| Trolls | |
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Real Name |
Trolls |
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First Appearance |
Norse Myth |
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Created by |
Norse Myth |
Origin[]
A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human beings.
In later Scandinavian folklore, trolls became beings in their own right, where they live far from human habitation, are not Christianized, and are considered dangerous to human beings. Depending on the source, their appearance varies greatly; trolls may be ugly and slow-witted, or look and behave exactly like human beings, with no particularly grotesque characteristic about them.
Trolls are sometimes associated with particular landmarks in Scandinavian folklore, which at times may be explained as formed from a troll exposed to sunlight.
A Scandinavian folk belief that lightning frightens away trolls and jötnar appears in numerous Scandinavian folktales, and may be a late reflection of the god Thor's role in fighting such beings.
According to John Lindow, Professor Emeritus of Old Norse and Folklore at University of California, Berkeley, trolls of the Swedish folk tradition can be compared to Grendel, the supernatural mead hall invader in the Old English poem Beowulf, and notes that "just as the poem Beowulf emphasizes not the harrying of Grendel but the cleansing of the hall of Beowulf, so the modern tales stress the moment when the trolls are driven off."
The Norwegian fairy tale Three Billy Goats Gruff features a troll who lives under the bridge. The heroes of the tale are three male goats who need to outsmart the ravenous troll to cross its bridge to their feeding ground.
A Hulder is a female forest-dwelling elf or troll in Scandinavian folklore. She resembles a beautiful human woman, but with an animal's tail (usually that of a cow or fox) and sometimes a hollow back which resembles the inside of a tree. Hulders are said to be creatures who live only for dancing and sex, and often kidnap men to fulfill their sexual desires.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Trolls from before January 1, 1929 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances include:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- Prose Edda
- Among Pixies and Trolls, a Collection of Childrens' Stories (1915)
- The Changeling (1913)
- Popular Tales from the Norse (1859)
- The King of Elfland's Daughter (1924)
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- The Beyond #11: A swiss clock maker Rudi discovers a tribe of mountain trolls who build clocks out of human hearts. They want to kill the intruder, but Rudi escapes with some of their pieces. He poses as a clock making genius, but is hunted down by the trolls. The time-trolls clutch at him, in a sinister way.
- Atomic Mouse #13: Linda, Cyrus, and thei dog Cricket have a tiny wonderful friend with golden hair and grey eyes named Brother Troll. He lives inside a suitcase in their closet and knocks whenever he wants to get out. Whenever the kids are with him, they can understand the speech of animals including their dog.
- Whiz Comics #32, 37: Captain Marvel deals with the War of the Trolls and then later the Return of the Trolls.
- George Pal's Puppetoons #18: A Brother Troll tale titled Jitterbug Bear.
- Animal Fair #6-11: Brother Troll tales such as Glorious Squidge, The Spinachy Person, Introducing Morris Mouse', and The Mystery of the Wasp's Nest.
- Doll Man #30: Doll Man battles a villain called the Troll.
- Captain Marvel Jr. #3, 5-6, 11: Captain Marvel Jr. met the Hilarious Trolls and deals with more trolls in The Stolen Mine and Trouble in Troll Land.
- Zip Comics #13: Dick and his father are going back to the Magic Forest to rescue friends from the giant and the trolls. After slaying the giant, they bring everyone back safely to Panora.
- Nightmare #9: The first Nightmare World feature was titled The Nightmare World Of James Edgar: Call Them Ghouls, Call Them Trolls, Call Them Things.
- Fairy Tale Parade #1: The introduction printed here includes this paragraph: "Often we have longed for more pictures in our favorite fairy tale book. Now Walt Kelly, the artist who drew all the wonderful pictures in this book, makes our wish come true. So let us go with him into the land of trolls and wicked witches."
Notes[]
- In Pokémon Sword and Shield, Grimmsnarl, a big, ugly, hairy Pokémon that is Dark/Fairy type and resembles common depictions of trolls and ogres. Its evolutionary relatives, Impidimp and Morgrem, are trolls in the other sense of the word, being mischievous creatures who annoy humans.