The Lord of the Rings franchise has released a wealth of films, games, and now television, with The Rings of Power soon releasing its second season. Fans anticipate the first time J.R.R. Tolkien’s creatures, demigods, and heroes are brought to life through the magic of good casting and special effects. When it comes to the monstrous trolls of Tolkien’s Middle-earth, the franchise’s visual media has not disappointed thus far.

Trolls often stomp and roar their way through the visual mediums in a terrifying way. However, not all trolls in Middle-earth are the same. So far, six different types of trolls have been featured in the franchise’s recent history, showing the very in-depth scope of Tolkien’s maddening amount of creativity when concocting The Lord of the Rings.

Hill Trolls Are Great Against Cavalry

Hill Trolls lived in a place north of Rivendell known as the Coldfells. Although they do not appear in the film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, they are present at the Battle of the Black Gate in the book The Return of the King. These trolls are said to have a scaly and tough skin that covers them like a tightly-woven mesh. Their preferred way to kill is picking up and biting the throats of their enemies.

Their size is said to be taller and wider than a man, but it isn’t exactly specifically detailed. However, Hill Trolls do appear in the flesh in the games The Battle of Middle-Earth II: The Rise of the Witch King. Their size in the game seems somewhat similar to that of the Olog-Hai shown in the Peter Jackson adaptation of The Return of the King and are heavily armored and brandishing large mauls. In Middle-earth’s history, some Hill Trolls were responsible for killing Arador, Aragorn’s grandfather.

Mountain Trolls Make Great Doormen

These burly and incredibly strong trolls have had quite a presence throughout The Lord of the Rings‘ visual media. As their name dictates, they are found in Middle-earth’s mountainous ranges but are chiefly among heavy-labor jobs in service to Sauron. These trolls are seen in The Two Towers chained to a mill-like track which mechanically opens Mordor’s Black Gate. They are also seen moving and operating the infamous battering ram Grond in The Return of the King.

Through their visual feats alone from the films and books, it’s thought that Mountain Trolls are one of the larger and stronger species of trolls in Middle-earth, although that is merely comparative to the appearance of others that have been seen on the big and small screen.

The Snow Troll Allows For Creative License

These creatures have never appeared as foes to heroes within J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth literature, however they are mentioned as an allusion to the way Helm Hammerhand stalked and fought against the Dunlendings in the Long Winter. Because their presence in the world is noted but never expanded upon, Prime’s The Rings of Power and several of The Lord of the Rings videogames take creative license with their looks and behavior.

With all of them considered, their most common visual characteristics, which are consistent with most of their media, seem to depict them with some patches of fur in spots over their hide, tusks or horns, and a pale hide. There is a difference between this and their depiction in the videogame expansion The Rise of the Witch King, where they are smaller than other Trolls and have green skin.

The Hobbit’s Stone Trolls Can Speak

This species of troll seems closely related to Hill Trolls. However, in The Hobbit they are referred to as Stone Trolls. Tom, Bert, and William are the trio of trolls Bilbo encounters with the dwarves in one of the book and film’s more memorable moments. Stone Trolls prefer to come out during the night since they will permanently turn to stone when in contact with direct sunlight.

Considering their names and social abilities, it seems like Stone Trolls are the most intelligent of the troll species. That being said, their ability to speak and share independent thoughts among one another didn’t prevent them from being outwitted by Bilbo.

Cave Trolls Terrified Audiences

Being one of the first trolls to grace the live-action The Lord of the Rings films, this terrifying bulwark of brawn and thick hide instilled audiences with the real dangers of Mordor’s forces that were far beyond mere orcs.

Other than in Moria, Cave Trolls were also known to be seen in the Ettenmoors. Their incredibly tough hide made them formidable against the entire Fellowship. In the books, however, Frodo was able to get a jab at his foot with Sting, which seems to be a common vulnerability among Cave Trolls in Middle-earth’s history.

Aragorn’s Fight With The Olog-Hai Keeps Focus On Frodo

The name of the Olog-Hai were only mentioned in Tolkien’s appendices but are a prominent part of Sauron’s army in the Third Age, bred as furious combatants that could fight in the sunlight without any hindrances. They were present in Mordor and Mirkwood and would be seen armed to the teeth in The Return of the King, fighting Aragorn at the Battle of the Black Gate.

They are described as having sharp scaley hides and being larger than a man, often having claws and sometimes tusks. Once the War of the Ring ended, all of the Olog Hai were destroyed. Much of Aragorn’s scene fighting the Olog-Hai in The Return of the King is actually a replacement for a face-to-face battle with a fully-armored Sauron, which was thought took away from the focus of Frodo’s heroic journey.