The Lich (Origins)

[Brilbadr]

suggestion

The first lich that springs to mind for me, and has the most impact on how i represent them in roleplaying, the Dweomer-liche from Tolkien. This is of course the Nazgul. I always took this to mean Magic-corpse. Following the english roots in my fav homestudy dictionary. Where did Tolkien get it from? Probably his mother, where his deep love of old-english, germanic and norse lore was instilled. His stories he described as containing threads of half-remembered fairytales told at his mother's knee. He later went on to study them and took up the Chair of Old English lit... i.e. became THE authority. But you all know this, I just like to idolise the old (deceased) chap.
:\

 

[tleilaxu]

the prototypical example of lich in fantasy literature that i can think of are the gods of lankhmar from the fafhrd and grey mouser stories.

they are exactly like the demi-liches as described in the ELH, soul gems and all!

they exist in some crypt way below the streets of lankhmar. when coming into conflict with the thieve's guild fafhrd finds himself face to face with these skulls, who basically demand he recover their companion demi-lich (stolen by a thief) or have his soul sucked out.

also, if the city is ever threatened by outsiders the gods of lankhmar can be summoned by ringing the bells from some tower. however, they don't like to be summoned. they only answer the call because they want the city undisturbed so they can mentally roam the multiverse or something. but to discourage people from calling them too often and to ensure there is always a good reason for their calling, they lay waste to the city itself, doing as much if not more damage than most threats to the city would do. so its a last ditch thing to protect the city from certain doom.

anyone who remembers the exact name of the short story i am referencing help me out?

 

[The Grumpy Celt]

The first lich that springs to mind for me, and has the most impact on how i represent them in roleplaying, the Dweomer-liche from Tolkien.

Thanks. I had almost forgotten I had posted this in the first place - it was like two years ago. I am still working on this book. But as there are no real mythical precidents I have more or less made it all up.

 

[tleilaxu]

whoa... after your post celt i went back and looked at the date of the original post.

this thread is a veritable lich itself!

it lives!!! mwaaaa!

 

[MagonusTyrarr]

This site, which I've used for research before, has lic meaning body. Just to further confirm .

 

[Davelozzi]

The most famous Golem myth comes from 10th-16th century Prague. It was a protector of the Jews created by a Rabbi using Holy Words...

Isn't Frankenstein a bit more famous?

 

[Melan]

Actually, the first appearance of a fantasy "lich" predates Leiber: Thulsa Doom in Howard's Kull stories was suspiciously like one (the following quote is translated back from the Hungarian):
"The man's face was a bare, wax-white deaths head, pale blue flames glowering in his eye sockets.
'Thulsa Doom' - cried Ka-nu."

 

[Rev_Spider]

I recall H.P. Lovecraft used the word lich to describe an undead sorceress. (Dreams in the Witch House, maybe? I don't recall the specific story...)

 

[nikolai]

Hi all,

People posting that Lich (and variants) are Middle English for corpse are spot on. The source of the monster, however, comes from early Sword & Sorcery writings. This monster was then D&Dised, through the various Dragon articles and D&D material that has already been listed, to become the undead spellcaster we all know and love.

Sources

I think the big infuence was Clark Ashton Smith. He was one of the "big three" wierd tales writers (along with Lovecraft and Howard). See:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=books/main/classicsaveroigne
http://www.eldritchdark.com

He is the big inspiration for how necromany is presented in fantasy. His stories are full of the undead, including undead wizards and necromancers, and he often used the work lich as an archaic word for corpse. It's entirely natural that in the hunt for new D&D monsters, someone who'd read Smith's would think a undead wizard would be a cool foe. And if you have an undead wizard, and a sentence like "the lich walked towards me" (meaning "the corpse walked towards me"), it's an easy step for the word Lich to be come the name of a new monster. I'll have a re-read of his stuff and cite some specific short stories.

Ashton Smith's work influence later Conan stuff, both Howard and the pastiches. I don't this Howard uses the word lich (at least in the Conan stories), but he does have revived millenia old sorcerers. The same themes are found in some of Lovecraft's stuff is very close to Smith, who I'm sure used the word lich (if not the monster) in his stories.

Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser (Lieber): These have the Gods of Lankhmar. They are undead, mysterious and very powerful guardians of the Lankhmar. I don't think the word lich is used to describe them though - or that they are explicitly labelled as wizards.

anyone who remembers the exact name of the short story i am referencing help me out?

Thieves House from Swords Against Death. The jewelled skull was obviously transformed into the demi-lich. The Gods feature in the background of other Lanhkmar stories though, The Swords of Lankhmar is another story where they have an appearance.

So it's all inspired by classic fantasy literature.

 

[grodog]

Ok, I hate to admit it because I don't recall the fellows name, but years ago I worked in a gaming store in Monterey CA and there was a fellow who claimed that he was one of the first DnDers, a personal friend of EGG, now in CA because he was in the Coast Guard.

We were skeptical of his claim, but he was never pushy about it, nor boastful, and as time went by we came to feel he was telling the truth. ( His name *was* in the group credits in the 1st ed PHB for whatever that meant)

JonnyReb, I'm curious if you could ID the name from the 1e PHB list of Thank Yous, if that was provided?