Word has it that trolls originated in the northern hemisphere and were commonly found in Germany and Scandinavia but also in Finland, Russia and Siberia.

Inhabiting caves or hills, these dwarfs, imps and giants were superb at guarding bridges or byways (although the help given humans was at times a tad arbitrary, not unlike humans).

Some might have called them shaggy, rough-haired, ugly creatures more often than not because of the trees and moss-like growth on their heads and noses. Their long noses also came in handy for cooking broth or stirring porridge. While some trolls had two or three heads, others had only one eye in the middle of their foreheads. Not to be confused with humans, many of these elusive critters had features included four fingers, four toes and a tail resembling that of a cow.

While these cranky critters could survive for several hundred years, their lifetime could be cut short since sunlight would turn them into stone. (Unlike today's movie stars, pop stars and celebrities, they have avoided being in the spotlight whenever possible, except a deadbeat dude named "troll rocker" spotted in Lyon, France).

These ancient creatures are a rich part of the Norse folkloric tradition and appear everywhere from Medieval maps to modern children's tales. They come in handy when warning wee ones to brush their teeth to keep away the terrible tooth trolls. Relatively benign, mischievous, or simply chaotic, they may take on human features or sometimes they appear more like trees or rocks. You know you are talking with a troll when you see his tail, which he may try to hide from you!

Modern usages of the word "troll" a slang expression meaning a person who lives or sleeps in a park or under a viaduct or bridge such as a bag lady or vagrant. Since the advent of the computer, the usenet troll" refers to an electronic communication which is intentionally incorrect, but not overtly controversial, or the act of sending such a message. And, there is one report of an "office troll" who is known to munch on computer display screens if not fed a heck of a good brand of hops!

According to J.K. Rowlings, author of the hugely popular Harry Potter books, the troll is a foul smelling, small-brained, extremely ugly but very tall creature with a really bad temper who lives in the mountains away from the Hogwarts Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

While Scott Adams, the cartoonist behind the Dilbert comic strip, suggests that one of his characters, "Larry", is none other than an Accounting Troll who takes great joy in spitting all over Dilbert and his paperwork.

The Troll Doll was originally known as the "Dam Doll" or "Dammit Doll" in honor of its creator, a Danish woodcutter by the name of Thomas Dam.

In 1959, Mr. Dam who was unable to afford a birthday present for his young daughter instead carved a doll for her. This wasn't just any kind of doll mind you, it was inspired by the legendary trolls whom it is believed inhabit the Nordic forests and bring luck to any humans who could catch them.

As many young girls do, his daughter decided to dress up her doll and show it off to the local villagers. Apparently the doll attracted the eye of a Danish toy store owner and the rest as they say is history.

Who would have thought that part of the dolls charm and world-wide appeal would be its ugly features? It had big ears, a flat forehead, large glass eyes and a pot belly, not to mention long colorful strands of sheep's wool for hair.

The people of Denmark believed that the "Dam Dolls", (also known as "Norfins", "Wishniks" and "Treasure Trolls"), were so ugly that you had to laugh at them and if you were laughing, nothing bad could happen to you. Soon the dolls became a source of good luck to people around the world.

While "trolls" may strike fear into the hearts of wimps and wussies, they've managed to make a lot of people rich and/or very happy. Let's see there are many hundreds of thousands of "dammit doll" collectors, not to mention movie directors who've used them as props, a ventriloquist who uses one as "trilling troll", and a comedian who has featured them in his musical "troll advertisements".

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Note: As the story goes, Mr. Dam sold replicas of the troll doll all over the world, (with more than a million sold in the United States alone in 1964). The troll dolls became one of the biggest toy fads in U.S. history, (probably due to an error in the copyright notice of Thomas Dam's original product). It was not until 2003 however that a law passed by the American Congress permitted the Dam family of Denmark to restore their original copyright and become the only official manufacturer of the "Troll Doll" once again.

What Makes Trolls Happy?

Trolls, particularly those living outside the continental United States, may not win any beauty contests or spelling bees, but they're really great at piling and stacking things such as leaves, stones, acorns, and branches. This is great if you have a great big garden or a putting green in your back yard, (but keep them away from lawnmowers, tractors and weed-whackers as they can make a royal mess of the neatly manicured grass in parks if they feel like having some fun at public expense).

Since they are easily confused and have poor memories, often requiring constant reminders, golf, croquet, and lawn bowling are out of the question as choices for recreational activity. On the other hand, trolls love to search for toadstool rings, so just make sure you let those mushrooms grow after a rainstorm, and they'll be ever so grateful to you.

They are known to live in large families, so make sure that they have adequate shelter to keep them contented (they don't like fake trees, silk plants or styrofoam caves so try something else).

What Do Trolls Eat?

American Trolls, like "Bucolic Billy the Tennessee Troll", apparently adore raisins, pumpkins, and marshmallows, which is wholesome food for kids too!

Never let trolls near the kitchen, particularly if you're making pumpkin cookies. They often forget half the ingredients so the cookies may have an odd taste and may not even resemble pumpkin cookies by the time they are baked.

All American Trolls have a raisin pocket. Scientists haven't figured out know why they like raisins, it's just one of those things, like wicked witches, lemon jellybeans, or stars and stripes bubblegum.

Scientists have however discovered why American Trolls like pumpkins and marshmallows. Trolls do all of their planting at night, since exposure to sunlight shrivels up their lips requiring expensive boxtox treatments and plastic surgery to remove unsighly wrinkles around the eyes, fingers and toes.

Trolls love pumpkins because they remind them of the sun that they can never see and marshmallows, the clouds that they can never float upon.

The good news is that they like water, but be careful they may drink you out of house and home. (Note: Trolls can only retain their water for two hours max, so make sure you have a loo or a powder room nearby...trust me, you don't want to have to clean up after a troll)!

In case anyone thinks that trolls are not exactly uppermost on the minds of modern munchkins, you might be surprised.

"That's insane troll logic." (Xander to Olaf the Troll in the movie, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer")

"There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them." (Chapter 10, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling.

"Anyone can speak Troll, all you have to do is point and grunt." (Fred Wesley in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling.

"Please don't feed the troll." (Anonymous)

"The ego is that ugly little troll that lives underneath the bridge between your mind and your heart." (Gael Greene)