Pronunciation of "drow" [Archive] - Wizards Community

Pronunciation of "drow" [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Mindwarp
05-27-07, 11:15 PM I'm running an all-drow campaign soon, but the players have an argument on the pronunciation of "drow". Some pronounce it like it rhymes with "now" (drau), and others like it rhymes with "go" (droh). Neverwinter Nights pronounced it "drau". The argument for "droh" is that the Elven language doesn't have a harsh sound like the "au", and that the "oh" pronounciation is better flavor-wise.

How do you pronounce it, and what do you think is the correct way? I'm leaning toward "drau" over "droh".
Salla
05-27-07, 11:18 PM The correct way is the way everybody in your group prefers to say it, really. ;)

As for me, it rhymes with cow.

There are times I've wished that TPTB at Wizards.com would put a lexicon on the site for those weirdly named creatures. :)
queenfange
05-27-07, 11:48 PM I vote for rhymes with "now", but as Salla said, leave it up to your players. If they can't agree amongst themselves, then you may impose your pronunciation views upon them. :)
chromeraven
05-27-07, 11:50 PM I'm pretty sure they've said it rhymes with "now" a couple times now... I just can't for the life of me remembe where I thought I saw it. I've always pronounced it the "drau" (german, not french) way.
Mindolin
05-27-07, 11:52 PM The most commonly accepted pronunciation that I have found is like it rhymes with cow or now. However, Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest with Ragetti said it best "It's a mythological beast, I can call it what I want."
Johnny_Angel
05-27-07, 11:55 PM I always throught it was pronounced like the word "throw."

or maybe a better example would be the word "grow."

Drow grow potato to throw.
Zaver
05-28-07, 12:02 AM Every game uses the drau, emphases on the 'ow' at the end, like 'Ow! I stubbed my toe' so that is the correct way. But I hate it because it has sort of a weak effiminate sound to it and the drow are a race of bad:censored: so droh just sounded better. I say just take it as a regional thing.
EvilDrPuma
05-28-07, 12:23 AM It's spelled "drow," but it's pronounced "throatwobbler mangrove."
TheCarrionCrawler
05-28-07, 12:35 AM It's spelled "drow," but it's pronounced "throatwobbler mangrove."

*Now awaits the appearance of Mr. Raymond Luxury Yacht*

P.S. The Dragon Compendeum has Drow listed as sounding like cow.
Can of the Cave Beer
05-28-07, 01:21 AM It rhymes with "BOW" or "SOW"

:P
Max the Immortal
05-28-07, 01:23 AM Sounds like "drown" minus the "n". If you look hard enough around this site, you'll find a pronunciation guide that confirms this (among other things). Also, I believe that there was an issue of Knights of the Dinner Table entitled Apocalypse Drow. That's how I remember it.
Karak_Nechot
05-28-07, 01:53 AM I heard a story from some old grognards that ine the pre 1e days, Gygax called them 'droh,' as in, rhymes with 'crow.' However, some of the other game designers he was working with (particularly Dave Arneson, from what I'm told), started to call them 'drau,' rhymes with cow, just to mess with him. I understand they even published it as the 'official' pronunciation in Dragon once.

Of course, you got to take anything told around a gameshop with a grain of salt, if not the whole saltshaker.
strenoth
05-28-07, 04:56 AM It rhymes with "BOW" or "SOW"

:P

....

I'm going to have to hurt you for that one.

Right after I stop having giggle fits.
KurenaiYami
05-28-07, 05:45 AM *Now awaits the appearance of Mr. Raymond Luxury Yacht*

P.S. The Dragon Compendeum has Drow listed as sounding like cow.

Sounding like cow or "dro" actually. It lists both.

The thing about Dragon Compendium is about a quarter of the words have two or more ways to pronounce them. Example: Lich can be pronounced as if it rhymed with the word referring to female dogs, or it could sound like "lick." I personally think they lose a little something when you call them a "lick."
Sephiroth Do'Urden
05-28-07, 05:52 AM I'm pretty sure they've said it rhymes with "now" a couple times now... I just can't for the life of me remembe where I thought I saw it. I've always pronounced it the "drau" (german, not french) way.

Perhaps if you played Baldurs Gate II.

"Burn the drow!"

Everyone I know pronounce it like Drau. Just like the Trow, from the world of Myth.
runestar
05-28-07, 05:54 AM It was meant as to sound like "dhaerow" spoken more quickly.
So d-row should be correct.:)
cmas3117
05-28-07, 09:32 AM I vote for rhymes with "now", but as Salla said, leave it up to your players. If they can't agree amongst themselves, then you may impose your pronunciation views upon them. :)

On the other hand, the conflict among the characters for how to pronounce the name of their own race might provide some interesting roleplay.

cmas
AMGriffin
05-28-07, 11:38 AM Drow ride into battle on a massive cow.
ODDin
05-28-07, 12:56 PM drow is pronounced like "how," "now," and "cow." Not like "crow."

A link: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20070308a
JaiaDrottsingr
05-28-07, 03:01 PM Both are accepted, but Dro sounds more natural, and in all my groups (over 209 played, 132 DM'd) I've never met a player that rhymed it with cow.
Braekor Dragonfang
05-28-07, 04:51 PM While checking her face in the mirror Mialee says "hey that thing behind me, is that a Dr-OWWWWWW!!!! I really didn't need the impaling, or the internal bleeding, great, lousy dr-OOOOWWOWOW!!"
Can of the Cave Beer
05-28-07, 05:23 PM ....

I'm going to have to hurt you for that one.

Right after I stop having giggle fits.
I'm just glad that someone got it.

:D
Yadot
05-28-07, 05:42 PM In DnD it's usually pronouced as rhyming with cow, but I believe that the original mythologies pronouced it rhyming with crow.
strenoth
05-29-07, 01:01 AM I'm just glad that someone got it.

:D

yep yep, it was pretty bad (thus good)
Of_Monkeys
05-29-07, 02:33 AM He he...

Generally in my area they are called Drow (Rhyming with "Cow).

However...in one game we had two players...
Both were Drow...but they disagreed on the pronounciation.
So the Game Master worked into the story.

They came from two different racial factions...
Each pronouncing it a different way.
It had been a source of conflict between the two sides of the race for hundreds of years.
So long that neither side could honestly remember who changed it first.

It was GREAT! :D
Jomero
05-29-07, 01:46 PM The argument for "droh" is that the Elven language doesn't have a harsh sound like the "au", and that the "oh" pronounciation is better flavor-wise.

One could argue that drow don't speak "elven" and, because of their history, have *wanted* to distance themselves in every possible way from the surface elves (whom they hate with every fibre of their being). So drow, that rhymes with cow, it is.
Matthew77
05-29-07, 01:56 PM In DnD it's usually pronouced as rhyming with cow, but I believe that the original mythologies pronouced it rhyming with crow.

I'm curious.. which "original mythologies" are you referring to?

I always thought the name "Drow" was invented for D&D.
Certianly, other cultures and stories had "evil elves", but did any of them actually use the name "Drow" ?
Vrykolas2k
05-29-07, 02:01 PM I heard a story from some old grognards that ine the pre 1e days, Gygax called them 'droh,' as in, rhymes with 'crow.' However, some of the other game designers he was working with (particularly Dave Arneson, from what I'm told), started to call them 'drau,' rhymes with cow, just to mess with him. I understand they even published it as the 'official' pronunciation in Dragon once.

Of course, you got to take anything told around a gameshop with a grain of salt, if not the whole saltshaker.

It actually is "droh".
Gygax took it from the old word for troll, which is "trow".
RobbyPants
05-29-07, 02:07 PM The correct way is the way everybody in your group prefers to say it, really. ;)
Agreed...

As for me, it rhymes with cow.
...and agreed.

Of course, you could always pronounce it 'Dark Elf' (rhymes with bark self) :P
jeffepp
05-29-07, 08:28 PM If there are arguing camps in your party over the pronunciation, and all the PCs are Drow, have them be of two differing groups. Drow are a clannish and argumentative group. I can see one clan declaring a blood feud over some minor thing like this.
JaiaDrottsingr
05-29-07, 09:01 PM If there are arguing camps in your party over the pronunciation, and all the PCs are Drow, have them be of two differing groups. Drow are a clannish and argumentative group. I can see one clan declaring a blood feud over some minor thing like this.

Preposterous! I hereby declare war!
TheAngryFish
05-29-07, 09:19 PM How now brown... drow... :ayyyy!:
Nat_20
05-29-07, 11:22 PM Of course, you could always pronounce it 'Dark Elf' (rhymes with bark self) :P

he, i giggled at tis like a school girl... AND IM MAN ENOUGH TO SAY IT PROUDLY... kinda

And i and most others i meet pronounce it DROW... is clarify, im going to Drown in all these drow... Oww, that drow hurt, and my favorite, lets crown our new king, ohh crap.... DROW...

For the simpletons, its pronounced (Drau) (Dr-ah-ow)
Warlawk
05-30-07, 03:59 AM How now brown... drow... :ayyyy!:

You are technically correct, the best kind of correct.

That said... it doesn't matter how you pronounce it, just pick one. Our group has always used the "how now brown drow" pronunciation, or you could go old school and call them illithani.
Steely_Dan
05-30-07, 04:17 AM Yep, Drow rhymes with "Cow", and Drizzt rhymes with "wrist".
Bluescale
05-30-07, 07:11 AM I'm curious.. which "original mythologies" are you referring to?

I always thought the name "Drow" was invented for D&D.
Certianly, other cultures and stories had "evil elves", but did any of them actually use the name "Drow" ?

"Drow" is a variant spelling/pronunciation of "Trow," a troll-like creature from the Shetland islands that would turn to stone if exposed to sunlight. Unfortunately, Encyclopedia Mythica doesn't have a pronunciation guide for the word, but everyone I've met has pronounced "Drow" as "drau."
tetebetson
05-30-07, 08:45 AM I'm running an all-drow campaign soon, but the players have an argument on the pronunciation of "drow". Some pronounce it like it rhymes with "now" (drau), and others like it rhymes with "go" (droh). Neverwinter Nights pronounced it "drau". The argument for "droh" is that the Elven language doesn't have a harsh sound like the "au", and that the "oh" pronounciation is better flavor-wise.

How do you pronounce it, and what do you think is the correct way? I'm leaning toward "drau" over "droh".

How now brown drow

the drow themselves dont refer to them-selves as drow but as a Dark Elf
Jeriaus
05-30-07, 05:23 PM Obvioulsy Drow is prenounced Svartálfar. :w00t:
Zaver
05-30-07, 11:46 PM Obvioulsy Drow is prenounced Svartálfar. :w00t:

Oh sure, get all old school on us...
Gabriel Knight52
05-31-07, 12:49 AM "drow is pronounced like "how," "now," and "cow." Not like "crow.") I've not gotten to sully my hands with this detailed glimpse into the pitch-black realm of the drow, but I did manage to dig up the back cover text:"

~Mat Smith, Previews for March and Beyond, 03/08/2007 (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20070308a)

:)
SlanderPanic
05-31-07, 12:11 PM Everyone I've met has pronounced "Drow" as "drau."

Ditto. Including Gary Gygax and Bob Salvatore. The only person I've ever known who thought it was supposed to be pronounced the other way also thought "tome" was pronounced toom and Sigil was pronounced si-guhl. This made his Planescape campaign unintentionally hilarious.

In Dungeons and Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God, Damadar's half-orc assistant pronounces it drau, but with a rolling "r" due to the character's Russian-based accent. I like the rolled "r" and may well adopt it for my games.

In Neverwinter Nights, the drau pronunciation is also used.

I believe the 2nd. Edition Drow of the Underdark specifies that this is the correct pronunciation in its chapter on the drow language, but I don't have it on-hand at the moment. I'll check when I get home from work.
Leukrythus
05-31-07, 12:27 PM Drow, drow, drow your boat, merrily down the stream...

It's not spelled "Drough".

Clearly... the word rhymes with the word "Bow". As in the thing that shoots arrows, not the front of a boat.
Leukrythus
05-31-07, 12:29 PM the drow themselves dont refer to them-selves as drow but as a Dark Elf

I've heard surface elves refer to them as "Dirt Elves".
madbliza
05-31-07, 12:29 PM When R.A. Salvatore came out for a book signing when The Lone Drow was released, I had the chance to ask him how to pronounce it. Basically, it rhymes with "now".

Sadly, I didn't ask how to pronounce "drizzt".
NeoDX90
05-31-07, 12:34 PM In the new Drow of the Underdark release one of the origin stories for the Drow says that followers of Lolth originally called themselves the duaral. A sidebar says that this word would eventually turn into drow.

It seems more natural for duaral to turn into the "now" pronunciation of drow than the "crow" pronunciation to me.

but who knows
Illusionlord
05-31-07, 04:34 PM I'm on the fence about this one... I've always rhymed it with 'now', but I guess that 'oh' sounds more archaic. I'm going to stick with 'ow', as that's what I've used sicne I started playing.
lantan_gnome
06-01-07, 02:21 PM How now brown drow?

..just a silly thought why cant there be more then one way to pronounce it ?
u know with there being a hundreds of people with diferent dialects and Languages both in the real word and or in your gaming world saying the same word but making sound diferent.

just my to nibs
Vrykolas2k
06-01-07, 06:19 PM "Drow" is a variant spelling/pronunciation of "Trow," a troll-like creature from the Shetland islands that would turn to stone if exposed to sunlight. Unfortunately, Encyclopedia Mythica doesn't have a pronunciation guide for the word, but everyone I've met has pronounced "Drow" as "drau."

I have to go with the "droh" pronunciation; my grandfather is from the Shetland Islands.
Jomero
06-03-07, 04:00 AM Word pronunciations are derived of the masses, not of the originators. I really don't care if Gygax pronounced it "droh" or not. I, and the man who made the drow famous, pronounce it "drau." As well as do other hundreds of thousands of people.

Languages evolve based on word popularity. There are thousands of words you speak every day in your personal life that are nothing like their original pronunciation, I can guarantee it.
Nived
06-03-07, 04:27 AM For pete sakes...

You know the word drowsy.

Like non-drowsy cold medicine.

Drow is pronounced like drowsy, without the sy.

All the licensed video games have pronouced it that way.
JaiaDrottsingr
06-03-07, 03:33 PM The pronunciation as Dro sounds more natural. The pronunciation as Drau sounds like a mockery of a garbage trow. Please note that the two are not related.

ALL HAIL GLEEMAX!!

EDIT: Yay! Second Page!

ALL HAIL GLEEMAX!!
G_Mancer
06-03-07, 07:51 PM It rhymes with "BOW" or "SOW"

:P

Bow, the weapon, is an 'oh' (oh my god)sound. Sow, a female pig, is an 'au'(now you've done it)
thought you should know

Drow: Dr (drrrr) ow (oouu) the english naguage only uses "...ow" with an oh sound when a soft consonant comes before hand. a hard consonant like "Dr.." makes it an 'ou' sound.
Zaver
06-03-07, 08:15 PM Bow, the weapon, is an 'oh' (oh my god)sound. Sow, a female pig, is an 'au'(now you've done it)
thought you should know

Drow: Dr (drrrr) ow (oouu) the english naguage only uses "...ow" with an oh sound when a soft consonant comes before hand. a hard consonant like "Dr.." makes it an 'ou' sound.

It was a joke. Both of those words can be pronounced two ways. The same two ways drow can be pronounced.
Jeriaus
06-03-07, 08:55 PM You cant compare drow to english wordsgiven that its not english.

It said like trow(or trowe), wich happen to be dark elves in real world mythos.
Vrykolas2k
06-03-07, 09:01 PM Word pronunciations are derived of the masses, not of the originators. I really don't care if Gygax pronounced it "droh" or not. I, and the man who made the drow famous, pronounce it "drau." As well as do other hundreds of thousands of people.

Languages evolve based on word popularity. There are thousands of words you speak every day in your personal life that are nothing like their original pronunciation, I can guarantee it.

Irrelevant. I pronounce it the old way; call me a traditionalist, or simply a bit educated in other languages...
FuzenAkuma
06-08-07, 12:48 AM From www.faqs.org/faqs/games/roleplay/dnd/part5/

the "correct" pronunciation of Drow is taken from Page 9 of
_A Grand Tour of the Realms_ (2nd edition Forgotten Realms boxed set)
where it states, "Dark elves, also called Drow (pronounced to rhyme
with now or how)..."
hiryuu
06-08-07, 01:11 AM Irrelevant. I pronounce it the old way; call me a traditionalist, or simply a bit educated in other languages...

Or you could pronounce it "dokkalfar" (or "svartalfar") and reveal yourself a true master of legendry.

Besides, it's possible that the word "drow/trow" are corruptions of the word "draugr," and not "troll," as once believed. It also depends on the (Orcadian vs. Shetland, for example) dialect.

Since this usage of the word "drow" has nothing at all to do with hairy, rotund, lazy, burial mound-dwelling spirits, and more to do with a creation that some dude came up with in the 70s and gave an old-timey sounding name he probably read in passing, I see no reason to call any pronunciation a "traditional" one.
RobbyPants
06-08-07, 01:13 PM Maybe it's pronounced differently by people with different accents. :P
maverin1
04-02-08, 10:48 PM not sure if this has been said yet but actually both forms are correct...I saw it one day online and most of the things Forgotten realms uses such as drow and duerger are in fact real mythology... which is what i'm doing in my own fantasy world in my head. my dark elves are also drow though there were two types of drow and one of my forms of drow closely relates with the original drow of mythology that they were dark skinned elf-like creatures that lived in cave and made magical items
Radiun
04-02-08, 11:09 PM http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drow

Because wiki is always right until someone edits it.

Edit: I picked this one as it's shorter, but if you must, the DND Drow is linked at the top of the page
Lappy9000
04-03-08, 08:16 AM Droh? Dro? Wow, I'm waaay off. I always assumed it was drow with an ooh, like "drew."

*Terrible Taylor Swift impression*
The drow looks, at me, I roll hide check so it won't see...

*Bursts out singing louder*

'Cause he's the reason for the blooddrops on my scimitar,
The only reason why I'm stuck here in the Underdark,
He gave me that freakin' scar which keeps bleeding,
Don't know why I do....
M-bark
04-03-08, 12:09 PM Personally, in these cases, I use the pronunciation that seems most like Norse or German. In the case of drow, that'd be "drau".
ChaosWolf1982
04-04-08, 12:49 PM He he...

Generally in my area they are called Drow (Rhyming with "Cow).

However...in one game we had two players...
Both were Drow...but they disagreed on the pronounciation.
So the Game Master worked into the story.

They came from two different racial factions...
Each pronouncing it a different way.
It had been a source of conflict between the two sides of the race for hundreds of years.
So long that neither side could honestly remember who changed it first.

It was GREAT! :D

Very clever GM, there. I like it.

Me, I pronounce it "evil spider-loving bastards", personally.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Mindwarp 05-27-07, 11:15 PM	I'm running an all-drow campaign soon, but the players have an argument on the pronunciation of "drow". Some pronounce it like it rhymes with "now" (drau), and others like it rhymes with "go" (droh). Neverwinter Nights pronounced it "drau". The argument for "droh" is that the Elven language doesn't have a harsh sound like the "au", and that the "oh" pronounciation is better flavor-wise. How do you pronounce it, and what do you think is the correct way? I'm leaning toward "drau" over "droh".
Salla 05-27-07, 11:18 PM	The correct way is the way everybody in your group prefers to say it, really. ;) As for me, it rhymes with cow. There are times I've wished that TPTB at Wizards.com would put a lexicon on the site for those weirdly named creatures. :)
queenfange 05-27-07, 11:48 PM	I vote for rhymes with "now", but as Salla said, leave it up to your players. If they can't agree amongst themselves, then you may impose your pronunciation views upon them. :)
chromeraven 05-27-07, 11:50 PM	I'm pretty sure they've said it rhymes with "now" a couple times now... I just can't for the life of me remembe where I thought I saw it. I've always pronounced it the "drau" (german, not french) way.
Mindolin 05-27-07, 11:52 PM	The most commonly accepted pronunciation that I have found is like it rhymes with cow or now. However, Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest with Ragetti said it best "It's a mythological beast, I can call it what I want."
Johnny_Angel 05-27-07, 11:55 PM	I always throught it was pronounced like the word "throw." or maybe a better example would be the word "grow." Drow grow potato to throw.
Zaver 05-28-07, 12:02 AM	Every game uses the drau, emphases on the 'ow' at the end, like 'Ow! I stubbed my toe' so that is the correct way. But I hate it because it has sort of a weak effiminate sound to it and the drow are a race of bad:censored: so droh just sounded better. I say just take it as a regional thing.
EvilDrPuma 05-28-07, 12:23 AM	It's spelled "drow," but it's pronounced "throatwobbler mangrove."
TheCarrionCrawler 05-28-07, 12:35 AM	It's spelled "drow," but it's pronounced "throatwobbler mangrove." Now awaits the appearance of Mr. Raymond Luxury Yacht P.S. The Dragon Compendeum has Drow listed as sounding like cow.
Can of the Cave Beer 05-28-07, 01:21 AM	It rhymes with "BOW" or "SOW" :P
Max the Immortal 05-28-07, 01:23 AM	Sounds like "drown" minus the "n". If you look hard enough around this site, you'll find a pronunciation guide that confirms this (among other things). Also, I believe that there was an issue of Knights of the Dinner Table entitled Apocalypse Drow. That's how I remember it.
Karak_Nechot 05-28-07, 01:53 AM	I heard a story from some old grognards that ine the pre 1e days, Gygax called them 'droh,' as in, rhymes with 'crow.' However, some of the other game designers he was working with (particularly Dave Arneson, from what I'm told), started to call them 'drau,' rhymes with cow, just to mess with him. I understand they even published it as the 'official' pronunciation in Dragon once. Of course, you got to take anything told around a gameshop with a grain of salt, if not the whole saltshaker.
strenoth 05-28-07, 04:56 AM	It rhymes with "BOW" or "SOW" :P .... I'm going to have to hurt you for that one. Right after I stop having giggle fits.
KurenaiYami 05-28-07, 05:45 AM	Now awaits the appearance of Mr. Raymond Luxury Yacht P.S. The Dragon Compendeum has Drow listed as sounding like cow. Sounding like cow or "dro" actually. It lists both. The thing about Dragon Compendium is about a quarter of the words have two or more ways to pronounce them. Example: Lich can be pronounced as if it rhymed with the word referring to female dogs, or it could sound like "lick." I personally think they lose a little something when you call them a "lick."
Sephiroth Do'Urden 05-28-07, 05:52 AM	I'm pretty sure they've said it rhymes with "now" a couple times now... I just can't for the life of me remembe where I thought I saw it. I've always pronounced it the "drau" (german, not french) way. Perhaps if you played Baldurs Gate II. "Burn the drow!" Everyone I know pronounce it like Drau. Just like the Trow, from the world of Myth.
runestar 05-28-07, 05:54 AM	It was meant as to sound like "dhaerow" spoken more quickly. So d-row should be correct.:)
cmas3117 05-28-07, 09:32 AM	I vote for rhymes with "now", but as Salla said, leave it up to your players. If they can't agree amongst themselves, then you may impose your pronunciation views upon them. :) On the other hand, the conflict among the characters for how to pronounce the name of their own race might provide some interesting roleplay. cmas
AMGriffin 05-28-07, 11:38 AM	Drow ride into battle on a massive cow.
ODDin 05-28-07, 12:56 PM	drow is pronounced like "how," "now," and "cow." Not like "crow." A link: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20070308a
JaiaDrottsingr 05-28-07, 03:01 PM	Both are accepted, but Dro sounds more natural, and in all my groups (over 209 played, 132 DM'd) I've never met a player that rhymed it with cow.
Braekor Dragonfang 05-28-07, 04:51 PM	While checking her face in the mirror Mialee says "hey that thing behind me, is that a Dr-OWWWWWW!!!! I really didn't need the impaling, or the internal bleeding, great, lousy dr-OOOOWWOWOW!!"
Can of the Cave Beer 05-28-07, 05:23 PM	.... I'm going to have to hurt you for that one. Right after I stop having giggle fits. I'm just glad that someone got it. :D
Yadot 05-28-07, 05:42 PM	In DnD it's usually pronouced as rhyming with cow, but I believe that the original mythologies pronouced it rhyming with crow.
strenoth 05-29-07, 01:01 AM	I'm just glad that someone got it. :D yep yep, it was pretty bad (thus good)
Of_Monkeys 05-29-07, 02:33 AM	He he... Generally in my area they are called Drow (Rhyming with "Cow). However...in one game we had two players... Both were Drow...but they disagreed on the pronounciation. So the Game Master worked into the story. They came from two different racial factions... Each pronouncing it a different way. It had been a source of conflict between the two sides of the race for hundreds of years. So long that neither side could honestly remember who changed it first. It was GREAT! :D
Jomero 05-29-07, 01:46 PM	The argument for "droh" is that the Elven language doesn't have a harsh sound like the "au", and that the "oh" pronounciation is better flavor-wise. One could argue that drow don't speak "elven" and, because of their history, have wanted to distance themselves in every possible way from the surface elves (whom they hate with every fibre of their being). So drow, that rhymes with cow, it is.
Matthew77 05-29-07, 01:56 PM	In DnD it's usually pronouced as rhyming with cow, but I believe that the original mythologies pronouced it rhyming with crow. I'm curious.. which "original mythologies" are you referring to? I always thought the name "Drow" was invented for D&D. Certianly, other cultures and stories had "evil elves", but did any of them actually use the name "Drow" ?
Vrykolas2k 05-29-07, 02:01 PM	I heard a story from some old grognards that ine the pre 1e days, Gygax called them 'droh,' as in, rhymes with 'crow.' However, some of the other game designers he was working with (particularly Dave Arneson, from what I'm told), started to call them 'drau,' rhymes with cow, just to mess with him. I understand they even published it as the 'official' pronunciation in Dragon once. Of course, you got to take anything told around a gameshop with a grain of salt, if not the whole saltshaker. It actually is "droh". Gygax took it from the old word for troll, which is "trow".
RobbyPants 05-29-07, 02:07 PM	The correct way is the way everybody in your group prefers to say it, really. ;) Agreed... As for me, it rhymes with cow. ...and agreed. Of course, you could always pronounce it 'Dark Elf' (rhymes with bark self) :P
jeffepp 05-29-07, 08:28 PM	If there are arguing camps in your party over the pronunciation, and all the PCs are Drow, have them be of two differing groups. Drow are a clannish and argumentative group. I can see one clan declaring a blood feud over some minor thing like this.
JaiaDrottsingr 05-29-07, 09:01 PM	If there are arguing camps in your party over the pronunciation, and all the PCs are Drow, have them be of two differing groups. Drow are a clannish and argumentative group. I can see one clan declaring a blood feud over some minor thing like this. Preposterous! I hereby declare war!
TheAngryFish 05-29-07, 09:19 PM	How now brown... drow... :ayyyy!:
Nat_20 05-29-07, 11:22 PM	Of course, you could always pronounce it 'Dark Elf' (rhymes with bark self) :P he, i giggled at tis like a school girl... AND IM MAN ENOUGH TO SAY IT PROUDLY... kinda And i and most others i meet pronounce it DROW... is clarify, im going to Drown in all these drow... Oww, that drow hurt, and my favorite, lets crown our new king, ohh crap.... DROW... For the simpletons, its pronounced (Drau) (Dr-ah-ow)
Warlawk 05-30-07, 03:59 AM	How now brown... drow... :ayyyy!: You are technically correct, the best kind of correct. That said... it doesn't matter how you pronounce it, just pick one. Our group has always used the "how now brown drow" pronunciation, or you could go old school and call them illithani.
Steely_Dan 05-30-07, 04:17 AM	Yep, Drow rhymes with "Cow", and Drizzt rhymes with "wrist".
Bluescale 05-30-07, 07:11 AM	I'm curious.. which "original mythologies" are you referring to? I always thought the name "Drow" was invented for D&D. Certianly, other cultures and stories had "evil elves", but did any of them actually use the name "Drow" ? "Drow" is a variant spelling/pronunciation of "Trow," a troll-like creature from the Shetland islands that would turn to stone if exposed to sunlight. Unfortunately, Encyclopedia Mythica doesn't have a pronunciation guide for the word, but everyone I've met has pronounced "Drow" as "drau."
tetebetson 05-30-07, 08:45 AM	I'm running an all-drow campaign soon, but the players have an argument on the pronunciation of "drow". Some pronounce it like it rhymes with "now" (drau), and others like it rhymes with "go" (droh). Neverwinter Nights pronounced it "drau". The argument for "droh" is that the Elven language doesn't have a harsh sound like the "au", and that the "oh" pronounciation is better flavor-wise. How do you pronounce it, and what do you think is the correct way? I'm leaning toward "drau" over "droh". How now brown drow the drow themselves dont refer to them-selves as drow but as a Dark Elf
Jeriaus 05-30-07, 05:23 PM	Obvioulsy Drow is prenounced Svartálfar. :w00t:
Zaver 05-30-07, 11:46 PM	Obvioulsy Drow is prenounced Svartálfar. :w00t: Oh sure, get all old school on us...
Gabriel Knight52 05-31-07, 12:49 AM	"drow is pronounced like "how," "now," and "cow." Not like "crow.") I've not gotten to sully my hands with this detailed glimpse into the pitch-black realm of the drow, but I did manage to dig up the back cover text:" ~Mat Smith, Previews for March and Beyond, 03/08/2007 (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20070308a) :)
SlanderPanic 05-31-07, 12:11 PM	Everyone I've met has pronounced "Drow" as "drau." Ditto. Including Gary Gygax and Bob Salvatore. The only person I've ever known who thought it was supposed to be pronounced the other way also thought "tome" was pronounced toom and Sigil was pronounced si-guhl. This made his Planescape campaign unintentionally hilarious. In Dungeons and Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God, Damadar's half-orc assistant pronounces it drau, but with a rolling "r" due to the character's Russian-based accent. I like the rolled "r" and may well adopt it for my games. In Neverwinter Nights, the drau pronunciation is also used. I believe the 2nd. Edition Drow of the Underdark specifies that this is the correct pronunciation in its chapter on the drow language, but I don't have it on-hand at the moment. I'll check when I get home from work.
Leukrythus 05-31-07, 12:27 PM	Drow, drow, drow your boat, merrily down the stream... It's not spelled "Drough". Clearly... the word rhymes with the word "Bow". As in the thing that shoots arrows, not the front of a boat.
Leukrythus 05-31-07, 12:29 PM	the drow themselves dont refer to them-selves as drow but as a Dark Elf I've heard surface elves refer to them as "Dirt Elves".
madbliza 05-31-07, 12:29 PM	When R.A. Salvatore came out for a book signing when The Lone Drow was released, I had the chance to ask him how to pronounce it. Basically, it rhymes with "now". Sadly, I didn't ask how to pronounce "drizzt".
NeoDX90 05-31-07, 12:34 PM	In the new Drow of the Underdark release one of the origin stories for the Drow says that followers of Lolth originally called themselves the duaral. A sidebar says that this word would eventually turn into drow. It seems more natural for duaral to turn into the "now" pronunciation of drow than the "crow" pronunciation to me. but who knows
Illusionlord 05-31-07, 04:34 PM	I'm on the fence about this one... I've always rhymed it with 'now', but I guess that 'oh' sounds more archaic. I'm going to stick with 'ow', as that's what I've used sicne I started playing.
lantan_gnome 06-01-07, 02:21 PM	How now brown drow? ..just a silly thought why cant there be more then one way to pronounce it ? u know with there being a hundreds of people with diferent dialects and Languages both in the real word and or in your gaming world saying the same word but making sound diferent. just my to nibs
Vrykolas2k 06-01-07, 06:19 PM	"Drow" is a variant spelling/pronunciation of "Trow," a troll-like creature from the Shetland islands that would turn to stone if exposed to sunlight. Unfortunately, Encyclopedia Mythica doesn't have a pronunciation guide for the word, but everyone I've met has pronounced "Drow" as "drau." I have to go with the "droh" pronunciation; my grandfather is from the Shetland Islands.
Jomero 06-03-07, 04:00 AM	Word pronunciations are derived of the masses, not of the originators. I really don't care if Gygax pronounced it "droh" or not. I, and the man who made the drow famous, pronounce it "drau." As well as do other hundreds of thousands of people. Languages evolve based on word popularity. There are thousands of words you speak every day in your personal life that are nothing like their original pronunciation, I can guarantee it.
Nived 06-03-07, 04:27 AM	For pete sakes... You know the word drowsy. Like non-drowsy cold medicine. Drow is pronounced like drowsy, without the sy. All the licensed video games have pronouced it that way.
JaiaDrottsingr 06-03-07, 03:33 PM	The pronunciation as Dro sounds more natural. The pronunciation as Drau sounds like a mockery of a garbage trow. Please note that the two are not related. ALL HAIL GLEEMAX!! EDIT: Yay! Second Page! ALL HAIL GLEEMAX!!
G_Mancer 06-03-07, 07:51 PM	It rhymes with "BOW" or "SOW" :P Bow, the weapon, is an 'oh' (oh my god)sound. Sow, a female pig, is an 'au'(now you've done it) thought you should know Drow: Dr (drrrr) ow (oouu) the english naguage only uses "...ow" with an oh sound when a soft consonant comes before hand. a hard consonant like "Dr.." makes it an 'ou' sound.
Zaver 06-03-07, 08:15 PM	Bow, the weapon, is an 'oh' (oh my god)sound. Sow, a female pig, is an 'au'(now you've done it) thought you should know Drow: Dr (drrrr) ow (oouu) the english naguage only uses "...ow" with an oh sound when a soft consonant comes before hand. a hard consonant like "Dr.." makes it an 'ou' sound. It was a joke. Both of those words can be pronounced two ways. The same two ways drow can be pronounced.
Jeriaus 06-03-07, 08:55 PM	You cant compare drow to english wordsgiven that its not english. It said like trow(or trowe), wich happen to be dark elves in real world mythos.
Vrykolas2k 06-03-07, 09:01 PM	Word pronunciations are derived of the masses, not of the originators. I really don't care if Gygax pronounced it "droh" or not. I, and the man who made the drow famous, pronounce it "drau." As well as do other hundreds of thousands of people. Languages evolve based on word popularity. There are thousands of words you speak every day in your personal life that are nothing like their original pronunciation, I can guarantee it. Irrelevant. I pronounce it the old way; call me a traditionalist, or simply a bit educated in other languages...
FuzenAkuma 06-08-07, 12:48 AM	From www.faqs.org/faqs/games/roleplay/dnd/part5/ the "correct" pronunciation of Drow is taken from Page 9 of _A Grand Tour of the Realms_ (2nd edition Forgotten Realms boxed set) where it states, "Dark elves, also called Drow (pronounced to rhyme with now or how)..."
hiryuu 06-08-07, 01:11 AM	Irrelevant. I pronounce it the old way; call me a traditionalist, or simply a bit educated in other languages... Or you could pronounce it "dokkalfar" (or "svartalfar") and reveal yourself a true master of legendry. Besides, it's possible that the word "drow/trow" are corruptions of the word "draugr," and not "troll," as once believed. It also depends on the (Orcadian vs. Shetland, for example) dialect. Since this usage of the word "drow" has nothing at all to do with hairy, rotund, lazy, burial mound-dwelling spirits, and more to do with a creation that some dude came up with in the 70s and gave an old-timey sounding name he probably read in passing, I see no reason to call any pronunciation a "traditional" one.
RobbyPants 06-08-07, 01:13 PM	Maybe it's pronounced differently by people with different accents. :P
maverin1 04-02-08, 10:48 PM	not sure if this has been said yet but actually both forms are correct...I saw it one day online and most of the things Forgotten realms uses such as drow and duerger are in fact real mythology... which is what i'm doing in my own fantasy world in my head. my dark elves are also drow though there were two types of drow and one of my forms of drow closely relates with the original drow of mythology that they were dark skinned elf-like creatures that lived in cave and made magical items
Radiun 04-02-08, 11:09 PM	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drow Because wiki is always right until someone edits it. Edit: I picked this one as it's shorter, but if you must, the DND Drow is linked at the top of the page
Lappy9000 04-03-08, 08:16 AM	Droh? Dro? Wow, I'm waaay off. I always assumed it was drow with an ooh, like "drew." Terrible Taylor Swift impression The drow looks, at me, I roll hide check so it won't see... Bursts out singing louder 'Cause he's the reason for the blooddrops on my scimitar, The only reason why I'm stuck here in the Underdark, He gave me that freakin' scar which keeps bleeding, Don't know why I do....
M-bark 04-03-08, 12:09 PM	Personally, in these cases, I use the pronunciation that seems most like Norse or German. In the case of drow, that'd be "drau".
ChaosWolf1982 04-04-08, 12:49 PM	He he... Generally in my area they are called Drow (Rhyming with "Cow). However...in one game we had two players... Both were Drow...but they disagreed on the pronounciation. So the Game Master worked into the story. They came from two different racial factions... Each pronouncing it a different way. It had been a source of conflict between the two sides of the race for hundreds of years. So long that neither side could honestly remember who changed it first. It was GREAT! :D Very clever GM, there. I like it. Me, I pronounce it "evil spider-loving bastards", personally.