Trolls (Troll Hunter) (2024)

The Trolls are the main antagonists of the 2010 Norwegian mockumentary horror film Troll Hunter. They are based on the Trolls of Norse legend, being much larger than humans and acting akin to semi-intelligent but aggressive animals - they are also a collective term for many connected species (just as in mythology).

The most prominent trolls in the film were the forest trolls, the cave trolls and the climatic Jötunn - all of which were exceptionally dangerous and possessing the strength and mass to kill humans with ease, although most seemed to prefer hunting animals or livestock when not exploring the remote areas of Norway.

Behavior and Traits[]

"Troll" is a collective term for many connected species. Much like their mythical counterparts, Trolls in the filmare a semi-sapient race of aggressive humanoid giants. While varying in appearance and size, they all share a common weakness: the sunlight which can petrify them (an exceedingly painful process.)

In terms of behavior in general, Trolls are normally short-tempered, aggressive, and not very intelligent. A blend of science in the otherwise fantastical film revealed that rabies can render them much more aggressive than normal, as well as causing them to wander too far from their habitat and threaten unsuspecting human populace. Yet, there's nothing more than the smell of Christian blood that can incite their wrath to the point of being reduced into a mindless berserker. The director of the film explained that such behavior was because the Trolls perceived Christians as invaders who stole the reverence and worship the Norse used to have of their kind and drove them into the wilderness, adding that the sound of bells greatly aggravatedthem. - although it's yet to be revealed how they react upon detecting the smell of those who embrace other religions, such as Islam. Arguably, this presents a minor inconsistency in the film: Hans insists that they are merely animals with no supernatural properties, yet the Trolls can sense Christians.

According to titular Troll Hunter Hans, the modern science revealed a more logical explanation of the creature's petrification upon the exposure to sunlight: A troll's body is incapable ofconverting Vitamin D in ultraviolet light to Calcium so that the exposure to the said light triggers a violent chain reaction within their system. Whereas younger trolls explode into piecesbecause their stomachs expand and gases are pushed into their intestines and veins, older trolls turns into 'stone' since their veins are too constricted, leading to the expansions occurring in their bones and causing them to calcify in a matter of seconds. In a sense, the legend of them 'turning into stone' upon exposure to sunlight is true, albeit not necessarily accurate. As such, Hans armed himself with UV-emitters that can simulate sunlight against thecreatures.

The Trolls are restricted to a government reservation surrounded by oversized electrified fencing, which is disguised as ordinary high-tension wires.

Trolls Found in The Film[]

Unidentified Forest Troll[]

Chronologically, the first troll to be encountered by the group. Though it remained unseen, the protagonists saw flickering UV lights, and showed that itfought against Hans. When Hans noticed the protagonists' presence, he frantically warnedthem to run by yelling, "TROOOLLL!". During the chase, the troll bitThomas on screen, but Hans and his friends managed to savehim. It's unknown whether Hans successfully killed this Troll orsimply drove it away somehow, but thistroll managed to infect Thomas with rabies for the rest of the film.

Tusseladd[]

The Three-Headed Giant aka. Tusseladd was the second of the trolls encountered by the group, and it towered over an ordinary human, to the point its heads brushed against the tops of large pine trees - like most trolls it was semi-intelligent but also extremely feral (later explained as a side-effect of rabies).

The Three-Headed Giant chased after Hans and the group until Hans, who had guided the group to lure it into a trap, petrifiedthe troll using his ultraviolet light. This resulted in the Three-Headed Giant turning into a stone-like statue that Hans later shattered.

When asked about the nature of the Three-Headed Giant, Hans explained that it was not born with multiple heads but earned them with age, he also claimed the extra heads were not true heads, but rather head-like growths used to intimidate other trolls and attract females.

The Three-Headed Giant is a reference to the Ettin of folklore and popular fantasy.

Raglefan[]

The next troll that Hans and the protagonists encounter is a Raglefan, whom they encountered on the bridge. After the difficult fight against this particular troll, as Hans had to wear protective armor that prevents the troll's teeth puncturing his flesh, he managed to takeasample of its blood as well as disposing of the said troll so his fellow TSS could study. It was later discovered that rabies has caused the trolls' aggressive and dangerous behavior.

Dovregubbar[]

Dovregubbars are the next trolls to be encountered. When Hans and the crew are trapped within a cave inhabited by a pack of these trolls, the creaturessomehow became more belligerent than normal. At this point Kalle reveals that he is aChristian, and his presence has seemingly excitedtheir wrath. The group is forced to leave the cave in great haste, but Kalle is captured and killed. The rest of the group areleft distraught and now even more determined to expose the truth.

Jotun[]

The Jotun was the largest and most powerful troll in the movie and served as the climactic villain. Itis based on the ice giants of Norse mythology, and stood at roughly 200ft in height, easily dwarfing every other troll in the movie. A rabies-infected Jotun is revealed to be the main cause of trolls becomingscattered from their usual habitats. Due to the problems that the Jotun caused, as it would indirectly rally the frightened trolls to attack human populace,Hans ultimately petrified the Jotun.

Gallery[]