Troll (Harry Potter)

A troll was a magical beast of prodigious strength and immense stupidity. In fact, they were so synonymous with stupidity that they actually had the lowest wizarding exam failing grade named after them. Trolls were grouped in the taxonomical genus Troglodytarum. Trolls possessed rudimentary magic, but it is not known how they applied it.
==Description==
===Physical appearance===
Trolls generally reached a height of about twelve feet and weighed up to a tonne. Troll whiskers had magical properties, and were sometimes used as wand cores, though they were considered inferior to the Supreme Cores. Their feet had two toes, both with giant toenails.
===Behaviour===
They were dangerously violent and incredibly aggressive, and they engaged in unpredictable behaviour, comparable to giants. They were also incredibly low in intelligence, of which giants seemed to have more. Trolls were particularly attracted to unpleasant smells, such as Dungbombs.
===Diet===
Trolls, similar to Acromantulas, had a taste for human flesh. They enjoyed it raw, but were not fussy about what they ate. Trolls were also fond of fish.
==Society and culture==
Troll language was supposedly nothing more than simple grunts that only trolls seemed to be able to interpret, though skilled magical multi-linguists such as Bartemius Crouch Senior could understand them. Trolls understood only a limited number of human words, and some smarter ones could be skilfully trained as security trolls. Professor Quirrell had a gift for communicating with trolls, having used it to set one loose in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1991 in an effort to steal the Philosopher's Stone.Mountain trolls had been known to tame and ride Graphorns, or at least try to ride them. However, the Graphorns didn't seem to be very keen on the idea.
==History==
To create a diversion so he could go after the Philosopher's Stone, Professor Quirrell let another mountain troll into the castle on Hallowe'en 1991, appearing in the dungeon. It wandered around the corridors until Harry Potter and Ron Weasley locked it in a girls' bathroom, only to realise soon after that Hermione Granger was also in that particular bathroom. With a combination of using the Levitation Charm and what Minerva McGonagall would cite as "sheer dumb luck", Ron managed to knock it by levitating its club and dropping it on its head, incapacitating it and saving Hermione.
==Sub-species==
Mountain Troll.png|Mountain troll
There were three known different types of trolls, each with its own highly unique set of physical differences.
The mountain troll was the largest and most violent of the various troll species. It stood twelve feet tall, with grey skin, a lumpy body, and flat horny feet. It exuded a powerfully awful smell that was reminiscent of “a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean.” Its nose was full of what looks like lumpy, grey glue: troll bogeys.
==See also==
*Giant
*Inflate-a-Troll
*Travels with Trolls
*Yeti
==Behind the scenes==
*Other subspecies of troll referenced by Harry Potter media include the Troll of Nadroj and the Sea troll. However, both of these cannot be considered canon as the 2017 edition of confirms there are only three types of troll: River trolls, Mountain trolls, and Forest trolls.
*The is a creature from Norse mythology. Though sometimes depicted as being little different from humans, later Scandinavian folklore began to increasingly depict them as ugly, stupid, and brutish, a depiction that has persisted into modern fantasy works.
*In , Ron Weasley draws a picture of a troll and describes Gregory Goyle as one.
*In , if someone casts a spell at a security troll, they can create an expansive wave in self-defence.
*There is some contradiction as to the ability of trolls to perform magic. In , it states that trolls have no magic powers other than their naturally enhanced strength. However, one of the questions on the Wizards' Ordinary Magic and Basic Aptitude Test, when taken with information on the Patronus Charm from , implies that both hags and trolls can use rudimentary magic.
*Though often derided as stupid, trolls are obviously intelligent, or at least sapient, beings. This is seen in their wielding of weapons, dressing themselves, and their attempts to domesticate other beasts (such as graphorns). This indicates that trolls are early to mid Stone Age in terms of culture, and likely possess rudimentary intelligence. However, they were either not considered intelligent enough to understand the laws of the wizarding world or could not control their violence, as the Ministry of Magic did not grant them being status.
==Appearances==
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*Harry Potter: The Wand Collection 
*The Art of Harry Potter Mini Book of Graphic Design
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Category:Confoundables
Category:Regular Defence Against on-the Rare Dark Arts
Category:Foundables
Category:Mascots
Category:An Muggle-Known Creatures
Category:Trolls