Heroes of Azeroth
Zul'jin: The Warlord Who Never Forgave
Zul'jin was the Warlord of the Amani forest trolls and the high elves' most hated enemy. He reunited the scattered troll tribes, brought the Amani into the Old Horde in the Second War, and nearly burned Quel'Thalas. When the elves captured him, they gouged out his eye. To escape, he cut off his own arm with a discarded spear. Decades later, after the elves had joined the Horde, he declared war on both factions from Zul'Aman and stole the power of the Amani loa. That act cost him his life and turned the loa away from his people for a generation.
Video: They Took His Eye… So He Cut Off His Own Arm
The terror of Quel'Thalas
The elves of Quel'Thalas knew Zul'jin as a fearsome raider. He struck at border villages and was gone before the Farstriders could organise a counter-attack, and the rangers counted him their most hated foe. To Zul'jin, the high elves were invaders and usurpers who had stolen Amani land. Like the aqir and the night elves before them, he said, they had failed to wipe out the trolls. He captured elves to torture out the secrets of their runestones and the Sunwell, and the ranger Lor'themar Theron was once in his grasp (Blood of the Highborne).
He was also the first forest troll since the Troll Wars to reunite the tribes. He challenged each chieftain in turn, whether in combat, in a race or in some other contest, until all of them bowed to him.
Ally of the Horde
Blackhand sent Orgrim Doomhammer to recruit Zul'jin, but the warlord refused at first: the trolls could handle the elves themselves. Months later humans captured him and held him in a camp near Durnholde, and Orgrim freed him. Impressed, Zul'jin joined the Horde for the Second War. His one true goal was to burn Quel'Thalas and claim the head of King Anasterian Sunstrider.
Zul'jin and Doomhammer came to respect each other. That turned to fury when Orgrim abandoned the siege of Quel'Thalas to march on Lordaeron. Zul'jin's armies stayed behind and fought on.
The eye and the arm
King Anasterian then sent priests and spellcasters to support his rangers against the Amani. Zul'jin was cornered near Darrowmere Lake, trapped by walls of dragonfire. His guards were cut down, and the elf Halduron Brightwing, a close friend of Lor'themar, took him prisoner. Halduron's men chained him to a stone pillar, tortured him for hours and gouged out his eye. Halduron refused to execute him, because he wanted to bring the warlord to Silvermoon alive.
That mercy was a mistake. Amani raiders attacked, wounded Brightwing and caused enough chaos for Zul'jin to break free. To get loose, he cut off his own arm with a discarded spear. The escape made him a legend among trolls of every tribe. Denouncing the Horde, the Amani withdrew into seclusion to wait.
Trolls can normally regenerate, but Zul'jin's eye and arm never grew back. The wikis suggest two explanations: a curse from the loa, or a deliberate choice to keep the scars as a reminder. Neither has been confirmed.
The Gods of Zul'Aman
The Scourge's invasion of Quel'Thalas gave Zul'jin his chance at last. His raids on Eversong and the Ghostlands won only short-lived victories. Then treasure hunters raided Zul'Aman, and Zul'jin learned that the "blood elves" had joined the Horde. Furious, he declared war on both the Horde and the Alliance.
With Hex Lord Malacrass, he sealed the essences of the Amani loa (the bear, the eagle, the lynx and the dragonhawk) inside champions. His own son Man'ye became the vessel of the eagle loa Akil'zon. Adventurers stormed the city, freed the loa and killed Man'ye. Then they faced Zul'jin, who drew on the ghostly spirits of all four animal gods and took their forms, but was killed in the end.
Legacy and afterlife
- The loa's anger: because of Zul'jin and Malacrass, the loa abandoned the Amani. They returned only decades later, when his granddaughter Zul'jarra passed the trials of the hash'ey and atoned for his sins (Midnight).
- Succession: Man'ye's widow Zarama ruled until Zul'jarra came of age, supported by Zul'jin's other son, the loa speaker Kinduru. Kinduru helped raise Zul'jarra and her brother Zul'jan.
- Shadowlands: his soul was sent to Revendreth. Sylvanas was angered to learn that he had a chance at redemption when she did not. Later, a "Wrathful Soul" Zul'jin hides in a secret crypt in the Halls of Atonement, where he seems to have escaped.
- Memory: "For Zul'jin!" is still a troll battle cry, and his statues stand in Tal'aman in Dazar'alor.
Zul'jin family tree
Mermaid source of the family tree
%% Zul'jin – canonical family tree (The Tirisfalen)
%% Dashed = generations not specified / mother never named
flowchart TD
KJ["Kindo'jan<br/><i>Ancestor</i>"]
ZJ["Zul'jin<br/><i>Warlord of the Amani</i>"]
W["Unnamed mother of his sons"]
MY["Man'ye<br/><i>Son · heir · avatar of Akil'zon</i>"]
KI["Kinduru<br/><i>Son · loa speaker of Akil'zon</i>"]
ZA["Zarama<br/><i>Daughter-in-law · regent</i>"]
ZR["Zul'jarra<br/><i>Granddaughter · chieftain</i>"]
ZN["Zul'jan<br/><i>Grandson</i>"]
KJ -.->|generations unknown| ZJ
ZJ -.- W
ZJ --> MY & KI
MY --- ZA
MY --> ZR & ZN
ZA --> ZR & ZN
Canon note: the sons Man'ye (The Rulers of Zul'Aman) and Kinduru (Legacy of the Amani, p. 14), Man'ye's wife Zarama and their children Zul'jarra and Zul'jan all come from Midnight-era sources. Kindo'jan is listed as an ancestor, but the generations in between are unknown. The mother of Zul'jin's sons has never been named. When Midnight launched, an in-game tablet called Mystic Yayo'jin Zul'jin's wife and claimed descent from Jintha, but both references were removed in patch 12.0.5, so they are not shown here. Atai'natha is only a "distant relative" and is also left out.
Related heroes
FAQ
How did Zul'jin lose his arm?
While he was a prisoner of Halduron Brightwing near Darrowmere Lake, Amani raiders caused a distraction, and Zul'jin cut off his own arm with a discarded spear to escape.
Who took Zul'jin's eye?
Halduron Brightwing's elves gouged it out while they tortured him, chained to a stone pillar, near the end of the Second War.
Why didn't Zul'jin regenerate?
Lore has not confirmed why. The wikis suggest a curse from the loa, or that he chose not to regenerate, since trolls can control their regeneration (as Vol'jin does in Shadows of the Horde).
Why did Zul'jin leave the Horde?
Orgrim Doomhammer abandoned the siege of Quel'Thalas to attack Lordaeron, and after his escape Zul'jin denounced the Horde. When the blood elves later joined the Horde, he declared war on both factions.
How did Zul'jin die?
Adventurers killed him in Zul'Aman after freeing the four Amani loa whose power he and Hex Lord Malacrass had stolen.
Does Zul'jin have children?
Yes: Man'ye, his heir, who died as the avatar of Akil'zon, and the loa speaker Kinduru. His grandchildren are Zul'jarra, now chieftain of the Amani, and Zul'jan.
Where is Zul'jin's soul?
In Revendreth in the Shadowlands. Sylvanas saw him there, and he later appears hiding as a Wrathful Soul in the Halls of Atonement.
Sources
- Micky Neilson, Blood of the Highborne.
- Richard A. Knaak, Tides of Darkness (ch. 4, 13).
- World of Warcraft: Chronicle, Vol. 2 (p. 160) and Vol. 3 (p. 158).
- Ultimate Visual Guide, p. 140; World of Warcraft: Sylvanas, ch. 22.
- The Story of Warcraft: The Gods of Zul'Aman; in-game Zul'Aman (The Burning Crusade); Halls of Atonement (Shadowlands).
- Midnight: The Rulers of Zul'Aman, Legacy of the Amani (p. 14), Left in the Shadows, Hash'ey Away, Tablet of the Ruling Family (patch 12.0.5 change).
- Community wikis cross-checked: Warcraft Wiki – Zul'jin, Man'ye, Kinduru, Zarama, Zul'jarra, Wowpedia – Zul'jin.
Illustrations: original artwork by The Tirisfalen. World of Warcraft and Warcraft are trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment. This page is fan content and is not affiliated with Blizzard.