A question about Gnolls. [Archive] - Wizards Community

A question about Gnolls. [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Sachiel
12-16-05, 05:46 AM It's a simple one, really. Did D&D invent Gnolls, or was the idea there before?
Elves were Keltic and Norse (I believe), and Dwarves were originally Norse. I'm just curious if Gnolls are in the same company as Umberhulks (created originally by D&D), or Dragons (re-tooled into a certain form by D&D.
Thank you.
ieattrollsforbreakfast
12-16-05, 08:04 AM A quick search revealed no other sources of gnolls besides D&D. The Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnoll) also suggests they were created for D&D, so I suppose they are in the same category as umberhulks.
Olly
12-16-05, 09:17 AM Interesting, then, how gnolls have spread into other mediums whereas umber hulks, mind flayers and other D&D created creatures have not.
CzarGarrett
12-16-05, 09:31 AM Well, the idea of Gnolls can kinda tie into, at least a bit, the idea of lycanthropes.

African tribes have stories of men who could turn into lions, tigers, etc. Including hyenas. So man + hyena = Gnoll. In a vague sense anyway.
sparticus_eleisum
12-16-05, 09:40 AM Is almost sure thing that the name "gnoll" appeard in first time on DnD, but, this case is different of umber hulk, mind flayer, beholder, etc... these are intellectual property because somebody was thinking about the name, description, habits, stats and other stuff about the monsters... the gnolls, well, as a humanoid monster based on a hyena, is hard to say it was original; just like the werewolves, and zombies, they are almost universal, in DnD they have specific names and weird variations but the basic idea is the same...;)
cwslyclgh
12-16-05, 03:03 PM Did D&D invent Gnolls, or was the idea there before?the way I heard it gnolls predate D&D, but only just barely... Dave Arnesun (one of the co creators of D&D) supposedly created gnolls for Fantasy Suplement for the (original) Chainmail miniature wargame that preceded D&D so that he could get some use out of some minatures that he had which didn't realy look like anything else. When first created Gnolls were a magical crossbreed of Gnome and Troll, they remained such in original D&D and up until the time of the AD&D monster manual when they lost that distiction (although in the non-advanced D&D line they remained thus at least until the red basic set 1983, I do not have my copy of the rulse cyclopedia handy so I can't check to see if they still were in there). AD&D gnolls dropped the crossbreed thing and never looked back.
Ront Iron-Roar
12-16-05, 04:19 PM Interesting, then, how gnolls have spread into other mediums whereas umber hulks, mind flayers and other D&D created creatures have not.

Oddly, enough Mindflayers are in Final Fantasy 1 along with alot of DnD styled creatures sadly to my distaste. But, just proves DnD is better then FF.
Teron Gorefiend
12-16-05, 08:38 PM Oddly enough, mind flayers also appear in a little-known Gamecube game called Lost Kingdoms, as well as its sequel.
lord_zack
12-17-05, 07:40 AM http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/4001/mainpirates27zt.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Apparently there are Ilithids in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, as well.
Prak, the Mad
12-19-05, 07:58 PM http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/4001/mainpirates27zt.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Apparently there are Ilithids in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, as well.

actually mind flayers are theorized to be based off of cthulhu's spawn, which are supposed to look like him, as such it's hardly surprising that they are as ubiquitous as they are.
tryco
12-20-05, 04:10 AM cthulhu spawn have wings, don't they.
this one looks alot like mindflayers, terrible alot.
CzarGarrett
12-20-05, 09:09 AM There were pseudo-Illithids in Star Wars
lord_zack
12-20-05, 07:47 PM Quarren. Yes they do look somewhat like Ilithids.
SinisterSeraph
12-20-05, 07:50 PM Also, a mind flayer like creature appeared in Swamp Thing 2, as well as the Beastie Boys video for "Intergalactic".
Thurbane
12-20-05, 09:13 PM The Pak'ma'ra from Babylon 5 always reminded me a little of Mind Flayers, too:

http://membres.lycos.fr/yanmag/IMG/jpg/pakMaRa.jpg

Anyway, back to Gnolls.

There ARE Gnolls in historical mythology/folklore (albeit not as anthopomorphic hyaenas), but they are called Gnoles, in particular in the writings of Lord Dunsany. I belive they are a small, furry humanoid fey race, not unlike gnomes, with mole-like features...

http://mindbrix.co.uk/alanaldridge/images/GNOLE02_s.jpg
tryco
12-21-05, 12:21 PM http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/4001/mainpirates27zt.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Apparently there are Ilithids in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, as well.

actually Davy Jones (picture) isn't a illithid or mindflayer. He only has the head of a squid. his left arm is the arm of a crab. weard creature anyway

Gnolls
maybe gnolls are creatures created by DnD, but they picked the name from this weard creature.
And spot the face on it's belly. Looks like a cartoon frog

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Sachiel 12-16-05, 05:46 AM	It's a simple one, really. Did D&D invent Gnolls, or was the idea there before? Elves were Keltic and Norse (I believe), and Dwarves were originally Norse. I'm just curious if Gnolls are in the same company as Umberhulks (created originally by D&D), or Dragons (re-tooled into a certain form by D&D. Thank you.
ieattrollsforbreakfast 12-16-05, 08:04 AM	A quick search revealed no other sources of gnolls besides D&D. The Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnoll) also suggests they were created for D&D, so I suppose they are in the same category as umberhulks.
Olly 12-16-05, 09:17 AM	Interesting, then, how gnolls have spread into other mediums whereas umber hulks, mind flayers and other D&D created creatures have not.
CzarGarrett 12-16-05, 09:31 AM	Well, the idea of Gnolls can kinda tie into, at least a bit, the idea of lycanthropes. African tribes have stories of men who could turn into lions, tigers, etc. Including hyenas. So man + hyena = Gnoll. In a vague sense anyway.
sparticus_eleisum 12-16-05, 09:40 AM	Is almost sure thing that the name "gnoll" appeard in first time on DnD, but, this case is different of umber hulk, mind flayer, beholder, etc... these are intellectual property because somebody was thinking about the name, description, habits, stats and other stuff about the monsters... the gnolls, well, as a humanoid monster based on a hyena, is hard to say it was original; just like the werewolves, and zombies, they are almost universal, in DnD they have specific names and weird variations but the basic idea is the same...;)
cwslyclgh 12-16-05, 03:03 PM	Did D&D invent Gnolls, or was the idea there before?the way I heard it gnolls predate D&D, but only just barely... Dave Arnesun (one of the co creators of D&D) supposedly created gnolls for Fantasy Suplement for the (original) Chainmail miniature wargame that preceded D&D so that he could get some use out of some minatures that he had which didn't realy look like anything else. When first created Gnolls were a magical crossbreed of Gnome and Troll, they remained such in original D&D and up until the time of the AD&D monster manual when they lost that distiction (although in the non-advanced D&D line they remained thus at least until the red basic set 1983, I do not have my copy of the rulse cyclopedia handy so I can't check to see if they still were in there). AD&D gnolls dropped the crossbreed thing and never looked back.
Ront Iron-Roar 12-16-05, 04:19 PM	Interesting, then, how gnolls have spread into other mediums whereas umber hulks, mind flayers and other D&D created creatures have not. Oddly, enough Mindflayers are in Final Fantasy 1 along with alot of DnD styled creatures sadly to my distaste. But, just proves DnD is better then FF.
Teron Gorefiend 12-16-05, 08:38 PM	Oddly enough, mind flayers also appear in a little-known Gamecube game called Lost Kingdoms, as well as its sequel.
lord_zack 12-17-05, 07:40 AM	http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/4001/mainpirates27zt.jpg (http://imageshack.us) Apparently there are Ilithids in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, as well.
Prak, the Mad 12-19-05, 07:58 PM	http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/4001/mainpirates27zt.jpg (http://imageshack.us) Apparently there are Ilithids in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, as well. actually mind flayers are theorized to be based off of cthulhu's spawn, which are supposed to look like him, as such it's hardly surprising that they are as ubiquitous as they are.
tryco 12-20-05, 04:10 AM	cthulhu spawn have wings, don't they. this one looks alot like mindflayers, terrible alot.
CzarGarrett 12-20-05, 09:09 AM	There were pseudo-Illithids in Star Wars
lord_zack 12-20-05, 07:47 PM	Quarren. Yes they do look somewhat like Ilithids.
SinisterSeraph 12-20-05, 07:50 PM	Also, a mind flayer like creature appeared in Swamp Thing 2, as well as the Beastie Boys video for "Intergalactic".
Thurbane 12-20-05, 09:13 PM	The Pak'ma'ra from Babylon 5 always reminded me a little of Mind Flayers, too: http://membres.lycos.fr/yanmag/IMG/jpg/pakMaRa.jpg Anyway, back to Gnolls. There ARE Gnolls in historical mythology/folklore (albeit not as anthopomorphic hyaenas), but they are called Gnoles, in particular in the writings of Lord Dunsany. I belive they are a small, furry humanoid fey race, not unlike gnomes, with mole-like features... http://mindbrix.co.uk/alanaldridge/images/GNOLE02_s.jpg
tryco 12-21-05, 12:21 PM	http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/4001/mainpirates27zt.jpg (http://imageshack.us) Apparently there are Ilithids in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, as well. actually Davy Jones (picture) isn't a illithid or mindflayer. He only has the head of a squid. his left arm is the arm of a crab. weard creature anyway Gnolls maybe gnolls are creatures created by DnD, but they picked the name from this weard creature. And spot the face on it's belly. Looks like a cartoon frog