D&D General What monster names are public domain?

[overgeeked]

I started a thread about the myths and legends D&D used as sources for their monsters. Some good stuff there. Including a link to two RPG.net threads that go into exhaustive detail about the topic.

D&D General - D&D monsters and the myths they come from...

I know a little about this stuff and I'm sure there are others who know a lot more. So how about a thread where we delve into the public domain origins of the monsters that appear in D&D. No reason. Obviously not all the monsters in D&D are from public domain sources, but a surprising number...

www.enworld.org

 

[Lakesidefantasy]

I'd guess about 90% of the names are from various myths around the world. However, probably about half are unique enough expressions of those myths for Dungeons and Dragons that they are protected.

I probably think the dragon thing is easy to get around. For instance, I've never liked the lore of Dungeons and Dragons with different colors of dragons having different breath weapons. In my expression of lore all dragons breath fire and they're whatever color they are. Most of the time they're red or green, or a combination. Yet, on rare occasion we'll run into a dragon that spits acid or venom but it's not tied to the color of the dragon. It's a just a dragon that breaths acid.

 

[Tonguez]

I'd guess about 90% of the names are from various myths around the world. However, probably about half are unique enough expressions of those myths for Dungeons and Dragons that they are protected.

I probably think the dragon thing is easy to get around. For instance, I've never liked the lore of Dungeons and Dragons with different colors of dragons having different breath weapons. In my expression of lore all dragons breath fire and they're whatever color they are. Most of the time they're red or green, or a combination. Yet, on rare occasion we'll run into a dragon that spits acid or venom but it's not tied to the color of the dragon. It's a just a dragon that breaths acid.

All my dragons inately breath fire AND spit acid regardless of colour. They are also powerful magical creatures who can use elemental affinities to cast spells like lightning bolt or ice breath as feats of magic

Also Red, Green, Black, Golden and Silver Dragon all have uses that predate DnD by at least a century

 

[Burt Baccara]

Goblin is, of course. Mind Flayer isn’t.

I’d one were to go through the MM, how many of the creature names are from mythology and how many are original to D&D?

How many infringe on the IP of various writers? Even though a troll is part of folklore, the OD&D version is adopted from Poul Anderson, as well as the depiction in the MM. The pig-faced orc and hobgoblin's helmets in the MM are taken from the 1976 J.R.R. Tolkien Calendar, by Tim & Greg Hildebrandt. Even the mind flayer was a riff on The Burrowers Beneath (Titus Crow, Book 1) - Brian Lumley, the Displacer Beast from the story "Black Destroyer" by A. E. van Vogt. And so on.

It is a good thing for WotC that there is a satute of limitations on copyright infringement.

 

[Slit518]

Goblin is, of course. Mind Flayer isn’t.

I know Mind Flayer isn't Public Domain, but oddly enough some larger companies use the words Mind Flayer or even Ithilid in their IPs and have creatures exactly like the D&D counterpart, even with powers to match. It makes me wonder how the heck they were able to get away with something like that?

 

[Tonguez]

I know Mind Flayer isn't Public Domain, but oddly enough some larger companies use the words Mind Flayer or even Ithilid in their IPs and have creatures exactly like the D&D counterpart, even with powers to match. It makes me wonder how the heck they were able to get away with something like that?

Which other works do you recall? I know Fighting Fantasy feature the Brain Slayer and Bloodbourne had Brainsuckers both of which were magic using humanoids with octopus heads. Both had different back stories and method of feeding though - so I guess they were different enough

 

[Umbran]

You may have your dragons backwards. The Red is one of the most common in the public conversation. The metallics seem to be a D&D invention.

I don't think so. In the public conversation, European style dragons are all what we'd call red dragons. The generic dragon breathes fire, after all.

The idea that dragons come in different colors, with different breath weapons, is likely a D&Dism.

 

[Burt Baccara]

I don't think so. In the public conversation, European style dragons are all what we'd call red dragons. The generic dragon breathes fire, after all.

The idea that dragons come in different colors, with different breath weapons, is likely a D&Dism.

It is something that is original Gygax and pre-dates D&D. He penned the descriptions of the dragons for a LotR/fantasy Diplomacy zine across a few issues. To date, with no lack of trying, no one has been able to find a source Gary pulled from.

Now, some will say the codification of the Dragons in D&D might also be attributed to Richard Snider, who was one of Arneson's players and started running his own Blackmoor games before Dave showed the game to Gary, and had his own rules changes and additions. Snider is one of those people whose influence on the original rules is too often forgotten.

 

[amethal]

I don't think so. In the public conversation, European style dragons are all what we'd call red dragons. The generic dragon breathes fire, after all.

The idea that dragons come in different colors, with different breath weapons, is likely a D&Dism.

Taking the first part of it in isolation (not sure if you meant it that way), the idea that dragons come in different colours is not a D&D ism.

The Mabinogion includes a fight between a red dragon and a white dragon, but they didn't have breath weapons. The red dragon won, hence that's the one on the Welsh flag.

 

[Slit518]

Which other works do you recall? I know Fighting Fantasy feature the Brain Slayer and Bloodbourne had Brainsuckers both of which were magic using humanoids with octopus heads. Both had different back stories and method of feeding though - so I guess they were different enough

The original Demons Souls for PS3. Not sure if it was changed in the remake. I literally ran into a Mind Flayer by name, it stun locked me, and sucked my brain with its tentacles.

Mind Flayer

Mind Flayers, also known as Octopus Men, are enemies in Demon's Souls. Mind flayers are octopus-headed mages who serve as the prison guards in the Tower of Latria. They are powerful spell casters, who were able to overwhelm and imprison Sage Freke. Presumably under servitude of the Old Monk...

demonssouls.fandom.com

Final Fantasy Mind Flayer

Mindflayer

What might from a distance appear a man in robes grows ever more hideous on further inspection, its face twisted into an inhuman mask that makes a mockery of nature. Mindflayer (マインドフレア, Maindofurea? or マインドフレイア, Maindofureia?), also known as Mind Flayer, Mindflare, Mind Flare, Mind Mage, Mage...

finalfantasy.fandom.com