fables

“ One can also get away with being ugly as a troll, if she's also pleasant. „
― Snow White to Nurse Spratt, Fables #100 — "Single Combat"


Trolls are a species which debuts in Fables #1 — "Chapter One: Old Tales Revisited"

History

In Ultima Thule, humans and trolls live side by side with sentient moose, foxes and polar bears.[1]

Trolls residing at the Farm have been reported to engage in fights with the goats.[2]

The Wolf cubs once found a baby cave troll and tried to adopt him, which greatly angered their mother, Snow White.[3]

Cinderella is captured by trolls in Thailand. They have graduated from guarding bridges to trafficking in mundys, and they have failed to notice that she is not a mundy. Fortunately, Snow White has the foresight to send the mouse Dickory to help her, and he gets to work on gnawing through her bonds. Angry that the trolls dared to kidnap her, and downright outraged at their selling women into sexual slavery, Cinderella kills all of the trolls, and frees their prisoners.[4]

Physiology and traits

Trolls are incredibly strong, and can carry a heavy load of weight.[5] They are dangerous creatures known for guarding bridges and doing the occasional night raids on farmers' flocks. However, they are also known for being cowardly.[4] Trolls are considered to be unattractive by human standards, as Snow White uses the phrase "ugly as a troll" at one point.[6]

Bridge trolls are trolls that prefer to live under bridges and are prone to terrorizing anyone who will dare to cross. Where one bridge troll has once resided, another will inevitably move in.[7] Cave trolls appear to favor caves.[3]

It is a tradition among trolls to cremate their dead before sundown; neglecting this practice could supposedly lead to unfortunate outcomes for their souls.[8]

Known trolls

Original source

Trolls are giant, monstrous beings from Scandinavian folklore. They are hostile to humans and live in castles and haunt the surrounding areas after dark. They sometimes possess magic powers. When exposed to sunlight, they either burst or turn into stone. In later stories, trolls are often portrayed as human-sized or smaller creatures similar to dwarfs and elves. They reside in the mountains, occasionally abduct human maidens and are able to shift into different forms and make predictions about the future.[13]

References

  1. ↑ Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love #5 — "Part Five: Cold Wars"
  2. ↑ Fables #14 — "The Mouse Police Never Sleep: Storybook Love Part One"
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Fables #58 — "Big Scary Monsters, Part Two of Father and Son"
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Fairest #21 — "Of Men and Mice, Part One: It Happened One Night"
  5. ↑ Fables #50 — "Happily Ever After"
  6. ↑ Fables #100 — "Single Combat"
  7. ↑ Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall — "The Witch's Tale"
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Fables: The Wolf Among Us #17 — "Chapter Seventeen"
  9. ↑ Fables #83 — "The Great Fables Crossover, Part 1 of 9: The Call"
  10. ↑ Fables #43 — "Arabian Nights (and Days), Chapter Two: D'jinn & Tonic with a Twist"
  11. ↑ Fables #63 — "The Good Prince, Chapter Four: Home"
  12. ↑ Fairest #22 — "Of Men and Mice, Part Two: Memories"
  13. ↑ Troll, September 7, 2024, Encylopædia Britannica. "Troll, in early Scandinavian folklore, giant, monstrous being, sometimes possessing magic powers. Hostile to men, trolls lived in castles and haunted the surrounding districts after dark. If exposed to sunlight they burst or turned to stone. In later tales trolls often are man-sized or smaller beings similar to dwarfs and elves. They live in mountains, sometimes steal human maidens, and can transform themselves and prophesy."