Darkspear trolls controversy

This article or section includes speculation, observations or opinions possibly supported by lore or by Blizzard officials. It should not be taken as representing official lore.

Cannibalism

One area of debate about the Darkspear is whether they are still cannibals or not — some believe that all Darkspear have completely given it up, whilst others believe they have never given it up.

Officially, the influence of the orcs and tauren curbed much of the trolls' evil natures, however many still practice voodoo magic and revere their old traditions.  ^{(WoWRPG 370)} "the Darkspear tribe no longer practices cannibalism — at least not openly". ^{(HPG 145)} The Horde made cannibalism 'illegal',  ^{(HPG 145)} and the Revantusk also submit to this concept. World of Warcraft implies that the majority by far claim to not be cannibalistic, with several troll NPCs denouncing other tribes for continuing to practice it. However, an unknown number are still known to practice cannibalism. These Darkspear trolls practice it in the secret. In the RPG, Darkspear trolls & Forsaken share the Cannibalize ability (its use is up to individual choice). See Cannibalize for more info. ^{(HPG 145)} One of the troll female /silly allude to this phenomena: "If cannibalism be wrong, I don't want to be right!" Of course, the jokes are not to be taken completely seriously.

However, it's important to keep in mind that the entire Darkspear tribe didn’t give up their culture overnight, however things might appear. There are a number of trolls who side with the Horde for convenience, much like the Forsaken do, without abandoning their old beliefs. ^{(HPG 181)} Some traditions remain, even if the trolls claim to the Horde that they do not.  ^{(A&HC 65)} Some of the Darkspears still cling to the old ways. They value their elaborate, structured culture, but they know the Horde does not approve. These trolls decided to do what it takes. They maintain the façade of embracing shamanism but either practice their voodoo traditions in secret, or blend the two in a strange amalgam. The Darkspears who have not entirely discarded their tie to voodoo don’t see themselves as betraying their Horde allies. They serve Thrall with utter loyalty, but remain pragmatic. Should the Horde fail the trolls, they have their ancestral faith to fall back on. Trolls who do what it takes also favor becoming witch doctors, but carefully avoid the darker aspects of the calling (at least when other races are watching). ^{(HPG 87)}

Relations

Some sources state that darkspear trolls do not really hate the Alliance races, but their loyalty to the Horde and their bloodthirstiness makes the Alliance a viable target. However, their respect for Thrall has so far prevented them from waging their own private war against the Alliance. ^{(A&HC 23)  (WoWRPG 50)} Others state that the Darkspear tribe hates the Alliance completely and without exception, especially humans. It was Alliance forces that almost destroyed the Darkspear tribe before Thrall and his orcs intervened, and for this the trolls will never forgive the Alliance. The trolls will grudgingly acknowledge the other Alliance races that were not directly involved with the attack on their island, but they trust no one who allies with the humans. ^{(A&HC 65)} Darkspears opinions of the Horde are mixed. Their viewpoints of the orcs and tauren vary; some see these other races as friends and mentors, others as fools to be used. ^{(HPG 181)} Many Darkspear have quite a close relationship with the orcs and are extremely selflessly loyal to them, and get along almost as well with the tauren due to their shared shamanistic beliefs, there is still a little bit of distrust however, as they have only recently abandoned voodoo and canibalism. ^{(HPG 181)} They also have neutral feelings toward the blood elves; as jungle trolls living in the extreme south of the continent, they would have had very little contact with them, unlike their forest troll cousins of Zul'Aman, who are sworn enemies with the blood elves. The Darkspear don't trust the Forsaken, believing they will only bring misery to their allies, though some have a respect for the Forsaken's shadow ascendants, worshipping them as dark loas. Some Darkspear trolls are just as critical of the undead as the tauren, others find the walking dead fascinating. The shadow priests among the trolls find the Forsaken to be kindred spirits. Of the other races of the Horde, the trolls are the least quick to judge the Forsaken; In some cases, they support the Forsaken because they are evil. There are clearly a number of trolls who side with the Horde for convenience, much like the Forsaken do, without abandoning their old beliefs. ^{(HPG 181)} They have little love for evil jungle troll brethren as they were persecuted by them for being the weakest and smallest of the troll tribes. Metzen has said Jungle trolls are generally an evil race but the darkspear tribe is doing all they can to steer straight. [1]