- “We've never had a human Trollhunter on our team either. I have come to expect the impossible from the boy.”
- ―Vendel to Queen Usurna[src]
Vendel was a major (later background) character of Trollhunters, and a posthumous character in the 3Below episode "The Big Sleep".
He was the elder leading figure of Heartstone Trollmarket, a member of the Troll Tribunal, the master/predecessor of Blinky Galadrigal, the son of Rundle, and the grandson of Kilfred.
Official Description
"Vendel, son of Rundle, son of Kilfred. Vendel is a Troll elder and a community leader within Heartstone Trollmarket. With an extensive knowledge of Troll history, alchemy, and artifacts, Jim and the gang often turn to Vendel in times of need for assistance and advice."
History
Backstory
Vendel was part of the Battle of Killahead Bridge, where their people fought against the Gumms-Gumms. The Trollhunter, Deya the Deliverer used the Amulet of Daylight on the bridge to banish all the Gumm-Gumms back to the Darklands where they belong.
Sometime during the European Renaissance, a king and Vendel made a feeble truce known as "The Pact" between Mankind and Trollkind, which allowed both of their kinds to live together in harmony. The Trolls said they would limit their diet to Cats and used articles of clothing. But as the years went by, a conservative segment of Trolls grew restless. It was time for them to venture forth to a new land. Vendel sensed a new and all-powerful Heartstone in a new place humans called the new world, to where the trollkind stowed away on a ship called the Mayflower.
One night on a Native American tribal camp, some mountain trolls invaded and Kanjigar was sent to take care of the problem. Just then, some trolls found AAARRRGGHH!!! behind a geyser and brought him to Kanjigar. AAARRRGGHH!!! revealed that he had been following them to the New World since he missed the boat, but made a few wrong turns along the way. Blinky suggested executing AAARRRGGHH!!! because he worked for Gunmar and might be a spy. AAARRRGGHH!!! then showed the trolls the remains of Deya. At first, the other trolls thought AAARRRGGHH!!! destroyed Deya, but Kanjigar convinced them otherwise when he reminded them about AAARRRGGHH!!!'s kind act towards him. Vendel allowed AAARRRGGHH!!! into their tribe, much to Blinky's dismay.
At some point after the creation of Hearthstone Trollmarket, Vendel and Kanjigar meet with King Fialkov and Queen Coranda from Akiridion-5. Vendel proclaims that the royals have arrived just as the ancient prophecy foretold. The two they entrusted them to protect Gaylen's Core from the wrong hands.
Trollhunters (Part One)
The First Human Trollhunter
After Kanjigar was killed by Bular, Vendel meets Jim at Trollmarket having heard from Draal that the Amulet of Daylight chose a human as the new Trollhunter. He then decides that the Soothscryer jusge does deserve such a position, giving the judgment as "uncertain" since no human had been Trollhunter before.
The Killahead's Return
Vendel is taken to the Arcadia museum where Jim and Toby see the Killahead Bridge, but upon discovering that the bridge is not there, Vendel dismisses the situation as another of Blinky's conspiracies and Jim's inexperience.
Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!! decide to take NotEnrique with Vendel as proof of the presence of Changelings in Arcadia, which Vendel reproaches them for inciting the panic of Gunmar's release among the Trolls. When Jim appears terrified by a Stalkling that attacked him, Vendel is reluctant to trust everyone's safety after telling him that the monster will hunt him to death.
Vendel finally recognizes Jim's worth after he managed to take down Bular and save Trollmarket by recovering the Killahead Bridge. Although Blinky regrets that Strickler escapes, Vendel says Jim will take care because Blinky has taught him well
The Triumbric Stones
When Claire shows up at Trollmarket, Vendel totally rejects the presence of a third human, but when she speaks to him at Trollspeak, Vendel accepts her.
Vendel attends Blinky when he ends up becoming human because of the potions of Gatto's Keep, and recriminates that everyone has risked going there for a fairy tale like the Triumbric Stones. However, Jim shows him that they found the Birthstone, so Vendel decides to keep it to keep it safe. Then he forges it so Jim can use it on the Amulet as well as the Killstone after recovering it from Angor Rot.
Battle for Trollmarket
Trollhunters (Part Two)
Destroying the Bridge
Missing Staff
Blinky, Claire, and Toby steal Vendel's staff when they make a deal with the Janus Order to revive AAARRRGGHHH!!! Vendel notices this and uses a huge walking stick a replacement staff, but also wants to know who could have stolen his old one.
Jim Lake's Return
Trial of the Trollhunter
Assassination and Death
Vendel goes into the cave to tell Usurna of the evidence that Blinky informed him of, but Usurna completely denies it, saying there are only two agents. Vendel questions how she could possibly know this, and Usurna reveals that she is the Changeling's master. In order to prevent Vendel from exposing her true intentions, she turns him to stone and smashes his remains to the ground.
Luckily, Vendel managed to record the evidence with a magic spell in time for the Trollhunters to figure out the truth. With Vendel gone, Blinky takes over as the leader.
Trollhunters (Part Three)
Merlin's Vision
Vendel makes a brief cameo appearance in Merlin's vision sequence. He is seen fighting against a Gumm-Gumm with his original Heartstone staff. Jim softly says his name while he briefly mourns his death.
3Below (Part Two)
Meeting House Tarron
In a memory of King Fialkov and Queen Coranda, it is revealed that hundreds of years ago, the king and queen arranged a meeting with Vendel and Kanjigar.
Vendel proclaims that the royals have arrived just as the ancient prophecy foretold before they entrusted Kanjigar to protect Gaylen's Core from the wrong hands.
Physical Appearance
Vendel was light tan with large horns and long, white hair and a beard. He wore a brown leather skirt with three glowing gems on his right hip. He used to walk with an orange cane, a piece of the very center of the Heartstone, until the Trollhunters stole it to trade with the Janus Order. He then used to carry a wooden staff.
Personality
- “Considered the wisest and most revered troll in all of Heartstone Trollmarket, Vendel is a strong leader charged with guarding the Heartstone. While at times he is slow to accept change, Vendel realizes Jim is a worthy and capable Trollhunter—for a fleshbag. He sets out to aid in Jim's training by teaching the human magic and gemology.”
- ―The Art of Trollhunters
Vendel was knowledgeable in all things Troll, such as artifacts, their history, alchemy, etc. He often helped the gang when they are in a jam and they always go to him if there is an emergency or if Trollmarket is in jeopardy.
At first, Vendel was skeptical of Jim being the Trollhunter and Blinky being a good teacher to Jim, due to Jim being a human and Blinky's past failures. As the series went on, he grew to truly trust the two and has accepted Jim as the new protector of the Troll world. He even used his last moments of living to warn Jim and his friends of Usurna's true nature and presumably that Jim was innocent for the trolls.
Powers & Abilities
Powers
- Troll Physiology: Vendel had the natural super strength of his fellow trolls.
- Magic: Vendel was a master in all things magic and dark arts.
- Spell Casting: Vendel is able to dabbled in a lot of magic spells and potions. He was also able to sever the binding spell off of Barbara Lake and Stricklander, albeit he needed a page from the Book of Ga-Huel to reverse the spell.
- Healer: As told from The Art of Trollhunters, Vendel was a natural healer. However, he has no knowledge for a permanent Creeper's Sun cure, only to slow it down. It's unknown if he was ever aware that the Trollhunters have the list of ingredients for a permanent antidote they obtained from the Janus Order.
Abilities
- Gemology: Vendel was highly knowledgable about gemstones and some of their hidden powers.
- Observation: It has become obvious that Vendel is always prepared and is aware of almost anything, whether he expects it to be true or not. He presumably implied to that he's well aware the Trollhunters stole his staff to resurrect AAARRRGGHH!!!, but still believed it to be a good reason. He also used an Anamnesis Stone the second Usurna revealed her true colors to him, implying that he has always been suspicious of her ever since "Escape from the Darklands", yet wanted to use his last moments to warn the Trollhunters so he could give them time to save the trolls of Trollmarket.
- Combatant: Despite his relatively old age, Vendel has shown a fairly good amount of combat skills, as he was able to hold himself off against several of Angor's Golems.
Weaknesses
- Direct Sunlight: Like all trolls, Vendel was highly vulnerable to natural sunlight as it burns and turns him to stone with contact on his skin.
Equipment
- Heartstone Staff (formerly): Vendel carried an orange crystal staff around whenever he leaves the Heartstone. In fact, his staff was made from the very center of the Heartstone itself. However, in order to gain ingredients to reverse the effects of Creeper Sun poison and revive AAARRRGGHH!!!, Toby (disguised as Vendel) steals the staff and trades it with the Janus Order for the antidote ingredients.
- Wooden Staff: After his first staff was stolen, Vendel carried a wooden staff to replace it (which he had a lot of difficulty coping with). Later on, after his death at the hands of the evil Usurna, the staff was then passed on to Blinky.
Relationships
Friends/Allies
| Friends |
|---|
Blinky GaladrigalBlinky is Vendel's protégé. Blinky and Vendel seemed to get along well, but Vendel always felt skeptical of Blinky's conspiracy theories, believing him to be somewhat paranoid. He also thought that he puts too much faith in Jim, until he later grows to trust the boy just as much as Blinky has. Eventually, he grew extremely fond of Blinky and thanked him for the news he gave him about the changeling in Trollmarket who helped Gunmar escape the Darklands, which could help clear Jim's name. In fact, Blinky was the last good guy Vendel spoke with before he meets with Usurna. AAARRRGGHH!!!Vendel has a close relationship with AAARRRGGHH!!!, despite him previously being a Gumm-Gumm before his reformation. When AAARRRGGHH!!! was nicked with Creeper's Sun poison and began to slowly turn to stone, Vendel tries everything to cure him, but sorrowfully admits that he knows nothing of a potential permanent cure. He also promises to keep this a secret from his friends as he respects AAARRRGGHH!!!'s well-being. When Usurna arrives to Trollmarket and demands that she takes AAARRRGGHH!!! back to the caves, Vendel believes that it should be his choice if he wants to stay or go and even encourages the Trollhunters to win for AAARRRGGHH!!!. Jim Lake Jr.Vendel was initially doubtful as to whether Jim was fit to be the Trollhunter, due to his human status and inexperience with the troll world. Over time, however, he grew to respect and care for the boy in his own way, even expecting the impossible from him. Vendel did everything in his power to support Jim and protect him when his actions put him at odds with the Tribunal, mostly when Usurna tries to convict Jim for the release of Gunmar. When Usurna revealed herself to Vendel as a servant of Gunmar and infects him with Creeper's Sun poison, Vendel's last words were a proclamation that the Trollhunter will stop her and her master, further indicating how much Vendel had placed his faith and trust into Jim. Claire NuñezVendel was at first against the idea of Claire entering Trollmarket, but his attitude immediately changed when she spoke to him in Troll language. He even wished that the Amulet of Daylight should've chosen someone like Claire who is very studious and hard-working (which offended Jim). Since then, the two have had a positive relation with each other. Claire was saddened when she learns of his death. Toby DomzalskiLike Jim, Vendel had trouble coping with a second human within Trollmarket. In "Return of the Trollhunter", he only allowed Toby in Trollmarket so that he could give Jim moral support. In "Wingmen", Vendel trusted Toby to find AAARRRGGHH!!! after he disappears since he's well aware AAARRRGGHH!!! and Toby have a very close relationship. Kanjigar the CourageousIt was implied that before his heroic sacrifice, Vendel and Kanjigar were very close friends. King Fialkov and Queen CorandaIt is revealed in "The Big Sleep" that Vendel had met the king and queen of Akiridion-5 hundreds of years ago after the Zeron Brotherhood attempted to steal Gaylen's Core on Akiridion-5. He's shown to have a respectful posture towards the royals and proclaims that they have arrived just as an ancient prophecy foretold. The king and queen then gave Kanjigar Gaylen's Core so he can protect it from the wrong hands. Barbara LakeAs he came to care about Jim, he was willing to help heal Barbara and remove the binding spell that links her to Strickler. |
Enemies
| Enemies |
|---|
Queen UsurnaVendel and Usurna have initially been seen with a professional, yet strained, relationship. Usurna was often seen as a foil to Vendel's efforts and the two would get into heated debates. As members of the Tribunal, they were seen on opposing sides of whichever matter they needed to discuss. When Usurna revealed to Vendel in private that she was an agent of Gunmar, she immediately killed him to prevent him from clearing Jim's name (she did, however, state that she wanted Vendel to live long enough so he could watch Gunmar rule the world). Luckily, unaware to Usurna, Vendel managed to record all of her evil doings so he can warn the Trollhunters that she is the real traitor who released Gunmar. This most likely implied that Vendel has always been suspicious of Usurna's real intentions ever since "Escape from the Darklands". |
Quotes
- Main article: Vendel/Quotes
Episode Appearances
Trollhunters
| Trollhunters Part 1 | ||
| "Becoming: Part 1" Absent |
"Becoming: Part 2" Absent | |
| "Wherefore Art Thou, Trollhunter?" Appears |
"Gnome Your Enemy" Absent | |
| "Waka Chaka!" Absent |
"Win Lose or Draal" Appears | |
| "To Catch a Changeling" Appears |
"Adventures in Trollsitting" Absent | |
| "Bittersweet Sixteen" Appears |
"Young Atlas" Absent | |
| "Recipe for Disaster" Absent |
"Claire and Present Danger" Absent | |
| "The Battle of Two Bridges" Appears |
"Return of the Trollhunter" Appears | |
| "Mudslinging" Absent |
"Roaming Fees May Apply" Absent | |
| "Blinky's Day Out" Appears |
"The Shattered King" Appears | |
| "Airheads" Appears |
"Where Is My Mind?" Appears | |
| "Party Monster" Absent |
"It's About Time" Absent | |
| "Wingmen" Appears |
"Angor Management" Absent | |
| "A Night to Remember" Appears |
"Something Rotten This Way Comes" Appears | |
| Trollhunters Part 2 | ||
| "Escape from the Darklands" Appears |
"Skullcrusher" Absent | |
| "Grand Theft Otto" Appears |
"KanjigAAARRRGGHH!!!" Appears | |
| "Homecoming" Absent |
"Hiss Hiss, Bang Bang" Appears | |
| "Hero with a Thousand Faces" Appears |
"Just Add Water" Absent | |
| "Creepslayerz" Absent |
"The Reckless Club" Appears | |
| "Unbecoming" Appears |
"Mistrial and Error" Appears | |
| "In the Hall of the Gumm-Gumm King" Cameo | ||
| Trollhunters Part 3 | ||
| "Night Patroll" Mentioned |
"Arcadia's Most Wanted" Absent | |
| "Bad Coffee" Absent |
"So I'm Dating a Sorceress" Absent | |
| "The Exorcism of Claire Nunez" Absent |
"Parental Guidance" Absent | |
| "The Oath" Absent |
"For the Glory of Merlin" Cameo | |
| "In Good Hands" Absent |
"A House Divided" Absent | |
| "Jimhunters" Absent |
"The Eternal Knight: Part 1" Absent | |
| "The Eternal Knight: Part 2" Absent | ||
3Below
| 3Below Part 2 | ||
| "Moving Day" Absent |
"Moonlight Run" Absent | |
| "Dogfight Days of Summer" Absent |
"Mother's Day" Absent | |
| "Ill Gotten Gains" Absent |
"There's Something About Gwen (of Gorbon)" Absent | |
| "Asteroid Rage" Absent |
"Luug's Day Out" Absent | |
| "The Fall of House Tarron" Absent |
"The Big Sleep" Appears | |
| "Race to Trollmarket" Mentioned |
"A Glorious End, Part One" Absent | |
| "A Glorious End, Part Two" Absent | ||
Trivia
- Vendel was the third character in the aid of the protaginist to be killed off. The first being Kanjigar, the second being AAARRRGGHH!!! (who was later resurrected), and later the fourth being Draal.
