Troll

Troll
Species information
Eye colour	Varies
Related to	Yeti (possibly)
Native to	Europe
Height of average adult	Twelve feet
Distinction	Giant-like appearance Low intelligence
Affiliation	Norwegian National Quidditch team
Ministry of Magic Classification	Beast XXXX Being (formerly)
Status	extant

"Anyone can speak Troll. All you have to do is point and grunt."

— Fred Weasley joking about Troll language.

A Troll is a magical creature of prodigious strength and immense stupidity. In fact, they are so stupid that they actually had a wizarding exam failing grade named after them. Trolls are grouped in the taxonomical genus Troglodytarum.

History

Trolls originated in Scandinavia, but are now found all across Europe.

Artemius Lawson was an outspoken advocate for the strict restraint of trolls. He thought it was wrong to allow them to roam free, stating that "they were creatures who weighed a ton, but had brains the size of a bogey".

A Troll was Quirrell's contribution to guarding the Philosopher's Stone.

Description

Physical appearance

Trolls generally reach a height of about twelve feet and weigh up to a tonne. Troll whiskers have magical properties, and are sometimes used as wand cores. Their feet have two toes, both with giant toenails.

Behaviour

They are dangerously violent and incredibly aggressive, and they engage in unpredictable behaviour, comparable to giants. They are also incredibly low in intelligence, of which giants seem to have more.

Diet

Trolls, similar to Acromantulas, have a taste for human flesh. They enjoy it raw, but are not fussy about what they eat. Trolls are also fond of fish.

Society and Culture

Troll language is supposedly nothing more than simple grunts that only Trolls seem to be able to interpret, though skilled magical multi-linguists such as Barty Crouch can understand them. Trolls understand only a limited number of Human words, and some smarter ones can be skillfully trained as security Trolls. Professor Quirrell had a gift for communicating with Trolls, and then used it to set one loose in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1991 in an effort to steal the Philosopher's Stone.

Sub-species

There are four different types of Troll, each with its own highly unique set of physical differences.

• Mountain Troll
• Forest Troll
• River Troll
• Part-Troll (apparently)

A sub-type is the Troll of Nadroj, a kind of troll with disproportionate hands.

Security trolls, the smartest troll specimens, are skillfully trained to guard several wizarding locations.

Behind the scenes

The troll as a Lego minifigure

• In the Philosopher's Stone book and PS1/GBC game, there is a room with a troll that belongs to Professor Quirrell. However, in the film, this scene was omitted.
• In Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Ron Weasley draws a picture of a troll and describes Gregory Goyle as one.
• In the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, "Security Trolls" are made in the last parts of the game. They are shown to be watching the library, and will end the game if they catch the player. To distract them, Ron must throw a Dungbomb around one. If close enough, the Troll will walk towards them. Humourously, when a Troll walks to a Dungbomb, they seem to lose sense of the player.
• Harry Potter once speculated that Marcus Flint has some traces of Troll blood in him; however, this might be simply to insult Flint's stupidity and appearance.

  

• When Ron Weasley was captured by Snatchers in 1997, he told them he was Stan Shunpike, due to them not looking very intelligent, and even speculated that one of them might have been part-Troll, judging by his odour.

• In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, if someone casts a spell at a security troll, they can create an expansive wave in self-defence.
• Troll whiskers may be used in wand cores, though they are considered inferior to the Supreme Cores.
• There is some contradiction as to the ability of trolls to perform magic. In Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, it states that trolls have no magic powers other than their naturally enhanced strength. However, one of the questions on the Wizards' Ordinary Magic and Basic Aptitude Test, when taken with information on the Patronus Charm from Wonderbook: Book of Spells, implies that both hags and trolls can use rudimentary magic.
• After the details of the Sorting ceremony were revealed in 1991, Ron stated that he was going to kill his brother Fred, who had suggested that the test to get into Hogwarts involved wrestling a troll.

  

• Though often derided as stupid, trolls are obviously intelligent, or at least sapient, beings.  This is seen in their wielding of weapons, dressing themselves, and their attempts to domesticate other beasts (such as graphorns).  This indicates that trolls are early to mid Stone Age in terms of culture, and likely possess rudimentary intelligence. However, they were either not considered intelligent enough to understand the laws of the wizarding world or could not control their violence, as the Ministry of Magic did not grant them being status.

See also

• Inflate-a-Troll

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film) (Appears in photogragh in Disc 2)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film) (Deleted scene) (Mentioned as Hairy Troll)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game) (As a bad nickname)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game) (Mentioned only)
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
• Daily Prophet Newsletters (Mentioned only)
• LEGO Harry Potter
• LEGO Harry Potter: Building the Magical World
• LEGO Harry Potter
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• LEGO Dimensions (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter Trading Card Game
• Harry Potter for Kinect
• Pottermore
• Wonderbook: Book of Potions
• Harry Potter: The Creature Vault
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery (mentioned only)