COMC-701 Lessons

Can't Stop The Feeling

Welcome back, students! I hope you all had a wonderful and restful break. I know I was eager to come back to Hogwarts, especially after I was sent to the state of Texas in the United States to assist in containing a Peruvian Vipertooth that broke free of its restraints. MACUSA workers had taken the creature from an illegal breeder and were in desperate need of some back up. Nonetheless, I'm thrilled to begin your final year of Care of Magical Creatures, but also quite sad as you are our first group of students. 

Now, I better get myself back on track before I become too emotional. For your first lesson of Seventh Year, we are covering trolls! Trolls are a creature that I always enjoy discussing because there are so many twists and turns to their story. But, before I start, I would like to discuss the creatures we will be covering this year as a whole. 

As you should know, we have been working up through the Ministry of Magic classifications since your Second Year. We have strictly covered beasts, save the lecture on spirits during Fourth Year because they are given classification on the scale. That trend will continue this year. However, the beasts we will be covering this year are the most dangerous of them all. These are creatures we are covering not because you will keep them as pets but because of their use in the wizarding world and the frequency with which you will encounter them if working for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. I work with one we will be covering extensively this year: dragons. I also recognize this is likely not the first time you have encountered these creatures in your education. That should tell you how important it is to understand them, their behaviors, and how to handle them appropriately should the occasion arise. 

Sometimes you have to use the clues in front of you to put together what creature caused the situation you were dispatched to. You wouldn’t be able to deduce you stumbled into an underground basilisk breeding facility if you don’t understand how they are made and how they behave. That being said, I do warn you there are certain types of information I won’t be able to share with you this year due to the nature of the creatures. I certainly cannot advise you on how to illegally breed dragons, now can I? However, I will do my best to prepare you for any situation you may encounter and how to identify it in the moment. 

We will also be covering creatures often seen in other countries, and may not be recognized in the traditional text used in class, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. As a student, I was not fortunate enough to learn about these creatures, and have since encountered them during my work with the Ministry and had to learn and prepare in the moment. My hope is that in discussing these creatures with you now, you will be more prepared than I was for the field, and that I am helping create a better generation of magizoologists.

As a reminder, we will be using the same essay rubric we have used in previous years. We will also have a year-long project, as we have done since your Third Year. I am particularly excited about this one, as it is a great lesson in the history of magical creatures. With that, I think I have covered everything I needed for your last first day of class.

Trolls: Brutes of the Wizarding World

Behavior, Appearance, and Diet

Let’s begin our discussion of trolls! As many of you may know, trolls are a large humanoid creature known for their incredibly low intelligence and brute strength. They stand an average of twelve feet and typically weigh at least a ton. They have varying physical appearances depending on the species. However, something all troll species have in common is they only have two toes per foot. Muggle films often get this wrong, saying that these types of creatures have three toes, which always makes me giggle. 

As you should also know about trolls, considering you covered them in your Fourth Year of Defense Against the Dark Arts, they are incredibly aggressive. This is especially concerning because of their prey of choice: humans. Like many creatures we will cover this year, trolls prefer the taste of human flesh above all else, but when humans aren’t available, they tend to go for fish. Noise easily agitates adult trolls, so it is likely that humans moving through their territory cause enough noise to bother them, which would then cause them to attack. Because they are native throughout Europe, tourists and natives alike will unknowingly wander into their territory. Each year, Muggles report on missing hikers, and the Department for the Regulation and Control is immediately dispatched to the area to determine if a troll is behind it, especially if the region has a known troll colony. 

The Ministry does try to keep track of these colonies, but due to movement there are difficulties in keeping an updated map. While these maps are available for the public, you have to call the Ministry to request one. This is mostly to prevent poaching for troll fighting. Trolls are considered one of the best magical creatures for fighting because of their sheer brutality when attacking. Apparently this makes for a good show. However, the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures doesn’t see troll fighting as a top priority because the troll typically kills the person trying to make it fight. Essentially, the creatures solve the problem themselves, so to speak. Witches and wizards also seek them out to hunt them, in hopes of obtaining a trophy to show their prowess. Honestly, I don’t know why this makes someone “cool,” because who wants to see your troll leg umbrella holder, but to each their own horrible activities and hobbies. 

In addition to their aggressiveness, trolls carry around clubs. They use them to subdue their prey, hit each other, and pretty much anything else they might need to do. There is no intentional alteration to their clubs typically: they are simply worn down from hitting things. Trolls simply grab a large branch or tree trunk, depending on the size, to use as a club. When it breaks or becomes too small or worn down, they pick up a new one. Not thrilling, I know, but what else can we expect from a creature that is not the sharpest tool in the shed? 

I know you have covered some methods of defense against trolls in Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Penrose. I am a firm believer in using the Bludgeoning Hex when you can’t get far enough away from one. I have provided the spell block below for you to help jog your memory. 

Social Structure and Reproduction

Trolls have an incredibly basic social structure. Traditionally, the largest male is the alpha, but this is typically just a figurehead position. While alpha trolls may take food from trolls that anger them, that is the only real perk of being considered the alpha. Males and females live together, with hardly any migration between packs unless an issue arises with housing. However, this is hardly ever the case because they are often in remote areas, so packs can continue to expand as needed. 

Males and females mate when they wish, with no claims being staked or monogamy. Like humans, they have a nine month gestation period and rarely have anything more than a single child. This child tends to be quite large, often averaging 90 to 100 pounds when born. Giving birth to a single offspring is understandable because of the size of the baby. For those of you familiar with human anatomy, the following will be review. The size of the inlet, or hole, in the human pelvis, compared to the size of the head of infants, makes human birth much more difficult than other species. It is also why humans have their babies much earlier in development compared to other species. This is also why when we have multiple births in one pregnancy we often have to have cesarean sections; birth is just too difficult on our bodies. A troll’s anatomy is incredibly similar to a human’s, making multiples near impossible for them to birth without surgical intervention. However, multiples can occur. Oftentimes the mother and children die due to incorrect birthing positions, meaning the infant doesn’t always end up the right way to be birthed or more than one is trying to come out at once. 

History

While I discussed above that trolls are found throughout Europe, they actually originated in Scandinavia and then spread throughout the continent. Trolls are classified as beasts, but isn’t that odd considering a similar humanoid creature, the giant, is classified as a being? While giants are significantly smarter than trolls, even having the ability to at least understand magic, they are both large humanoid creatures with their own languages and social structures, and both can even breed with humans. There is a distinct difference in the views of these creatures in the wizarding world, which may play a small role in the differing classifications between the two. The key difference between the two creatures and their classifications is their perceived intelligence. 

One gentleman, Pierre Bonaccord, advocated to end troll-hunting and to give them official rights under wizarding law. Bonaccord was the first Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. Because of his clear stance on trolls, the principality Liechtenstein, located between Switzerland and Austria, refused to attend the first conference, which started the confederation on the wrong foot. Why did they refuse to attend you ask? The warlocks of Liechtenstein had been dealing with several incredibly aggressive mountain troll communities at the time, and with the first Supreme Mugwump openly supporting troll communities, the warlocks felt they would not receive any assistance in solving their troll problem. 

In addition, there was also a gentleman that was very outspoken about the restraint of trolls. Artemius Lawson would regularly submit opinion pieces to The Daily Prophet, or be featured because of an event he organized, describing his opinions on trolls: they should not be allowed to roam free because they are “giants with brains the size of a bogey.” His words, not mine, I'm afraid. While the International Confederation of Wizards and the Ministry of Magic have clearly not gone to that extreme, a healthy medium was struck: they are labeled as beasts due to their inability to really contribute to wizarding society the way beings do but it is also illegal to hunt them for sport or fighting purposes. 

Species

There are three main species of troll: forest, mountain, and river. The forest troll is native to woodland and forested areas. It has pale green skin and is covered in dark brown to black hair, and on rare occasions, can have three toes rather than the two per foot. This species tends to stay in its territory, even if food is scarce. Many people speculate it's because they aren’t smart enough to find their way back through the trees, but it is likely just because they have no interest in leaving their home. Forest trolls have been spotted on school grounds, meaning it is likely they live in the Forbidden Forest, but I remind you that it is foolish to attempt to find one. 

Forest troll

The mountain troll is considered the most violent of the troll species. It also happens to be the largest, regularly standing more than twelve feet tall and weighing nearly two tons. Rather than hair like the forest troll, lumps are present all over the body. Their bodies are much larger than their heads, as illustrated by the picture below. The mountain species is the most likely to carry a club because of their likelihood to pick fights, but you will still see other species carry a club. You might also notice that this species tends to be covered in scars. These scars come from Graphorns, a creature they try to use as a form of transportation. However because of the equally ferocious nature of the Graphorn, this often ends in a scuffle between the two. 

Mountain troll

The final species to cover today is the river troll. They are the smallest of the troll species, though that doesn’t mean much considering how large trolls are to begin with. They have purple skin, are covered in hair, and have short horns, unlike the other two species. River trolls tend to be hiding under bridges or in the middle of rivers, so you won’t know you are near one until you are too close to get away. As the troll ages, it tends to lose the bright purple pigment in its skin, turning more into a light pink or purple color. 

River troll

Uses in the Wizarding World

While it may not seem so, trolls do have uses in the wizarding world. The more intelligent individuals are often trained as security guards. This isn’t as popular as it once was in society, mostly due to the wizarding wars, but it does seem to be making a comeback in recent years. Troll whiskers also have magical properties, even being used as wand cores on occasion, though that practice is also less popular now. I personally like to buy them to use as string, as they work great for tying scrolls and such together and can typically be reused. Some individuals even use troll bogeys as glue, though I can’t say that I’ve ever seen the appeal in that. 

Epidermodysplasia Verruciformis in Trolls

Now, many of you may have heard about a troll called the Troll of Nadroj, and may be confused as to why I haven’t covered it. The Troll of Nadroj is actually a troll with a genetic skin disorder. For a long time we believed that it was a different species of troll, but the discovery of the disease in humans led to the discovery of it in trolls. Epidermodysplasia verruciformis, or EV as I will be referring to it, is an incredibly rare recessive skin disorder. It is characterized in humans by wart-like growths that, when left unmanaged, can turn into severe growths. It is mostly known for the growths caused on the hands, but can cause growths all over the body. I am going to provide a link to an image, however, please note it can be considered graphic and please only look at your own discretion. 

https://cdn.medizzy.com/v6DqfGE6dCqtqtBpqG0Z_odIPu4=/600x532/img/posts/c0ff2988-be7e-4357-bf29-88be7ea35748

The “Troll of Nadroj” (or any troll afflicted with EV) is characterized by long fingers and strange growths on their legs. However, this is EV affecting their limbs. The trolls try to fix their hands, as it is difficult to use them when they are covered in growths, so they attempt to break the area between their fingers. This causes their fingers to look excessively long. This is incredibly risky, as they can’t guarantee what is growth and what is skin, so oftentimes you see them with areas of their fingers and hands missing.

Now, to answer the last question on your mind: how were trolls exposed to this disorder? As we discussed previously, trolls feed on humans. But, we said this was genetic. It is expressed in individuals that suffer from HPV. For those unfamiliar with HPV, it stands for human papillomavirus, which is a sexually transmitted disease. It is likely that the genetic material was already present in troll DNA, and that through the consumption of infected human meat caused HPV to mutate to infect trolls. While this is the leading theory, it is also thought that perhaps trolls do not need HPV in order for the disorder to be expressed. 

Closing

With that, I think I will bring today’s lesson to a close. I hope you learned quite a bit, particularly that the Troll of Nadroj does not exist, but trolls with EV do. For the first time in several years, we will not be starting the year-long project until the third lesson, so we will have a regular lesson next time. As for the end of today, I have an essay for you to complete, so make sure to pick up the prompt on your way out. 

Lesson content written by Professor Elizabeth Anne

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