Quote:
...Through them there came striding up, roaring like beasts, a great company of hill-trolls out of Gorgoroth. Taller and broader then Men they were, and they were clad only in close-fitting mesh of horny scales, or maybe that was their hideous hide; but they bore round bucklers huge and black and wielded heavy hammers in their knotted hands. Reckless they sprang into the pools and waded across, bellowing as they came. Like a storm they broke upon the line of the men of Gondor, and beat upon helm and head, and arm and shield, as smiths bewing the hot bending iron. At Pippin's side Beregond was stunned and overborne, and he fell; and the great troll-chief that smote him down bent over him, reaching out a clutching claw; for these fell creatures would bite the throats of those that they threw down.
Then Pippin stabbed upwards, and the written blade of Westernesse pierced through the hide and went deep into the vitals of the troll, and his black blood came gushing out.
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Ahem, er, I could go on and on. One of my favorite scenes! Unfortunately I've forgotten what my point was to be (I got lost on the battlefield, hehe).
Oh, yes. Tolkien says "Taller and broader then Men they were". How much taller he didn't say, but I would think not much, or he would have said "Way, way taller". [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]
As I typed I noticed how similar that description was to the cave-troll of the movie. Both trolls were fond of bellowing, and wielded heavy hammers.
The fact that Tolkien mentions again that Pippin's blade is a special blade means that maybe any other blade couldn't have got the job done? Or am I assuming too much?