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{{short description|Supernatural being in Nordic folklore}}
{{About|beings from Nordic folklore|the slang term|Troll (slang)|the doll|Troll doll|other uses|Troll (disambiguation)}}
{{Redirect|Trolls|the 2016 animated film|Trolls (film){{!}}''Trolls'' (film)}}
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[[File:John Bauer 1915.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|''Look at them, troll mother said. Look at my sons! You won't find more beautiful trolls on this side of the moon.'' (1915) by [[John Bauer (illustrator)|John Bauer]]]]

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 [[Scandinavia]]n folklore, trolls became beings in their own right, where they live far from human habitation, are not [[Christianization of Scandinavia|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.

In Scandinavian folklore, trolls are sometimes associated with particular landmarks (sometimes said to have been formed by a troll having been exposed to sunlight). Trolls are depicted in a variety of media in modern popular culture.

==Etymology==
The Old Norse nouns ''troll'' and ''trǫll'' (variously meaning "fiend, demon, [[werewolf]], [[jötunn]]") and [[Middle High German]] ''troll, trolle'' "fiend" (according to [[philology|philologist]] [[Vladimir Orel]], the word is likely borrowed from Old Norse), possibly developed from [[Proto-Germanic]] neuter noun *''trullan'', meaning "to tread, step on". The origin of the Proto-Germanic word is unknown.<ref name="OREL-410-411">Orel (2003:410-411).</ref> Additionally, the Old Norse verb ''trylla'' 'to enchant, to turn into a troll' and the [[Middle High German]] verb ''trüllen'' "to flutter" both developed from the Proto-Germanic verb *''trulljanan'', a derivative of *''trullan''.<ref name="OREL-410-411"/>

==Norse mythology==
In Norse mythology, ''troll'', like ''thurs'', is a term applied to ''[[Jötunn|jötnar]]'' and is mentioned throughout the Old Norse corpus. In Old Norse sources, trolls are said to dwell in isolated mountains, rocks, and caves, sometimes live together (usually as father-and-daughter or mother-and-son), and are rarely described as helpful or friendly.<ref name="ORCHARD1997167">Orchard (1997:167).</ref> The ''[[Prose Edda]]'' book ''[[Skáldskaparmál]]'' describes an encounter between an unnamed troll woman and the 9th-century [[skald]] [[Bragi Boddason]]. According to the section, Bragi was driving through "a certain forest" late one evening when a troll woman aggressively asked him who he was, in the process describing herself:
<blockquote>
{|
|
<small>[[Old Norse]]:</small>
:''Troll kalla mik''
:''trungl sjǫtrungnis,''
:''auðsug [[jötunn|jǫtuns]],''
:''élsólar bǫl,''
:''vilsinn [[Völva|vǫlu]],''
:''vǫrð nafjarðar,''
:''hvélsveg himins –''
:''hvat's troll nema þat?''<ref name="LINDOW-22">Lindow (2007:22).</ref>
|
<small>Anthony Faulkes translation:</small>
:'Trolls call me
:moon of dwelling-Rungnir,
:giant's wealth-sucker,
:storm-sun's bale,
:seeress's friendly companion,
:guardian of [[grave|corpse-fiord]],
:swallower of heaven-wheel;
:what is a troll other than that?'<ref name="FAULKES-132">Faulkes (1995:132).</ref>
|
<small>[[John Lindow]] translation:</small>
:They call me a troll,
:moon of the earth-[[Hrungnir]] [?]
:wealth sucker [?] of the giant,
:destroyer of the storm-sun [?]
:beloved follower of the seeress,
:guardian of the "nafjord" [?]
:swallower of the wheel of heaven [the sun].
:What's a troll if not that?<ref name="LINDOW-22"/>
|
|}
</blockquote>
Bragi responds in turn, describing himself and his abilities as a skillful [[skald]], before the scenario ends.<ref name="FAULKES-132"/>

There is much confusion and overlap in the use of Old Norse terms ''jötunn'', ''troll'', ''þurs'', and ''risi'', which describe various beings. [[Lotte Motz]] theorized that these were originally four distinct classes of beings: lords of nature (''jötunn''), mythical magicians (''troll''), hostile monsters (''þurs''), and heroic and courtly beings (''risi''), the last class being the youngest addition. On the other hand, Ármann Jakobson is critical of Motz's interpretation and calls this theory "unsupported by any convincing evidence".<ref name="JAKOBSSON06">Ármann Jakobsson (2006).</ref> Ármann highlights that the term is used to denote various beings, such as a jötunn or mountain-dweller, a witch, an abnormally strong or large or ugly person, an evil spirit, a ghost, a ''[[Black people|blámaðr]]'', a magical boar, a heathen demi-god, a demon, a [[brunnmigi]], or a [[berserker]].<ref name="JAKOBSSON08">Ármann Jakobsson (2008).</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Ármann Jakobsson |url=https://www.academia.edu/32484922 |title=The Troll Inside You: Paranormal Activity in the Medieval North |publisher=punctum |year=2017 |location=Earth, Milky Way [sic] |doi=10.21983/P3.0175.1.00 |isbn=978-1-947447-00-4 |archive-date=2024-07-09 |access-date=2023-12-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240709192340/https://www.academia.edu/32484922 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Scandinavian folklore==
[[File:Theodor Kittelsen - Forest Troll - NG.K&H.B.03222 - National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design.jpg|thumb|upright|Skogtroll (''Forest Troll''), by [[Theodor Kittelsen]], 1906]]
Later in Scandinavian folklore, trolls become defined as a particular type of being.<ref name= "SIMEK335">Simek (2007:335).</ref> Numerous tales are recorded about trolls in which they are frequently described as being extremely old, very strong, but slow and dim-witted, and are at times described as man-eaters and as turning to stone upon contact with sunlight.<ref name="KVEDELUND-SEHMSDORF-301-313">Kvedelund, Sehsmdorf (2010:301–313).</ref> However, trolls are also attested as looking much the same as human beings, without any particularly hideous appearance about them, but living far away from human habitation and generally having "some form of social organization"—unlike the ''rå'' and ''näck'', who are attested as "solitary beings". According to [[John Lindow]], what sets them apart is that they are not Christian, and those who encounter them do not know them. Therefore, trolls were in the end dangerous, regardless of how well they might get along with Christian society, and trolls display a habit of ''bergtagning'' ('kidnapping'; literally "mountain-taking") and overrunning a farm or estate.<ref name="LINDOW-1978-33-35">Lindow (1978:33—35).</ref>

Lindow states that the etymology of the word "troll" remains uncertain, though he defines trolls in later Swedish folklore as "nature beings" and as "all-purpose otherworldly being[s], equivalent, for example, to [[fairy|fairies]] in [[Anglo-saxons|Anglo]]-[[Celts|Celtic]] traditions". They "therefore appear in various migratory legends where collective nature-beings are called for". Lindow notes that trolls are sometimes swapped out for cats and "little people" in the folklore record.<ref name="LINDOW-1978-33-35">Lindow (1978:33—35).</ref>

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. In connection, the lack of trolls and jötnar in modern Scandinavia is sometimes explained as a result of the "accuracy and efficiency of the lightning strokes".<ref name="LIGHTNING">See Lindow (1978:89), but noted as early as Thorpe (1851:154) who states "The dread entertained by Trolls for thunder dates from the time of paganism, Thor ... being the deadly foe of their race".</ref> Additionally, the absence of trolls in regions of Scandinavia is described in folklore as being a "consequence of the constant din of the church-bells". This ringing caused the trolls to leave for other lands, although not without some resistance; numerous traditions relate how trolls destroyed a church under construction or hurled boulders and stones at completed churches. Large local stones are sometimes described as the product of a troll's toss.<ref name="THORPE-1851-158-154-156">Thorpe (1851:158, 154—156).</ref> Additionally, into the 20th century, the origins of particular Scandinavian landmarks, such as particular stones, are ascribed to trolls who may, for example, have turned to stone upon exposure to sunlight.<ref name="KVEDELUND-SEHMSDORF-301-313"/>
[[File:John Bauer - The Princess and the Trolls - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|The Princess and the Trolls –''[[Changeling#Scandinavia|The Changeling]]'', by [[John Bauer (illustrator)|John Bauer]], 1913]]
Lindow compares the trolls of the Swedish folk tradition 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."<ref name="LINDOW-1978-33-35"/>

Smaller trolls are attested as living in burial mounds and in mountains in Scandinavian folk tradition.<ref name="MACCULLOCH33">MacCulloch (1930:223—224).</ref> In Denmark, these creatures are recorded as ''troldfolk'' ("troll-folk"), ''bjergtrolde'' ("mountain-trolls"), or ''bjergfolk'' ("mountain-folk") and in Norway also as ''trollfolk''<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Blix Hagen |first1=Rune |last2=Alm |first2=Ellen |date=8 March 2023 |title=trolldomsprosessene i Norge |url=https://snl.no/trolldomsprosessene_i_Norge |website=Store norske leksikon |language=Norwegian |quote=var henholdsvis trollkvinne og trollmann – i flertall omtalt som trollfolk.}}</ref> ("troll-folk") and ''tusser''.<ref name="MACCULLOCH33"/> Trolls may be described as small, human-like beings or as tall as men depending on the region of origin of the story.<ref name="MACCULLOCH34">MacCulloch (1930:219—223, 224).</ref>

In Norwegian tradition, similar tales may be told about the larger trolls and the [[Hulder|Huldrefolk]] ("hidden-folk"), yet a distinction is made between the two. The use of the word ''[[Trow (folklore)|trow]]'' in Orkney and Shetland, to mean beings which are very like the Huldrefolk in Norway, may suggest a common origin for the terms. The word ''troll'' may have been used by pagan Norse settlers in Orkney and Shetland as a collective term for supernatural beings who should be respected and avoided rather than worshipped. ''Troll'' could later have become specialized as a description of the larger, more menacing Jötunn-kind whereas ''Huldrefolk'' may have developed as the term for smaller trolls.<ref name="Narváez2">Narváez (1997:118).</ref>

John Arnott MacCulloch posited a connection between the Old Norse [[vættir]] and trolls, suggesting that both concepts may derive from spirits of the dead.<ref name="MACCULLOCH30">MacCulloch (1930:228 & 231).</ref>

[[Troll (research station)|Troll]], a Norwegian research station in [[Antarctica]], is so named because of the rugged mountains which stand around that place like trolls. It includes a [[ground station]] which tracks [[satellites]] in [[polar orbit]].

==In popular culture==
Trolls have appeared in many works of modern fiction, most often in the [[fantasy]] genre, with classic examples being the portrayal of trolls in works such as [[Troll (Middle-earth)|in Tolkien's Middle-earth]]<ref name="Eden 2014">{{cite book|last=Hartley|first=Gregory|url=http://www.academia.edu/download/60767850/Civilized_Goblins_and_Talking_Animals_-_Preprint_Draft.pdf|title=The Hobbit and Tolkien's mythology : essays on revisions and influences |publisher=McFarland |year=2014|isbn=978-0-7864-7960-3|editor=[[Bradford Lee Eden]] |volume=Part III: Themes|chapter=Civilized goblins and Talking Animals: How The Hobbit Created Problems of Sentience for Tolkien|oclc=889426663}}{{dead link|date=July 2022|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> or the ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' [[roleplaying game]].<ref name="Dummies">{{cite book|last1=Slavicsek|first1=Bill|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xNU7E01MCEgC&q=%22mind+flayer%22&pg=PA361 |title=Dungeons & Dragons For Dummies|last2=Baker|first2=Rich|last3=Grubb|first3=Jeff |publisher=For Dummies|year=2006|isbn=978-0-7645-8459-6|pages=373|access-date=2009-02-12 |author-link=Bill Slavicsek|author-link2=Richard Baker (game designer)|author-link3=Jeff Grubb}}</ref><ref>{{cite conference |url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02910410/document |title=La mythologie nordique dans Donjons & Dragons - Entre réception et stéréotypes |last=Di Filippo |first=Laurent |date=2018 |publisher=Didaskalie |book-title=Les clichés dans l'histoire |pages=75–90 |location=Chazey-sur-Ain |conference=Fest'Ain d'Histoire |language=fr |trans-title=Norse mythology in Dungeons & Dragons - Between reception and stereotypes}}</ref> 

Beginning in the 1950s, [[Troll dolls]] were a popular toy based on the folklore creature. Trolls based on the dolls appeared in the [[Hollywood movie|Hollywood]] animated movie ''[[Trolls (film)|Trolls]]'' (2016) and its subsequent sequels ''[[Trolls World Tour]]'' (2020), and ''[[Trolls Band Together]]'' (2023).

''[[Troll (2022 film)|Troll]]''<ref name="Netflix">{{Cite web |date=2022-09-05 |title=Roar Uthaug's Troll Launches on Netflix on December 1 |url=https://about.netflix.com/en/news/roar-uthaugs-troll-launches-on-netflix-on-december-1 |access-date=2022-12-11 |language=en-US}}</ref> is the name, and main antagonist, of a 2022 Norwegian movie released by [[Netflix]] on December 1, 2022.

[[Rolf Lidberg]] was a Swedish artist well known for his troll illustrations. 

The Danish artist [[Thomas Dambo]] has created from recycled wood a series of monumental troll sculptures that can be seen in several botanic gardens and similar installations.

==Other==

It has been hypothesized that the troll myth might have its origin in real-life interactions between [[anatomically modern humans]] and [[Neanderthals]].<ref>{{cite web |last= |first= |title=Neanderthals, Scandinavian Trolls, and Troglodytes |url=https://www.norwegianamerican.com/neanderthals-scandinavian-trolls-and-troglodytes/ |website=The Norwegian American |publisher= |access-date=29 June 2024 |archive-date=29 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240629181739/https://www.norwegianamerican.com/neanderthals-scandinavian-trolls-and-troglodytes/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal
 | last = 
 | first = 
 | title = Gone but Not Forgotten. Extinct animals immortalized through folklore
 | journal = Lapham's Quarterly
 | date = Winter 2020
 | volume = 13
 | issue = 1
 | page = 93
 | url = 
 | access-date = 
}}
</ref>

==See also==
* [[Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr and Irpa|Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr]], a Norse goddess whose surname sometimes contains the element ''-troll''
* [[Moomintroll]], a fictional protagonist of ''[[The Moomins]]''
* [[Hugo (franchise)|Hugo]], a Danish [[video game franchise|video game]] and [[media franchise]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
{{Refbegin}}

* Ármann Jakobsson (2006). "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: ''Bárðar saga'' and Its Giants" in ''The Fantastic in Old Norse/Icelandic Literature'', pp.&nbsp;54–62. Available online at [https://web.archive.org/web/20070304124135/http://www.dur.ac.uk/medieval.www/sagaconf/armann.htm dur.ac.uk (archived version from March 4, 2007)]
* Ármann Jakobsson (2008). "The Trollish Acts of Þorgrímr the Witch: The Meanings of Troll and Ergi in Medieval Iceland" in ''Saga-Book'' 32 (2008), 39–68. 
* Kvideland, Reimund. Sehmsdorf, Henning K. (editors) (2010). ''Scandinavian Folk Belief and Legend''. [[University of Minnesota Press]]. {{ISBN|978-0-8166-1967-2}}
* [[John Lindow|Lindow, John]] (1978). ''Swedish Folktales and Legends''. [[University of California Press]]. {{ISBN|0-520-03520-8}}
* Lindow, John (2007). "Narrative Worlds, Human Environments, and Poets: The Case of Bragi" as published in Andrén, Anders. Jennbert, Kristina. Raudvere, Catharina. ''Old Norse Religion in Long-Term Perspectives''. Nordic Academic Press. {{ISBN|978-91-89116-81-8}} ([https://books.google.com/books?id=gjq6rvoIRpAC&q=troll google book])
* MacCulloch, John Arnott (1930). ''Eddic Mythology, [[The Mythology of All Races]] In Thirteen volumes, Vol. II''. Cooper Square Publishers. 
* Narváez, Peter (1997). ''The Good People: New Fairylore Essays'' (The pages referenced are from a paper by Alan Bruford entitled "Trolls, Hillfolk, Finns, and Picts: The Identity of the Good Neighbors in Orkney and Shetland"). [[University Press of Kentucky]]. {{ISBN|978-0-8131-0939-8}}
* Orchard, Andy (1997). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=5hbPHQAACAAJ Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend]''. [[Orion Publishing Group|Cassell]]. {{ISBN|0-304-34520-2}}
* [[Vladimir Orel|Orel, Vladimir]] (2003). ''A Handbook of Germanic Etymology''. Brill. {{ISBN|9004128751}}
* [[Rudolf Simek|Simek, Rudolf]] (2007) translated by Angela Hall. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=Zni8GwAACAAJ Dictionary of Northern Mythology]''. [[Boydell & Brewer|D.S. Brewer]] {{ISBN|0-85991-513-1}}
* [[Benjamin Thorpe|Thorpe, Benjamin]] (1851). ''Northern Mythology, Compromising the Principal Traditions and Superstitions of Scandinavia, North Germany, and the Netherlands: Compiled from Original and Other Sources. In three Volumes. Scandinavian Popular Traditions and Superstitions, Volume 2.'' Lumley.

{{Refend}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Trolls|lcfirst=yes}}

{{Scandinavian folklore}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Trolls]]
[[Category:Scandinavian folklore]]
[[Category:Norwegian folklore]]
[[Category:Swedish folklore]]
[[Category:Germanic mythology]]
[[Category:Supernatural legends]]
[[Category:Scandinavian legendary creatures]]
[[Category:Creatures in Norse mythology]]
[[Category:Mythic humanoids]]
[[Category:Jötnar]]
[[Category:Fairy tale stock characters]]