Trolls (folklore)

A Troll is a type of monster found mainly in Norse mythology but has since spread into the realms of fairy tales and fantasy as a popular antagonist in countless tales - in the old tales trolls were seen as generally malignant and cruel humanoids of either gigantic size or small stature and were normally seen as hideously deformed, though they were often depicted with shape-shifting abilities and other magical powers.

Trolls lived in mountains, rocks and caves - normally solitary creatures they sometimes lived in small family groups consisting of either a mother and her son or a father and his daughter, they rarely helped others and were often depicted as man-eaters, tricksters and violent: later tales told of how Trolls would turn to stone if exposed to direct sunlight and for this reason many landmarks in Scandivia are attributed to Trolls.