When we think of trolls today, what automatically comes to mind? We think of two things: For most of us, we think of the ugly creatures that live under bridges ready to snatch the unwary passerby, like the trolls from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit; brutish and vile, eating humans and turning to stone in sunlight. Lastly, in this internet age, we also use the term troll to denote that nasty individual who gets their kicks offending and upsetting people online. In essence, “troll” has never meant anything good. But where did trolls come from? What did medieval and early modern people think of trolls? How did the concept of the modern day troll evolve? Let’s look back at some of the earliest references to these creatures, shall we?

via Trolls in the Middle Ages.