Trolls

A Fire Troll.

Trolls are large enemies that appear in God of War (2018). They are juggernaut beings sporting a set of large tusks on the edge of their faces. Their main weapon of choice is a big and heavy stone totem engraved with a rune that grants the Trolls their specific elemental power. Kratos and Atreus encounter several of them during their journey.

Norse Mythology

Nordic literature, art and music from the romantic era and onwards has adapted trolls in various manners – often in the form of an aboriginal race, endowed with oversized ears and noses. They are often depicted with tails and hairy ears, similar to the ears of lynxes. The meaning of the word troll is unknown. It might have had the original meaning of supernatural or magical with an overlay of malignant and perilous. Another likely suggestion is that it means "someone who behaves violently" In old Swedish law, trolleri was a particular kind of magic intended to do harm. It should also be noted that North Germanic terms such as trolldom (witchcraft) and trolla/trylle (perform magic tricks) in modern Scandinavian languages does not imply any connection with the mythical beings. Moreover, in the sources for Norse mythology, troll can signify any uncanny being, including but not restricted to the Norse giants (jötnar). 

God of War (2018)

Trolls are violent creatures that are aggressive towards everyone they cross paths with, attacking not only Kratos and Atreus but also men and dwarves unlucky enough to encounter them. The father and son usually come across the corpses of both a Troll and the victims of the mentioned Troll during their journey.

Despite their hostility and apparent brutality, Trolls seem to be intelligent creatures since they are capable of speech and have their own native tongue, as well as having their own tribes where they are born and raised. The Bridge Keeper of Helheim in particular could differentiate a dead soul from a living, displaying a great level of sentience.

The Trolls were once a powerful and advanced civilization, having a series of settlements and cities all across Midgard and the rest Nine Realms. However, they have been betrayed by the Aesir at some point in their history, leading to a catastrophic collapse of their society and a massive extinction of their race, leaving only few of them scattered all across the Realms.

Trolls can be prideful, as a specific Frost Troll called himself Stonebeard King out of confidence in his combat prowess, as well as the Death's Hammer of Veithurgard having challenged Kratos and his son to battle in order to have a glorious death in combat.

There is a tribe of Trolls known as the Stone Troll Tribe, whose members are physically lean but nonetheless strong, having the skin of rock and using totems of granite as their weapon. Two members of the mentioned tribe where appointed as the guardians of the Black Rune of Jötunheim in the heart of Týr's Vault.

Not all Trolls dwell in Midgard, since the Bridge Keeper of Helheim is a Troll that was born and raised in the Realm of the dead, and Muspelheim also harbored a specially powerful Fire Troll.

Powers and Abilities

All Trolls have massive strength, durability, and stamina, being able to take several hits from both Kratos and Atreus. The power granted by the specific element from the rune on their totems allows them to strengthen and enhance their powers, Fire Trolls being able to shoot flames from their hands and stomp the ground to melt the earth, and Frost Trolls being able to freeze their surroundings and slam the earth to send ice shard shockwaves.

The stronger the Troll, the greater is the elemental spread in the Troll's body and intensity of the runic glow in the totem. Stronger Fire Trolls possess burnt skin with reddish markings covering both their body and totem, can burn through contact, and their totems are cracked with fiery energy. Likewise, stronger Frost Trolls possess bluish skin, frozen hair, ice tusks, expel large amounts of freezing energy, and their glowing totems are covered with rock-solid ice.

Natives of the Stone Troll Tribe have the ability to enter a hibernation state where they remain unmovable but are apparently still conscious as they continue to be aware of their surroundings. In battle, the Stone Trolls can generate blinding ash from their hands and can slam the ground with their granite totems to create surrounding blinding grenades from the earth.

It seems the Stone Trolls can imbue themselves with elemental power without the need of carving their totems with runes, as the totems of the guardian Grendels in Týr's Vault didn't sport the elemental runes the other Frost and Fire Trolls had in their totems, instead the totems of the Frost and Fire Grendels, as well as the one used by their fellow non-elemental tribesman, shared the same plain diamond-shaped carving.

Known Trolls

• Brenna Dauði
• Dauði Hamarr
• Dauði Kaupmaðr
• Dauði Munr
• Death Eater
• Grendel of the Frost
• Grendel of the Ashes
• Járn Fótr
• Máttugr Helson
• Stonebeard King

Gallery

Kratos and Atreus battle a Troll.

Ancient depiction of the trolls.

Brenna Dauði (Codex)

Dauði Kaupmaðr (Codex)

Dauði Munr (Codex)

Grendel of the Frost (Codex)

Grendel of the Ashes (Codex)

Járn Fótr (Codex)

Máttugr Helson (Codex)

Stonebeard King (Codex)

Early Concept Art

Fire Troll 3D Model

Stone Troll 3D Model

Totem Concept Art

Early Totem Concept Art

A slumbering Stone Troll

Járn Fótr

Dauði Hammar

Brenna Dauði

A slumbering Grendel of the Frost

A slumbering Grendel of the Ashes

Grendel of the Ashes

Grendel of the Frost

Death Eater

Stonebeard King

Máttugr Helson

A dead Fire Troll

Trivia

• Trolls are equivalent to the Minotaurs and Juggernauts from the previous games, as they are large and use bludgeoning weapons.
• The Troll that appears in the E3 Trailer is apparently Dauði Kaupmaðr.
• With the exception of the aftermentioned Dauði Kaupmaðr and Máttugr Helson, all Trolls share the same cinematic finisher; Kratos shattering their left tusk, smashing their head, burying his Axe in the forehead and finally pulling their totems to drop them on their skull.
  • Dauði Kaupmaðr's finisher simply consists of shattering his left tusk, pulling his head to the ground and breaking his neck. Máttugr Helson's finisher is almost identical to the common one, except that Kratos uses his Blades instead, and when the totem drops the Troll catches it, thus forcing Kratos to overheat the totem to explode it, and then impaling his Blades in the Troll's skull.
• In the game's beginning, you can explore under the bridge where the Troll appeared in the E3 Trailer, there Atreus will say "I half-expected there to be a Troll under that bridge."
  • In-universe this is a likely reference to the Norwegian fairy tale "Three Billy Goats Gruff" (De Tre Bukkene Bruse). A story about 3 goats who outwit a troll to reach a meadow across his bridge.
• While the Troll in the E3 Trailer spoke to Atreus in a tongue he understood while pleading for his life, not a single Troll spoke in his tongue during the game.
  • The event in the Trailer was most likely a representation of Atreus' ability to understand foreign languages since he could still understand what the Trolls where saying in-game, despite not speaking the same tongue.
  • When first time battle to Fire Troll, Dauði Kaupmaðr said: "Umfir fua fik fir Valhalla!" - which translated as "You will not cross into Valhalla.".

Video

God of War -- The Lost Pages of Norse Myth A Fire Troll Approaches PS4