Who is credited with inventing the fictional races that we play in Everquest?

[Ashimar]

Someone said that Halflings, Elves, Dwarves and Goblins were all originally created
by J.R.R. Tolkien but another source says they were originally created by the people
who made Dungeons & Dragons.

So does that mean that Everquest wouldn't even exist without JRR Tolkiens
contributions to the genre of fantasy?

[Vermicelli]

Tolkien took a lot of these creatures and people from folkloric tales from western Europe, but the way he developed them in his novels has become the roleplaying game standard. The Lord of the Rings was published in 1955, Dungeons and Dragons in 1974.

[Briscoe]

Well, The Hobbit was published before Gary Gygax was even born...

[Vermicelli]

For further reference, elves were of Irish legend; dwarves, gnomes, and trolls from Germany/Scandinavia; barbarians from Braveheart; erudites from Washington, DC.

[diplo]

probably the guy who wrote LOTR.

[diplo]

For further reference, elves were of Irish legend; dwarves, gnomes, and trolls from Germany/Scandinavia; barbarians from Braveheart; erudites from Washington, DC.

i loled.

[SwordNboard]

For further reference, elves were of Irish legend; dwarves, gnomes, and trolls from Germany/Scandinavia; barbarians from Braveheart; erudites from Washington, DC.

Baaahaaha

[Sweetbaby Jesus]

For further reference, elves were of Irish legend; dwarves, gnomes, and trolls from Germany/Scandinavia; barbarians from Braveheart; erudites from Washington, DC.

LMAO that right there is comedy genius!

[Ele]

Each of those listed races have roots in old English, Germanic, and Norse mythology, albeit some slightly altered and some significantly altered from our current popular conception of these mythological races.

Tolkien's writings refreshed them in the pop-culture, and D&D adapted them to their fantasy games. It is difficult to tell if someone else would have written such a fantasy book that had such wide impact to revive these mythologies and create new ones in the way it has occurred over the last 70 years.

[Raavak]

Santa had his elves and Snow White had her dwarfs at the same time or earlier than J.R.R. Tolkien was writing. As others have said the Norse/Germanic mythology includes dwarves, elves, and goblins, and that dates back to at least the 11th century. Maybe you could say the modern "models" of these were defined by Tolkien. But even then, Tolkien elves are taller than AD&D and EQ elves. Everyones got their own definition ;-)

[Nirgon]

I miss Verant Interactive :(.

[Chokan]

For further reference, elves were of Irish legend; dwarves, gnomes, and trolls from Germany/Scandinavia; barbarians from Braveheart; erudites from Washington, DC.

Seriously lol'd and got in trouble at work.

[godbox]

marty mcfly.

i dont know how to imbed images so just imagine a really funny back to the future meme here and lol

[SamwiseBanned]

Kobolds goblins orcs gnolls sarnak froglok and kerrans should have been playable before vashir, they already had there own hometowns.

Brownies, faeries, lizardmen would have been cool too

[Ele]

Brownies king of PVP and geometry exploitation with hitboxes the size of a loaf of bread

[Chokan]

Brownies king of PVP and geometry exploitation with hitboxes the size of a loaf of chocolate bread

Fixed

[pharmakos]

Kobolds goblins orcs gnolls sarnak froglok and kerrans should have been playable before vashir, they already had there own hometowns.

Brownies, faeries, lizardmen would have been cool too

the dev team talks about maybe doing custom content after velious.

i wonder if new races would be at all possible.

[Psionide]

If you read The Silmarillion it's very heavily influenced by Theology.

[Ephirith]

I think these races and stories exist in every adolescent male virgin who has ever lived, and that is why they are timeless.

Think about it, Tolkien's inspiration for Gollum comes from long years spent in the deepest and darkest of basements, channeling innately subconscious notions of elves, faeries, and dragons.

The ring represents his virginity, a concept that engulfs him with obsession and slowly destroys his soul, until it is finally taken from him by a short-but-charming middle-aged man. I'm sure we can all relate.

[SamwiseBanned]

I think these races and stories exist in every adolescent male virgin who has ever lived, and that is why they are timeless.

Think about it, Tolkien's inspiration for Gollum comes from long years spent in the deepest and darkest of basements, channeling innately subconscious notions of elves, faeries, and dragons.

The ring represents his virginity, a concept that engulfs him with obsession and slowly destroys his soul, until it is finally taken from him by a short-but-charming middle-aged man. I'm sure we can all relate.

lol

[Grahm]

I think these races and stories exist in every adolescent male virgin who has ever lived, and that is why they are timeless.

Think about it, Tolkien's inspiration for Gollum comes from long years spent in the deepest and darkest of basements, channeling innately subconscious notions of elves, faeries, and dragons.

The ring represents his virginity, a concept that engulfs him with obsession and slowly destroys his soul, until it is finally taken from him by a short-but-charming middle-aged man. I'm sure we can all relate.

For further reference, elves were of Irish legend; dwarves, gnomes, and trolls from Germany/Scandinavia; barbarians from Braveheart; erudites from Washington, DC.



god damn these two posts are gold lol. swear my family thought i was going 1/2 insane when i was laughing my ass off at a computer screen

[Nikon]

For further reference, elves were of Irish legend; dwarves, gnomes, and trolls from Germany/Scandinavia; barbarians from Braveheart; erudites from Washington, DC.

I fail to see how anyone in Washington would be an intellectual equal to our beloved Erudites. Maybe I'm missing something...

[Xanthias]

All humor aside (though some of these were great):

Most of the races are based upon Norse Myth and Germanic legends.

[Arteker]

iksar: snake men: R.E.Howard.
Erudites: stygians: from R.E Howard.
Van wtf: ron l hubbard?.

[Tarathiel]

ok genius's, explain to me where cats on the moon originated

[Slave]

Admiral Harrington of the Royal Manticoran Navy has a treecat named Nimitz.

[Xadion]

fucking lol @ the two above quoted posts...lol

made me wake my baby up by loling

[gloine36]

Tolkien was a linguist who studied some very old languages. He worked with some that used runes such as the old norse language. He basically was reading the earliest forms of what became English. When we study the history of writing we find some of the oldest written works which have survived the events of the past were mythology. It isn't surprising since these were considered religious works of their cultures. Someone mentioned that Tolkien was influenced by religion for the Silmarillion. He was. Both by old mythology and his Catholic faith in Britain. He also experienced the horrors of trench warfare in WWI. All of this had an effect upon his writing.
The Hobbit was originally a children's story he created from the old mythology. When he wrote the LOTR he went back and changed part of the Hobbit where Bilbo and Gollum met. It appears there are three different versions of the Hobbit. The original first edition, the altered second edition, and another further altered version that came out in 1966 which is the third edition. All three have small differences with the second and third having been revised to incorporate the LOTR into the storyline.