Intelligent giant animals in 1E, specifically, the giant lynx

[Huw]

1E Monster Manual.

Lots of giant animals including giant goats, giant centipedes and of course the giant lynx. Some of these animals, against expectations, are intelligent.

Now, intelligent giant eagles and intelligent giant spiders I get, as they're from Tolkien. Intelligent giant owls make sort of sense. But intelligent giant lynxes? What was going on there?

Is there some obscure bit of literature that persuaded Gygax & co. to make an intelligent giant lynx? Or did someone say "Lynxes. Cool cats, but not really in the same league as lions, tigers and leopards. Lets make it giant and intelligent."

And another thing: did anyone actually use a giant lynx in an adventure?

Thanks in avance for your input.

 

[Katemare]

As far as I know, D&D always had lots of furry stuff. Personally, I love intelligent animals, they feel mythic and folklore.
Haven't used a giant lynx - yet. There are not many player who can perceive a big talking lynx on par with dragons and trolls.

 

[jdrakeh]

As an article about dumb D&D monsters recently pointed out, there seemed to be an awful lot of "Hey! Let's take animal X and animal Y, mix 'em together and call it a monster!" going on — I think "Hey! Let's take this normal animal, make it giant and smart, then call it a monster!" was the other side of this particular coin.

I think it was an exceptionally lazy and formulaic method of designing monsters intended to flll pages when minds had otherwise blanked. Some of these combinations worked out (e.g., owlbear), but I personally think that a great many more of them were. . . well. . . dumb. I mean, there's a reason that the Giant Lynx isn't immediately associated with D&D.

 

[Voadam]

I mean, there's a reason that the Giant Lynx isn't immediately associated with D&D.

Heh, I immediately associate it with the 1e MM.

Isn't there a cartoon or something about someone saying "You talk to it." as they climb up a mountain and its waiting on the top.

 

[jdrakeh]

Heh, I immediately associate it with the 1e MM.

I should have been more clear. What I meant was that there is a reason the Giant Lynx isn't an iconic D&D monster.

 

[Clavis]

Medieval bestiaries do ascribe a high level of intelligence to lynxes. It's mentioned in the context of the creature deliberately burying it's urine, so that people will not able to harvest the magical stone that the urine becomes. I don't know if that's what Gary had in mind, because there's no mention of the Giant Lynx producing magical gems in the Monster Manual.

 

[CharlesRyan]

Isn't there a cartoon or something about someone saying "You talk to it." as they climb up a mountain and its waiting on the top.

"What do you mean we have to talk to this lynx?"

 

[Thanael]

Medieval bestiaries do ascribe a high level of intelligence to lynxes. It's mentioned in the context of the creature deliberately burying it's urine, so that people will not able to harvest the magical stone that the urine becomes. I don't know if that's what Gary had in mind, because there's no mention of the Giant Lynx producing magical gems in the Monster Manual.

I couldn't find anything on the giant lynx on
(Literary)Sources of D&D
or
D&D Monster Origins

But I bet the Clavis hits the nail on the head. Gygax did model many monsters after the medieval bestiaries. See the Catoblepas, the Leucrotta or the D&D Gorgon for examples.

 

[thedungeondelver]

Gary was fond of cats; he probably saw a Maine Coon lurking about and thought to himself "Hmm...I should put that in there."

 

[ExploderWizard]

"What do you mean we have to talk to this lynx?"

The last monster we talked to ate half the party!