So, I've been giving this some (actually, quite a lot) of thought. 
Trolls in Discworld are not necessarily stupid. Yes, they generally are in hot weather (except for Mr. Shine - "him diamond !"), but they become very smart in cold weather. (We can see what happens when Detritus gets locked in the Pork Futures Warehouse, and conversely, when he goes to Klatch: "I'm gonna get fick." Poor Detritus). =(
It's arguable that Discworld trolls can be considered as something like computers. They have silicon brains, they think in binary ("One, two, many, lots"), and they shut down if they're overheated.
Not all trolls are like Discworld trolls, of course. Trolls in The Hobbit are big, brutish, and nasty, but not necessarily evil, because evil presupposes intent and a sense of morality, which we don't know that they possess it. The same can be said of the trolls we see in the LOTR movies (e.g. the cave troll in Moria and the troll during the last battle, before the Gates of Mordor): we don't know why they're even here. As soon as Sauron is defeated, the troll runs away. So I think we can assume that the troll was enslaved by Sauron's will, and when Sauron dies, his hold on the troll (and uruk-hai, etc.) is broken.
Trolls in Scandinavian mythology are as diverse as the region that "spawns" them. Scandinavian trolls are all different, but share some traits:
- In Denmark, trolls can be hostile or naughty, and can be as big as mountains or as small as dwarfs, or even with elvish features.
- In Sweden, trolls are powerful, monstrous, and antagonistic towards humans. But some are large and brutish, some are human-sized, and some are even beautiful women (like the huldra). But interestingly, they turn to stone in sunlight.
- In Norway, trolls are dangerous and sometimes even monstrous. They are strong, slow-witted, and prone to turning into stone when exposed to sunlight. (The huldra again features here).
- Finally, there is Iceland. In Icelandic folklore, trolls are central figures and usually described as giant, stupid, and greedy but sometimes kind and wise. They become angry when they're disturbed, but if you help a troll in need, you can expect to be richly rewarded.
No matter what, all Scandinavian trolls embody nature spirits, and represent the power of nature (e.g. forest, cave, mountain etc.)
It's also worth mentioning that in Iceland, the coming of Christianity introduced the folkloric legend of the "Yule Lads", 13 spirits (or brothers?) who -- in the 13 days leading up to Christmas -- would sneak into the house where they were mistreated and cause havoc at night, like slamming doors, stealing candles or sausages, etc. They are also all descended from trolls. Nowadays, they've been tamed, and are now associated with Santa ... but instead of leaving you a lump of coal in a stocking, they leave a potato in your shoe. (Mwa-ha-ha!) 
Coming back to Discworld, we've seen sand trolls in Klatch, a water troll called Bathys, yeti or ice trolls in Thief of Time, earth trolls (or gnolls) in Jingo, and more. Since I'm writing a story set in Iceland (and the climax is near a volcano), I'd love to introduce a volcanic or lava troll ... but I'm not sure if readers would confuse him with Surtr.
So what's your favourite troll meme? Do you like the idea of a lava troll? Do share!
Trolls in Discworld are not necessarily stupid. Yes, they generally are in hot weather (except for Mr. Shine - "him diamond !"), but they become very smart in cold weather. (We can see what happens when Detritus gets locked in the Pork Futures Warehouse, and conversely, when he goes to Klatch: "I'm gonna get fick." Poor Detritus). =(
It's arguable that Discworld trolls can be considered as something like computers. They have silicon brains, they think in binary ("One, two, many, lots"), and they shut down if they're overheated.
Not all trolls are like Discworld trolls, of course. Trolls in The Hobbit are big, brutish, and nasty, but not necessarily evil, because evil presupposes intent and a sense of morality, which we don't know that they possess it. The same can be said of the trolls we see in the LOTR movies (e.g. the cave troll in Moria and the troll during the last battle, before the Gates of Mordor): we don't know why they're even here. As soon as Sauron is defeated, the troll runs away. So I think we can assume that the troll was enslaved by Sauron's will, and when Sauron dies, his hold on the troll (and uruk-hai, etc.) is broken.
Trolls in Scandinavian mythology are as diverse as the region that "spawns" them. Scandinavian trolls are all different, but share some traits:
- In Denmark, trolls can be hostile or naughty, and can be as big as mountains or as small as dwarfs, or even with elvish features.
- In Sweden, trolls are powerful, monstrous, and antagonistic towards humans. But some are large and brutish, some are human-sized, and some are even beautiful women (like the huldra). But interestingly, they turn to stone in sunlight.
- In Norway, trolls are dangerous and sometimes even monstrous. They are strong, slow-witted, and prone to turning into stone when exposed to sunlight. (The huldra again features here).
- Finally, there is Iceland. In Icelandic folklore, trolls are central figures and usually described as giant, stupid, and greedy but sometimes kind and wise. They become angry when they're disturbed, but if you help a troll in need, you can expect to be richly rewarded.
No matter what, all Scandinavian trolls embody nature spirits, and represent the power of nature (e.g. forest, cave, mountain etc.)
It's also worth mentioning that in Iceland, the coming of Christianity introduced the folkloric legend of the "Yule Lads", 13 spirits (or brothers?) who -- in the 13 days leading up to Christmas -- would sneak into the house where they were mistreated and cause havoc at night, like slamming doors, stealing candles or sausages, etc. They are also all descended from trolls.
Nowadays, they've been tamed, and are now associated with Santa ... but instead of leaving you a lump of coal in a stocking, they leave a potato in your shoe. (Mwa-ha-ha!) Coming back to Discworld, we've seen sand trolls in Klatch, a water troll called Bathys, yeti or ice trolls in Thief of Time, earth trolls (or gnolls) in Jingo, and more. Since I'm writing a story set in Iceland (and the climax is near a volcano), I'd love to introduce a volcanic or lava troll ... but I'm not sure if readers would confuse him with Surtr.
So what's your favourite troll meme? Do you like the idea of a lava troll? Do share!
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