A troll is a supernatural being in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. In origin, troll may have been a negative synonym for a jötunn (plural jötnar), 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.
Trolls are sometimes associated with particular landmarks, which at times may be explained as formed from a troll exposed to sunlight and therefore lead to the common myth of them living underneath bridges to escape the sun. One of the most famous elements of Scandinavian folklore, trolls are depicted in a variety of media in modern popular culture. A Scandinavian folk belief that lightning also frightens away trolls and jötnar appears in numerous Scandinavian folktales, and may be a late reflection of the god Thor's role in fighting such beings.
In Hellboy II: The Golden Army [film], there is a troll which appears in the form of a little scottish lady, who eats cats and is scard of canaries. There are many types of trolls with a variety of languages in the film within the Troll Market. Specific types include Cave Trolls (like Mr. Wink) and Fragglewumps. Trolls fought in the original war against the Humans. The troll Market is located under Brooklyn Bridge and is kept secret from others.
In the 1982 film The Dark Crystal, directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz, there are two alien races who are fighting for the power of a crystal shard. Although they are alien races, the many different charactre appear to be similar to that of Trolls, Ogers and Efl-like creatures (called Gelflings).
In connection, the lack of trolls and jötnar in modern Scandinavia is sometimes explained as a result of the 'accuracy and efficiency of the lightning strokes'. Also, the absence of trolls in regions of Scandinavia are described in folklore as being a 'consequence of the constant din of the church-bells'. This ring caused the trolls to leave for other lands, although not without some resistance; numerous traditions relate how trolls destroyed a church under construction or lunged boulders and stones at completed churches. Large local stones are sometimes described as the product of a troll's toss.
