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Which that knowledge, we can figure out synonyms for troll. Fiend is also synonymous with Ogre as well as troll. At first glance Unholds don't look like demons or fiends, but they do have some features that are common with demons and fiends.
The features a little more mute and hard to pick up on. Their eyes are red, unless it's the swamp variant which is green. Their eyes don't have pupils, at least to me they don't. Their ears are more pointed, which is common theme I've seen with demons, fiends, and elves. (What do you know, never trust and elf drengbarazi!) Their ability to regenerate can be seen as a demon like feature. They also look like frogs and their skin is scaly, frogs are also associated with demons and witchcraft.
Now look up an image of a demon and start piecing together similar information. Unholds are not only trolls, but also demons. Scaly skin/mutated skin, regenerative capabilities, soulless eyes(lack of pupils), red eyes, etc. I know this is just their artistic depiction of a creature based on Germanic Mythos, but I feel like a total nerd right now. I hope that helps with seeing the mindset behind the artists/creators of that creature and every creature.
Damnit OP, why did you make me bomb you with my nerd ♥♥♥♥?
Looking up ogre in it, Unhold is one of the words of its 2nd definition (mythological definition). Its also rather specifically male form of word.
An ogress, would be called Menshenfresserin, according to this old dictionary.
Same with Unholds.
So you may say "Unhold means fiend, and fiends don't look like that." But someone from another town might treat trolls and fiends as synonyms. If you described what you think of as a troll to them in detail they may well reply with "Oh, so you mean a fiend?" Someone from the next town over might say it sounds more like an ogre. Someone from Japan would call it an oni.
Fantasy creatures didn't start developing their more consistent traits until the modern age where information is shared much quicker and everyone can draw from what they've read in books on the subject. Before books this was all shared by word of mouth and every small community had their own variants on every type of magical creature.
Precisely what this man said OP. It's kind of insane when you think about it, that people could describe things differently and it would still be the same thing. You have to think like a person back then to really get a feel for folklore and other stuff. There are paintings from centuries ago depicting demons, creatures, evilness, witchcraft, etc. Take some of the pictures people have drawn from reading the bible to depict scenes and stuff. People shared terms through word of mouth, drew things to give it meaning, even acted out in normal conversation. Just to illustrate a picture of what was happening, what they're trying to convey, etc.
To this day we still do similar things like that, just less so. I tend to talk with my hands a lot more and I don't even realize it. It helps me focus on my conversation and makes it easier but also more entertaining/annoying for others I'm talking to in person. It's basically history of us as a society and how we used to be. It's quite the mental image when you think about it and very interesting to me.
Edit:
Lol, that made me chuckle.
you must be a very young german then ;)
(reading some old books and tales would give you this knowledge)
First, it's Nachzehrer
Zehrer = eater (comes from zehren = eating in old german, you may heard "verzehren")
Nach = after
The Nachzehrer is a creatures that eats after death (after-eater). Vampires are considered Nachzehrer...
Same goes for the Wiedergänger
it's a creature that walks (gänger) again (wieder), also known in the modern world as zombie, though skeletons are also in this category.
etc...
not sure if an unhold can be a fiend, but the german Unhold is generally some big demonic creature. Though the word only means "someone who is not friendly" in old middle-age-german.
Unhold 360 degree spin!... Now everyone gets a broken nose :(
Unhold refers to the oldish term "hold" which means "graceful, lovely, of delicate beauty" and the prefix "Un" which means that he is exacly that NOT.
They are called Unholds because they are some really ugly Mothernudgers.
Okay? That it.
tl;dr They are called Unholds because they are ugly.
Basically this. Unhold does not depict a certain type of foe it's more or less a collective term like monster.
not entirely true, "hold" comes from de middle age german word "hulpa" meaning "someone who is pleasant", and the old german word "holdo" which is a friend, for the example, a good fairy in old german is a "holde fee". Thus, the unhold is someone who is not pleasant. In old german, even a brigand or a killer could be an unhold, but it later became a word for any unpleasant mythical creatures, be it beast or demon.
Nothing at all in relation to beauty....sorry guys.
....which is not entirely true also, because there is also the middle-german word "hold" for beauty...like the "holde Maid" (the beautiful virgin), but it's not this "hold" which is in use here (same word, different meanings, and I think the "beautiful" hold is more recent than the middle aged, saxon-german "hold" for friendly).
For example, "das Glück ist ihm hold" doesn't mean that "luck is beautiful to him", but "luck is friendly to him" (he's a lucky person).
or when my sister calls me "mein holder Bruder", she doesn`t mean that I am beautiful ;) (but that I`m the pleasant/beloved brother).
So, in the end we can agree that the unhold is an unpleasant, ugly creature of undefined origin.