The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
ALPHABETICAL RACES PLACES MISCELLANEOUS REFERENCE INTERACTIVE SHARE
Latest Chronicle Calendar Old and rare words Lexicon of names Links Random
Dates
First recorded at the Nirnaeth Arnoediad in I 472, but must predate this by some time. Still extant at the time of the War of the Ring at the end of the Third Age
Divisions
Cave-trolls, Hill-trolls, Mountain-trolls, Olog-hai, Snow-trolls, Stone-trolls
Meaning
Obscure;1 Tolkien consistently translates this word as 'Troll'

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 28 June 2003
  • This entry is complete

Torog

The Elves’ name for those of Troll-kind

The Sindarin word that Tolkien conventionally renders as 'Troll' in his works. The derivation of this word is uncertain - it may be derived from older Elvish words (see note 1 below) or perhaps imitates olog, which seems to be the comparative term in the Black Speech.


Notes

1

The 'rog' element of torog is reminiscent of the same element in Balrog, and the two may share a derivation from rauko, 'demon'. Following this, and hints from The Etymologies (in volume V of The History of Middle-earth), a possible source of the name would be taur rhaug, where taur means 'vast, mighty, overwhelming, awful', and rhaug is the origin of 'rog', 'demon'. Hence - assuming this speculation has any basis in reality - the name 'torog' would mean 'mighty demon'.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 28 June 2003
  • This entry is complete

For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page.

Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 1999, 2001-2003. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.

Website services kindly sponsored by myDISCprofile, the free online personality test.
Take the FREE myDISCprofile personality test to discover your core personality and your ideal job.
The Encyclopedia of Arda
The Encyclopedia of Arda
Menu
Homepage Search Latest Entries and Updates Random Entry