The adventures of Bilbo Baggins, as chronicled in The Hobbit, nearly ended rather abruptly in the area known as the Trollshaws when he and his companions encountered three trolls named Bert, Tom, and William. Bilbo and the dwarves narrowly escaped becoming a meal for the hungry trolls after Gandalf intervened and set the trolls to arguing over the best way to prepare a feast of Hobbit- and Dwarf-meat. As the sun rose, and the argument continued unresolved, the light of the dawn turned the trolls to stone, where they remain to this day.

Adventurers today in the Trollshaws, an area not far from the Great East Road as it makes its way out of the Lone-lands, will come upon the three statues that remain chillingly lifelike, despite the more than seventy years of time that has passed since the dim-witted trolls were tricked by the wandering wizard. Travelers should know, however, that recent tales have been told of larger, more fearsome breeds of Trolls that no longer fear the effects of the sun, so while this tranquil, shaded glen may provide a moment of entertainment to witness the fates of poor Bert, Tom, and William, remember that perhaps future encounters between Trolls and adventurers will not end so well for the unwary.

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[edit] Bert

[edit] One of the three trolls that waylaid Bilbo and his companions

With Tom and Bill, one of the three trolls that captured Bilbo and the Dwarves during their eastward journey.

[edit] William ‘Bill’ Huggins

[edit] Quick Facts

Timeline:
Dates:	Turned to stone in III 2941
Location:	Trollshaws, in eastern Eriador
Race:	Trolls
Division:	Stone-trolls
Meaning:	'William' means 'Helmet of Resolve', and 'Huggins' simply means 'son of Huggin1', but 'William Huggins' is almost certainly not this troll's true name

[edit] A Stone-troll of the Trollshaws

With Tom and Bert, one of the three trolls encountered by Bilbo and the Dwarves on their eastward journey to the Lonely Mountain. He seems to have been the leader of the troll-band - at least, it was he who led them to the woodlands of Trollshaws, according to his companions. It was William's pocket that Bilbo tried to pick as his first act of 'burglary', an attempt that brought the entire expedition close to disaster. Luckily, Gandalf was able to trick William and his two companions into arguing together until sunrise, whereupon they all turned to stone.

The name 'William Huggins' seems a very remarkable and unlikely one for a troll. It seems to be a translation by Tolkien of the troll's 'real' name, as with the Hobbits, Dwarves, Rohirrim and so on, and the fact that it is recognisably English suggests that his original name was from a Mannish language. What William's name actually was, though, is a mystery. (By a curious coincidence, there was a real historical figure named William Huggins, a pioneering astronomer of the mid-nineteenth century, though it seems extremely unlikely that Tolkien's foul-mouthed troll would be based on this noted scientist!)

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] Tom

[edit] Quick Facts

Timeline:
Dates:	Turned to stone in III 2941, probably in late May
Location:	The wooded region of Trollshaws, west of Rivendell
Race:	Trolls
Division:	Stone-trolls
Other names:	Not known1

[edit] One of the three Stone-trolls met by Bilbo

One of the three trolls that captured Bilbo and the Dwarves. Tricked by Gandalf, he was turned to stone by the light of the Sun.

[edit] Footnotes