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River troll

A River Troll (Vorax illumineus)

This is what's written in Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You about Trolls.

Trolls (Family: Nocturnidae)[]

Trolls are afflicted with a ravenous and never-ending hunger that leads them to devour whole flocks of livestock. In particular they have a taste for sheep, but they will eat whatever they can catch.

Trolls can survive extreme weather conditions and therefore tend to settle as far as possible from human settlements. Nocturnal by necessity since sunlight will turn them instantly to stone, trolls are more common far to the north, where it is dark for months at a time. Water trolls live primarily in or near freshwater and usually make their home in a makeshift nest of rushes and mud along the banks of a bog or deep river. Bridges are also good places to build beneath as they provide shade even in winter months.

As soon as a troll moves into a new lake or river, it begins evacuating stones and debris to keep the channels deep enough for it to move about easily. Greater depths allow it safety from the sun, as trolls are able to hold their breath for hours on end.

Though they appear brutish, trolls can communicate in the local tongue and are skilled at word games. There are reports of trolls carrying off captives for reasons other than hunger. One northern species, Bauer’s troll, has even been recorded as deceiving humans into believing it can live in accord with them. People would do well to recall that trolls are malicious opportunists always on the lookout for their next meal.

Known Species[]

  • River Troll (Vorax illumineus)
Bauerstroll

A Bauer's Troll (Vorax bauereri)

  • Bauer's Troll (Vorax bauerensis)

Additional facts[]

Trolls are in fact related to Ogres, which probably means that they also are descended from giants, but often less cunning than trolls. Nonetheless, they are extremely dangerous.

When a Water Troll is submerged, the only visible parts of his body is usually the hump and top of their head, which looks like partially water-covered rocks; the creature's long hair looks like grass.

Trolls have very long ears and big noses. Thus, they have exceptionally good senses of smell and hearing.

Trolls are quite agile in the water, but somewhat clumsy on dry land. To fix this problem, they balance their immense mass on their enormous knuckles.

Characteristics[]

River Trolls are very large, amphibious faeries with voracious carnivorous appetites. Many sport large, hooked noses and hair covered in water plants. They have long, drooping ears to block water from entering their ear canals, overlarge hands and feet for swimming, and rather flat teeth, surprising for their preferred diets of livestock and humans. Trolls either have green or brown skin to blend into their murky habitats. Arthur Spiderwick noted the grassy hump of a troll is its telltale feature when it hides under a bridge.

Known Trolls[]

Grendel, the beast in the epic poem Beowulf, was probably a malicious Troll with taste for human flesh. He and his mother, who was even worse, lived in a marsh close to a Danish royal castle. Every night, Grendel would walk into the castle, kill a few people, and bring them back to his home. Finally, the Scandinavian hero who gave the poem its name arrived and killed Grendel and his mother.

Theodore Spiderwick, the older brother of Arthur Spiderwick, was eaten by a Troll who had already killed and eaten three other children when Arthur was only eight years old. The newspapers, however, declared Theodore was the latest victim of a vicious bear. The horror happened before Arthur's eyes, and later in life this would make him less objective when studying Trolls.

Spiderwick-2-1-

One hungry River Troll lived under the bridge at Robinson Creek.

Arthur once encountered a female Bauer's Troll who lived in the far north. She liked everything shiny and had adorned herself with the whole collection, as well as pelts from previous meals as protection against the bitter, chilly environment. According to Arthur she smelled like rotten wood. The female had apparently been held prisoner by Humans at some point, as a few iron shackles were tied around her wrist, making the skin calloused and burned.

Another Troll tried to kill a girl named Judy R. during a snowstorm. The Faerie waited outside the window of Judy's parents' room, waiting for the light to burn out. The Troll suggested he and Judy tell riddles to each other. If Judy got one wrong, the Troll would cut the power to the house so he could come in, and if the Troll got one wrong, it may go on to another house with "a child that is not so clever". Judy and the creature told riddles to each other all night, until the sun rose and the Troll turned to stone.

Mole troll

Mole trolls are less known species. One once attacked a mine and ate two miners before it left at daytime unknowingly and turned to stone. In the Spiderwick movie, Redcap sent a troll to attack Jared and Mallory. The troll was hit by a car as it left the tunnels. It is unknown if it is dead or alive.

Behind the scenes[]

Trolls

Appearances[]

Trivia[]

  • Troll Concept

    Troll Sketches by Tony Diterlizzi

    There was a concept art of a troll, described as a hippo-like creature with a chunky body and stubby limbs, which was not physical enough to be a dangerous creature.
  • Bauer's Troll is named after John Bauer, an illustrator who has done many illustrations of trolls which the Bauer's Troll greatly resemble.
    • Water+Troll+clr1a

      Concept art of a Water Troll

      Although the more accurate binomial name should be Vorax Bauerii, not Vorax bauerensis.
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