Two-headed Trolls

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This article describes a concept which is mentioned in J.R.R. Tolkien's works, but was never given a definite name.
File:Two-headed Troll.jpg
"Two-headed" Troll by Stephen King

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

Etten, the first element in Ettensmoor, is a word derived from Old English eōten ("giant, troll, ogre").[3][4] It has been noted that Tolkien "probably thought of an 'ettin' as a troll".[5] Historically, the Ettins have been represented as similar to giants, but with two heads.[source?] It is unknown if J.R.R. Tolkien was aware of this connection between Etten and the notion of Ettins as trolls or giants with two heads. However, in many other fictional fantasy worlds, the race of Ettin(s) are described as two-headed monsters.[6][7]

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.[8]

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.[9]

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.[10]

2007-: The Lord of the Rings Online:

The Etten Caves is a troll-infested site in the North Downs.[11][12] The Etten is a species of the troll-kind, but individuals do not possess more than one head.[13]

References

  1. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "Roast Mutton"
  2. See section "Inspiration" below
  3. Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 183
  4. J.R.R. Tolkien, "Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings" in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 770
  5. Michael D.C. Drout, "http://oenewsletter.org/OEN/archive.php/essays/drout37_3/ [An Anglo-Saxonist Gets his Fifteen Minutes: or, what happens when the media briefly pay attention]" at Old English Newsletter Online (accessed 10 March 2011)
  6. Dungeons and Dragons (1977), Monster Manual; see further Ettin (Dungeons & Dragons) at Wikipedia
  7. Ettin at World of Warcraft Wiki (accessed 15 November 2010)
  8. Zachariah Woolf (1995), Lake-town (#2016)
  9. Roundup 12.1 (02-09-2004) at My.lotro.com (accessed 16 November 2010)
  10. Scott Bennie, Mike Mearls, Steve Miller, Aaron Rosenberg, Chris Seeman, Owen Seyler, and George Strayton (2003), Fell Beasts and Wondrous Magic
  11. Etten Caves at Lorebook.lotro.com (accessed 16 November 2010)
  12. Etten Caves at Lotro.wiki.com (accessed 16 November 2010)
  13. Searh result:Etten at Lotro.wiki.com (accessed 16 November 2010)
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