10 Incredible Similarities Between Harry Potter And The Lord Of The Rings

8. Trolls

One of the earliest victories for Harry, Ron and Hermione is on Halloween, during their first year at Hogwarts (there's probably a Mean Girls comparison in there, but that's one for another day). After a troll is let loose in the school, Ron and Harry go to save Hermione, much to the bemusement of Professor McGonagall, who declares their triumph "sheer dumb luck". In similar fashion to Harry Potter, the Fellowship defeat a cave troll in the very first film of the franchise; it's Legolas that casts the arrow to kill the beast, and it's a defining moment for the gang. Both of these trolls are mountainous creatures, both had grey skin and they both have weapons; the troll in Harry Potter was brought into the school by Quirrell and the one in Lord of the Rings was taken to the cave by the orcs, and both destroy their surroundings during the battles. Both of these team efforts also resulted in the trolls falling forwards in defeat. Whilst there are hundreds of mythical creatures in both universes, it's intriguing that a troll should form an early fight with both sets of protagonists; perhaps it's because they're traditionally not particularly clever animals, and killing them requires teamwork and cunning, which bonds the group. Probably makes a better action film than the characters all getting drunk and asking personal questions, too.