Canonfire! Forums-viewtopic-Where do trolls come from?

Mon Aug 10, 2026 2:45 pm Where do trolls come from?

Hello everyone. Regenerating trolls remind me of the giants from Thomas the Covenant and especially the Unas from Stargate. It's possible that such a monster exists in Norse literature. Has anyone developed a legend explaining the curse of these giants? Thank you.

Mon Aug 10, 2026 4:11 pm Trolls

I don't know where the green skin color and regenerating hip points came from, but there is a tradition of trolls in Norse stories.

Have you ever read any of the Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire books which feature trolls?

I learned about Norse mythology through their books before I ever learned about Greek or Roman mythology.

Mon Aug 10, 2026 5:14 pm

The specific D&D trolls come from the book Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson, along with several other bits. Anderson was of Danish heritage, so he knew his trolls.

As for developing them for Oerth, I have. :)

In my article on giants which appeared in Visions 2 and is included in my TNC Netbook 1 Peoples and Cultures, I discuss the origins of giants, including trolls.

Trolls are the result of the decline of giants. They are the end path of the warped and twisted fomor, being so horribly deformed and twisted that their bodies regenerate.

Links for reading here more here:

https://canonfire.greyparticle.com/visionsofgreyhawk/
https://thegreygrimoire1.wordpress.com/2024/02/16/128/