The Olog-hai were an advanced breed of troll that appeared in the last days of the War of the Ring in Sauron's service in Middle-earth.
History[]
An Olog-hai in full battle armour
The Olog-hai are not mentioned by name in The Lord of the Rings; the term appears only in the appendices. They were fashioned by Sauron during the late Third Age, possibly for the same reason Saruman bred the Uruk-hai, for improved control, less vulnerability to daytime, with a greater intelligence and physicality. The stock they came from is unknown, though it is theorized they were hybrids crossed between trolls and larger Orcs, or made through corrupting primitive Humans. They lived primarily in the mountain borders of Mordor or southern Mirkwood. However, they are described as being in the Battle of the Black Gate, where Pippin saves his friend Beregond from one.
Etymology[]
Olog-hai was a Black Speech word that meant simply 'troll-folk' (where hai meant 'folk'[1]). These trolls seldom spoke and never in any language other than the Dark Tongue of Barad-dûr.[2]
Behavior and Appearance[]
Olog-hai lacked typical troll vulnerabilities: they were very cunning, and able to move under the heat and light of the Sun, unlike their lesser counterparts. They had a fierce nature, and Sauron's will held sway over them, filling them with evil. For this reason, they were seen by some to be giant Orcs (surpassing even the Uruk-hai in size and power), or even man-like yet larger, but they were definitely still trolls in body and mind.[citation needed]
The Olog-hai are described as being taller than a Man, while being larger, stronger and more agile than normal trolls. Their robust bodies were covered in spiky scales, making them harder then stone. They were grey or tan in shade, and grew claws and tusks. They were versatile fighters, wielding dreadful weapons such as war hammers, large swords, spiked maces and sharp bucklers. It is mentioned that after the War of the Ring, all Olog-hai were killed.[2]
In adaptations[]
In The Lord of the Rings film trilogy[]
- "You are soldiers of Gondor! Whatever comes through that gate, you will stand your ground!"
- —Gandalf, The White Rider, shortly before several Olog-hai blast through the main gate of Minas Tirith
Olog-hai were depicted as large trolls in the motion picture The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, clad in dark armor and wielding the war hammers alluded to in the appendices. In the Siege of Gondor they were primarily used as shock troops after the gates of Minas Tirith were broken, although later an Olog-hai duels Aragorn at the Black Gate and nearly kills him.
They differ from the other trolls depicted in the movies in that they have more forward-facing eyes as well as hair on their bodies. They are usually grey, dark green, reddish-brown, or black in color. They have twenty-four teeth and have an average height of about ten to fifteen feet, compared to regular Trolls who were eight to ten feet.[citation needed]
Their eyes are also bright orange, showing their evil connection with Sauron. Attack Olog-hai wear breastplates, vambraces, pauldrons, and helmets, and carry maces, hammers, or huge swords. Despite their size, they were exceptionally fast and were skilled enough to parry and engage in swordplay, as was the case with one that duelled Aragorn outside the Black Gate.[citation needed]
Olog-hai as seen in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
In The Hobbit film trilogy[]
Note: This is a section stub. Expand it by clicking 
Edit to right of the section title.In Middle-earth: Shadow of War[]
Olog-hia Captain in the Middle-earth: Shadow of War
The Olog-hai that appear in this (non-canon) game have certain similarities to the trolls that appear in both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings film adaptations. There are certain differences, though. Some of these Lesser Ologs that appear are smaller in size than those that appear in either film adaptation and stand about in between 9 and 11 feet in height. Interestingly enough, even though they do speak the Black Speech on occasion, they mostly speak the common speech (Westron/English) even though Olog-hai are supposed to only be able to speak the Black Speech, and very sparingly at that.
The possibility as to why the Ologs are so small and resemble the in-game Uruks so much is most likely the fact that the developers didn't want anything comparable to their currently existing in-game "troll variant" beast, the Graug. Strangely enough, the Graugs that appear resemble true Olog-hai in size and mindset more so than the actual Olog-hai that appear in the game.
Non-canonical named Olog-hai[]
- Olog in The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II
- Bruz the Chopper in Middle-earth: Shadow of War
- Az-Harto "Ranger" in Middle-earth: Shadow of War
Gallery[]
 |
 |
 |
 |
Translations[]
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Amharic | ዖሎግ፡ሀይ |
| Arabic | أولوغ-هاي |
| Armenian | Ոլոգ-հաի |
| Belarusian Cyrillic | Алагхай |
| Bengali | ওলগ-হ্যায় |
| Bulgarian Cyrillic | Олог-xай |
| Chinese | 歐羅海 |
| Georgian | ოლოგ-ჰაი |
| Greek | Όλογκ-Χάι |
| Gujarati | ઑલોગ-હૈ |
| Hebrew | אולוג האי |
| Hindi | ओलोग-है |
| Japanese | オログ＝ハイ |
| Kannada | ಓಲೊಗ-ಹೈ |
| Kazakh | Олог-һаі (Cyrillic) Olog-hai (Latin) |
| Korean | 올로그하이 |
| Kyrgyz Cyrillic | Олог-йаи ? |
| Macedonian Cyrillic | Олог-хаи |
| Marathi | ओलोग-है |
| Mongolian Cyrillic | Олог-хай |
| Nepalese | ओलोग-हाई |
| Pashto | ولوګ-های |
| Persian | ولوگءهای |
| Punjabi | ਓਲੋਗ-ਹਾਇ |
| Russian | Олог-хай |
| Sanskrit | ॐलोग्-ह्ऐ |
| Serbian | Олог-хаи (Cyrillic) Olog-hai (Latin) |
| Sinhalese | ඕලොග්-හ්ඓ |
| Tajik Cyrillic | Олог-ҳаи |
| Tamil | ஓலொக்-ஹ்ஐ |
| Telugu | ఓలొగ్-హై |
| Ukrainian Cyrillic | Oлог-хай |
| Urdu | اولوگ ہے |
| Uzbek | Олог-ҳаи (Cyrillic) Olog-hai (Latin) |
| Yiddish | אָלאָג-האַי |
References[]
- ↑ Parma Eldalamberon, no. XVII, entry Urukhai on p. 136
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Complete Guide to Middle-earth