frankenstein's wife, with whom it strikes up an odd friendship based on their mutual hatred of their creator, her husband.

* At the climax of the graphic novel ''Foiled,'' this is revealed to be {{spoiler|Avery's}} true form.

* 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.

 

 

== Live Action TV ==

** Trolls here apparently have powerful magic that has the ability to prevent a human from seeing their true form and allows the troll to control them when used to enchant an amulet that the troll then convinces the victim to wear. Their blood, which is green, is used to do this.

** They can create a potion that allows them to take on human form temporarily.

** It isn't clear if the shoe fetish is a racial trait or not, all of the trolls who exhibit it are immediate family.

** Despite their human size, they are incredibly strong. At one point one was hit by a car, leaving a deep indent in the front of the car but barely moving the troll.

* In ''[[Knightmare]]'''s first season the troll is huge (His head is larger than the dungeoneer), has horns and shaggy grey hair. He'll cheerfully eat people but is also suseptible to bribery and flattery.

** Then there's Oakley who's a "Tree Troll" and is an Ent [[Expy]].

** In later seasons a third type of Troll appears who are pretty much human looking, made of living stone (making them look like statues when at rest), about twenty feet tall and not very bright. Their King, a particularly smart example "Has a vocabulary of twenty words, some of them pronouns and can count up to five."

** And finally there are Mire Trolls described as even larger than normal trolls but "squishier."

 

 

 

== Tabletop Games ==

** There's various subspecies who may omit the vulnerability to acid and/or fire, or gain new one. Such species include swamp trolls, mountain trolls, crystal trolls and [[Super Soldier|war trolls]].

*** And with the right templates, can have ''no'' vulnerabilities. Laying a template which grants immunity to acid on a war troll leads to a monster that cannot be killed by hitpoint damage, although it can still be (temporarily) knocked out, and killed by drowning, Constitution Damage/Drain and Energy Drain. See [http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=101587 Emerald Legion] for an example of extreme templating that tries to cover these weaknesses as well.

** And even then, there are at least three kinds of trolls in the [[Warhammer]] universe.

*** Ahem. Warhammer ''World'' -- there are others out there in the [[Recycled in Space|sort of related]] [[Warhammer 40000]] galaxy, the most famous of which are probably the Ice Trolls of Fenris who are not made of ice but are vulnerable (slightly) to fire.

*** On the other hand, ''The Lost'' does feature ''Hobgoblins'', bizarre hedge-dwelling monsters that explicitly fall under this trope.

* ''[[Shadowrun]]'s'' trolls are pretty much the embodiment of the [[Mighty Glacier]] -- massive, powerful, built like a tank, but slow both physically and mentally. They also tend to have random horns, warts, and bony ridges all over their body. So they're big, ugly, mean... and pretty much the best guys to have on your side in a fight.

* [[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|Extreme Omnivores]], occasionally cannibals, and a [[Dying Race]] due to an ancient curse.

** ''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]").

== Video Games ==

* Trolls in the ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' universe are tall but slender, with blue or green skin and sizeable tusks ([[Cute Monster Girl|except for the women]]). Most trolls are antagonistic cannibals, but the Darkspear trolls stay away from them and have joined up with the Horde. Trolls practice a form of voodoo and [[Space Jews|speak with pronounced Jamaican accents]].

** Note that "Tall and skinny" description only applies to playable characters, enemy Trolls can be skinny or very bulky, come in a wide spectrum of colors, and live in many climates. There are forest trolls and ice trolls, among others.

*** It seems that in general the jungle trolls are the slimmest, while the Amani (forest trolls) and Drakkari (ice trolls) are the bulkiest. The Zandalari, from which all other trolls are descended, are the tallest but not the most heavily built. In addition, a number of troll tribes have massive, super-muscled [[The Berserker|berserkers]] among their ranks, called Dire Trolls, including the Darkspear.

** They also have three toes -- no, not two. There's two in the front, and a small, underdeveloped dewclaw where the heel would be on a human.

** 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}}.

** 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.

* ''[[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).

* 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 fists -- due to the resulting burns, they do not regenerate. Both variants communicate purely through [[Hulk Speak]].

* 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.

* 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]]'' 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.

* The trolls of ''[[Total Annihilation Kingdoms]]'' are generic monster men from Zhon, slightly stronger than most humans.

* ''[[Dwarf Fortress]]'' features two types of trolls:

** The common "troll", a basically sentient but slow-witted beast which Goblins sometimes use as living battering rams to break fortress doors and cause havoc. Description text tells that trolls are "huge humanoid monsters with coarse fur, large tusks and horns." Now that shearing has been implemented, they are also goblins' ''source of wool'' which combined with their gray fur and black skin may mean they look quite a lot like giant, monstrous, humanoid sheep

* 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|BFGs]], and the impressive ruins explored in the second to last chapter (which includes doors with magick based locks, some electronic equipment, and copius amounts of lava) was created by the trolls, leaving them as potential [[Genius Bruiser|genius bruisers]].

* 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 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|Cute Monster Girls]].

 

== Web Comics ==

* Nearly every fictional Troll makes an appearance in [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/stories/dovrefjell/dovrefjell_03.php this] Kaja Foglio illustrated story - at least, every nice one.

** 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 trolls-- body parts designed to survive disembowelment and dismemberment, including primitive auxiliary "lungs" in the sinus cavities to keep the decapitated head alive, an oxygen-absorbing fluid throughout the body that seals wounds and prevents infection and blood loss, arteries with peristaltic pumping action, and a nervous system that produces bioelectrical pulses to control limbs physically separated from the body. The author likes to [[Shown Their Work|show his work]].

* 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}}.

* 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.

** 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]]:

** ...or, y'know, as a [[Shaped Like Itself|reference to the actual (monstrous) trolls]].

* ''[[Pibgorn]]'': [http://www.gocomics.com/pibgorn/2002/12/18/ Troll?] Hardly! [[Political Correctness Gone Mad|Bridge substructure symbiont.]]

* Trolls in ''[[Looking for Group]]'' are a warrior race of greenish-skinned humanoid creatures with glowing red or orange eyes who live in a rather primitive tribal culture and possess shamanic magic, and are quite intelligent (except for Tim, though his stupidity is a product of multiple head wounds). They are initially introduced as antagonists, {{spoiler|until Cale helps recruit them into the Kingdom of Kethenecia}}. Although Benn'Joon, who has been described a number of times as being a troll, is [[Cute Monster Girl|most]] [[Hartman Hips|definitely]] [[Hello, Nurse!|not]] [[Ms. Fanservice|ugly]]. On the other hand, to say Benny's parentage is unclear is rather of an understatement, and she is universally recognized by other characters as a half-breed. Recent strips imply {{spoiler|she may be the daughter of Captain Tah'Vraay, who appears to be of an Elven subrace}}.

 

 

== Web Original ==

* Also lampshaded in the page quote above from ''[[Tales of MU]]''.

* Trolls have made cameo appearances on ''[[Gaia Online]]'' in various promo art, even having special troll items released. As Gaia relies a lot on internet culture for inspiration, Gaian Trolls are a bizarre combination of the bridge dwelling troll, and the ''internet'' kind.

* The Grundles in ''[[My Little Pony]]'' are themselves very diverse in appearance. All of them are varying degrees of [[Ugly Cute]] and they all have very sweet personalities. A few other kinds of trolls appear in the series (such as Niblik from "The Magic Coins"), and pretty much follow the Grundles' standard.

* ''[[Trollz]]'', as in the cartoon of the same name, are magic beings who resemble troll dolls that fail in the cute part of [[Ugly Cute]]. Also, [[Xtreme Kool Letterz]]!

* In ''The Little Troll Prince'' trolls are small, ugly underground dwelling and [[Always Chaotic Evil]] but the title character gains redemption and is turned into a gnome.

** And it's summoned with the [[Power of Rock]].

* Trolls in ''[[Ugly Americans]]'' are big, green, not very bright, live under bridges and really, REALLY like telling riddles. There's some sexual dimorphism evident. Males have long noses, jutting tusks and are bald, females have snub noses, blunt tusks and hair (or they get nose jobs, file down their tusks and wear wigs).

* The Trolls from ''[[David the Gnome]]'' are based on the Scandinavian troll myths, hairy, ugly, man sized creatures who turn to stone in sunlight, and are extremely greedy.