#How Nuth Would Have Practiced His Art upon the Gnoles

[oldschoolfrp]

“Gnolls:  A cross between Gnomes and Trolls (. . . perhaps, Lord Sunsany (sic) did not really make it all that clear) with +2 morale.  Otherwise they are similar to Hobgoblins, although the Gnoll king and his bodyguard of from 1-4 will fight as Trolls but lack regenerative power.”  (Dungeons & Dragons, Volume 2: Monsters & Treasure, Tactical Studies Rules, 1974; Greg Bell illustration)

As he noted, Gary Gygax borrowed the name “gnole” from a story by the Anglo-Irish writer Lord Dunsany.  The “cross between Gnomes and Trolls” detail was entirely a product of Gygax’s imagination, based solely on the appearance of his spelling of the name.  When he rewrote the monster descriptions for AD&D he kept the name but gave them a new identity as hyena-men.

Lord Dunsany’s “How Nuth Would Have Practised His Art upon the Gnoles” first appeared in The Book of Wonder in 1912.  He did not describe his gnoles beyond being a very dangerous sort of woodland creature that kept large emeralds.  An illustration showed shadowy ape-like shapes.

Margaret St. Clair wrote more about Dunsany’s gnoles in her story “The Man Who Sold Rope to the Gnoles,” in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, V2 N5, October 1951, under the pseudonym Idris Seabright.  She described gnoles as lumpy (”a little like a Jerusalem artichoke made of India rubber”) and with tentacles, repeating Dunsany’s details about having emeralds in their homes and their habit of hiding in holes in tree trunks.  Gygax acknowledged both St. Clair and Lord Dunsany as inspirations in Appendix N of the AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide.

[m-has-a-blog]

today in short story corner: fucked up fairies

[ultramaga]

I don't know if it was 5e, but at some point gnolls were created beings, so they were all innately evil. I think they back tracked from that.

The gnolls of DND were originally a cross between a troll and a gnome. The hyena bit came in as&d. But they were created earlier.

According to A Brief History of Gnolls, by Paul Haynie, they were created by Lord Dunsany in "How Nuth Would Have Practiced His Art Upon the Gnoles", and the name was likely derived from a playing field of the Welsh All Blacks known as the Gnoll, probably derived from English knoll.

This is important as WotC is trying to assert ownership and they probably do own the hyena version, but can't stop you making a gnoll which is something else. They don't own the term.

Early DND lorewise was pretty much cribbed from other sources so it's funny to see how later tsr and now WotC have tried to seize ownership retrospectively.

If you want to create to your own version, use the name from myth.

They can't seize African culture, it is just not going to work.

Eg bouda

The legendary "werehyena" is not a true lycanthrope as the transformation is voluntary and permanent, with no chance for return to human form unless they repent and atone - which may be impossible, as they live depraved and violent lives.

Even other humanoid monsters will avoid them, as they are impulsive and malicious beyond belief, and treachery is their nature even if it destroys them in the process.

Bouda attain their status through horrific acts, usually to those they once held dear.

They might resemble hyenas superficially but are nothing alike them otherwise. They have no special connection to the hyena, but may choose to raise them or mind control them.

There are true werehyenas, it is said, but they are vanishingly rare. Tales differ as to their nature, but they no worse or better than men or dwarfs. Or perhaps they are not rare - just hiding in plain sight.

Ok listen Gnolls are evil right? It's an almost perfect 1:1 ratio a good gnoll is a needle in a haystack so causing acid to rain down upon their village is morally correct

[gamesfromfolktales]

Dunsany: How Nuth would have practiced his art upon the gnoles

Let’s just jump into it:

  Despite the advertisements of rival firms, it is probable that every tradesman knows that nobody in business at the present time has a position equal to that of Mr. Nuth. To those outside the magic circle of business, his name is scarcely known; he does not need to advertise, he is consummate. He is superior even to modern competition, and, whatever claims they boast,…