Exploring Middle Earth

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.