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Sterm
2010-03-07, 11:07 AM
OK,D&D provides essentially an infinity amount of different creatures and monsters-but where they come from?
Some examples:
Greek mythology(Hydra,Chimera)
Scandinavian mythology(Trolls,Kraken)
Any other ideas?

Jergmo
2010-03-07, 11:22 AM
Well, Nymphs and Dryads are Greek. Only Nymphs as we know them are known as Limnatides. We all know the Minotaur is Greek, as well as Medusae...I think I saw something about the Aranea in Greek mythology...the Basilisk and Centaur...

For a change of pace, aren't Cockatrices from Celtic mythology?

Most of the giants are based off of Norse...Ettins are English but are based off of Norse Jotun.

Oh! The Ogre Mage is based off of the Japanese Oni.

Rappy
2010-03-07, 11:31 AM
The bull-style gorgons from the Monster Manual are vaguely based off of the Greek Khalkotauroi, with the latter's flame breath replaced with petrification.

Barghests and bugbears are from European lore, especially English folklore.

Lammasu are from Sumerian mythology.

Deep dwarves/derro are based on the conspiracy theories of Richard Sharpe Shaver.

Going outside of core, the psionic unicorn-horned rabbit known as the al-mi'raj is from Arabic poetry, the gemstone-headed carbuncle is from Latin American folklore, and the man-headed winged bull known as the shedu is from Sumerian lore like the lammasu.

Obviously there are plenty more than these, but those are just the ones that come off the top of my head.

Volkov
2010-03-07, 11:33 AM
Many monsters are original creations, such as the Beholder, Aboleth, and Mind flayer. Though they have some lovecraftian influence. The Obyriths are certainly based on H.P lovecraft's works.

Yora
2010-03-07, 11:34 AM
Kobold is a german creature, but it's nothing like the mini-lizards from D&D. Though they do live underground and are sneaky little bastards. :smallbiggrin:

Djinns, Efrits, and Marrids are arbaian/persian. As is the ghoul.

Clay/Stone Golems are best known from a story about the jews of Prague and probably orgiginate from Kabalah mysticism/sorcery.

Mummies are ancient egyptian, as the god Osiris was one more or less.

Rakshasa are from India. For example they play a major role in the Ramayana epos.

Werwolves and Vampires are from the Balkan (duh!).

Interestingly, the Lich is russian. There's an old tale of an incredibly old and powerful sorcerer who was invincible because he kept his soul stored in a secure place.

Gibbering Mouthers are pretty much carbon copies of Shoggoths from Lovecrafts works.

Eryines/Harpies are greek.

Volkov
2010-03-07, 11:35 AM
The Shedu and Lammasu are pulled from Mesopotamian myth.

Cuaqchi
2010-03-07, 11:39 AM
Gorgan is based of a Mesopatamian Bull Demon; Gorghain(sp?) or something like that.
Rhakshasa is an Indian Demon.
Unicorn is European.
Lycanthropes and Vampires are Global monsters. Although differant regions had differant beasts to base them on.
Gnolls are an African Devil/Demon, though I can't remember which tribe or region first 'created' them.

Honestly, outside of the oozes and the abberations every creature can be found in mythology somewhere. Even wierd undead like the Morgh came from somewhere.

Volkov
2010-03-07, 11:40 AM
Gorgan is based of a Mesopatamian Bull Demon; Gorghain(sp?) or something like that.
Rhakshasa is an Indian Demon.
Unicorn is European.
Lycanthropes and Vampires are Global monsters. Although differant regions had differant beasts to base them on.
Gnolls are an African Devil/Demon, though I can't remember which tribe or region first 'created' them.

Honestly, outside of the oozes and the abberations every creature can be found in mythology somewhere. Even wierd undead like the Morgh came from somewhere.

The lich is a mostly original invention.

And I'd like to see an Obyrith in mythology.

Rappy
2010-03-07, 11:43 AM
Gnolls are an African Devil/Demon, though I can't remember which tribe or region first 'created' them.
Actually, gnolls were a Gygaxian creation, originally meant to be a hybrid of gnome and troll. For better or worse, though, we got the hyena-folk we know today instead. They do have some similarities to African legends about hyenas, but that is not their actual origin.

EDIT:
The lich is a mostly original invention.

And I'd like to see an Obyrith in mythology.
Mostly being the key word. A fair dose of the lich is pulled from various bits and bobbles of old fantasy stories and lore.

Obyriths are a D&D-centric creation, though, as far as I know.

Yora
2010-03-07, 11:49 AM
The lich is a mostly original invention.
Objection! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koschei)
A sceletal sorcerer of ancient age who can not die unless someone find the reiculously well hidden chest that contains it's soul? How is that not a lich?

Volkov
2010-03-07, 11:51 AM
Objection! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koschei)
A skeletal sorcerer of ancient age who can not die unless someone find the ridiculously well hidden chest that contains it's soul? How is that not a lich?

Key word is mostly.

StoryKeeper
2010-03-07, 11:53 AM
The lich is a mostly original invention.

And I'd like to see an Obyrith in mythology.

Actually, the word lich referred to a corpse that didn't get buried properly, and the whole regenerating immortality and phylacrety thing that characterizes the D&D lich is based on Russian mythology. There is at least one story of a guy who hid his soul in a (pebble?) inside an egg, inside a duck, inside a box, inside something inside something inside something etcetera.

EDIT: Ninja'd by someone with a link. Well done, sir or madame.

Pretty much any DnD stuff that's based on mythology will show up in a quick google search. The various places that the monsters come from are diverse. As people have mentioned, a lot of stuff comes from greek mythology. Goblins, hobgoblins, and a lot of other goblinoid things are European (legend says that all goblins poured out of some mountains located in France, so have fun giving your goblins french accents.)

Ghouls are arabian, interestingly enough. Most giants come from norse mythology. The lion-centaur things (name starts with "L") come from somewehre around teh mediteranean as well, and the... whatta ya call the lion-headed thingies? Lammassu. They're from mesopotamia.

A lot of abberations are lovecraftian. Dopplegangers are... well they're sorta semi-german. Their name is german if I'm not mistaken, but dopplegangers originally looked like yourself or a loved one (rather than alien-looking gray things) and were portents of death.

I could go on, and I'd enjoy doing so, but I'll just stop here and say again that you can discover most monsters' mythological origins with a google search of their names.

Volkov
2010-03-07, 11:55 AM
Actually, the word lich referred to a corpse that didn't get buried properly, and the whole regenerating immortality and phylacrety thing that characterizes the D&D lich is based on Russian mythology. There is at least one story of a guy who hid his soul in a (pebble?) inside an egg, inside a duck, inside a box, inside something inside something inside something etcetera.

Pretty much any DnD stuff that's based on mythology will show up in a quick google search. The various places that the monsters come from are diverse. As people have mentioned, a lot of stuff comes from greek mythology. Goblins, hobgoblins, and a lot of other goblinoid things are European (legend says that all goblins poured out of some mountains located in France, so have fun giving your goblins french accents.)

Ghouls are arabian, interestingly enough. Most giants come from norse mythology. The lion-centaur things (name starts with "L") come from somewehre around teh mediteranean as well, and the... whatta ya call the lion-headed thingies? Lammassu. They're from mesopotamia.

A lot of abberations are lovecraftian. Dopplegangers are... well they're sorta semi-german. Their name is german if I'm not mistaken, but dopplegangers originally looked like yourself or a loved one (rather than alien-looking gray things) and were portents of death.

I could go on, and I'd enjoy doing so, but I'll just stop here and say again that you can discover most monsters' mythological origins with a google search of their names.
Obyriths aren't in mythology period. Their only influence is lovecraftian horror.

Lysander
2010-03-07, 11:56 AM
Tolkien's influence can't be overstated. Elves, orcs, goblins, treants, halflings, dwarves are all based off his interpretation. Liches are pretty cleared inspired at least in part by Sauron.

Volkov
2010-03-07, 11:58 AM
Tolkien's influence can't be overstated. Elves, orcs, goblins, treants, halflings, dwarves are all based off his interpretation. Liches are pretty cleared inspired at least in part by Sauron.

Liches are inspired by Russian folklore.

Rappy
2010-03-07, 11:58 AM
Scorpionfolk are also Mesopotamian. They are based upon the scorpion men, or aqrabuamelu.

It's funny how many D&D monsters come from the Middle East.

Volkov
2010-03-07, 11:59 AM
I'd say lovecraft has a very strong influence on D&D.

Rappy
2010-03-07, 12:00 PM
I'd say lovecraft has a very strong influence on D&D.
I'd agree. All you need to do is look at the the aboleths and the Deep Ones skum and see that.

Debihuman
2010-03-07, 12:00 PM
This site has a lot of information on the origins of the monsters: http://rpg.crg4.com/origins.html.

Debby

Squark
2010-03-07, 12:03 PM
Liches are inspired by Russian folklore.

Which Tolkein probably poached.

awa
2010-03-07, 12:06 PM
keep in mind that even though a huge number of dungeons and dragons things come from folklore (or at least their names) many have virtual nothing to do with their mythological original. Whats ironic is that the copies are often far more well known then the originals. Take goblins hobgoblins and kobolds all originally kinds of fae

StoryKeeper
2010-03-07, 12:08 PM
Obyriths aren't in mythology period. Their only influence is lovecraftian horror.

Which is why I mentioned Lovecraft and said "most" monsters and "pretty much any D&D stuff that's based on mythology."

And very true, awa. That's why I have been trying to tie goblins more closely to fey in my campaigns. :)

Oh, and an interesting bit of information: "Kobold" means goblin in german. So the original "kobolds" were basically just evil lawn gnomes.

Sterm
2010-03-07, 12:08 PM
A lot of creautures are actually enlarged animals or bugs.Dragons belong to mediaval ages and some creatures are just alliens(bodaks,doppelngagers).

Rappy
2010-03-07, 12:09 PM
keep in mind that even though a huge number of dungeons and dragons things come from folklore (or at least their names) many have virtual nothing to do with their mythological original. Whats ironic is that the copies are often far more well known then the originals. Take goblins hobgoblins and kobolds all originally kinds of fae
Yeah. It's actually quite fun to gut the D&D versions and remake them as a closer vestige of their original selves.

Similarly, I enjoy taking the various so-called "stupid monsters" and slapping an epic coating of paint on them, but that's a story for another thread....which I'm now tempted to make...

World Eater
2010-03-07, 12:13 PM
Wizards.
I blame wizards for all these monsters.

Lysander
2010-03-07, 12:18 PM
Liches are inspired by Russian folklore.

I think Tolkien himself drew ideas from folklore, combining many myths and cultures and spinning them in new ways. The phylactery has a strong relationship with the one ring. The lichs's paralyzing touch is probably from the barrow-wights in Fellowship.

Giant Eagles are another Tolkien monster.

FoE
2010-03-07, 12:22 PM
The rust monster, owlbear and gelatinous cube? All original creations, baby.

Rappy
2010-03-07, 12:23 PM
The rust monster, owlbear, beholder and gelatinous cube? All original creations, baby.
Correct, although the rust monster and bulette were based on plastic toys. Still fairly original, though.

AtopTheMountain
2010-03-07, 12:40 PM
The Tarrasque is based on French folklore, for a change of pace; specifically, a monster called the Tarasque (one "r") from a story about St. Martha. More details here. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarasque)

Sterm
2010-03-07, 12:41 PM
Angels,deamons and golems are some of the religon-based creatures.

Lysander
2010-03-07, 12:46 PM
And flesh golems are inspired by Frankenstein. The whole brought to life by lightning was turned into electricity = healing.

Sterm
2010-03-07, 12:54 PM
What about zombies and ghouls?Came from medieval plagues?

Volkov
2010-03-07, 12:56 PM
What about zombies and ghouls?Came from medieval plagues?

The Ghoul is arabian, the zombie is from Voodoo folklore.

Gralamin
2010-03-07, 01:02 PM
The Ghoul is arabian, the zombie is from Voodoo folklore.

No. Ghoul is from HP Lovecraft according to Gygax.




The D&D ghoul was inspired by the Lovecraftian critter of that name and my own imagination. they first appeared in play in c. 1970 in the Chainmail Fantasy Supplement table top games.
Gary Gygax, August 12, 2005, EN World Q&A IX

These figures were seldom completely human, but often approached humanity in varying degree. Most of the bodies, while roughly bipedal, had a forward slumping, and a vaguely canine cast. The texture of the majority was a kind of unpleasant rubberiness. Ugh! I can see them now! Their occupations—well, don't ask me to be too precise. They were usually feeding—I won't say on what. They were sometimes shown in groups in cemeteries or underground passages, and often appeared to be in battle over their prey—or rather, their treasure-trove.
H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937), Pickman's Model (1927)

awa
2010-03-07, 01:48 PM
Love craft did not invent the ghoul

Gralamin
2010-03-07, 02:10 PM
Love craft did not invent the ghoul

I didn't claim he did: I said that Gygax took the concept for the D&D ghoul from Lovecraft.

GenPol
2010-03-07, 02:32 PM
Dopplegangers came from German folklore, and as somebody mentioned, zombies were inspired by voodoo folklore. I have heard that the DnD/popculture versions are fairly different then the originals, but I'm not an expert on voodoo folklore.

EDIT: I can't spell today...

bosssmiley
2010-03-07, 03:22 PM
Actually, gnolls were a Gygaxian creation, originally meant to be a hybrid of gnome and troll.

Gnoles were created by Lord Dunsany in his story "How Nuth Would Have Practised His Art Upon the Gnoles". Gygax borrowed and adapted them, as he did so much else.

Volkov
2010-03-07, 04:25 PM
Dopplegangers came from German folklore, and as somebody mentioned, zombies were inspired by voodoo folklore. I have heard that the DnD/popculture versions are fairly different then the originals, but I'm not an expert on voodoo folklore.

EDIT: I can't spell today...

The D&D zombie is far closer to the Voodoo one than it is to hollywood's lame, flesh-eating version.

FoE
2010-03-07, 04:34 PM
"Gnolls" may have been referenced in literature prior to D&D, but they weren't described as "hyena-men."

RebelRogue
2010-03-07, 05:48 PM
At least in OD&D they were literally a cross between a gnome and a troll. And yes, I'm fairly sure a wizard did it :smallsmile:

some guy
2010-03-07, 05:59 PM
I didn't claim he did: I said that Gygax took the concept for the D&D ghoul from Lovecraft.

Lovecraft's ghoul looks in appearance much like the Arabian ghul. Mind you, William Thomas Beckford introduced the concept of the ghoul in English language.

Asheram
2010-03-07, 06:03 PM
I'd just like to slot the Pixie and Redcap with the english/irish folklore.

AslanCross
2010-03-07, 06:07 PM
The ghul was originally a demon, an evil jinn, from Arabian mythology. The undead flesh-eater is a more recent creation named after the ghul.

The much-maligned Senmurv (MM2, I believe---it's the rainbow-colored winged wolf) is based on the Persian Simurgh. It's depicted as either a giant phoenix-like bird, but in some depictions it has a canine head. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sassanid_silver_plate_by_Nickmard_Khoey.jpg)

The Leviathan (MM2 and Elder Evils) is from Hebrew legend. It's an enormous sea monster, though the modern word means "whale" if I'm not mistaken.

Beelzebub1111
2010-03-07, 07:15 PM
Scorpionfolk are also Mesopotamian. They are based upon the scorpion men, or aqrabuamelu.

Didn't the Aztecs have scorpion men? as they are described in the 2nd edition monster manual as weilding Macuahuitl (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macuahuitl) along with Jaguar men.

Amiel
2010-03-08, 06:55 AM
Interestingly, the Lich is russian. There's an old tale of an incredibly old and powerful sorcerer who was invincible because he kept his soul stored in a secure place.

Do you mean Koschei the Deathless (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koschei); although he wasn't a lich, more so a death knight.
"His soul is hidden separate from his body inside a needle, which is in an egg, which is in a duck, which is in a hare, which is in an iron chest (sometimes the chest is crystal and/or gold), which is buried under a green oak tree, which is on the island of Buyan, in the ocean. As long as his soul is safe, he cannot die."

He was the inspiration for D&D's Kostchtchie.

Cyrion
2010-03-08, 11:20 AM
In Old English, an orc is a foreigner or demon, typically used in reference to the Norman invaders. This is where Tolkein got his version of orcs.

In Gaelic orcs are young pigs (thus the old AD&D MM illustration), and in Norse orkn are seals.