Troll

A troll is a supernatural being in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. In origin, troll may have been a negative synonym for a jötunn, a being in Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human beings.

Later, in Scandinavian folklore, trolls became beings in their own right, where they live far from human habitation, are not Christianized, and are considered dangerous to human beings. Depending on the region from which accounts of trolls stem, their appearance varies greatly; trolls may be ugly and slow-witted or look and behave exactly like human beings, with no particularly grotesque characteristic about them. In Norwegian folklore most trolls have tails, and some may have several heads. Their size may also vary from a few inches to several miles high, and some of the bigger ones usually have trees, moss or other plants growing on it. Different races of trolls were based on which area they live in. Traditional examples of this may be mountain trolls, forest trolls and ocean trolls (Draug). Trolls are sometimes associated with particular landmarks, which at times may be explained as formed from a troll turning to stone upon being exposed to sunlight (though other depictions have them not turning to stone in sunlight). As one of the most famous elements of Scandinavian folklore, trolls are depicted in a variety of media in modern popular culture.