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Bizarro World History 101: Monster Origins
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<blockquote data-quote="demiurge1138" data-source="post: 1122369" data-attributes="member: 7451"><p><strong>Part 3: Ogre - Xill</strong> </p><p></p><p>Ogre: The word ogre is related to the modern word orc (see orc below). Although cannibal giants with low intellects were common in folklore throughout the Dark Ages, the word first appeared in print in the works of, and may have been coined by, Charles Perrault. </p><p></p><p>Ogre Mage: The ogre mage is a rather tweaked version of the oni, a Japanese demon/ogre. The oni were capable of kindness, but more often than not were portrayed as monsters. Most oni ate human flesh, and had a variety of magical powers, including flight and the ability to spit globes of molten copper. Oni came in many colors, including green and blue, and were notoriously difficult to kill.</p><p></p><p>Orc: The word orc has a much more interesting lineage then the Dungeons and Dragons orc does (they were stolen straight from Tolkien). The word was originally Orcus, a Roman death deity who was eventually subsumed into Pluto (hence the demon lord Orcus in DnD). The name then was applied to a sea monster, the Orco, from which we get the killer whale Orcinius orca. The word went inland throughout Europe into Italian and French, and it was from orc that Perrault coined ogre. Tolkien then used the name as a substitute for goblin in The Lord of the Rings, and the rest is history</p><p></p><p>Pegasus: The Greek Pegasus was born from the blood of Medusa after she was decapitated by Perseus. The winged horse was rumored to be untamable, but Bellopheron, with the aid of a magical bridle, subdued Pegasus and rode him into battle with the Chimera. After Bellopheron won, he decided to use Pegasus to soar to the top of Mount Olympus itself. The gods sent a gadfly to sting Pegasus, who then bucked Bellopheron to his death. Pegasus then became one of the steeds of Zeus.</p><p></p><p>Phoenix: The phoenix was another creature first related in Greek travelers tales. They were beautiful birds of which only one existed at a time; they could only reproduce by burning themselves to a cinder, at which point an egg would hatch out from the ashes. The phoenix was originally small; only when the Church adopted it as a metaphor for the Resurrection did it attain its massive size.</p><p></p><p>Rakshasa: The rakshasas of Dungeons and Dragons are a sadly pale imitation of their originals. The rakshasas were the embodiment of sin and vice in Indian mythology. Rakshasas varied in form from tale to tale, and were either giants or animal-headed humans. Most of them had some recognizable deformity, such as hands turned the wrong way. They were fond of eating human flesh, and when not pursuing it, would tempt humans into depravity. They would do this by assuming the form of a trusted relative of their target, such as an uncle. Despite their evil ways, rakshasas were always kind and loving amongst themselves. Their king, Ravana, had six heads and was powerful enough to be a foe of the gods.</p><p></p><p>Roc: The roc is, and has always been, a giant bird of prey renowned for carrying off prey as big as elephants to feed their young. The Arabian spelling was rukh, and tales of it spread throughout Asia. Marco Polo claimed to have seen a rukh feather in the court of Kublai Khan. The “elephant bird” of Madagascar, which grew to eight feet tall and lived until the 1500s, may have been the basis of the legends.</p><p></p><p>Rust Monster: Like the bulette (q.v.), the rust monster was originally inspired by a plastic novelty toy.</p><p></p><p>Salamander: The humanoid fire snakes of Dungeons and Dragons are grossly exaggerated from the original salamander, which was nothing more then a small reptile that was poisonous and lived inside of fires. This was either inspired by the salamander (as in newt), which lives in logs that would then be thrown, without inspection, into fires and is indeed poisonous, or the salamander amphibian was named after the salamander monster.</p><p></p><p>Satyr: The satyr, a man with the legs and horns of a goat with a sexual appetite to match, is little changed from its Greek origins. The satyrs were the followers of Dionysus and Pan, and were constantly in pursuit of wine, women and song. They were mischievous, and their pranks could be painful and even deadly for those they were played on.</p><p></p><p>Shocker Lizard: Another of the “facetious origins”. Shocker lizards may very well have been inspired by the pikachu, everybody’s favorite collectable electrical rodent from the Pokèmon franchise. The similarity is uncanny.</p><p></p><p>Sphinx: The separation of the sphinx in Dungeons and Dragons into four varieties is in tribute to the two sphinxes, the Greek and the Egyptian. The classic Egyptian sphinx, a guardian spirit of royalty with the body of a lion and the head of a man, became the androsphinx. Other Egyptian sphinxes with the heads of rams and falcons became the crio- and hieracosphinx. The Greek Sphinx was a descendent of the (little-known) Babylonian sphinx in appearance, gaining wings and the head of a woman instead of a man. The Sphinx was evil and treacherous, and held the city of Thebes hostage; anyone who tried to enter it was subjected to a riddle nobody could answer. When the traveler failed, he was eaten. When Oedipus solved the riddle, the Sphinx committed suicide.</p><p></p><p>Sprite: See bugbear for a discussion of the prevalence of the fey.</p><p></p><p>Tarrasque: The modern, Dungeons and Dragons tarrasque is straight out of a Godzilla movie. The creature’s name, at least, is from folklore, however. The tarasque had the head of a lion, six bear-like paws, a turtle-like shell and fiery breath. It killed and consumed anybody who approached it, and held all of southern France in terror. Saint Martha defeated the tarasque through her faith, and led it tame into the village, where the peasants killed it with rocks and sticks.</p><p></p><p>Titan: The titans of Dungeons and Dragons, giant temperamental humanoids, share the name of the first Greek pantheon. Most of the titans were evil and cruel, and the were overthrown by Zeus and his siblings. There were good titans, however, such as Prometheus, who created mankind and brought them fire. </p><p></p><p>Treant: Another Tolkien rip-off. Apparently the name change was enough to dissuade Tolkien’s estate, despite the fact that both are large peaceful tree-like humanoids skilled in dismantling buildings.</p><p></p><p>Triton: These fish-men are the direct descendents of the Greek tritons, who were the sons and attendants of Poseidon. </p><p></p><p>Troll: The concept and name of the troll is taken from Scandinavian folklore. These trolls were giant unless they were smaller then men, and were usually malicious, unless they were friendly. Trolls had several unusual features that render then more interesting then the average ogre; they hated loud noises and were turned to stone in sunlight. They were expert herbalists and craftsmen. The fensirs from the Fiend Folio 3rd Edition are close to the original conception of the troll. The troll also appears in the works of Tolkien as a brutish, dumb and incredibly strong beast. This is probably the primary inspiration for the “true” Dungeons and Dragons troll.</p><p> </p><p>Unicorn: The unicorn was originally another creature of Greek travelers tales. Before it was adopted into the medieval bestiaries, the unicorn was often savage, not always horse-like, and was occasionally multi-colored. Only in the Middle Ages did the unicorn gain associations with white, virgins and purity.</p><p></p><p>Vampire: Like the lycanthropes, much has been written on vampires before. The vampire as a concept (blood-drinking creature of the night) is almost universal. The name vampire is Slavic in origin, and many of the traditions associated with the modern vampire , such as their vulnerability to holy symbols, ability to take animal form, and the tradition of staking them, are also Eastern European. The concept of the vampire as a sexual being was highly embellished by Bram Stoker in Dracula.</p><p></p><p>Wendigo: The wendigo was originally close to its Dungeons and Dragons version; they were the transformed spirits of people who had committed cannibalism, who hunted humans and would often tempt people into joining them. In some traditions, wendigos raced into the sky so fast upon their transformation that their feet were left as bloody stumps. Some wendigos were powerful sorcerers, capable of controlling the weather creating storms and blizzards to torment people and push them towards cannibalism.</p><p></p><p>Wight: The word wight originally meant “thing”, often with a supernatural context. So Tolkien was perfectly capable of using it in the name of his Barrow-Wights, who were undead creatures that drained the life from their prey. The Dungeons and Dragons wight is also an undead creature that drains the life of its prey. Coincidence?</p><p></p><p>Worg: The wargs were the large wolf-like creations of Tolkien. Worgs are exactly the same creature, down to their primitive intellect and association with goblins. Apparently, the one letter difference was enough for them not to get sued. Of course, since in Norse myth there was also a creature called the wyrg (presumably Tolkien’s source), that might have done the trick.</p><p></p><p>Xill: The xill (savage, red, four-armed humanoids that implant their prey with eggs) are inspired, like the displacer beast, from The Voyage of the Space Beagle, by A.E. van Vogt. There, the creature was known as the Ixtl, and was less humanoid, although still multiarmed and capable of implanting creatures. The Ixtl was also a major influence on the movie Alien.</p><p></p><p>If anybody has any others, please let me know.</p><p>Demiurge out.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="demiurge1138, post: 1122369, member: 7451"] [B]Part 3: Ogre - Xill[/B] Ogre: The word ogre is related to the modern word orc (see orc below). Although cannibal giants with low intellects were common in folklore throughout the Dark Ages, the word first appeared in print in the works of, and may have been coined by, Charles Perrault. Ogre Mage: The ogre mage is a rather tweaked version of the oni, a Japanese demon/ogre. The oni were capable of kindness, but more often than not were portrayed as monsters. Most oni ate human flesh, and had a variety of magical powers, including flight and the ability to spit globes of molten copper. Oni came in many colors, including green and blue, and were notoriously difficult to kill. Orc: The word orc has a much more interesting lineage then the Dungeons and Dragons orc does (they were stolen straight from Tolkien). The word was originally Orcus, a Roman death deity who was eventually subsumed into Pluto (hence the demon lord Orcus in DnD). The name then was applied to a sea monster, the Orco, from which we get the killer whale Orcinius orca. The word went inland throughout Europe into Italian and French, and it was from orc that Perrault coined ogre. Tolkien then used the name as a substitute for goblin in The Lord of the Rings, and the rest is history Pegasus: The Greek Pegasus was born from the blood of Medusa after she was decapitated by Perseus. The winged horse was rumored to be untamable, but Bellopheron, with the aid of a magical bridle, subdued Pegasus and rode him into battle with the Chimera. After Bellopheron won, he decided to use Pegasus to soar to the top of Mount Olympus itself. The gods sent a gadfly to sting Pegasus, who then bucked Bellopheron to his death. Pegasus then became one of the steeds of Zeus. Phoenix: The phoenix was another creature first related in Greek travelers tales. They were beautiful birds of which only one existed at a time; they could only reproduce by burning themselves to a cinder, at which point an egg would hatch out from the ashes. The phoenix was originally small; only when the Church adopted it as a metaphor for the Resurrection did it attain its massive size. Rakshasa: The rakshasas of Dungeons and Dragons are a sadly pale imitation of their originals. The rakshasas were the embodiment of sin and vice in Indian mythology. Rakshasas varied in form from tale to tale, and were either giants or animal-headed humans. Most of them had some recognizable deformity, such as hands turned the wrong way. They were fond of eating human flesh, and when not pursuing it, would tempt humans into depravity. They would do this by assuming the form of a trusted relative of their target, such as an uncle. Despite their evil ways, rakshasas were always kind and loving amongst themselves. Their king, Ravana, had six heads and was powerful enough to be a foe of the gods. Roc: The roc is, and has always been, a giant bird of prey renowned for carrying off prey as big as elephants to feed their young. The Arabian spelling was rukh, and tales of it spread throughout Asia. Marco Polo claimed to have seen a rukh feather in the court of Kublai Khan. The “elephant bird” of Madagascar, which grew to eight feet tall and lived until the 1500s, may have been the basis of the legends. Rust Monster: Like the bulette (q.v.), the rust monster was originally inspired by a plastic novelty toy. Salamander: The humanoid fire snakes of Dungeons and Dragons are grossly exaggerated from the original salamander, which was nothing more then a small reptile that was poisonous and lived inside of fires. This was either inspired by the salamander (as in newt), which lives in logs that would then be thrown, without inspection, into fires and is indeed poisonous, or the salamander amphibian was named after the salamander monster. Satyr: The satyr, a man with the legs and horns of a goat with a sexual appetite to match, is little changed from its Greek origins. The satyrs were the followers of Dionysus and Pan, and were constantly in pursuit of wine, women and song. They were mischievous, and their pranks could be painful and even deadly for those they were played on. Shocker Lizard: Another of the “facetious origins”. Shocker lizards may very well have been inspired by the pikachu, everybody’s favorite collectable electrical rodent from the Pokèmon franchise. The similarity is uncanny. Sphinx: The separation of the sphinx in Dungeons and Dragons into four varieties is in tribute to the two sphinxes, the Greek and the Egyptian. The classic Egyptian sphinx, a guardian spirit of royalty with the body of a lion and the head of a man, became the androsphinx. Other Egyptian sphinxes with the heads of rams and falcons became the crio- and hieracosphinx. The Greek Sphinx was a descendent of the (little-known) Babylonian sphinx in appearance, gaining wings and the head of a woman instead of a man. The Sphinx was evil and treacherous, and held the city of Thebes hostage; anyone who tried to enter it was subjected to a riddle nobody could answer. When the traveler failed, he was eaten. When Oedipus solved the riddle, the Sphinx committed suicide. Sprite: See bugbear for a discussion of the prevalence of the fey. Tarrasque: The modern, Dungeons and Dragons tarrasque is straight out of a Godzilla movie. The creature’s name, at least, is from folklore, however. The tarasque had the head of a lion, six bear-like paws, a turtle-like shell and fiery breath. It killed and consumed anybody who approached it, and held all of southern France in terror. Saint Martha defeated the tarasque through her faith, and led it tame into the village, where the peasants killed it with rocks and sticks. Titan: The titans of Dungeons and Dragons, giant temperamental humanoids, share the name of the first Greek pantheon. Most of the titans were evil and cruel, and the were overthrown by Zeus and his siblings. There were good titans, however, such as Prometheus, who created mankind and brought them fire. Treant: Another Tolkien rip-off. Apparently the name change was enough to dissuade Tolkien’s estate, despite the fact that both are large peaceful tree-like humanoids skilled in dismantling buildings. Triton: These fish-men are the direct descendents of the Greek tritons, who were the sons and attendants of Poseidon. Troll: The concept and name of the troll is taken from Scandinavian folklore. These trolls were giant unless they were smaller then men, and were usually malicious, unless they were friendly. Trolls had several unusual features that render then more interesting then the average ogre; they hated loud noises and were turned to stone in sunlight. They were expert herbalists and craftsmen. The fensirs from the Fiend Folio 3rd Edition are close to the original conception of the troll. The troll also appears in the works of Tolkien as a brutish, dumb and incredibly strong beast. This is probably the primary inspiration for the “true” Dungeons and Dragons troll. Unicorn: The unicorn was originally another creature of Greek travelers tales. Before it was adopted into the medieval bestiaries, the unicorn was often savage, not always horse-like, and was occasionally multi-colored. Only in the Middle Ages did the unicorn gain associations with white, virgins and purity. Vampire: Like the lycanthropes, much has been written on vampires before. The vampire as a concept (blood-drinking creature of the night) is almost universal. The name vampire is Slavic in origin, and many of the traditions associated with the modern vampire , such as their vulnerability to holy symbols, ability to take animal form, and the tradition of staking them, are also Eastern European. The concept of the vampire as a sexual being was highly embellished by Bram Stoker in Dracula. Wendigo: The wendigo was originally close to its Dungeons and Dragons version; they were the transformed spirits of people who had committed cannibalism, who hunted humans and would often tempt people into joining them. In some traditions, wendigos raced into the sky so fast upon their transformation that their feet were left as bloody stumps. Some wendigos were powerful sorcerers, capable of controlling the weather creating storms and blizzards to torment people and push them towards cannibalism. Wight: The word wight originally meant “thing”, often with a supernatural context. So Tolkien was perfectly capable of using it in the name of his Barrow-Wights, who were undead creatures that drained the life from their prey. The Dungeons and Dragons wight is also an undead creature that drains the life of its prey. Coincidence? Worg: The wargs were the large wolf-like creations of Tolkien. Worgs are exactly the same creature, down to their primitive intellect and association with goblins. Apparently, the one letter difference was enough for them not to get sued. Of course, since in Norse myth there was also a creature called the wyrg (presumably Tolkien’s source), that might have done the trick. Xill: The xill (savage, red, four-armed humanoids that implant their prey with eggs) are inspired, like the displacer beast, from The Voyage of the Space Beagle, by A.E. van Vogt. There, the creature was known as the Ixtl, and was less humanoid, although still multiarmed and capable of implanting creatures. The Ixtl was also a major influence on the movie Alien. If anybody has any others, please let me know. Demiurge out. [/QUOTE]
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