Ogre vs Troll
Ogres and trolls are both fairy tale creatures. Their appearance, characteristics, and their origin are different from each other.
Ogre
When we say “ogre,” the first image that comes to mind is that of the post popular and loved ogre of all times, Shrek. The characteristics of ogres are also very well described through the medium of his story and description. Traditionally, ogres are humanoid monsters. They are large, hideous, cruel, and monstrous. They are usually featured in folklore, fiction, and mythology. They are depicted in folklore and fairy tales as obnoxious, humanoid monsters who feed on human beings, and in literature it is a metaphor for people who have disgusting habits. People who brutalize, exploit, and are cruel are also considered as intelligent as ogres. By appearance they are depicted as creatures with strong bodies, voracious appetites, and a lot of hair on their body.
“Ogre” is a word which originated from the French language. The first time the word was used was in the 12th century by Chretien de Troyes in his verse romance named Perceval le Conte Du Graal. Later, it was widely used by Charles Perrault and Marie-Catherine who were both French. Some believe that the myth of ogres originated from the real-life crimes of Gilles de Rais.
Some believe that this word originated from the word “Hongrois” which meant “Hungarian” because the western cultures considered them a monstrosity. The word “ogre” became most popular by the work of an Italian author Giambattista Basile who used the word “orco.” The first mention of a female ogre is found in the story “Sleeping Beauty” spelled “ogress.”
Troll
Trolls are considered to be supernatural creatures in Scandinavian folklore and Norse mythology. They are depicted as dangerous, cunning, and capable of magically cursing people and also eating them up when it suited them. They are considered to be more reasonable than ogres and could be reasoned with unlike ogres. It is believed that they would turn to stone in the sunlight, so they lived in dark caves in isolation in mountains in small family-like units. They are depicted to be living far away from any human population. Their appearance is more varied than ogres. Trolls could either be very ugly creatures and slow witted or could look like humans and could be very cunning and intelligent.
The origin of the word “troll” is not certain, but an author John Lindow depicted and described trolls as natural beings in Swedish Folklore.
Summary:
1.Ogres are depicted as humanoid monsters; they are large, hideous, and cruel and are considered to feed on humans. 2.Their physical appearance includes large heads and abundant hair. They are considered humanly intelligent. Trolls are depicted as supernatural creatures. They are small in size and of varied appearances including ugly or human-like forms and sometimes dim-witted or very cunning.
3.Ogres originated from French folklore. Trolls originated from Scandinavian folklore.
4.Ogres are not considered to change into stones when in contact with sunlight; trolls are depicted to change to stone in the sunlight.
5.Ogres were considered unreasonable and murderous; trolls could be reasoned with and may or may not feed on humans.