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<blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 6511206" data-attributes="member: 4937">Considering that cells, genetics, and so forth are all modern discoveries, the vast majority of mythic settings already assume - as the ancient world's inhabitants must have - that all sorts of crossbreds and hybrids were in fact possible.&nbsp; No magic substance is therefore necessary.&nbsp; The Greek myths feature this theme all the time (probably as part of a general largely world-wide taboo against such relationships).&nbsp; The Minotaur is one such hybrid creature.I don't see how that follows.&nbsp; Animals themselves have racial and mythic stereotypes associated with them, some of them specific to cultures, and some of them broadly cross-cultural.&nbsp;&nbsp; If I say to someone, &quot;Orcs behave like pigs&quot;, my meaning will be inferred by a large percentage of hearers.&nbsp;&nbsp; And I'm pretty sure that a statement like, &quot;Orcs are human-pig-dogs.&quot;, will be a understood as a very damning statement of their character and the vileness of their nature in just about any language it is translated into.&nbsp; You could of course subvert this, but subverting mythic tropes has to be done carefully.&nbsp; It would make more sense in a fantasy story for all orcs to be as good hearted as they were ugly, than it would be to have a race that is merely ugly but has no archetypal nature.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Celebrim, post: 6511206, member: 4937"] Considering that cells, genetics, and so forth are all modern discoveries, the vast majority of mythic settings already assume - as the ancient world's inhabitants must have - that all sorts of crossbreds and hybrids were in fact possible. No magic substance is therefore necessary. The Greek myths feature this theme all the time (probably as part of a general largely world-wide taboo against such relationships). The Minotaur is one such hybrid creature. I don't see how that follows. Animals themselves have racial and mythic stereotypes associated with them, some of them specific to cultures, and some of them broadly cross-cultural. If I say to someone, "Orcs behave like pigs", my meaning will be inferred by a large percentage of hearers. And I'm pretty sure that a statement like, "Orcs are human-pig-dogs.", will be a understood as a very damning statement of their character and the vileness of their nature in just about any language it is translated into. You could of course subvert this, but subverting mythic tropes has to be done carefully. It would make more sense in a fantasy story for all orcs to be as good hearted as they were ugly, than it would be to have a race that is merely ugly but has no archetypal nature. [/QUOTE]

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