Two-headed Trolls
| This article describes a concept which is mentioned in J.R.R. Tolkien's works, but was never given a definite name. |
Two-headed Trolls might have been a legendary race of Trolls, as Gandalf once said that "I am afraid trolls do behave like that, even those with only one head each."[1] If Gandalf's statement was not merely a way of speaking, perhaps the two-headed Trolls lived in the Ettenmoors.[2]
Inspiration
Commenting on Gandalf's words, John D. Rateliff has noted that trolls "with multiple heads appear in many stories", especially pointing to George Webbe Dasent's "Soria Moria Castle".[3]
In many other fictional fantasy worlds, including adaptations of Middle-earth, there are two-headed monsters, which in some settings are called Ettin(s).[4][5]
Portrayal in adaptations
1982-97: Middle-earth Role Playing:
- Although neither a race of "Two-headed" Trolls nor Ettin/Ettens are mentioned, there exists an individual monster called Skessa, a crossbreed between a troll and giant, having two heads.[6]
1995-8: Middle-earth Collectible Card Game:
- "'Two-headed' Troll" is a Warrior Ally for evil players.
1998-2004: Middle-earth Online:
- Ettins, a race of two-headed trolls, was intended to be included in the game.[7]
2002-5: The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game:
- Ettens resemble the Hill-trolls, but they possess "not one but two long heads". The solitary creatures, a result of an ancient experiment by Morgoth, live almost exclusively in the Ettenmoors.[8]
2017: Middle-earth: Shadow of War:
- The Overlord of the Núrnen region of Mordor is an Olog named Ranger, who poses as a Troll with two heads. In reality, the second head is that of the Uruk Ratbag the Coward, who is riding on Ranger's back and wearing a large helmet to conceal his identity.
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "Roast Mutton"
- ↑ See section "Inspiration" below
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, John D. Rateliff (ed.), The History of The Hobbit, Mr. Baggins, The Second Phase, "Trolls", p. 99 (note 9)
- ↑ Dungeons and Dragons (1977), Monster Manual; see further Ettin (Dungeons & Dragons) at Wikipedia
- ↑ Ettin at World of Warcraft Wiki (accessed 15 November 2010)
- ↑ Zachariah Woolf (1995), Lake-town (#2016)
- ↑ Roundup 12.1 (02-09-2004) at My.lotro.com (accessed 16 November 2010)
- ↑ Scott Bennie, Mike Mearls, Steve Miller, Aaron Rosenberg, Chris Seeman, Owen Seyler, and George Strayton (2003), Fell Beasts and Wondrous Magic
| Legendary races of Arda | |
| Animals: | Dumbledors · Gorcrows · Hummerhorns · Pards · Swans of Gorbelgod · Turtle-fish |
|---|---|
| Dragon-kind: | Sea-serpents · Spark-dragons · Were-worms |
| Evil Races: | Ettens · Giants · Half-trolls · Hobgoblins · Ogres · Snow-trolls · Two-headed Trolls |
| Other: | Badger-folk · Great beasts · Lintips · Mewlips · Nameless things · Spectres |
| Individuals: | Talking Gurthang · Talking purse · The Hunter · Lady of the Sun · Lonely Troll · Man in the Moon · The Rider · River-woman · Tarlang · Tim · Tom · White cow |
