[Creature Feature] Trolls

Trolls are fearsome creatures, similar to the yuk of Laos. Many are large, even giant, tusked creatures, with some skill in magic, usually for malignant purposes. However, there are reports of female trolls who are quite attractive and quick-witted compared to the lumbering, dull-witted males of the species.

Troll women often cavort in the forest in lavish finery too beautiful to be of human fabrication. They let themselves be seen by human men to attract servants or pets. These men often returned after decades, wandering, with no memory of their time with the trolls.

Some Swedes say "Det verkar som om det går troll i det här projektet" or "It looks like there’s walking trolls in this project," when things go amazingly wrong, because trolls are connected with bad luck and accidents.

Like the yuk, trolls are confirmed shape-shifters. Known forms include rolling giant balls of yarn, animals, or they simply remain invisible with their predatory intents.

Most Folk Metal bands consider trolls to be naturalists, fond of drinking, very anti-Christian and anti-human. But oddly, some trolls let humans raise their children, secretly switching human babies who haven’t been christened. Many trolls have taken to living under human bridges in recent centuries. Trolls find goats quite tasty but may be wary around them these days.

Stones with roughly man-like features could be explained by folklore as trolls petrified by sunlight or curses.Theodor Kittelson is one of the leading artists of the world to successfully depict trolls.

In America, the troll capital is considered Mount Horeb in Wisconsin, where the downtown streets are lined with troll statues. Yoopers of Michigan consider those who live in lower Michigan trolls because we live "under" the Mackinac Bridge.