[Gwaihir the Windlord]

Scott, I think you are missing something. What you say is true -- the prof himself did not actually define this issue conclusively. Still, speculation on possible conclusions is perfectly acceptable here. A great deal of this type of discussion does on here. Would you make the same reply to my essay on the Arkenstone *hehe*?? That there is no definite conclusion is the very reason that Bilbo's post was made.
Welcome to the downs, Bilbo. You've obviously thought a lot about this. I must admit that I read over the last sections of that incredibly long post rather rapidly =/, but I think I've got enough of the idea of it to be able to make a reply. This is indeed a tough question, and, as I have stated, one without a definite answer -- but that is what the Downs is built on, of course. My own idea on this -- for we all have them, or should have them, on these issues -- is that, firstly, the various types of trolls are not from different sources. The are the same race of beings, and must therefore stem from the same source. You propose that this source is either from Illuvitar directly or from Morgoth.
In answer to this, nothing proceed directly from Illuvitar except two creations. They are the Children of Illuvitar, and the Ainur, and all else has its origins (well, ultimately in Illuvitar, like everything else, but not directly) in the works of the Ainur. It was their task to carry out the work that the Music had planned. There is a slight exception here in Orcs, but that is another issue.
Therefore Trolls, like all other non-Children/Ainur beings in Arda (Orcs bing another issue as forestated), were created through the works of a Vala or a Maia. It is quite a possibility that they are a type of 'dull, lumpish creature' of the wild, that Morgoth has 'tinkered with' and Sauron bent to his will. It is said that in the time before the Elves appeared, and Morgoth's dominion of Middle-Earth was uncontested, he did much of this 'tinkering' -- 'beasts became monsters of horn and ivory, and the ground was stained with their blood' or something like that.
Trolls were possibly some obscure, flawed, perhaps experimental breed of animal that a Maia of perhaps Orome developed in a remote corner of Middle-Earth, which was then taken, at this time of corruption of beasts on Middle-Earth, by Morgoth or Sauron -- if indeed it was not a Maia under Morgoth that had created them. In this case, this Maia was in all probability Sauron, as he seemed to be quite keen on them.

The problem with this last (^) is that Morgoth did not have 'creative powers', as you say, Bilbo, only great modification and corruption powers; thus, this statement is flawed. The theory that Trolls were a corrupted version of Ents may be true. Ents existed from early days, but in a rather dull form before their enlightenment and full-awakening by the radiance and art of the Elves. It may have been quite easy for Morgoth or perhaps Sauron, instead of an Ainu creating them in the above scenario, to corrupt and change some of these early Ents into an early Troll. It may even be some still-earlier prototype Ent that was taken by Morgoth from which to develop his race of Trolls, later to be perfected by Sauron.

Trolls were, I believe, in essence a product of Illuvitar, as is everything. Their exact origins upon Arda are indeed obscure.

Hope I've been of help, Bilbo. Actually, you might be able to incorporate some the stuff from this discussion, and from your own very long post, into a sort of essay compilation on the topic if you like long-winded writing. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] You probably should try and cut the actual length of your average post down when you post here, though.
Again, welcome.
Gwaihir