Troll

Trolls are among the first major threats encountered by Bilbo Baggins and Thorin and Company in their quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain. These creatures are large, heavy-faced, and slow-witted, with a crude and violent disposition. They are cannibals who speak in a rough, uneducated dialect and are constantly hungry, preferring mutton but always eager for manflesh or dwarf. Their encounter with the company in the Lone-lands serves as an early test of Bilbo's burgling skills and introduces the travelers to the perils of the Wild, while also providing them with the ancient elvish swords that prove crucial in later battles.

Appearance and Nature

Trolls are described as "very large persons" with great heavy faces and legs of a shape that immediately marks them as non-human. Their language is far from drawing-room fashion, full of curses and crude expressions. They are slow in the uptake and mighty suspicious of anything new to them, as shown when they are baffled by Bilbo calling himself a "burrahobbit." Their most defining characteristic is their vulnerability to sunlight: if caught above ground at dawn, they turn to stone, going back to the stuff of the mountains they are made of and never moving again. This fate befalls the three trolls—William, Bert, and Tom—who capture the dwarves, as Gandalf tricks them into arguing until the sun rises and petrifies them.

Encounter with the Company

The company, lost and wet after a storm, spots a red light in the woods and sends Bilbo ahead to investigate. He finds three trolls—William, Bert, and Tom—roasting mutton and drinking ale. Bilbo attempts to pick William's pocket, but the purse squeaks, alerting the troll, who grabs him. The trolls debate whether to cook him, but their argument is interrupted by the arrival of the dwarves one by one, each of whom is captured and stuffed into a sack. Only Thorin Oakenshield puts up a fight, but he too is eventually bagged. The trolls argue over how to cook their prisoners—roasting, mincing, boiling, or sitting on them—until Gandalf, hidden in the shadows, mimics their voices and keeps them bickering until dawn. When the sun rises, the trolls are turned to stone, and the company is freed.

Role in the Narrative

The trolls' cave yields a key discovery: a cache of plunder, including food, coins, and several swords of elvish make. Gandalf and Thorin take the swords Orcrist and Glamdring, while Bilbo acquires a small knife that later proves to be an elvish blade from Gondolin, which he names Sting. These weapons are identified by Elrond as ancient blades from the Goblin-wars, forged in Gondolin, and they become invaluable in the fight against the goblins in the Misty Mountains. The trolls thus serve as a narrative device to equip the heroes with legendary arms and to introduce the theme of the Wild's hidden dangers. Their presence also marks the first time Bilbo is called upon to act as a burglar, setting a precedent for his later, more successful exploits.

Significance and Legacy

Trolls are a recurring element in the folklore of Middle-earth, often associated with the desolation left by dragons. The trolls encountered by the company are not unique; they are part of a broader threat that lurks in the wild lands. Their vulnerability to sunlight is a well-known trait, and their tendency to hoard plunder makes them a source of both danger and opportunity for adventurers. The encounter with the trolls is one of the first tests of the company's resolve and Bilbo's growing resourcefulness, and it foreshadows the greater challenges to come. The trolls' stone forms remain as a landmark on the road, a silent warning to other travelers of the perils that once lurked there.