From 4f7ba4b7ce5d9494e1b6033377d4846cdc5dfaa2 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: jwalz Date: Sat, 5 Jan 2002 21:05:46 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] *** empty log message *** --- dat/data.base | 4147 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 4147 insertions(+) create mode 100644 dat/data.base diff --git a/dat/data.base b/dat/data.base new file mode 100644 index 000000000..9a6560f11 --- /dev/null +++ b/dat/data.base @@ -0,0 +1,4147 @@ +# SCCS Id: @(#)data.base 3.3 2001/09/01 +# Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 by the NetHack Development Team +# Copyright (c) 1994 by Boudewijn Wayers +# NetHack may be freely redistributed. See license for details. +# +# This is the source file for the "data" file generated by `makedefs -d'. +# A line starting with a # is a comment and is ignored by makedefs. +# Any other line not starting with whitespace is a creature or an item. +# +# Each entry should be comprised of: +# the thing/person being described on a line by itself, in lowercase; +# on each succeeding line a description. +# +# If the first character of a key field is "~", then anything which matches +# the rest of that key will be treated as if it did not match any of the +# following keys for that entry. For instance, `~orc ??m*' preceding `orc*' +# prevents "orc mummy" and "orc zombie" from matching. +# +abbot + For it had been long apparent to Count Landulf that nothing + could be done with his seventh son Thomas, except to make him + an Abbot or something of that kind. Born in 1226, he had from + childhood a mysterious objection to becoming a predatory eagle, + or even to taking an ordinary interest in falconry or tilting + or any other gentlemanly pursuits. He was a large and heavy and + quiet boy, and phenomenally silent, scarcely opening his mouth + except to say suddenly to his schoolmaster in an explosive + manner, "What is God?" The answer is not recorded but it is + probable that the asker went on worrying out answers for himself. + [ The Runaway Abbot, by G. K. Chesterton ] +aclys +aklys + A short studded or spiked club attached to a cord allowing + it to be drawn back to the wielder after having been thrown. + It should not be confused with the atlatl, which is a device + used to throw spears for longer distances. +aleax + Said to be a doppelganger sent to inflict divine punishment + for alignment violations. +*altar + Altars are of three types: + 1. In Temples. These are for Sacrifices [...]. The stone + top will have grooves for blood, and the whole will be covered + with _dry brown stains of a troubling kind_ from former + Sacrifices. + [ The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, by Diana Wynne Jones ] + + To every man upon this earth + Death cometh soon or late; + And how can man die better + Than facing fearful odds + For the ashes of his fathers + And the temples of his gods? + [ Lays of Ancient Rome, by Thomas B. Macaulay ] +amaterasu omikami + The Shinto sun goddess, Amaterasu Omikami is the central + figure of Shintoism and the ancestral deity of the imperial + house. One of the daughters of the primordial god Izanagi + and said to be his favourite offspring, she was born from + his left eye. + [ Encyclopedia of Gods, by Michael Jordan ] +amber* + "Tree sap," Wu explained, "often flows over insects and traps + them. The insects are then perfectly preserved within the + fossil. One finds all kinds of insects in amber - including + biting insects that have sucked blood from larger animals." + [ Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton ] +*amnesia +maud + Get thee hence, nor come again, + Mix not memory with doubt, + Pass, thou deathlike type of pain, + Pass and cease to move about! + 'Tis the blot upon the brain + That will show itself without. + ... + For, Maud, so tender and true, + As long as my life endures + I feel I shall owe you a debt, + That I never can hope to pay; + And if ever I should forget + That I owe this debt to you + And for your sweet sake to yours; + O then, what then shall I say? - + If ever I should forget, + May God make me more wretched + Than ever I have been yet! + [ Maud, And Other Poems by Alfred, Lord Tennyson ] +~amulet of yendor +*amulet +amulet of * + "The complete Amulet can keep off all the things that make + people unhappy -- jealousy, bad temper, pride, disagreeableness, + greediness, selfishness, laziness. Evil spirits, people called + them when the Amulet was made. Don't you think it would be nice + to have it?" + "Very," said the children, quite without enthusiasm. + "And it can give you strength and courage." + "That's better," said Cyril. + "And virtue." + "I suppose it's nice to have that," said Jane, but not with much + interest. + "And it can give you your heart's desire." + "Now you're talking," said Robert. + [ The Story of the Amulet, by Edith Nesbit ] +amulet of yendor + This mysterious talisman is the object of your quest. It is + said to possess powers which mere mortals can scarcely + comprehend, let alone utilize. The gods will grant the gift of + immortality to the adventurer who can deliver it from the + depths of Moloch's Sanctum and offer it on the appropriate high + altar on the Astral Plane. +angel* + He answered and said unto them, he that soweth the good seed + is the Son of man; the field is the world, and the good seed + are the children of the kingdom; but the weeds are the + children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the + devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers + are the angels. As therefore the weeds are gathered and + burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. + [...] So shall it be at the end of the world; the angels + shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, + and shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be + wailing and gnashing of teeth. + [ The Gospel According to Matthew, 13:37-42, 49-50 ] +anhur + An Egyptian god of war and a great hunter, few gods can match + his fury. Unlike many gods of war, he is a force for good. + The wrath of Anhur is slow to come, but it is inescapable + once earned. Anhur is a mighty figure with four arms. He + is often seen with a powerful lance that requires both of + his right arms to wield and which is tipped with a fragment + of the sun. He is married to Mehut, a lion-headed goddess. +ankh-morpork + The twin city of Ankh-Morpork, foremost of all the cities + bounding the Circle Sea, was as a matter of course the home + of a large number of gangs, thieves' guilds, syndicates and + similar organisations. This was one of the reasons for its + wealth. Most of the humbler folk on the widdershin side of + the river, in Morpork's mazy alleys, supplemented their + meagre incomes by filling some small role for one or other + of the competing gangs. + [ The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett ] +anshar + A primordial Babylonian-Akkadian deity, Anshar is mentioned + in the Babylonian creation epic _Enuma Elish_ as one of a + pair of offspring (with Kishar) of Lahmu and Lahamu. Anshar + is linked with heaven while Kishar is identified with earth. + [ Encyclopedia of Gods, by Michael Jordan ] +ant +* ant + This giant variety of the ordinary ant will fight just as + fiercely as its small, distant cousin. Various varieties + exist, and they are known and feared for their relentless + persecution of their victims. +anu + Anu was the Babylonian god of the heavens, the monarch of + the north star. He was the oldest of the Babylonian gods, + the father of all gods, and the ruler of heaven and destiny. + Anu features strongly in the _atiku_ festival in + Babylon, Uruk and other cities. +~* cape +*ape + The most highly evolved of all the primates, as shown by + all their anatomical characters and particularly the + development of the brain. Both arboreal and terrestrial, + the apes have the forelimbs much better developed than + the hind limbs. Tail entirely absent. Growth is slow + and sexual maturity reached at quite an advanced age. + [ A Field Guide to the Larger Mammals of Africa by Dorst ] + + Aldo the gorilla had a plan. It was a good plan. It was + right. He knew it. He smacked his lips in anticipation as + he thought of it. Yes. Apes should be strong. Apes should + be masters. Apes should be proud. Apes should make the + Earth shake when they walked. Apes should _rule_ the Earth. + [ Battle for the Planet of the Apes, + by David Gerrold ] +apple + NEWTONIAN, adj. Pertaining to a philosophy of the universe + invented by Newton, who discovered that an apple will fall + to the ground, but was unable to say why. His successors + and disciples have advanced so far as to be able to say + when. + [ The Devil's Dictionary, by Ambrose Bierce ] +archon + Archons are the predominant inhabitants of the heavens. + However unusual their appearance, they are not generally + evil. They are beings at peace with themselves and their + surroundings. +arioch + Arioch, the patron demon of Elric's ancestors; one of the most + powerful of all the Dukes of Hell, who was called Knight of + the Swords, Lord of the Seven Darks, Lord of the Higher Hell + and many more names besides. + [ Elric of Melnibone, by Michael Moorcock ] +*arrow + I shot an arrow into the air, + It fell to earth, I knew not where; + For, so swiftly it flew, the sight + Could not follow it in its flight. + + I breathed a song into the air, + It fell to earth, I knew not where; + For who has sight so keen and strong + That it can follow the flight of song? + + Long, long afterward, in an oak + I found the arrow still unbroke; + And the song, from beginning to end, + I found again in the heart of a friend. + [ The Arrow and the Song, + by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ] +ashikaga takauji + Ashikaga Takauji was a daimyo of the Minamoto clan who + joined forces with the Go-Daigo to defeat the Hojo armies. + Later when Go-Daigo attempted to reduce the powers of the + samurai clans he rebelled against him. He defeated Go- + Daigo and established the emperor Komyo on the throne. + Go-Daigo eventually escaped and established another + government in the town of Yoshino. This period of dual + governments was known as the Nambokucho. + [ Samurai - The Story of a Warrior Tradition, by Cook ] +asmodeus + It is said that Asmodeus is the overlord over all of hell. + His appearance, unlike many other demons and devils, is + human apart from his horns and tail. He can freeze flesh + with a touch. +athame + The consecrated ritual knife of a Wiccan initiate (one of + four basic tools, together with the wand, chalice and + pentacle). Traditionally, the athame is a double-edged, + black-handled, cross-hilted dagger of between six and + eighteen inches length. +athen* + Athene was the offspring of Zeus, and without a mother. She + sprang forth from his head completely armed. Her favourite + bird was the owl, and the plant sacred to her is the olive. + [ Bulfinch's Mythology by Thomas Bulfinch ] +axolotl + A mundane salamander, harmless. +bag +bag of * +sack + "Now, this third handkerchief," Mein Herr proceeded, "has also + four edges, which you can trace continuously round and round: + all you need do is to join its four edges to the four edges of + the opening. The Purse is then complete, and its outer + surface--" + "I see!" Lady Muriel eagerly interrupted. "Its outer surface + will be continuous with its inner surface! But it will take + time. I'll sew it up after tea." She laid aside the bag, and + resumed her cup of tea. "But why do you call it Fortunatus's + Purse, Mein Herr?" + The dear old man beamed upon her, with a jolly smile, looking + more exactly like the Professor than ever. "Don't you see, + my child--I should say Miladi? Whatever is inside that Purse, + is outside it; and whatever is outside it, is inside it. So + you have all the wealth of the world in that leetle Purse!" + [ Sylvie and Bruno Concluded, by Lewis Carroll ] +b*lzebub + The "lord of the flies" is a translation of the Hebrew + Ba'alzevuv (Beelzebub in Greek). It has been suggested that + it was a mistranslation of a mistransliterated word which + gave us this pungent and suggestive name of the Devil, a + devil whose name suggests that he is devoted to decay, + destruction, demoralization, hysteria and panic... + [ Notes on _Lord of the Flies_, by E. L. Epstein ] +balrog + ... It came to the edge of the fire and the light faded as + if a cloud had bent over it. Then with a rush it leaped + the fissure. The flames roared up to greet it, and wreathed + about it; and a black smoke swirled in the air. Its streaming + mane kindled, and blazed behind it. In its right hand + was a blade like a stabbing tongue of fire; in its left it + held a whip of many thongs. + 'Ai, ai!' wailed Legolas. 'A Balrog! A Balrog is come!' + [ The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien ] +baluchitherium +titanothere + Extinct rhinos include a variety of forms, the most + spectacular being _Baluchitherium_ from the Oligocene of + Asia, which is the largest known land mammal. Its body, 18 + feet high at the shoulder and carried on massive limbs, + allowed the 4-foot-long head to browse on the higher branches + of trees. Though not as enormous, the titanotheres of the + early Tertiary were also large perissodactyls, _Brontotherium_ + of the Oligocene being 8 feet high at the shoulder. + [ Prehistoric Animals, by Barry Cox ] +banana + He took another step and she cocked her right wrist in + viciously. She heard the spring click. Weight slapped into + her hand. + "Here!" she shrieked hysterically, and brought her arm up in + a hard sweep, meaning to gut him, leaving him to blunder + around the room with his intestines hanging out in steaming + loops. Instead he roared laughter, hands on his hips, + flaming face cocked back, squeezing and contorting with great + good humor. + "Oh, my dear!" he cried, and went off into another gale of + laughter. + She looked stupidly down at her hand. It held a firm yellow + banana with a blue and white Chiquita sticker on it. She + dropped it, horrified, to the carpet, where it became a + sickly yellow grin, miming Flagg's own. + "You'll tell," he whispered. "Oh yes indeed you will." + And Dayna knew he was right. + [ The Stand, by Stephen King ] +barbarian +human barbarian + They dressed alike -- in buckskin boots, leathern breeks and + deerskin shirts, with broad girdles that held axes and short + swords; and they were all gaunt and scarred and hard-eyed; + sinewy and taciturn. + They were wild men, of a sort, yet there was still a wide + gulf between them and the Cimmerian. They were sons of + civilization, reverted to a semi-barbarism. He was a + barbarian of a thousand generations of barbarians. They had + acquired stealth and craft, but he had been born to these + things. He excelled them even in lithe economy of motion. + They were wolves, but he was a tiger. + [ Conan - The Warrior, by Robert E. Howard ] +barbed devil + Barbed devils lack any real special abilities, though they + are quite difficult to kill. +*bat + A bat, flitting in the darkness outside, took the wrong turn + as it made its nightly rounds and came in through the window + which had been left healthfully open. It then proceeded to + circle the room in the aimless fat-headed fashion habitual + with bats, who are notoriously among the less intellectually + gifted of God's creatures. Show me a bat, says the old + proverb, and I will show you something that ought to be in + some kind of a home. + [ A Pelican at Blandings, by P. G. Wodehouse ] +*bee + This giant variety of its useful normal cousin normally + appears in small groups, looking for raw material to produce + the royal jelly needed to feed their queen. On rare + occasions, one may stumble upon a bee-hive, in which the + queen bee is being well provided for, and guarded against + intruders. +*beetle + [ The Creator ] has an inordinate fondness for beetles. + [ attributed to biologist J.B.S. Haldane ] + + The common name for the insects with wings shaped like + shields (_Coleoptera_), one of the ten sub-species into + which the insects are divided. They are characterized by + the shields (the front pair of wings) under which the back + wings are folded. + [ Van Dale's Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal ] +bell of opening + "A bell, book and candle job." + The Bursar sighed. "We tried that, Archchancellor." + The Archchancellor leaned towards him. + "Eh?" he said. + "I _said_, we tried that Archchancellor," said the Bursar loudly, + directing his voice at the old man's ear. "After dinner, you + remember? We used Humptemper's _Names of the Ants_ and rang Old + Tom."* + "Did we, indeed. Worked, did it?" + "_No_, Archchancellor." + + * Old Tom was the single cracked bronze bell in the University + bell tower. + [ Eric, by Terry Pratchett ] +blindfold + The blindfolding was performed by binding a piece of the + yellowish linen whereof those of the Amahagger who condescended + to wear anything in particular made their dresses tightly round + the eyes. This linen I afterwards discovered was taken from the + tombs, and was not, as I had first supposed, of native + manufacture. The bandage was then knotted at the back of the + head, and finally brought down again and the ends bound under + the chin to prevent its slipping. Ustane was, by the way, also + blindfolded, I do not know why, unless it was from fear that she + should impart the secrets of the route to us. + [ She, by H. Rider Haggard ] +blind io + On this particular day Blind Io, by dint of constant vigilance + the chief of the gods, sat with his chin on his hand + and looked at the gaming board on the red marble table in + front of him. Blind Io had got his name because, where his + eye sockets should have been, there were nothing but two + areas of blank skin. His eyes, of which he had an impressively + large number, led a semi-independent life of their + own. Several were currently hovering above the table. + [ The Colour of Magic, by Terry Pratchett ] +* blob +gelatinous cube +ooze +* ooze +*pudding +* slime + These giant amoeboid creatures look like nothing more than + puddles of slime, but they both live and move, feeding on + metal or wood as well as the occasional dungeon explorer to + supplement their diet. + + But we were not on a station platform. We were on the track ahead + as the nightmare, plastic column of fetid black iridescence oozed + tightly onward through its fifteen-foot sinus, gathering unholy + speed and driving before it a spiral, re-thickening cloud of the + pallid abyss vapor. It was a terrible, indescribable thing vaster + than any subway train -- a shapeless congeries of protoplasmic + bubbles, faintly self-luminous, and with myriads of temporary eyes + forming and unforming as pustules of greenish light all over the + tunnel-filling front that bore down upon us, crushing the frantic + penguins and slithering over the glistening floor that it and its + kind had swept so evilly free of all litter. + [ At the Mountains of Madness, by H.P. Lovecraft ] +bone devil + Bone devils attack with weapons and with a great hooked tail + which causes a loss of strength to those they sting. +book of the dead +candelabrum* +*candle + Faustus: Come on Mephistopheles. What shall we do? + Mephistopheles: Nay, I know not. We shall be cursed with bell, + book, and candle. + Faustus: How? Bell, book, and candle, candle, book, and bell, + Forward and backward, to curse Faustus to hell. + Anon you shall hear a hog grunt, a calf bleat, and an ass bray, + Because it is Saint Peter's holy day. + (Enter all the Friars to sing the dirge) + [ Doctor Faustus and Other Plays, by Christopher Marlowe ] +*boot* + In Fantasyland these are remarkable in that they seldom or + never wear out and are suitable for riding or walking in + without the need of Socks. Boots never pinch, rub, or get + stones in them; nor do nails stick upwards into the feet from + the soles. They are customarily mid-calf length or knee-high, + slip on and off easily and never smell of feet. Unfortunately, + the formula for making this splendid footwear is a closely + guarded secret, possibly derived from nonhumans (see Dwarfs, + Elves, and Gnomes). + [ The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, by Diana Wynne Jones ] +boulder + I worked the lever well under, and stretched my back; the end + of the stone rose up, and I kicked the fulcrum under. Then, + when I was going to bear down, I remembered there was + something to get out from below; when I let go of the lever, + the stone would fall again. I sat down to think, on the root + of the oak tree; and, seeing it stand about the ground, I saw + my way. It was lucky I had brought a longer lever. It would + just reach to wedge under the oak root. + Bearing it down so far would have been easy for a heavy man, + but was a hard fight for me. But this time I meant to do it + if it killed me, because I knew it could be done. Twice I + got it nearly there, and twice the weight bore it up again; + but when I flung myself on it the third time, I heard in my + ears the sea-sound of Poseidon. Then I knew this time I + would do it; and so I did. + [ The King Must Die, by Mary Renault ] +~*longbow of diana +bow +* bow + "Stand to it, my hearts of gold," said the old bowman as he + passed from knot to knot. "By my hilt! we are in luck this + journey. Bear in mind the old saying of the Company." + "What is that, Aylward?" cried several, leaning on their bows + and laughing at him. + "'Tis the master-bowyer's rede: 'Every bow well bent. Every + shaft well sent. Every stave well nocked. Every string well + locked.' There, with that jingle in his head, a bracer on + his left hand, a shooting glove on his right, and a + farthing's-worth of wax in his girdle, what more doth a + bowman need?" + "It would not be amiss," said Hordle John, "if under his + girdle he had four farthings'-worth of wine." + [ The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ] +brigit + Brigit (Brigid, Bride, Banfile), which means the Exalted One, + was the Celtic (continental European and Irish) fertility + goddess. She was originally celebrated on February first in + the festival of Imbolc, which coincided with the beginning + of lactation in ewes and was regarded in Scotland as the date + on which Brigit deposed the blue-faced hag of winter. The + Christian calendar adopted the same date for the Feast of St. + Brigit. There is no record that a Christian saint ever + actually existed, but in Irish mythology she became the + midwife to the Virgin Mary. + [ Encyclopedia of Gods, by Michael Jordan ] +~stormbringer +*broadsword + Bring me my broadsword + And clear understanding. + Bring me my cross of gold, + As a talisman. + [ "Broadsword" (refrain) by Ian Anderson ] +bugbear + Bugbears are relatives of goblins, although they tend to be + larger and more hairy. They are aggressive carnivores and + sometimes kill just for the treasure their victims may be + carrying. +bugle + 'I read you by your bugle horn + And by your palfrey good, + I read you for a Ranger sworn + To keep the King's green-wood.' + 'A Ranger, Lady, winds his horn, + And 'tis at peep of light; + His blast is heard at merry morn, + And mine at dead of night.' + [ Brignall Banks, by Sir Walter Scott ] +*camaxtli + A classical Mesoamerican Aztec god, also known as Mixcoatl- + Camaxtli (the Cloud Serpent), Camaxtli is the god of war. He + is also a deity of hunting and fire who received human + sacrifice of captured prisoners. According to tradition, the + sun god Tezcatlipoca transformed himself into Mixcoatl-Camaxtli + to make fire by twirling the sacred fire sticks. + [ Encyclopedia of Gods, by Michael Jordan ] +candy bar + Only once a year, on his birthday, did Charlie Bucket ever + get to taste a bit of chocolate. The whole family saved up + their money for that special occasion, and when the great + day arrived, Charlie was always presented with one small + chocolate bar to eat all by himself. And each time he + received it, on those marvelous birthday mornings, he would + place it carefully in a small wooden box that he owned, and + treasure it as though it were a bar of solid gold; and for + the next few days, he would allow himself only to look at it, + but never to touch it. Then at last, when he could stand it + no longer, he would peel back a tiny bit of the paper + wrapping at one corner to expose a tiny bit of chocolate, and + then he would take a tiny nibble - just enough to allow the + lovely sweet taste to spread out slowly over his tongue. The + next day, he would take another tiny nibble, and so on, and + so on. And in this way, Charlie would make his ten-cent bar + of birthday chocolate last him for more than a month. + [ Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl ] +s*d*g*r* cat + Imagine a sealed container, so perfectly constructed that no + physical influence can pass either inwards or outwards across its + walls. Imagine that inside the container is a cat, and also a + device that can be triggered by some quantum event. If that event + takes place, then the device smashes a phial containing cyanide and + the cat is killed. If the event does not take place, the cat lives + on. In Schroedinger's original version, the quantum event was the + decay of a radioactive atom. ... To the outside observer, the cat + is indeed in a linear combination of being alive and dead, and only + when the container is finally opened would the cat's state vector + collapse into one or the other. On the other hand, to a (suitably + protected) observer inside the container, the cat's state-vector + would have collapsed much earlier, and the outside observer's + linear combination has no relevance. + [ The Emperor's New Mind, by Roger Penrose ] +*cat +kitten + Well-known quadruped domestic animal from the family of + predatory felines (_Felis ochreata domestica_), with a thick, + soft pelt; often kept as a pet. Various folklores have the + cat associated with magic and the gods of ancient Egypt. + + So Ulthar went to sleep in vain anger; and when the people + awakened at dawn - behold! Every cat was back at his + accustomed hearth! Large and small, black, grey, striped, + yellow and white, none was missing. Very sleek and fat did + the cats appear, and sonorous with purring content. + [ The Cats of Ulthar, by H.P. Lovecraft ] +*centaur + Of all the monsters put together by the Greek imagination + the Centaurs (Kentauroi) constituted a class in themselves. + Despite a strong streak of sensuality, in their make-up, + their normal behaviour was moral, and they took a kindly + thought of man's welfare. The attempted outrage of Nessos on + Deianeira, and that of the whole tribe of Centaurs on the + Lapith women, are more than offset by the hospitality of + Pholos and by the wisdom of Cheiron, physician, prophet, + lyrist, and the instructor of Achilles. Further, the + Centaurs were peculiar in that their nature, which united the + body of a horse with the trunk and head of a man, involved + an unthinkable duplication of vital organs and important + members. So grotesque a combination seems almost un-Greek. + These strange creatures were said to live in the caves and + clefts of the mountains, myths associating them especially + with the hills of Thessaly and the range of Erymanthos. + [ Mythology of all races, Vol. 1, pp. 270-271 ] +centipede + I observed here, what I had often seen before, that certain + districts abound in centipedes. Here they have light + reddish bodies and blue legs; great myriapedes are seen + crawling every where. Although they do no harm, they excite + in man a feeling of loathing. Perhaps our appearance + produces a similar feeling in the elephant and other large + animals. Where they have been much disturbed, they + certainly look upon us with great distrust, as the horrid + biped that ruins their peace. + [ Travels and Researches in South Africa, + by Dr. David Livingstone ] +cerberus +kerberos + Cerberus, (or Kerberos in Greek), was the three-headed dog + that guarded the Gates of Hell. He allowed any dead to enter, + and likewise prevented them all from ever leaving. He was + bested only twice: once when Orpheus put him to sleep by + playing bewitching music on his lyre, and the other time when + Hercules confronted him and took him to the world of the + living (as his twelfth and last labor). +chameleon + Name of a family (_Chameleonidae_) and race (_Chameleo_) of + scaly lizards, especially the _Chameleo vulgaris_ species, + with a short neck, claws, a grasping tail, a long, extendible + tongue and mutually independent moving eyes. When it is + scared or angry, it inflates itself and its transparent skin + shows its blood: the skin first appears greenish, then + gradually changes color until it is a spotted red. The final + color depends on the background color as well, hence the + (figurative) implication of unreliability. [Capitalized:] + a constellation of the southern hemisphere (Chameleo). + [ Van Dale's Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal ] +charo*n + When an ancient Greek died, his soul went to the nether world: + the Hades. To reach the nether world, the souls had to cross + the river Styx, the river that separated the living from the + dead. The Styx could be crossed by ferry, whose shabby ferry- + man, advanced in age, was called Charon. The deceased's next- + of-kin would place a coin under his tongue, to pay the ferry- + man. +chest +large box + Dantes rapidly cleared away the earth around the chest. Soon + the center lock appeared, then the handles at each end, all + delicately wrought in the manner of that period when art made + precious even the basest of metals. He took the chest by the + two handles and tried to lift it, but it was impossible. He + tried to open it; it was locked. He inserted the sharp end + of his pickaxe between the chest and the lid and pushed down + on the handle. The lid creaked, then flew open. + Dantes was seized with a sort of giddy fever. He cocked his + gun and placed it beside him. The he closed his eyes like a + child, opened them and stood dumbfounded. + The chest was divided into three compartments. In the first + were shining gold coins. In the second, unpolished gold + ingots packed in orderly stacks. From the third compartment, + which was half full, Dantes picked up handfuls of diamonds, + pearls and rubies. As they fell through his fingers in a + glittering cascade, they gave forth the sound of hail beating + against the windowpanes. + [ The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas ] +chih*sung*tzu + A Chinese rain god. +chromatic dragon +tiamat + Tiamat is said to be the mother of evil dragonkind. She is + extremely vain. +~elven cloak +~oilskin cloak +*cloak* + Cloaks are the universal outer garb of everyone who is not a + Barbarian. It is hard to see why. They are open in front + and require you at most times to use one hand to hold them + shut. On horseback they leave the shirt-sleeved arms and + most of the torso exposed to wind and Weather. The OMTs + [ Official Management Terms ] for Cloaks well express their + difficulties. They are constantly _swirling and dripping_ + and becoming _heavy with water_ in rainy Weather, _entangling + with trees_ or _swords_, or needing to be _pulled close + around her/his shivering body_. This seems to suggest they + are less than practical for anyone on an arduous Tour. + [ The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, by Diana Wynne Jones ] +cloud* + I wandered lonely as a cloud + That floats on high o'er vales and hills, + When all at once I saw a crowd, + A host, of golden daffodils; + Beside the lake, beneath the trees, + Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. + [ I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, by William Wordsworth ] +cobra + Darzee and his wife only cowered down in the nest without + answering, for from the thick grass at the foot of the bush + there came a low hiss -- a horrid cold sound that made + Rikki-tikki jump back two clear feet. Then inch by inch out of + the grass rose up the head and spread hood of Nag, the big + black cobra, and he was five feet long from tongue to tail. + When he had lifted one-third of himself clear of the ground, + he stayed balancing to and fro exactly as a dandelion-tuft + balances in the wind, and he looked at Rikki-tikki with the + wicked snake's eyes that never change their expression, + whatever the snake may be thinking of. + 'Who is Nag?' said he. '_I_ am Nag. The great God Brahm put + his mark upon all our people, when the first cobra spread his + hood to keep the sun off Brahm as he slept. Look, and be + afraid!' + [ Rikki-tikki-tavi, by Rudyard Kipling ] +c*ckatrice + Once in a great while, when the positions of the stars are + just right, a seven-year-old rooster will lay an egg. Then, + along will come a snake, to coil around the egg, or a toad, + to squat upon the egg, keeping it warm and helping it to + hatch. When it hatches, out comes a creature called basilisk, + or cockatrice, the most deadly of all creatures. A single + glance from its yellow, piercing toad's eyes will kill both + man and beast. Its power of destruction is said to be so + great that sometimes simply to hear its hiss can prove fatal. + Its breath is so venomous that it causes all vegetation + to wither. + + There is, however, one creature which can withstand the + basilisk's deadly gaze, and this is the weasel. No one knows + why this is so, but although the fierce weasel can slay the + basilisk, it will itself be killed in the struggle. Perhaps + the weasel knows the basilisk's fatal weakness: if it ever + sees its own reflection in a mirror it will perish instantly. + But even a dead basilisk is dangerous, for it is said that + merely touching its lifeless body can cause a person to + sicken and die. + [ Mythical Beasts by Deirdre Headon (The Leprechaun Library) + and other sources ] +cornuthaum + He was dressed in a flowing gown with fur tippets which had + the signs of the zodiac embroidered over it, with various + cabalistic signs, such as triangles with eyes in them, queer + crosses, leaves of trees, bones of birds and animals, and a + planetarium whose stars shone like bits of looking-glass with + the sun on them. He had a pointed hat like a dunce's cap, or + like the headgear worn by ladies of that time, except that + the ladies were accustomed to have a bit of veil floating + from the top of it. + [ The Once and Future King, by T.H. White ] + + "A wizard!" Dooley exclaimed, astounded. + "At your service, sirs," said the wizard. "How + perceptive of you to notice. I suppose my hat rather gives me + away. Something of a beacon, I don't doubt." His hat was + pretty much that, tall and cone-shaped with stars and crescent + moons all over it. All in all, it couldn't have been more + wizardish. + [ The Elfin Ship, James P. Blaylock ] +couatl + A mythical feathered serpent. The couatl are very rare. +coyote + This carnivore is known for its voracious appetite and + inflated view of its own intelligence. +cram* + If you want to know what cram is, I can only say that I don't + know the recipe; but it is biscuitish, keeps good indefinitely, + is supposed to be sustaining, and is certainly not entertaining, + being in fact very uninteresting except as a chewing + exercise. It was made by the Lake-men for long journeys. + [ The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien ] +*crocodile + A big animal with the appearance of a lizard, constituting + an order of the reptiles (_Loricata_ or _Crocodylia_), the + crocodile is a large, dangerous predator native to tropical + and subtropical climes. It spends most of its time in large + bodies of water. +croesus +kroisos +creosote + Croesus (in Greek: Kroisos), the wealthy last king of Lydia; + his empire was destroyed when he attacked Cyrus in 549, after + the Oracle of Delphi (q.v.) had told him: "if you attack the + Persians, you will destroy a mighty empire". Herodotus + relates of his legendary conversation with Solon of Athens, + who impressed upon him that being rich does not imply being + happy and that no one should be considered fortunate before + his death. +crom + Warily Conan scanned his surroundings, all of his senses alert + for signs of possible danger. Off in the distance, he could + see the familiar shapes of the Camp of the Duali tribe. + Suddenly, the hairs on his neck stand on end as he detects the + aura of evil magic in the air. Without thought, he readies + his weapon, and mutters under his breath: + "By Crom, there will be blood spilt today." + + [ Conan the Avenger by Robert E. Howard, Bjorn Nyberg, and + L. Sprague de Camp ] +crossbow* + "God save thee, ancient Mariner! + From the fiends, that plague thee thus! - + Why look'st thou so?" - With my cross-bow + I shot the Albatross. + [ The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, by Samuel Taylor + Coleridge ] +crystal ball + You look into one of these and see _vapours swirling like + clouds_. These shortly clear away to show a sort of video + without sound of something that is going to happen to you + soon. It is seldom good news. + [ The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, by Diana Wynne Jones ] +curse* + Curses are longstanding ill-wishings which, in Fantasyland, + often manifest as semisentient. They have to be broken or + dispelled. The method varies according to the type and + origin of the Curse: + [...] + 4. Curses on Rings and Swords. You have problems. Rings + have to be returned whence they came, preferably at over a + thousand degrees Fahrenheit, and the Curse means you won't + want to do this. Swords usually resist all attempts to + raise their Curses. Your best source is to hide the Sword + or give it to someone you dislike. + [ The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, by Diana Wynne Jones ] +cwn*n + A pack of snow-white, red-eared spectral hounds which + sometimes took part in the kidnappings and raids the + inhabitants of the underworld sometimes make on this world + (the Wild Hunt). They are associated in Wales with the sounds + of migrating wild geese, and are said to be leading the souls + of the damned to hell. The phantom chase is usually heard or + seen in midwinter and is accompanied by a howling wind. + [ Encyclopedia Mythica, ed. M.F. Lindemans ] +cyclops + And after he had milked his cattle swiftly, + he again took hold of two of my men + and had them as his supper. + Then I went, with a tub of red wine, + to stand before the Cyclops, saying: + "A drop of wine after all this human meat, + so you can taste the delicious wine + that is stored in our ship, Cyclops." + He took the tub and emptied it. + He appreciated the priceless wine that much + that he promptly asked me for a second tub. + "Give it", he said, "and give me your name as well". + ... + Thrice I filled the tub, + and after the wine had clouded his mind, + I said to him, in a tone as sweet as honey: + "You have asked my name, Cyclops? Well, + my name is very well known. I'll give it to you, + if you give me the gift you promised me as a guest. + My name is Nobody. All call me thus: + my father and my mother and my friends." + Ruthlessly he answered to this: + "Nobody, I will eat you last of all; + your host of friends will completely precede you. + That will be my present to you, my friend." + And after these words he fell down backwards, + restrained by the all-restrainer Hupnos. + His monstrous neck slid into the dust; + the red wine squirted from his throat; + the drunk vomited lumps of human flesh. + [ The Odyssey, (chapter Epsilon), by Homer ] +~sting +*dagger + Is this a dagger which I see before me, + The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. + I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. + Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible + To feeling as to sight? or art thou but + A dagger of the mind, a false creation, + Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain? + I see thee yet, in form as palpable + As this which now I draw. + [ Macbeth, by William Shakespeare ] +dark one + ... But he ruled rather by force and fear, if they might + avail; and those who perceived his shadow spreading over the + world called him the Dark Lord and named him the Enemy; and + he gathered again under his government all the evil things of + the days of Morgoth that remained on earth or beneath it, + and the Orcs were at his command and multiplied like flies. + Thus the Black Years began ... + [ The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien ] +demogorgon + Demogorgon, the prince of demons, wallows in filth and can + spread a quickly fatal illness to his victims while rending + them. He is a mighty spellcaster, and he can drain the life + of mortals with a touch of his tail. +demon + It is often very hard to discover what any given Demon looks + like, apart from a general impression of large size, huge + fangs, staring eyes, many limbs, and an odd color; but all + accounts agree that Demons are very powerful, very Magic (in + a nonhuman manner), and made of some substance that can squeeze + through a keyhole yet not be pierced with a Sword. This makes + them difficult to deal with, even on the rare occasions when + they are friendly. + [ The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, by Diana Wynne Jones ] +dingo + A wolflike wild dog, Canis dingo, of Australia, having a + reddish- or yellowish-brown coat, believed to have been + introduced by the aborigines. + [Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language] +dispater + Dispater is an arch-devil who rules the city of Dis. He is + a powerful mage. +djinn* + The djinn are genies from the elemental plane of Air. There, + among their kind, they have their own societies. They are + sometimes encountered on earth and may even be summoned here + to perform some service for powerful wizards. The wizards + often leave them about for later service, safely tucked away + in a flask or lamp. Once in a while, such a tool is found by + a lucky rogue, and some djinn are known to be so grateful + when released that they might grant their rescuer a wish. +~hachi +~slasher +~sirius +*dog +pup* + A domestic animal, the _tame dog_ (_Canis familiaris_), of + which numerous breeds exist. The male is called a dog, + while the female is called a bitch. Because of its known + loyalty to man and gentleness with children, it is the + world's most popular domestic animal. It can easily be + trained to perform various tasks. +~trap*door +*door +doorway + Through me you pass into the city of woe: + Through me you pass into eternal pain: + Through me among the people lost for aye. + Justice the founder of my fabric mov'd: + To rear me was the task of power divine, + Supremest wisdom, and primeval love. + Before me things create were none, save things + Eternal, and eternal I endure. + All hope abandon ye who enter here. + [ The Inferno, from The Divine Comedy of Dante + Alighieri, translated by H.F. Cary ] +*dragon +*xoth + In the West the dragon was the natural enemy of man. Although + preferring to live in bleak and desolate regions, whenever it + was seen among men it left in its wake a trail of destruction + and disease. Yet any attempt to slay this beast was a perilous + undertaking. For the dragon's assailant had to contend + not only with clouds of sulphurous fumes pouring from its fire + breathing nostrils, but also with the thrashings of its tail, + the most deadly part of its serpent-like body. + [ Mythical Beasts by Deirdre Headon (The Leprechaun Library) ] + + "One whom the dragons will speak with," he said, "that is a + dragonlord, or at least that is the center of the matter. It's + not a trick of mastering the dragons, as most people think. + Dragons have no masters. The question is always the same, with + a dragon: will he talk to you or will he eat you? If you can + count upon his doing the former, and not doing the latter, why + then you're a dragonlord." + [ The Tombs of Atuan, by Ursula K. Le Guin ] +*drum* + Many travelers have seen the drums of the great apes, and + some have heard the sounds of their beating and the noise of + the wild, weird revelry of these first lords of the jungle, + but Tarzan, Lord Greystoke, is, doubtless, the only human + being who ever joined in the fierce, mad, intoxicating revel + of the Dum-Dum. + [ Tarzan of the Apes, by Edgar Rice Burroughs ] +~dwarf ??m* +dwarf* + Dwarfs have faces like men (ugly men, with wrinkled, leathery + skins), but are generally either flat-footed, duck-footed, or + have feet pointing backwards. They are of the earth, earthy, + living in the darkest of caverns and venturing forth only + with the cloaks by which they can make themselves invisible, + and others disguised as toads. Miners often come across them, + and sometimes establish reasonably close relations with them. + ... The miners of Cornwall were always delighted to hear a + bucca busily mining away, for all dwarfs have an infallible + nose for precious metals. + Among other things, dwarfs are rightly valued for their skill + as blacksmiths and jewellers: they made Odin his famous spear + Gungnir, and Thor his hammer; for Freya they designed a + magnificent necklace, and for Frey a golden boar. And in their + spare time they are excellent bakers. Ironically, despite + their odd feet, they are particularly fond of dancing. They + can also see into the future, and consequently are excellent + meteorologists. They can be free with presents to people + they like, and a dwarvish gift is likely to turn to gold in + the hand. But on the whole they are a snappish lot. + [ The Immortals, by Derek and Julia Parker ] +earendil +elwing + In after days, when because of the triumph of Morgoth Elves and + Men became estranged, as he most wished, those of the Elven-race + that lived still in Middle-earth waned and faded, and Men usurped + the sunlight. Then the Quendi wandered in the lonely places of the + great lands and the isles, and took to the moonlight and the + starlight, and to the woods and the caves, becoming as shadows + and memories, save those who ever and anon set sail into the West + and vanished from Middle-earth. But in the dawn of years Elves + and Men were allies and held themselves akin, and there were some + among Men that learned the wisdom of the Eldar, and became great + and valiant among the captains of the Noldor. And in the glory + and beauty of the Elves, and in their fate, full share had the + offspring of elf and mortal, Earendil, and Elwing, and Elrond + their child. + [ The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien ] +eel +giant eel + The behaviour of eels in fresh water extends the air of + mystery surrounding them. They move freely into muddy, silty + bottoms of lakes, lying buried in the daylight hours in summer. + [...] Eels are voracious carnivores, feeding mainly at + night and consuming a wide variety of fishes and invertebrate + creatures. Contrary to earlier thinking, eels seek living + rather than dead creatures and are not habitual eaters of + carrion. + [ Freshwater Fishes of Canada, by Scott and Crossman ] +egg + But I asked why not keep it and let the hen sit on it till it + hatched, and then we could see what would come out of it. + "Nothing good, I'm certain of that," Mom said. "It would + probably be something horrible. But just remember, if it's a + crocodile or a dragon or something like that, I won't have it + in my house for one minute." + [ The Enormous Egg, by Oliver Butterworth ] +elbereth + ... Even as they stepped over the threshold a single clear + voice rose in song. + + A Elbereth Gilthoniel, + silivren penna miriel + o menel aglar elenath! + Na-chaered palan-diriel + o galadhremmin ennorath, + Fanuilos, le linnathon + nef aear, si nef aearon! + + Frodo halted for a moment, looking back. Elrond was in his + chair and the fire was on his face like summer-light upon the + trees. Near him sat the Lady Arwen. [...] + He stood still enchanted, while the sweet syllables of the + elvish song fell like clear jewels of blended word and melody. + "It is a song to Elbereth," said Bilbo. "They will sing that, + and other songs of the Blessed Realm, many times tonight. + Come on!" + [ The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien ] +electric eel + South-American fish (_Gymnotus electricus_), living in fresh + water. Shaped like a serpent, it can grow up to 2 metres. + This eel is known for its electrical organ which enables it + to paralyse creatures up to the size of a horse. + [ Van Dale's Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal ] +*elemental + Elementals are manifestations of the basic nature of the + universe. There are four known forms of elementals: air, fire, + water, and earth. Some mystics have postulated the necessity + for a fifth type, the spirit elemental, but none have ever + been encountered, at least on this plane of existence. +~elf ??m* +*elf* +elvenking +elven archeologist +elven cave*man +elven healer +elven samurai +elven wizard + The Elves sat round the fire upon the grass or upon the sawn + rings of old trunks. Some went to and fro bearing cups and + pouring drinks; others brought food on heaped plates and + dishes. + "This is poor fare," they said to the hobbits; "for we are + lodging in the greenwood far from our halls. If ever you are + our guests at home, we will treat you better." + "It seems to me good enough for a birthday-party," said Frodo. + Pippin afterwards recalled little of either food or drink, for + his mind was filled with the light upon the elf-faces, and the + sound of voices so various and so beautiful that he felt in a + waking dream. [...] + Sam could never describe in words, nor picture clearly to + himself, what he felt or thought that night, though it remained + in his memory as one of the chief events of his life. The + nearest he ever got was to say: "Well, sir, if I could grow + apples like that, I would call myself a gardener. But it was + the singing that went to my heart, if you know what I mean." + [ The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien ] +elven cloak + The Elves next unwrapped and gave to each of the Company the + clothes they had brought. For each they had provided a hood + and cloak, made according to his size, of the light but warm + silken stuff that the Galadrim wove. It was hard to say of + what colour they were: grey with the hue of twilight under + the trees they seemed to be; and yet if they were moved, or + set in another light, they were green as shadowed leaves, or + brown as fallow fields by night, dusk-silver as water under + the stars. + [ The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien ] +emerald + 'Put off that mask of burning gold + With emerald eyes.' + 'O no, my dear, you make so bold + To find if hearts be wild and wise, + And yet not cold.' + + 'I would but find what's there to find, + Love or deceit.' + 'It was the mask engaged your mind, + And after set your heart to beat, + Not what's behind.' + + 'But lest you are my enemy, + I must enquire.' + 'O no, my dear, let all that be; + What matter, so there is but fire + In you, in me?' + [ The Mask, by W.B. Yeats ] +erinys +erinyes + These female-seeming devils named after the Furies of mythology + attack hand to hand and poison their unwary victims as well. +ettin + The two-headed giant, or ettin, is a vicious and unpredictable + hunter that stalks by night and eats any meat it can catch. +excalibur + At first only its tip was visible, but then it rose, straight, + proud, all that was noble and great and wondrous. The tip of + the blade pointed toward the moon, as if it would cleave it + in two. The blade itself gleamed like a beacon in the night. + There was no light source for the sword to be reflecting + from, for the moon had darted behind a cloud in fear. The + sword was glowing from the intensity of its strength and + power and knowledge that it was justice incarnate, and that + after a slumber of uncounted years its time had again come. + After the blade broke the surface, the hilt was visible, and + holding the sword was a single strong, yet feminine hand, + wearing several rings that bore jewels sparkling with the + blue-green color of the ocean. + [ Knight Life, by Peter David ] +expensive camera + There was a time when Rincewind had quite liked the iconoscope. + He believed, against all experience, that the world was + fundamentally understandable, and that if he could only equip + himself with the right mental toolbox he could take the back off + and see how it worked. He was, of course, dead wrong. The + iconoscope didn't take pictures by letting light fall onto + specially treated paper, as he had surmised, but by the far + simpler method of imprisoning a small demon with a good eye for + colour and a speedy hand with a paintbrush. He had been very + upset to find that out. + [ The Light Fantastic, by Terry Pratchett ] +eye of the aethiopica + This is a powerful amulet of ESP. In addition to its standard + powers, it regenerates the energy of anyone who carries + it, allowing them to cast spells more often. It also reduces + any spell damage to the person who carries it by half, and + protects from magic missiles. Finally, when invoked it has + the power to instantly open a portal to any other area of the + dungeon, allowing its invoker to travel quickly between + areas. +eyes of the overworld + ... and finally there is "the Eyes of the Overworld". This + obscure artifact pushes the wearer's view sense into the + "overworld" -- another name for a segment of the Astral Plane. + Usually, there is nothing to be seen. However, the wearer + is also able to look back and see the area around herself, + much like looking on a map. Why anyone would want to ... +figurine* + Then it appeared in Paris at just about the time that Paris + was full of Carlists who had to get out of Spain. One of + them must have brought it with him, but, whoever he was, it's + likely he knew nothing about its real value. It had been -- + no doubt as a precaution during the Carlist trouble in Spain + -- painted or enameled over to look like nothing more than a + fairly interesting black statuette. And in that disguise, + sir, it was, you might say, kicked around Paris for seventy + years by private owners and dealers too stupid to see what + it was under the skin. + [ The Maltese Falcon, by Dashiell Hammett ] +floating eye + Floating eyes, not surprisingly, are large, floating eyeballs + which drift about the dungeon. Though not dangerous in and + of themselves, their power to paralyse those who gaze at + their large eye in combat is widely feared. Many are the + tales of those who struck a floating eye, were paralysed by + its mystic powers, and then nibbled to death by some other + creature that lurked around nearby. +flesh golem + With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected + the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark + of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet. It was + already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against + the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the + glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow + eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive + motion agitated its limbs. + + How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how + delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I + had endeavoured to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I + had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful!--Great God! + His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and + arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and + flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances + only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that + seemed almost of the same colour as the dun white sockets in + which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight + black lips. + [ Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley ] +*flute + With this thou canst do mighty deeds + And change men's passions for thy needs: + A man's despair with joy allay, + Turn bachelors old to lovers gay. + [ The Magic Flute, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ] +fog cloud + The fog comes + on little cat feet. + + It sits looking + over harbor and city + on silent haunches + and then moves on. + [ Fog, by Carl Sandburg ] +fountain + Rest! This little Fountain runs + Thus for aye: -- It never stays + For the look of summer suns, + Nor the cold of winter days. + Whose'er shall wander near, + When the Syrian heat is worst, + Let him hither come, nor fear + Lest he may not slake his thirst: + He will find this little river + Running still, as bright as ever. + Let him drink, and onward hie, + Bearing but in thought, that I, + Erotas, bade the Naiad fall, + And thank the great god Pan for all! + [ For a Fountain, by Bryan Waller Procter ] +fox + One hot summer's day a Fox was strolling through an orchard + till he came to a bunch of Grapes just ripening on a vine + which had been trained over a lofty branch. "Just the thing + to quench my thirst," quoth he. Drawing back a few paces, he + took a run and a jump, and just missed the bunch. Turning + round again with a One, Two, Three, he jumped up, but with + no greater success. Again and again he tried after the + tempting morsel, but at last had to give it up, and walked + away with his nose in the air, saying: "I am sure they are + sour." + [ Aesop's Fables ] +*fung* + Fungi, division of simple plants that lack chlorophyll, true + stems, roots, and leaves. Unlike algae, fungi cannot + photosynthesize, and live as parasites or saprophytes. The + division comprises the slime molds and true fungi. True + fungi are multicellular (with the exception of yeasts); the + body of most true fungi consists of slender cottony + filaments, or hyphae. All fungi are capable of asexual + reproduction by cell division, budding, fragmentation, or + spores. Those that reproduce sexually alternate a sexual + generation (gametophyte) with a spore-producing one. The + four classes of true fungi are the algaelike fungi (e.g., + black bread mold and downy mildew), sac fungi (e.g., yeasts, + powdery mildews, truffles, and blue and green molds such as + Penicillium), basidium fungi (e.g., mushrooms and puffballs) + and imperfect fungi (e.g., species that cause athlete's foot + and ringworm). Fungi help decompose organic matter (important + in soil renewal); are valuable as a source of antibiotics, + vitamins, and various chemicals; and for their role in + fermentation, e.g., in bread and alcoholic beverage + production. + [ The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia ] +*gargoyle + And so it came to pass that while Man ruled on Earth, the + gargoyles waited, lurking, hidden from the light. Reborn + every 600 years in Man's reckoning of time, the gargoyles + joined battle against Man to gain dominion over the Earth. + + In each coming, the gargoyles were nearly destroyed by Men + who flourished in greater numbers. Now it has been so many + hundreds of years that it seems the ancient statues and + paintings of gargoyles are just products of Man's + imagination. In this year, with Man's thoughts turned toward + the many ills he has brought among himself, Man has forgotten + his most ancient adversary, the gargoyles. + [ Excerpt from the opening narration to the movie + _Gargoyles_, written by Stephen and Elinor Karpf ] +*garlic + 1 November - All day long we have travelled, and at a good + speed. The horses seem to know that they are being kindly + treated, for they go willingly their full stage at best + speed. We have now had so many changes and find the same + thing so constantly that we are encouraged to think that the + journey will be an easy one. Dr. Van Helsing is laconic, he + tells the farmers that he is hurrying to Bistritz, and pays + them well to make the exchange of horses. We get hot soup, + or coffee, or tea, and off we go. It is a lovely country. + Full of beauties of all imaginable kinds, and the people are + brave, and strong, and simple, and seem full of nice + qualities. They are very, very superstitious. In the first + house where we stopped, when the woman who served us saw the + scar on my forehead, she crossed herself and put out two + fingers towards me, to keep off the evil eye. I believe they + went to the trouble of putting an extra amount of garlic into + our food, and I can't abide garlic. Ever since then I have + taken care not to take off my hat or veil, and so have + escaped their suspicions. + [ Dracula, by Bram Stoker ] +# gas spore -- see *spore +geryon + Geryon is an arch-devil sometimes called the Wild Beast, + attacking with his claws and poison sting. His ranking in + Hell is rumored to be quite low. +*ghost + And now the souls of the dead who had gone below came swarming + up from Erebus -- fresh brides, unmarried youths, old men + with life's long suffering behind them, tender young girls + still nursing this first anguish in their hearts, and a great + throng of warriors killed in battle, their spear-wounds gaping + yet and all their armour stained with blood. From this + multitude of souls, as they fluttered to and fro by the + trench, there came a moaning that was horrible to hear. + Panic drained the blood from my cheeks. + [ The Odyssey, (chapter Lambda), by Homer ] +ghoul + The forces of the gloom know each other, and are strangely + balanced by each other. Teeth and claws fear what they cannot + grasp. Blood-drinking bestiality, voracious appetites, hunger + in search of prey, the armed instincts of nails and jaws which + have for source and aim the belly, glare and smell out + uneasily the impassive spectral forms straying beneath a + shroud, erect in its vague and shuddering robe, and which seem + to them to live with a dead and terrible life. These + brutalities, which are only matter, entertain a confused fear + of having to deal with the immense obscurity condensed into an + unknown being. A black figure barring the way stops the wild + beast short. That which emerges from the cemetery intimidates + and disconcerts that which emerges from the cave; the + ferocious fear the sinister; wolves recoil when they encounter + a ghoul. + [ Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo ] +*giant +giant humanoid + Giants have always walked the earth, though they are rare in + these times. They range in size from little over nine feet + to a towering twenty feet or more. The larger ones use huge + boulders as weapons, hurling them over large distances. All + types of giants share a love for men - roasted, boiled, or + fried. Their table manners are legendary. +~gnome ??m* +gnome* +gnomish wizard + ... And then a gnome came by, carrying a bundle, an old + fellow three times as large as an imp and wearing clothes of + a sort, especially a hat. And he was clearly just as frightened + as the imps though he could not go so fast. Ramon Alonzo + saw that there must be some great trouble that was vexing + magical things; and, since gnomes speak the language of men, and + will answer if spoken to gently, he raised his hat, and asked + of the gnome his name. The gnome did not stop his hasty + shuffle a moment as he answered 'Alaraba' and grabbed the rim + of his hat but forgot to doff it. + 'What is the trouble, Alaraba?' said Ramon Alonzo. + 'White magic. Run!' said the gnome .. + [ The Charwoman's Shadow, by Lord Dunsany ] + + "Muggles have garden gnomes, too, you know," Harry told Ron as + they crossed the lawn. + "Yeah, I've seen those things they think are gnomes," said Ron, + bent double with his head in a peony bush, "like fat little + Santa Clauses with fishing rods..." + There was a violent scuffling noise, the peony bush shuddered, + and Ron straightened up. "This is a gnome," he said grimly. + "Geroff me! Gerroff me!" squealed the gnome. + It was certainly nothing like Santa Claus. It was small and + leathery looking, with a large, knobby, bald head exactly like + a potato. Ron held it at arm's length as it kicked out at him + with its horny little feet; he grasped it around the ankles + and turned it upside down. + [ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J. K. Rowling ] +goblin + Now goblins are cruel, wicked, and bad-hearted. They make + no beautiful things, but they make many clever ones. They + can tunnel and mine as well as any but the most skilled + dwarves, when they take the trouble, though they are usually + untidy and dirty. Hammers, axes, swords, daggers, pickaxes, + tongs, and also instruments of torture, they make very well, + or get other people to make to their design, prisoners and + slaves that have to work till they die for want of air and + light. + [ The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien ] +god +goddess + Goddesses and Gods operate in ones, threesomes, or whole + pantheons of nine or more (see Religion). Most of them claim + to have made the world, and this is indeed a likely claim in + the case of threesomes or pantheons: Fantasyland does have + the air of having been made by a committee. But all Goddesses + and Gods, whether they say they made the world or not, have + very detailed short-term plans for it which they are determined + to carry out. Consequently they tend to push people into the + required actions by the use of coincidence or Prophecy, or just + by narrowing down your available choices of what to do next: + if a deity is pushing you, things will go miserably badly until + there is only one choice left to you. + [ The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, by Diana Wynne Jones ] +gold +gold piece +zorkmid + A metal of characteristic yellow colour, the most precious + metal used as a common commercial medium of exchange. Symbol, + Au; at. no. 79; at. wt. 197.2. It is the most malleable + and ductile of all metals, and very heavy (sp. gr., 19.3). + It is quite unalterable by heat, moisture, and most + corrosive agents, and therefore well suited for its use in + coin and jewelry. + [ Webster's New International Dictionary + of the English Language, Second Edition ] +gold golem + The bellows he set away from the fire, and gathered all the tools + wherewith he wrought into a silver chest; and with a sponge wiped + he his face and his two hands withal, and his mighty neck and + shaggy breast, and put upon him a tunic, and grasped a stout staff, + and went forth halting; but there moved swiftly to support their + lord handmaidens wrought of gold in the semblance of living maids. + In them is understanding in their hearts, and in them speech and + strength, and they know cunning handiwork by gift of the immortal + gods. + [ The Iliad, by Homer ] +~gold golem +~flesh golem +*golem + "The original story harks back, so they say, to the sixteenth + century. Using long-lost formulas from the Kabbala, a rabbi is + said to have made an artificial man -- the so-called Golem -- to + help ring the bells in the Synagogue and for all kinds of other + menial work. + "But he hadn't made a full man, and it was animated by some sort + of vegetable half-life. What life it had, too, so the story + runs, was only derived from the magic charm placed behind its + teeth each day, that drew down to itself what was known as the + `free sidereal strength of the universe.' + "One evening, before evening prayers, the rabbi forgot to take + the charm out of the Golem's mouth, and it fell into a frenzy. + It raged through the dark streets, smashing everything in its + path, until the rabbi caught up with it, removed the charm, and + destroyed it. Then the Golem collapsed, lifeless. All that was + left of it was a small clay image, which you can still see in + the Old Synagogue." ... + [ The Golem, by Gustav Meyrink ] +grave + "Who'd care to dig 'em," said the old, old man, + "Those six feet marked in chalk? + Much I talk, more I walk; + Time I were buried," said the old, old man. + [ Three Songs to the Same Tune, by W.B. Yeats ] +grayswandir + Why had I been wearing Grayswandir? Would another weapon have + affected a Logrus-ghost as strongly? Had it really been my + father, then, who had brought me here? And had he felt I might + need the extra edge his weapon could provide? I wanted to + think so, to believe that he had been more than a Pattern-ghost. + [ Knight of Shadows, by Roger Zelazny ] +*grease + ANOINT, v.t. To grease a king or other great functionary + already sufficiently slippery. + [ The Devil's Dictionary, by Ambrose Bierce ] +gremlin + The gremlin is a highly intelligent and completely evil + creature. It lives to torment other creatures and will go + to great lengths to inflict pain or cause injury. + + Suddenly, Wilson thought about war, about the newspaper + stories which recounted the alleged existence of creatures in + the sky who plagued the Allied pilots in their duties. They + called them gremlins, he remembered. Were there, actually, + such beings? Did they, truly, exist up here, never falling, + riding on the wind, apparently of bulk and weight, yet + impervious to gravity? + He was thinking that when the man appeared again. + [ Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, by Richard Matheson ] +grid bug + These electronically based creatures are not native to this + universe. They appear to come from a world whose laws of + motion are radically different from ours. + + Tron looked to his mate and pilot. "I'm going to check on + the beam connection, Yori. You two can keep a watch out for + grid bugs." Tron paced forward along the slender catwalk + that still seemed awfully insubstantial to Flynn, though he + knew it to be amazingly sturdy. He gazed after Tron, asking + himself what in the world a grid bug was, and hoping that the + beam connection -- to which he'd given no thought whatsoever + until this moment -- was healthy and sound." + [ Tron, novel by Brian Daley, story by Steven Lisberger ] +gunyoki + The samurai's last meal before battle. It was usually made + up of cooked chestnuts, dried seaweed, and sake. +hachi + Hachi was a dog that went with his master, a professor, to + the Shibuya train station every morning. In the afternoon, + when his master was to return from work Hachi would be there + waiting. One day his master died at the office, and did not + return. For over ten years Hachi returned to the station + every afternoon to wait for his master. When Hachi died a + statue was erected on the station platform in his honor. It + is said to bring you luck if you touch his statue. +*harp + A triangular stringed instrument, often Magic. Even when not + Magic, a Harp is surprisingly portable and tough and can be + carried everywhere on the back of the Bard or Harper in all + weathers. A Harp seldom goes out of tune and never warps. + Its strings break only in very rare instances, usually + because the Harper is sulking or crossed in love. This is + just as well as no one seems to make or sell spare strings. + [ The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, by Diana Wynne Jones ] + + After breakfast was over, the ogre called out: "Wife, wife, + bring me my golden harp." So she brought it and put it on + the table before him. Then he said: "Sing!" and the golden + harp sang most beautifully. And it went on singing till the + ogre fell asleep, and commenced to snore like thunder. + Then Jack lifted up the copper-lid very quietly and got down + like a mouse and crept on hands and knees till he came to the + table, when up he crawled, caught hold of the golden harp and + dashed with it towards the door. But the harp called out + quite loud: "Master! Master!" and the ogre woke up just in + time to see Jack running off with his harp. + [ Jack and the Beanstalk, from English Fairy Tales, + by Joseph Jacobs ] +heart of ahriman + The other three drew in their breath sharply, and the dark, + powerful man who stood at the head of the sarcophagus whispered: + "The Heart of Ahriman!" The other lifted a quick hand + for silence. Somewhere a dog began howling dolefully, and a + stealthy step padded outside the barred and bolted door. ... + But none looked aside from the mummy case over which the man + in the ermine-trimmed robe was now moving the great flaming + jewel, while he muttered an incantation that was old when + Atlantis sank. The glare of the gem dazzled their eyes, so + that they could not be sure what they saw; but with a + splintering crash, the carven lid of the sarcophagus burst + outward as if from some irresistible pressure applied from + within and the four men, bending eagerly forward, saw the + occupant -- a huddled, withered, wizened shape, with dried + brown limbs like dead wood showing through moldering bandages. + "Bring that thing back?" muttered the small dark man who + stood on the right, with a short, sardonic laugh. "It is + ready to crumble at a touch. We are fools ---" + [ Conan The Conqueror, by Robert E. Howard ] +hell hound* + Hell hounds are fire-breathing canines from another plane of + existence brought here in the service of evil beings. A hell + hound resembles a large hound with rust-red or red-brown fur, + and red, glowing eyes. The markings, teeth, and tongue are + soot black. It stands two to three feet high at the shoulder + and has a distinct odour of smoke and sulphur. The baying + sounds it makes have an eerie, hollow tone that sends a shiver + through any who hear them. +hermes + Messenger and herald of the Olympians. Being required to do + a great deal of travelling and speaking in public, he became + the god of eloquence, travellers, merchants, and thieves. He + was one of the most energetic of the Greek gods, a + Machiavellian character full of trickery and sexual vigour. + Like other Greek gods, he is endowed with not-inconsiderable + sexual prowess which he directs towards countryside nymphs. + He is a god of boundaries, guardian of graves and patron deity + of shepherds. He is usually depicted as a handsome young + man wearing winged golden sandals and holding a magical + herald's staff consisting of intertwined serpents, the + kerykeion. He is reputedly the only being able to find his way + to the underworld ferry of Charon and back again. He is said + to have invented, among other things, the lyre, Pan's Pipes, + numbers, the alphabet, weights and measures, and sacrificing. +hezrou + "Hezrou" is the common name for the type II demon. It is + among the weaker of demons, but still quite formidable. +hippocrates + Greek physician, recognized as the father of medicine. He + is believed to have been born on the island of Cos, to have + studied under his father, a physician, to have traveled for + some time, perhaps studying in Athens, and to have then + returned to practice, teach, and write at Cos. The + Hippocratic or Coan school that formed around him was of + enormous importance in separating medicine from superstition + and philosophic speculation, placing it on a strictly + scientific plane based on objective observation and critical + deductive reasoning. + [ The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition ] +hobbit + Hobbits are an unobtrusive but very ancient people, more + numerous formerly than they are today; for they love peace + and quiet and good tilled earth: a well-ordered and well- + farmed countryside was their favourite haunt. They do not + and did not understand or like machines more complicated + than a forge-bellows, a water-mill, or a handloom, although + they were skillful with tools. Even in ancient days they + were, as a rule, shy of "the Big Folk", as they call us, and + now they avoid us with dismay and are becoming hard to find. + [ The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien ] +hobgoblin + Hobgoblin. Used by the Puritans and in later times for + wicked goblin spirits, as in Bunyan's "Hobgoblin nor foul + friend", but its more correct use is for the friendly spirits + of the brownie type. In "A midsummer night's dream" a + fairy says to Shakespeare's Puck: + Those that Hobgoblin call you, and sweet Puck, + You do their work, and they shall have good luck: + Are you not he? + and obviously Puck would not wish to be called a hobgoblin + if that was an ill-omened word. + Hobgoblins are on the whole, good-humoured and ready to be + helpful, but fond of practical joking, and like most of the + fairies rather nasty people to annoy. Boggarts hover on the + verge of hobgoblindom. Bogles are just over the edge. + One Hob mentioned by Henderson, was Hob Headless who haunted + the road between Hurworth and Neasham, but could not cross + the little river Kent, which flowed into the Tess. He was + exorcised and laid under a large stone by the roadside for + ninety-nine years and a day. If anyone was so unwary as to + sit on that stone, he would be unable to quit it for ever. + The ninety-nine years is nearly up, so trouble may soon be + heard of on the road between Hurworth and Neasham. + [ A Dictionary of Fairies, by Katharine Briggs ] +hom*nculus + A homunculus is a creature summoned by a mage to perform some + particular task. They are particularly good at spying. They + are smallish creatures, but very agile. They can put their + victims to sleep with a venomous bite, but due to their size, + the effect does not last long on humans. + + "Tothapis cut him off. 'Be still and hearken. You will travel + aboard the sacred wingboat. Of it you may not have heard; but + it will bear you thither in a night and a day and a night. + With you will go a homunculus that can relay your words to me, + and mine to you, across the leagues between at the speed of + thought.'" + [ Conan the Rebel, by Poul Anderson ] +# also gets 'pruning hook' aka guisarme +*hook + But as for Queequeg -- why, Queequeg sat there among them -- + at the head of the table, too, it so chanced; as cool as an + icicle. To be sure I cannot say much for his breeding. His + greatest admirer could not have cordially justified his + bringing his harpoon into breakfast with him, and using it + there without ceremony; reaching over the table with it, to + the imminent jeopardy of many heads, and grappling the + beefsteaks towards him. + [ Moby Dick, by Herman Melville ] +~unicorn horn +*horn + Roland hath set the Olifant to his mouth, + He grasps it well, and with great virtue sounds. + High are those peaks, afar it rings and loud, + Thirty great leagues they hear its echoes mount. + So Charles heard, and all his comrades round; + Then said that King: "Battle they do, our counts!" + And Guenelun answered, contrarious: + "That were a lie, in any other mouth." + [ The Song of Roland ] +horned devil + Horned devils lack any real special abilities, though they + are quite difficult to kill. +~horsem* +*horse + King Richard III: A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse! + Catesby: Withdraw, my lord; I'll help you to a horse. + King Richard III: Slave, I have set my life upon a cast, + And I will stand the hazard of the die: + I think there be six Richmonds in the field; + Five have I slain to-day instead of him. + A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse! + [ King Richard III, by William Shakespeare ] +*horsem* +rider* +death +famine +pestilence +war +hunger + [Pestilence:] And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, + and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four + beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white + horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given + unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. + + [War:] And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the + second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another + horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon + to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one + another: and there was given unto him a great sword. + + [Famine:] And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the + third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black + horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his + hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, + A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley + for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. + + [Death:] And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the + voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and + behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, + and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over + the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with + hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. + [ Revelations of John, 6:1-8 ] +huan*ti + The first of five mythical Chinese emperors, Huan Ti is known + as the yellow emperor. He rules the _moving_ heavens, as + opposed to the _dark_ heavens. He is an inventor, said to + have given mankind among other things, the wheel, armour, and + the compass. He is the god of fortune telling and war. +hu*h*eto*l +minion of huhetotl + Huehuetotl, or Huhetotl, which means Old God, was the Aztec + (classical Mesoamerican) god of fire. He is generally + associated with paternalism and one of the group classed + as the Xiuhtecuhtli complex. He is known to send his + minions to wreak havoc upon ordinary humans. + [ after the Encyclopedia of Gods, by Michael Jordan ] +humanoid + Humanoids are all approximately the size of a human, and may + be mistaken for one at a distance. They are usually of a + tribal nature, and will fiercely defend their lairs. Usually + hostile, they may even band together to raid and pillage + human settlements. +human +human archeologist +human cave*man +human healer +human monk +human samurai +human wizard +acolyte +apprentice +archeologist +arch priest +attendant +cave*man +chieftain +guard +healer +monk +ninja +nurse +page +*priest* +ronin +samurai +shopkeeper +student +thug +warrior +*watch* +wizard +player + These strange creatures live mostly on the surface of the + earth, gathering together in societies of various forms, but + occasionally a stray will descend into the depths and commit + mayhem among the dungeon residents who, naturally, often + resent the intrusion of such beasts. They are capable of + using weapons and magic, and it is even rumored that the + Wizard of Yendor is a member of this species. +ice devil + Ice devils are large semi-insectoid creatures, who are + equally at home in the fires of Hell and the cold of Limbo, + and who can cause the traveller to feel the latter with just + a touch of their tail. +imp + ... imps ... little creatures of two feet high that could + gambol and jump prodigiously; ... + [ The Charwoman's Shadow, by Lord Dunsany ] + + An 'imp' is an off-shoot or cutting. Thus an 'ymp tree' was + a grafted tree, or one grown from a cutting, not from seed. + 'Imp' properly means a small devil, an off-shoot of Satan, + but the distinction between goblins or bogles and imps from + hell is hard to make, and many in the Celtic countries as + well as the English Puritans regarded all fairies as devils. + The fairies of tradition often hover uneasily between the + ghostly and the diabolic state. + [ A Dictionary of Fairies, by Katharine Briggs ] +incubus +succubus + The incubus and succubus are male and female versions of the + same demon, one who lies with a human for its own purposes, + usually to the detriment of the mortals who are unwise in + their dealings with them. +*iron ball +*iron chain + "You are fettered, " said Scrooge, trembling. "Tell me why?" + "I wear the chain I forged in life," replied the Ghost. "I + made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my + own free will, and of my own free will I wore it. Is its + pattern strange to you?" + Scrooge trembled more and more. + "Or would you know," pursued the Ghost, "the weight and + length of the strong coil you bear yourself? It was full as + heavy and as long as this, seven Christmas Eves ago. You + have laboured on it, since. It is a ponderous chain!" + [ A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens ] +ishtar + Ishtar (the star of heaven) is the Mesopotamian goddess of + fertility and war. She is usually depicted with wings and + weapon cases at her shoulders, carrying a ceremonial double- + headed mace-scimitar embellished with lion heads, frequently + being accompanied by a lion. She is symbolized by an eight- + pointed star. + [ Encyclopedia of Gods, by Michael Jordan ] +issek + Now Issek of the Jug, whom Fafhrd chose to serve, was once + of the most lowly and unsuccessful of the gods, godlets + rather, in Lankhmar. He had dwelt there for about thirteen + years, during which time he had traveled only two squares up + the Street of the Gods and was now back again, ready for + oblivion. He is not to be confused with Issek the Armless, + Issek of the Burnt Legs, Flayed Issek, or any other of the + numerous and colorfully mutilated divinities of that name. + Indeed, his unpopularity may have been due in part to the + fact that the manner of his death -- racking -- was not + deemed particularly spectacular. ... However, after Fafhrd + became his acolyte, things somehow began to change. + [ Swords In The Mist, by Fritz Leiber ] +izchak + The shopkeeper of the lighting shop in the town level of the + gnomish mines is a tribute to Izchak Miller, a founding member + of the NetHack development team and a personal friend of a large + number of us. Izchak contributed greatly to the game, coding a + large amount of the shopkeep logic (hence the nature of the tribute) + as well as a good part of the alignment system, the prayer code and + the rewrite of "hell" in the 3.1 release. Izchak was a professor + of Philosophy, who taught at many respected institutions, including + MIT and Stanford, and who also worked, for a period of time, at + Xerox PARC. Izchak was the first "librarian" of the NetHack project, + and was a founding member of the DevTeam, joining in 1986 while he + was working at the University of Pennsylvania (hence our former + mailing list address). Until the 3.1.3 release, Izchak carefully + kept all of the code synchronized and arbitrated disputes between + members of the development teams. Izchak Miller passed away at the + age of 58, in the early morning hours of April 1, 1994 from + complications due to cancer. We then dedicated NetHack 3.2 in his + memory. + [ Mike Stephenson, for the NetHack DevTeam ] +jabberwock +vorpal* + "Beware the Jabberwock, my son! + The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! + Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun + The frumious Bandersnatch!" + + He took his vorpal sword in hand; + Long time the manxome foe he sought -- + So rested he by the Tumtum tree, + And stood awhile in thought. + + And, as in uffish thought he stood, + The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, + Came whiffling through the tulgey wood, + And burbled as it came! + + One, two! One, two! And through and through + The vorpal blade went snicker-snack! + He left it dead, and with its head + He went galumphing back. + [ Jabberwocky, by Lewis Carroll ] +jackal + In Asiatic folktale, jackal provides for the lion; he scares + up game, which the lion kills and eats, and receives what is + left as reward. In stories from northern India he is + sometimes termed "minister to the king," i.e. to the lion. + From the legend that he does not kill his own food has arisen + the legend of his cowardice. Jackal's heart must never be + eaten, for instance, in the belief of peoples indigenous to + the regions where the jackal abounds. ... In Hausa Negro + folktale Jackal plays the role of sagacious judge and is + called "O Learned One of the Forest." The Bushmen say that + Jackal goes around behaving the way he does "because he is + Jackal". + [ Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore ] +jade* + Nothing grew among the ruins of the city. The streets were + broken and the walls of the houses had fallen, but there were + no weeds flowering in the cracks and it seemed that the city + had but recently been brought down by an earthquake. Only + one thing still stood intact, towering over the ruins. It + was a gigantic statue of white, gray and green jade - the + statue of a naked youth with a face of almost feminine beauty + that turned sightless eyes toward the north. + "The eyes!" Duke Avan Astran said. "They're gone!" + [ The Jade Man's Eyes, by Michael Moorcock ] +jaguar + Large, flesh-eating animal of the cat family, of Central and + South America. This feline predator (_Panthera onca_) is + sometimes incorrectly called a panther. + [ Van Dale's Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal ] +jellyfish + I do not care to share the seas + With jellyfishes such as these; + Particularly Portuguese. + [ Lines on Meeting a Portuguese Man-o'-war while + Bathing, by Michael Flanders ] +juiblex +jubilex + Little is known about the Faceless Lord, even the correct + spelling of his name. He does not have a physical form as + we know it, and those who have peered into his realm claim + he is a slime-like creature who swallows other creatures + alive, spits acidic secretions, and causes disease in his + victims which can be almost instantly fatal. +kabuto + The kabuto is the helmet worn by the samurai. It was + characterized by a prominent beaked front which jutted out over + the brow to protect the wearer's face; a feature that gives + rise to their modern Japanese name of 'shokaku tsuki kabuto' + (battering-ram helmet). Their main constructional element + was an oval plate, the shokaku bo, slightly domed for the + head with a narrow prolongation in front that curved forwards + and downwards where it developed a pronounced central + fold. Two horizontal strips encircling the head were riveted + to this frontal strip: the lower one, the koshimaki (hip + wrap), formed the lower edge of the helmet bowl; the other, + the do maki (body wrap), was set at about the level of the + temples. Filling the gaps between these strips and the shokaku + bo were small plates, sometimes triangular but more commonly + rectangular in shape. Because the front projected so + far from the head, the triangular gap beneath was filled by + a small plate, the shoshaku tei ita, whose rear edge bent + downwards into a flange that rested against the forehead. + [ Arms & Armour of the Samurai, by Bottomley & Hopson ] +katana + The katana is a long, single-edged samurai sword with a + slightly curved blade. Its long handle is designed to allow + it to be wielded with either one or two hands. +ki-rin + The ki-rin is a strange-looking flying creature. It has + scales, a mane like a lion, a tail, hooves, and a horn. It + is brightly colored, and can usually be found flying in the + sky looking for good deeds to reward. +king arthur +*arthur + Ector took both his sons to the church before which the + anvil had been placed. There, standing before the anvil, he + commanded Kay: "Put the sword back into the steel if you + really think the throne is yours!" But the sword glanced + off the steel. "Now it is your turn", Ector said facing + Arthur. + The young man lifted the sword and thrust with both arms; the + blade whizzed through the air with a flash and drilled the + metal as if it were mere butter. Ector and Kay dropped to + their knees before Arthur. + "Why, father and brother, do you bow before me?", Arthur asked + with wonder in his voice. + "Because now I know for sure that you are the king, not only + by birth but also by law", Ector said. "You are no son of + mine nor are you Kay's brother. Immediately after your birth, + Merlin the Wise brought you to me to be raised safely. And + though it was me that named you Arthur when you were baptized, + you are really the son of brave king Uther Pendragon and queen + Igraine..." + And after these words, the lord rose and went to see the arch- + bishop to impart to him what had passed. + [ Van Gouden Tijden Zingen de Harpen, by Vladimir Hulpach, + Emanuel Frynta, and Vackav Cibula ] +knife +stiletto + Possibly perceiving an expression of dubiosity on their + faces, the globetrotter went on adhering to his adventures. + + -- And I seen a man killed in Trieste by an Italian chap. + Knife in his back. Knife like that. + + Whilst speaking he produced a dangerous looking clasp knife, + quite in keeping with his character, and held it in the + striking position. + + -- In a knockingshop it was count of a tryon between two + smugglers. Fellow hid behind a door, come up behind him. + Like that. Prepare to meet your God, says he. Chuck! It + went into his back up to the butt. + [ Ulysses, by James Joyce ] +knight +human knight + Here lies the noble fearless knight, + Whose valour rose to such a height; + When Death at last had struck him down, + His was the victory and renown. + He reck'd the world of little prize, + And was a bugbear in men's eyes; + But had the fortune in his age + To live a fool and die a sage. + [ Don Quixote of La Mancha by Miquel de + Cervantes Saavedra ] +~kobold ??m* +*kobold* + The race of kobolds are reputed to be an artificial creation + of a master wizard (demi-god?). They are about 3' tall with + a vaguely dog-like face. They bear a violent dislike of the + Elven race, and will go out of their way to cause trouble + for Elves at any time. +*kop* + The typical policeman of 1920's movies, the Keystone Kop was + modeled like the English "bobby", with a long brass-buttoned + overcoat, carrying long nightsticks that he (more often than + not) whapped himself with, rather than anyone else. The + Keystone Kops were very slapstick-like, relying on speed and + numbers to achieve their comedy, rather than sophisticated + wit. +kos + "I am not a coward!" he cried. "I'll dare Thieves' House + and fetch you Krovas' head and toss it with blood a-drip at + Vlana's feet. I swear that, witness me, Kos the god of + dooms, by the brown bones of Nalgron my father and by his + sword Graywand here at my side!" + [ Swords and Deviltry, by Fritz Leiber ] +koto + A Japanese harp. +kraken + Out from the water a long sinuous tentacle had crawled; it + was pale-green and luminous and wet. Its fingered end had + hold of Frodo's foot, and was dragging him into the water. + Sam on his knees was now slashing at it with a knife. The + arm let go of Frodo, and Sam pulled him away, crying out + for help. Twenty other arms came rippling out. The dark + water boiled, and there was a hideous stench. + [ The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien ] +*lady +offler + Blind Io took up the dice-box, which was a skull whose various + orifices had been stoppered with rubies, and with several of + his eyes on the Lady he rolled three fives. She smiled. This + was the nature of the Lady's eyes: they were bright green, + lacking iris or pupil, and they glowed from within. + + The room was silent as she scrabbled in her box of pieces and, + from the very bottom, produced a couple that she set down on + the board with two decisive clicks. The rest of the players, + as one God, craned forward to peer at them. + + "A wenegade wiffard and fome fort of clerk," said Offler the + Crocodile God, hindered as usual by his tusks. "Well, + weally!" With one claw he pushed a pile of bone-white tokens + into the centre of the table. + + The Lady nodded slightly. She picked up the dice-cup and held + it as steady as a rock, yet all the Gods could hear the three + cubes rattling about inside. And then she sent them bouncing + across the table. + + A six. A three. A five. + + Something was happening to the five, however. Battered by the + chance collision of several billion molecules, the die flipped + onto a point, spun gently and came down a seven. Blind Io + picked up the cube and counted the sides. + + "Come _on_," he said wearily, "Play fair." + [ The Colour of Magic, by Terry Pratchett ] +*lamp + When he came to himself he told his mother what had passed, + and showed her the lamp and the fruits he had gathered in the + garden, which were in reality precious stones. He then asked + for some food. + + "Alas! child," she said, "I have nothing in the house, but I + have spun a little cotton and will go and sell it." + + Aladdin bade her keep her cotton, for he would sell the lamp + instead. As it was very dirty she began to rub it, that it + might fetch a higher price. Instantly a hideous genie + appeared, and asked what she would have. She fainted away, + but Aladdin, snatching the lamp, said boldly: + "Fetch me something to eat!" + [ Aladdin, from The Arabian Nights, by Andrew Lang ] +lance + With this the wind increased, and the mill sails began to turn + about; which Don Quixote espying, said, 'Although thou movest + more arms than the giant Briareus thou shalt stoop to me.' + And, after saying this, and commending himself most devoutly to + his Lady Dulcinea, desiring her to succor him in that trance, + covering himself well with his buckler, and setting his lance + on his rest, he spurred on Rozinante, and encountered with the + first mill that was before him, and, striking his lance into + the sail, the wind sung it about with such fury, that is broke + his lance into shivers, carrying him and his horse after it, + and finally tumbled him a good way off from it on the field in + evil plight. + [ Don Quixote of La Mancha by Miquel de + Cervantes Saavedra ] +leash + They had splendid heads, fine shoulders, strong legs, and + straight tails. The spots on their bodies were jet-black and + mostly the size of a two-shilling piece; they had smaller + spots on their heads, legs, and tails. Their noses and eye- + rims were black. Missis had a most winning expression. + Pongo, though a dog born to command, had a twinkle in his + eye. They walked side by side with great dignity, only + putting the Dearlys on the leash to lead them over crossings. + [ The Hundred and One Dalmatians, by Dodie Smith ] +lembas* + In the morning, as they were beginning to pack their slender + goods, Elves that could speak their tongue came to them and + brought them many gifts of food and clothing for their + journey. The food was mostly in the form of very thin cakes, + made of a meal that was baked a light brown on the outside, + and inside was the colour of cream. Gimli took up one of the + cakes and looked at it with a doubtful eye. + 'Cram,' he said under his breath, as he broke off a crisp + corner and nibbled at it. His expression quickly changed, + and he ate all the rest of the cake with relish. + 'No more, no more!' cried the Elves laughing. 'You have + eaten enough already for a long day's march.' + 'I thought it was only a kind of cram, such as the Dalemen + make for journeys in the wild,' said the Dwarf. + 'So it is,' they answered. 'But we call it lembas or + waybread, and it is more strengthening than any foods made by + Men, and it is more pleasant than cram, by all accounts.' + [ The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien ] +lemure + The lowliest of the inhabitants of hell. +leocrotta +leu*otta + ... the leucrocotta, a wild beast of extraordinary swiftness, + the size of the wild ass, with the legs of a Stag, the neck, + tail, and breast of a lion, the head of a badger, a cloven + hoof, the mouth slit up as far as the ears, and one continuous + bone instead of teeth; it is said, too, that this animal can + imitate the human voice. + [ Curious Creatures in Zoology, by John Ashton ] +leprechaun + The Irish Leprechaun is the Faeries' shoemaker and is known + under various names in different parts of Ireland: + Cluricaune in Cork, Lurican in Kerry, Lurikeen in Kildare + and Lurigadaun in Tipperary. Although he works for the + Faeries, the Leprechaun is not of the same species. He is + small, has dark skin and wears strange clothes. His nature + has something of the manic-depressive about it: first he + is quite happy, whistling merrily as he nails a sole on to a + shoe; a few minutes later, he is sullen and morose, drunk + on his home-made heather ale. The Leprechaun's two great + loves are tobacco and whiskey, and he is a first-rate con-man, + impossible to out-fox. No one, no matter how clever, has ever + managed to cheat him out of his hidden pot of gold or his + magic shilling. At the last minute he always thinks of some + way to divert his captor's attention and vanishes in the + twinkling of an eye. + [ A Field Guide to the Little People + by Nancy Arrowsmith & George Moorse ] +*lich + But on its heels ere the sunset faded, there came a second + apparition, striding with incredible strides and halting when + it loomed almost upon me in the red twilight-the monstrous mummy + of some ancient king still crowned with untarnished gold but + turning to my gaze a visage that more than time or the worm had + wasted. Broken swathings flapped about the skeleton legs, and + above the crown that was set with sapphires and orange rubies, a + black something swayed and nodded horribly; but, for an instant, + I did not dream what it was. Then, in its middle, two oblique + and scarlet eyes opened and glowed like hellish coals, and two + ophidian fangs glittered in an ape-like mouth. A squat, furless, + shapeless head on a neck of disproportionate extent leaned + unspeakably down and whispered in the mummy's ear. Then, with + one stride, the titanic lich took half the distance between us, + and from out the folds of the tattered sere-cloth a gaunt arm + arose, and fleshless, taloned fingers laden with glowering gems, + reached out and fumbled for my throat . . . + [ The Abominations of Yondo, Clark Ashton Smith, 1926 ] +lichen + The chamber was of unhewn rock, round, as near as might + be, eighteen or twenty feet across, and gay with rich + variety of fern and moss and lichen. The fern was in + its winter still, or coiling for the spring-tide; but + moss was in abundant life, some feathering, and some + gobleted, and some with fringe of red to it. + [ Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore ] +~* of light +* light + Strange creatures formed from energy rather than matter, + lights are given to self-destructive behavior when battling + foes. +gecko +iguana +lizard + Lizards, snakes and the burrowing amphisbaenids make up the + order Squamata, meaning the scaly ones. The elongate, slim, + long-tailed bodies of lizards have become modified to enable + them to live in a wide range of habitats. Lizards can be + expert burrowers, runners, swimmers and climbers, and a few + can manage crude, short-distance gliding on rib-supported + "wings". Most are carnivores, feeding on invertebrate and + small vertebrate prey, but others feed on vegetation. + [ Macmillan Illustrated Animal Encyclopedia ] +loki + Loki, or Lopt, is described in Snorri's _Edda_ as being + "pleasing and handsome in appearance, evil in character, and + very capricious in behaviour". He is the son of the giant + Farbauti and of Laufey. + Loki is the Norse god of cunning, evil, thieves, and fire. + He hated the other gods and wanted to ruin them and overthrow + the universe. He committed many murders. As a thief, he + stole Freyja's necklace, Thor's belt and gauntlets of power, + and the apples of youth. Able to shapechange at will, he is + said to have impersonated at various times a mare, flea, fly, + falcon, seal, and an old crone. As a mare he gave birth to + Odin's horse Sleipnir. He also allegedly sired the serpent + Midgard, the mistress of the netherworld, Hel, and the wolf + Fenrir, who will devour the sun at Ragnarok. +*longbow of diana + This legendary bow grants ESP when carried and can reflect magical + attacks when wielded. When invoked it provides a supply of arrows. +# long worm -- see "worm" +looking glass +mirror + But as Snow White grew, she became more and more beautiful, + and by the time she was seven years old she was as beautiful + as the day and more beautiful than the queen herself. One + day when the queen said to her mirror: + + "Mirror, Mirror, here I stand. + Who is the fairest in the land?" - + + the mirror replied: + + "You, O Queen, are the fairest here, + But Snow White is a thousand times more fair." + [ Snow White, by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm ] +lord carnarvon + Lord Carnarvon was a personality who could have been produced + nowhere but in England, a mixture of sportsman and collector, + gentleman and world traveler, a realist in action and a + romantic in feeling. ... In 1903 he went for the first time + to Egypt in search of a mild climate and while there visited + the excavation sites of several archaeological expeditions. + ... In 1906 he began his own excavations. + [ Gods, Graves, and Scholars, by C. W. Ceram ] +lord sato + Lord Sato was the family head of the Taro Clan, and a mighty + daimyo. He is a loyal servant of the Emperor, and will do + everything in his power to further the imperial cause. +lord surt* + Yet first was the world in the southern region, which was + named Muspell; it is light and hot; that region is glowing + and burning, and impassable to such as are outlanders and + have not their holdings there. He who sits there at the + land's-end, to defend the land, is called Surtr; he brandishes + a flaming sword, and at the end of the world he shall go forth + and harry, and overcome all the gods, and burn all the + world with fire. + [ The Prose Edda, by Snorri Sturluson ] +lug* + Lugh, or Lug, was the sun god of the Irish Celts. One of his + weapons was a rod-sling which worshippers sometimes saw in + the sky as a rainbow. As a tribal god, he was particularly + skilled in the use of his massive, invincible spear, which + fought on its own accord. One of his epithets is _lamfhada_ + (of the long arm). He was a young and apparently more + attractive deity than Dagda, the father of the gods. Being + able to shapeshift, his name translates as lynx. +lurker* + These dungeon scavengers are very adept at blending into the + surrounding walls and ceilings of the dungeon due to the + stone-like coloring of their skin. +lycanthrope +were* +human were* +*were + In 1573, the Parliament of Dole published a decree, permitting + the inhabitants of the Franche-Comte to pursue and kill a + were-wolf or loup-garou, which infested that province, + "notwithstanding the existing laws concerning the chase." + The people were empowered to "assemble with javelins, + halberds, pikes, arquebuses and clubs, to hunt and pursue the + said were-wolf in all places where they could find it, and to + take, burn, and kill it, without incurring any fine or other + penalty." The hunt seems to have been successful, if we may + judge from the fact that the same tribunal in the following + year condemned to be burned a man named Giles Garnier, who + ran on all fours in the forest and fields and devoured little + children, "even on Friday." The poor lycanthrope, it appears, + had as slight respect for ecclesiastical feasts as the French + pig, which was not restrained by any feeling of piety from + eating infants on a fast day. + [ The History of Vampires, by Dudley Wright ] +lynx + To dream of seeing a lynx, enemies are undermining your + business and disrupting your home affairs. For a woman, + this dream indicates that she has a wary woman rivaling her + in the affections of her lover. If she kills the lynx, she + will overcome her rival. + [ 10,000 Dreams Interpreted, by Gustavus Hindman Miller ] +magic marker + The pen is mightier than the sword. + [ Richelieu, by Edward Bulwer-Lytton ] +magic mirror of merlin + This powerful mirror was created by Merlin, the druid, in ages + past, when trees sang and rocks danced. It protects all who + carry it from magic missiles, and gives them ESP. +mail d*emon + It is rumoured that these strange creatures can be harmed by + domesticated canines only. +ma*annan* + Normally called Manannan, Ler's son was the patron of + merchants and sailors. Manannan had a sword which never + failed to slay, a boat which propelled itself wherever its + owner wished, a horse which was swifter than the wind, and + magic armour which no sword could pierce. He later became + god of the sea, beneath which he lived in Tir na nOc, the + underworld. +manes + The gnats of the dungeon, these swarming monsters are rarely + seen alone. +marduk + First insisting on recognition as supreme commander, Marduk + defeated the Dragon, cut her body in two, and from it created + heaven and earth, peopling the world with human beings who not + unnaturally showed intense gratitude for their lives. The + gods were also properly grateful, invested him with many + titles, and eventually permitted themselves to be embodied in + him, so that he became supreme god, plotting the whole course + of known life from the paths of the planets to the daily + events in the lives of men. + [ The Immortals, by Derek and Julia Parker ] +marilith + The marilith has a torso shaped like that of a human female, + and the lower body of a great snake. It has multiple arms, + and can freely attack with all of them. Since it is + intelligent enough to use weapons, this means it can cause + great damage. +mars + The god of war, and one of the most prominent and worshipped + gods. In early Roman history he was a god of spring, growth in + nature, and fertility, and the protector of cattle. Mars is + also mentioned as a chthonic god (earth-god) and this could + explain why he became a god of death and finally a god of war. + He is the son of Jupiter and Juno. + [ Encyclopedia Mythica, ed. M.F. Lindemans ] +master assassin + He strolled down the stairs, followed by a number of assassins. + When he was directly in front of Ymor he said: "I've come for + the tourist." ... + "One step more and you'll leave here with fewer eyeballs than + you came with," said the thiefmaster. "So sit down and have + a drink, Zlorf, and let's talk about this sensibly. _I_ + thought we had an agreement. You don't rob -- I don't kill. + Not for payment, that is," he added after a pause. + Zlorf took the proffered beer. + "So?" he said. "I'll kill him. Then you rob him. Is he that + funny looking one over there?" + "Yes." + Zlorf stared at Twoflower, who grinned at him. He shrugged. + He seldom wasted time wondering why people wanted other people + dead. It was just a living. + "Who is your client, may I ask?" said Ymor. + Zlorf held up a hand. "Please!" he protested. "Professional + etiquette." + [ The Colour of Magic, by Terry Pratchett ] +master key of thievery + This skeleton key was fashioned in ages past and imbued with + a powerful magic which allows it to open any lock. When + carried, it grants its owner warning, teleport control, and + reduces all physical damage by half. Finally, when invoked, + it has the ability to disarm any trap. +master of thieves + There was a flutter of wings at the window. Ymor shifted his + bulk out of the chair and crossed the room, coming back with + a large raven. After he'd unfastened the message capsule from + its leg it flew up to join its fellows lurking among the + rafters. Withel regarded it without love. Ymor's ravens were + notoriously loyal to their master, to the extent that Withel's + one attempt to promote himself to the rank of greatest thief + in Ankh-Morpork had cost their master's right hand man his + left eye. But not his life, however. Ymor never grudged a + man his ambitions. + [ The Colour of Magic, by Terry Pratchett ] +mastodon + Any large, elephantlike mammal of the genera Mammut, Mastodon, + etc., from the Oligocene and Pleistocene epochs, having + conical projections on the molar teeth. + [ Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary + of the English Language ] +meat* +huge chunk of meat + Some hae meat and canna eat, + And some would eat that want it; + But we hae meat, and we can eat, + Sae let the Lord be thankit. + [ Grace Before Meat, by Robert Burns ] +medusa + Medusa, one of the three Gorgons or Graeae, is the only one + of her sisters to have assumed mortal form and inhabited the + dungeon world. + + When Perseus was grown up Polydectes sent him to attempt the + conquest of Medusa, a terrible monster who had laid waste the + country. She was once a beautiful maiden whose hair was her + chief glory, but as she dared to vie in beauty with Minerva, + the goddess deprived her of her charms and changed her + beautiful ringlets into hissing serpents. She became a cruel + monster of so frightful an aspect that no living thing could + behold her without being turned into stone. All around the + cavern where she dwelt might be seen the stony figures of men + and animals which had chanced to catch a glimpse of her and + had been petrified with the sight. Perseus, favoured by + Minerva and Mercury, the former of whom lent him her shield + and the latter his winged shoes, approached Medusa while she + slept and taking care not to look directly at her, but guided + by her image reflected in the bright shield which he bore, he + cut off her head and gave it to Minerva, who fixed it in the + middle of her Aegis. + [ Bulfinch's Mythology, by Thomas Bulfinch ] +melon + "What is it, Umbopa, son of a fool?" I shouted in Zulu. + "It is food and water, Macumazahn," and again he waved the + green thing. + Then I saw what he had got. It was a melon. We had hit upon + a patch of wild melons, thousands of them, and dead ripe. + "Melons!" I yelled to Good, who was next me; and in another + second he had his false teeth fixed in one. + I think we ate about six each before we had done, and, poor + fruit as they were, I doubt if I ever thought anything nicer. + [ King Solomon's Mines, by H. Rider Haggard ] +mercury + Roman god of commerce, trade and travellers. He is commonly + depicted carrying a caduceus (a staff with two snakes + intertwining around it) and a purse. +*mimic + The ancestors of the modern day chameleon, these creatures can + assume the form of anything in their surroundings. They may + assume the shape of objects or dungeon features. Unlike the + chameleon though, which assumes the shape of another creature + and goes in hunt of food, the mimic waits patiently for its + meals to come in search of it. +*mind flayer + This creature has a humanoid body, tentacles around its + covered mouth, and three long fingers on each hand. Mind + flayers are telepathic, and love to devour intelligent beings, + especially humans. If they hit their victim with a tentacle, + the mind flayer will slowly drain it of all intelligence, + eventually killing its victim. +mine* + Made by Dwarfs. The Rule here is that the Mine is either long + deserted or at most is inhabited by a few survivors who will + make confused claims to have been driven out/decimated by humans/ + other Dwarfs/Minions of the Dark Lord. Inhabited or not, this + Mine will be very complex, with many levels of galleries, + beautifully carved and engineered. What was being mined here + is not always evident, but at least some of the time it will + appear to have been Jewels, since it is customary to find + unwanted emeralds, etc., still embedded in the rock of the + walls. Metal will also be present, but only when made up into + armor and weapons (_wondrous_). + [ The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, by Diana Wynne Jones ] +minotaur + The Minotaur was a monster, half bull, half human, the + offspring of Minos' wife Pasiphae and a wonderfully beautiful + bull. ... When the Minotaur was born Minos did not kill him. + He had Daedalus, a great architect and inventor, construct a + place of confinement for him from which escape was impossible. + Daedalus built the Labyrinth, famous throughout the world. + Once inside, one would go endlessly along its twisting paths + without ever finding the exit. + [ Mythology, by Edith Hamilton ] +mit*ra* + Originating in India (Mitra), Mithra is a god of light who + was translated into the attendant of the god Ahura Mazda in + the light religion of Persia; from this he was adopted as + the Roman deity Mithras. He is not generally regarded as a + sky god but a personification of the fertilizing power of + warm, light air. According to the _Avesta_, he possesses + 10,000 eyes and ears and rides in a chariot drawn by white + horses. Mithra, according to Zarathustra, is concerned with + the endless battle between light and dark forces: he + represents truth. He is responsible for the keeping of oaths + and contracts. He is attributed with the creation of both + plants and animals. His chief adversary is Ahriman, the + power of darkness. + [ The Encyclopaedia of Myths and Legends of All + Nations, by Herbert Spencer Robinson and + Knox Wilson ] +*mithril* + _Mithril_! All folk desired it. It could be beaten like + copper, and polished like glass; and the Dwarves could make + of it a metal, light and yet harder than tempered steel. + Its beauty was like to that of common silver, but the beauty + of _mithril_ did not tarnish or grow dim. + [ The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien ] +*mitre of holiness + This helm of brilliance performs all of the normal functions + of a helm of brilliance, but also has the ability to protect + anyone who carries it from fire. When invoked, it boosts + the energy of the invoker, allowing them to cast more spells. +mjollnir + Forged by the dwarves Eitri and Brokk, in response to Loki's + challenge, Mjollnir is an indestructible war hammer. It has + two magical properties: when thrown it always returned to + Thor's hand; and it could be made to shrink in size until it + could fit inside Thor's shirt. Its only flaw is that it has + a short handle. The other gods judged Mjollnir the winner of + the contest because, of all the treasures created, it alone had + the power to protect them from the giants. As the legends + surrounding Mjollnir grew, it began to take on the quality of + "vigja", or consecration. Thor used it to consecrate births, + weddings, and even to raise his goats from the dead. In the + Norse mythologies Mjollnir is considered to represent Thor's + governance over the entire cycle of life - fertility, birth, + destruction, and resurrection. +~slime mold +*mold + Mold, multicellular organism of the division Fungi, typified + by plant bodies composed of a network of cottony filaments. + The colors of molds are due to spores borne on the filaments. + Most molds are saprophytes. Some species (e.g., penicillium) + are used in making cheese and antibiotics. + [ The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia ] +mol?ch + And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, + Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever + he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that + sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; + he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall + stone him with stones. + And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off + from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto + Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name. + And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes + from the man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and kill + him not: + Then I will set my face against that man, and against his + family, and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after + him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people. + [ Leviticus 20:1-5 ] +monkey + "Listen, man-cub," said the Bear, and his voice rumbled like + thunder on a hot night. "I have taught thee all the Law of + the Jungle for all the peoples of the jungle--except the + Monkey-Folk who live in the trees. They have no law. They + are outcasts. They have no speech of their own, but use the + stolen words which they overhear when they listen, and peep, + and wait up above in the branches. Their way is not our way. + They are without leaders. They have no remembrance. They + boast and chatter and pretend that they are a great people + about to do great affairs in the jungle, but the falling of + a nut turns their minds to laughter and all is forgotten. + We of the jungle have no dealings with them. We do not drink + where the monkeys drink; we do not go where the monkeys go; + we do not hunt where they hunt; we do not die where they die...." + [ The Jungle Book, by Rudyard Kipling ] +mumak* + ... the Mumak of Harad was indeed a beast of vast bulk, and + the like of him does not walk now in Middle-Earth; his kin + that live still in latter days are but memories of his girth + and majesty. On he came, ... his great legs like trees, + enormous sail-like ears spread out, long snout upraised like + a huge serpent about to strike, his small red eyes raging. + His upturned hornlike tusks ... dripped with blood. + [ The Two Towers, by J.R.R. Tolkien ] +*mummy + But for an account of the manner in which the body was + bandaged, and a list of the unguents and other materials + employed in the process, and the words of power which were + spoken as each bandage was laid in its place, we must have + recourse to a very interesting papyrus which has been edited + and translated by M. Maspero under the title of Le Rituel de + l'Embaumement. ... + Everything that could be done to preserve the body was now + done, and every member of it was, by means of the words of + power which changed perishable substances into imperishable, + protected to all eternity; when the final covering of purple + or white linen had been fastened upon it, the body was ready + for the tomb. + [ Egyptian Magic, by E.A. Wallis Budge ] +mummy wrapping + He held a white cloth -- it was a serviette he had brought + with him -- over the lower part of his face, so that his + mouth and jaws were completely hidden, and that was the + reason for his muffled voice. But it was not that which + startled Mrs. Hall. It was the fact that all his forehead + above his blue glasses was covered by a white bandage, and + that another covered his ears, leaving not a scrap of his + face exposed excepting only his pink, peaked nose. It was + bright, pink, and shiny just as it had been at first. He + wore a dark-brown velvet jacket with a high, black, linen- + lined collar turned up about his neck. The thick black + hair, escaping as it could below and between the cross + bandages, project in curious tails and horns, giving him + the strangest appearance conceivable. + [ The Invisible Man, by H.G. Wells ] +*naga* +*naja* + The naga is a mystical creature with the body of a snake and + the head of a man or woman. They will fiercely protect the + territory they consider their own. Some nagas can be forced + to serve as guardians by a spellcaster of great power. +naginata + A Japanese pole-arm, fitted with a curved single-edged blade. + The blades ranged in length from two to four feet, mounted on + shafts about four to five feet long. The naginata were cut + with a series of short grooves near to the tang, above which + the back edge was thinned, but not sharpened, so that the + greater part of the blade was a flattened diamond shape in + section. Seen in profile, the curve is slight or non- + existent near the tang, becoming more pronounced towards the + point. + + "With his naginata he killed five, but with the sixth it + snapped asunder in the midst and, flinging it away, he drew + his sword, wielding it in the zigzag style, the interlacing, + cross, reversed dragonfly, waterwheel, and eight-sides-at- + once styles of fencing and cutting down eight men; but as he + brought down the ninth with a mighty blow on the helmet, the + blade snapped at the hilt." + [ Story of Tsutsui no Jomio Meishu from Tales of Heike ] +nalfeshnee + Not only do these demons do physical damage with their claws + and bite, but they are capable of using magic as well. +nalzok + Nalzok is Moloch's cunning and unfailingly loyal battle + lieutenant, to whom he trusts the command of warfare when he + does not wish to exercise it himself. Nalzok is a major + demon, known to command the undead. He is hungry for power, + and secretly covets Moloch's position. Moloch doesn't trust + him, but, trusting his own power enough, chooses to allow + Nalzok his position because he is useful. +neanderthal* + 1. Valley between Duesseldorf and Elberfeld in Germany, + where an ancient skull of a prehistoric ancestor to modern + man was found. 2. Human(oid) of the race mentioned above. +neferet +neferet the green + Neferet the Green holds office in her hidden tower, only + reachable by magical means, where she teaches her apprentices + the enigmatic skills of occultism. Despite her many years, she + continues to investigate new spells, especially those involving + translocation. It is further rumored that when she was an + apprentice herself, she accidentally turned her skin green, and + has kept it that way ever since. +newt + (kinds of) small animal, like a lizard, which spends most of + its time in the water. + [ Oxford's Student's Dictionary of Current English ] + + "Fillet of a fenny snake, + In the cauldron boil and bake; + Eye of newt and toe of frog, + Wool of bat and tongue of dog, + Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting, + Lizard's leg and howlet's wing, + For a charm of powerful trouble, + Like a hell-broth boil and bubble." + [ Macbeth, by William Shakespeare ] +ninja-to + A Japanese broadsword. +*norn + The Norns were the three Norse Fates, or the goddesses of fate. + Female giants, they brought the wonderful Golden Age to an end. + They cast lots over the cradle of every child that was born, + and placed gifts in the cradle. Their names were Urda, + Verdandi, and Skuld, representing the past, the present, and + the future. Urda and Verdandi were kindly disposed, but Skuld + was cruel and savage. Their tasks were to sew the web of + fate, to water the sacred ash, Yggdrasil, and to keep it in + good condition by placing fresh earth around it daily. In her + fury, Skuld often spoiled the work of her sisters by tearing + the web to shreds. + [ The Encyclopedia of Myths and Legends of All + Nations by Herbert Spencer Robinson and Knox + Wilson ] +nunchaku + A Japanese flail. +*nymph + A female creature from Roman and Greek mythology, the nymph + occupied rivers, forests, ponds, etc. A nymph's beauty is + beyond words: an ever-young woman with sleek figure and + long, thick hair, radiant skin and perfect teeth, full lips + and gentle eyes. A nymph's scent is delightful, and her + long robe glows, hemmed with golden threads and embroidered + with rainbow hues of unearthly magnificence. A nymph's + demeanour is graceful and charming, her mind quick and witty. + + "Theseus felt her voice pulling him down into fathoms of + sleep. The song was the skeleton of his dream, and the dream + was full of terror. Demon girls were after him, and a bull- + man was goring him. Everywhere there was blood. There was + pain. There was fear. But his head was in the nymph's lap + and her musk was about him, her voice weaving the dream. He + knew then that she had been sent to tell him of something + dreadful that was to happen to him later. Her song was a + warning. But she had brought him a new kind of joy, one that + made him see everything differently. The boy, who was to + become a hero, suddenly knew then what most heroes learn + later -- and some too late -- that joy blots suffering and + that the road to nymphs is beset by monsters." + [ The Minotaur by Bernard Evslin ] +odin + Also called Sigtyr (god of Victory), Val-father (father of + the slain), One-Eyed, Hanga-god (god of the hanged), Farma- + god (god of cargoes), Hapta-god (god of prisoners), and + Othin. He is the prime god of the Norsemen: god of war and + victory, wisdom and prophecy, poetry, the dead, air and wind, + hospitality, and magic. + As the god of war and victory, Odin is ruler of the Valkyries, + warrior-maidens who lived in the halls of Valhalla in Asgard, + the hall of dead heroes where he held his court. + These chosen ones will defend the realm of the gods against + the Frost Giants on the final day of reckoning, Ragnarok. + As god of the wind, Odin rides through the air on his eight- + footed horse, Sleipnir, wielding Gungner, his spear, normally + accompanied by his ravens, Hugin and Munin, who he would also + use as his spies. + As a god of hospitality, he enjoys visiting the earth in + disguise to see how people were behaving and to see how they + would treat him, not knowing who he was. + Odin is usually represented as a one-eyed wise old man with a + long white beard and a wide-brimmed hat (he gave one of his + eyes to Mimir, the guardian of the well of wisdom in Hel, in + exchange for a draught of knowledge). +ogre* + Anyone who has met a gluttonous, nude, angry ogre, will not + easily forget this encounter -- if he survives it at all. + Both male and female ogres can easily grow as tall as three + metres. Build and facial expressions would remind one of a + Neanderthal. Its small, pointy, keen teeth are striking. + Since ogres avoid direct sunlight, their ragged, unfurry + skin is as white as a sheet. They enjoy coating their body + with lard and usually wear nothing but a loin-cloth. An elf + would smell its rancid stench at ten metres distance. + Ogres are solitary creatures: very rarely one may encounter + a female with two or three young. They are the only real + carnivores among the humanoids, and its favourite meal is -- + not surprisingly -- human flesh. They sometimes ally with + orcs or goblins, but only when they anticipate a good meaty + meal. + [ het Boek van de Regels; Het Oog des Meesters ] +oilskin cloak + During our watches below we overhauled our clothes, and made + and mended everything for bad weather. Each of us had made + for himself a suit of oil-cloth or tarpaulin, and these we + got out, and gave thorough coatings of oil or tar, and hung + upon the stays to dry. Our stout boots, too, we covered + over with a thick mixture of melted grease and tar. Thus we + took advantage of the warm sun and fine weather of the + Pacific to prepare for its other face. + [ Two Years Before the Mast, by Richard Henry Dana ] +oilskin sack + Summer passed all too quickly. On the last day of camp, Mr. + Brickle called his counselors together and paid them what he + owed them. Louis received one hundred dollars - the first + money he had ever earned. He had no wallet and no pockets, + so Mr. Brickle placed the money in a waterproof bag that had + a drawstring. He hung this moneybag around Louis' neck, + along with the trumpet, the slate, the chalk pencil, and the + lifesaving medal. + [ The Trumpet of the Swan, by E.B. White ] +olog-hai + But at the end of the Third Age a troll-race not before seen + appeared in southern Mirkwood and in the mountain borders of + Mordor. Olog-hai they were called in the Black Speech. That + Sauron bred them none doubted, though from what stock was not + known. Some held that they were not Trolls but giant Orcs; + but the Olog-hai were in fashion of body and mind quite unlike + even the largest of Orc-kind, whom they far surpassed in size + and power. Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will + of their master: a fell race, strong, agile, fierce and + cunning, but harder than stone. Unlike the older race of the + Twilight they could endure the Sun.... They spoke little, + and the only tongue they knew was the Black Speech of Barad-dur. + [ The Return of the King, by J.R.R. Tolkien ] +oracle +delphi +p*thia + Delphi under towering Parnassus, where Apollo's oracle was, + plays an important part in mythology. Castalia was its + sacred spring; Cephissus its river. It was held to be the + center of the world, so many pilgrims came to it, from + foreign countries as well as Greece. No other shrine rivaled + it. The answers to the questions asked by the anxious + seekers for Truth were delivered by a priestess who went into + a trance before she spoke. + [ Mythology, by Edith Hamilton ] +orange +pear + What was the fruit like? Unfortunately, no one can describe + a taste. All I can say is that, compared with those fruits, + the freshest grapefruit you've ever eaten was dull, and the + juiciest orange was dry, and the most melting pear was hard + and woody, and the sweetest wild strawberry was sour. And + there were no seeds or stones, and no wasps. If you had once + eaten that fruit, all the nicest things in this world would + taste like medicines after it. But I can't describe it. You + can't find out what it is like unless you can get to that + country and taste it for yourself. + [ The Last Battle, by C.S. Lewis ] +*orb of detection + This Orb is a crystal ball of exceptional powers. When + carried, it grants ESP, limits damage done by spells, and + protects the carrier from magic missiles. When invoked it + allows the carrier to become invisible. +orb of fate + Some say that Odin himself created this ancient crystal ball, + although others argue that Loki created it and forged Odin's + signature on the bottom. In any case, it is a powerful + artifact. Anyone who carries it is granted the gift of + warning, and damage, both spell and physical, is partially + absorbed by the orb itself. When invoked it has the power + to teleport the invoker between levels. +goblin king +orcrist + The Great Goblin gave a truly awful howl of rage when he + looked at it, and all his soldiers gnashed their teeth, + clashed their shields, and stamped. They knew the sword at + once. It had killed hundreds of goblins in its time, when + the fair elves of Gondolin hunted them in the hills or did + battle before their walls. They had called it Orcrist, + Goblin-cleaver, but the goblins called it simply Biter. + They hated it and hated worse any one that carried it. + [ The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien ] +orcus + Orcus, Prince of the Undead, has a ram's head and a poison + stinger. He is most feared, though, for his powerful magic + abilities. His wand causes death to those he chooses. +~orc ??m* +orc* +* orc +uruk*hai + Orcs, bipeds with a humanoid appearance, are related to the + goblins, but much bigger and more dangerous. The average orc + is only moderately intelligent, has broad, muscled shoulders, + a short neck, a sloping forehead and a thick, dark fur. + Their lower eye-teeth are pointing forward, like a boar's. + Female orcs are more lightly built and bare-chested. Not + needing any clothing, they do like to dress in variegated + apparels. Suspicious by nature, orcs live in tribes or + hordes. They tend to live underground as well as above + ground (but they dislike sunlight). Orcs can use all weapons, + tools and armours that are used by men. Since they don't have + the talent to fashion these themselves, they are constantly + hunting for them. There is nothing a horde of orcs cannot + use. + [ het Boek van de Regels; Het Oog des Meesters ] +orion +sirius + Orion was the son of Neptune. He was a handsome giant and a + mighty hunter. His father gave him the power of wading + through the depths of the sea, or, as others say, of + walking on its surface. + + He dwelt as a hunter with Diana (Artemis), with whom he + was a favourite, and it is even said she was about to marry + him. Her brother was highly displeased and often chid her, + but to no purpose. One day, observing Orion wading through + the sea with his head just above the water, Apollo pointed + it out to his sister and maintained that she could not hit + that black thing on the sea. The archer-goddess discharged + a shaft with fatal aim. The waves rolled the dead body of + Orion to the land, and bewailing her fatal error with many + tears, Diana placed him among the stars, where he appears + as a giant, with a girdle, sword, lion's skin, and + club. Sirius, his dog, follows him, and the Pleiads fly + before him. + [ Bulfinch's Mythology, by Thomas Bulfinch ] +osaku + The osaku is a small tool for picking locks. +owlbear + Owlbears are probably the crossbreed creation of a demented + wizard; given the lethal nature of this creation, it is quite + likely the wizard who created them is no longer alive. As + the name might already suggest, owlbears are a cross between + a giant owl and a bear. They are covered with fur and + feathers. +panther + And lo! almost where the ascent began, + A panther light and swift exceedingly, + Which with a spotted skin was covered o'er! + + And never moved she from before my face, + Nay, rather did impede so much my way, + That many times I to return had turned. + [ Dante's Inferno, as translated + by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ] +pelias + Conan cried out sharply and recoiled, thrusting his companion + back. Before them rose the great shimmering white form of Satha, + an ageless hate in its eyes. Conan tensed himself for one mad + berserker onslaught -- to thrust the glowing faggot into that + fiendish countenance and throw his life into the ripping sword- + stroke. But the snake was not looking at him. It was glaring + over his shoulder at the man called Pelias, who stood with his + arms folded, smiling. And in the great, cold, yellow eyes + slowly the hate died out in a glitter of pure fear -- the only + time Conan ever saw such an expression in a reptile's eyes. + With a swirling rush like the sweep of a strong wind, the great + snake was gone. + "What did he see to frighten him?" asked Conan, eyeing his + companion uneasily. + "The scaled people see what escapes the mortal eye," answered + Pelias cryptically. "You see my fleshy guise, he saw my naked + soul." + [ Conan the Usurper, by Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp ] +pick*ax* + The mine is full of holes; + With the wound of pickaxes. + But look at the goldsmith's store. + There, there is gold everywhere. + [ Divan-i Kebir Meter 2, by Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi ] +*piercer + Ye Piercer doth look like unto a stalactyte, and hangeth + from the roofs of caves and caverns. Unto the height of a + man, and thicker than a man's thigh do they grow, and in + groups do they hang. If a creature doth pass beneath them, + they will by its heat and noise perceive it, and fall upon + it to kill and devour it, though in any other way they move + but exceeding slow. + [ the Bestiary of Xygag ] +pit +spiked pit + Amid the thought of the fiery destruction that impended, the + idea of the coolness of the well came over my soul like balm. + I rushed to its deadly brink. I threw my straining vision + below. The glare from the enkindled roof illumined its inmost + recesses. Yet, for a wild moment, did my spirit refuse to + comprehend the meaning of what I saw. At length it forced -- + it wrestled its way into my soul -- it burned itself in upon my + shuddering reason. Oh! for a voice to speak! -- oh! horror! -- + oh! any horror but this! + [ The Pit and the Pendulum, by Edgar Allan Poe ] +pit fiend + Pit fiends are among the more powerful of devils, capable of + attacking twice with weapons as well as grabbing and crushing + the life out of those unwary enough to enter their + domains. +platinum yendorian express card + This is an ancient artifact made of an unknown material. It + is rectangular in shape, very thin, and inscribed with + unreadable ancient runes. When carried, it grants the one + who carries it ESP, and reduces all spell induced damage done to + the carrier by half. It also protects from magic missile + attacks. Finally, its power is such that when invoked, it + can charge other objects. +pony + Hey! now! Come hoy now! Whither do you wander? + Up, down, near or far, here, there or yonder? + Sharp-ears, Wise-nose, Swish-tail and Bumpkin, + White-socks my little lad, and old Fatty Lumpkin! + + [...] + Tom called them one by one and they climbed over the brow and + stood in a line. Then Tom bowed to the hobbits. + + "Here are your ponies, now!" he said. "They've more sense (in some + ways) than you wandering hobbits have -- more sense in their noses. + For they sniff danger ahead which you walk right into; and if they + run to save themselves, then they run the right way." + [ The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien ] +*portal + Portals can be Mirrors, Pictures, Standing Stones, Stone + Circles, Windows, and special gates set up for the purpose. + You will travel through them both to distant parts of the + continent and to and from our own world. The precise manner + of their working is a Management secret. + [ The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, by Diana Wynne Jones ] +poseido*n + Poseido(o)n, lord of the seas and father of rivers and + fountains, was the son of Chronos and Rhea, brother of Zeus, + Hades, Hera, Hestia and Demeter. His rank of ruler of the + waves he received by lot at the Council Meeting of the Gods, + at which Zeus took the upper world for himself and gave + dominion over the lower world to Hades. + Poseidon is associated in many ways with horses and thus is + the god of horses. He taught men how to ride and manage the + animal he invented and is looked upon as the originator and + guardian deity of horse races. + His symbol is the familiar trident or three-pronged spear + with which he can split rocks, cause or quell storms, and + shake the earth, a power which makes him the god of + earthquakes as well. Physically, he is shown as a strong and + powerful ruler, every inch a king. + [ The Encyclopedia of Myths and Legends of All + Nations, by Herbert Robinson and Knox Wilson ] +*potion* + POTABLE, n. Suitable for drinking. Water is said to be + potable; indeed, some declare it our natural beverage, + although even they find it palatable only when suffering + from the recurrent disorder known as thirst, for which it + is a medicine. Upon nothing has so great and diligent + ingenuity been brought to bear in all ages and in all + countries, except the most uncivilized, as upon the + invention of substitutes for water. To hold that this + general aversion to that liquid has no basis in the + preservative instinct of the race is to be unscientific -- + and without science we are as the snakes and toads. + [ The Devil's Dictionary, by Ambrose Bierce ] +prisoner + Where am I? + In the Village. + What do you want? + Information. + Whose side are you on? + That would be telling. We want information ... + information ... + You won't get it. + By hook or by crook, we will. + Who are you? + The new Number 2. + Who is Number 1? + You are Number 6. + I am not a number! I am a free man! + [ The Prisoner, by Patrick McGoohan ] +ptah + Known under various names (Nu, Neph, Cenubis, Amen-Kneph, + Khery-Bakef), Ptah is the creator god and god of craftsmen. + He is usually depicted as wearing a closely fitting robe + with only his hands free. His most distinctive features are + the invariable skull-cap exposing only his face and ears, + and the _was_ or rod of domination which he holds, + consisting of a staff surmounted by the _ankh_ symbol of + life. He is otherwise symbolized by his sacred animal, the + bull. +*purple worm + A gargantuan version of the harmless rain-worm, the purple + worm poses a huge threat to the ordinary adventurer. It is + known to swallow whole and digest its victims within only a + few minutes. These worms are always on guard, sensitive + to the most minute vibrations in the earth, but may also + be awakened by a remote shriek. +quadruped + The woodlands and other regions are inhabited by multitudes + of four-legged creatures which cannot be simply classified. + They might not have fiery breath or deadly stings, but + adventurers have nevertheless met their end numerous times + due to the claws, hooves, or bites of such animals. +quantum mechanic + These creatures are not native to this universe; they seem + to have strangely derived powers, and unknown motives. +quasit + Quasits are small, evil creatures, related to imps. Their + talons release a very toxic poison when used in an attack. +quest + Many, possibly most, Tours are organized as a Quest. This + is like a large-scale treasure hunt, with clues scattered + all over the continent, a few false leads, Mystical Masters + as game-show hosts, and the Dark Lord and the Terrain to + make the Quest interestingly difficult. [...] + In order to be assured of your future custom, the Management + has a further Rule: Tourists, far from being rewarded for + achieving their Quest Object, must then go on to conquer + the Dark Lord or set about Saving the World, or both. And + why not? By then you will have had a lot of practice in + that sort of thing and, besides, the Quest Object is usually + designed to help you do it. + [ The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, by Diana Wynne Jones ] +quetzalcoatl + One of the principal Aztec-Toltec gods was the great and wise + Quetzalcoatl, who was called Kukumatz in Guatemala, and + Kukulcan in Yucatan. His image, the plumed serpent, is found + on both the oldest and the most recent Indian edifices. ... + The legend tells how the Indian deity Quetzalcoatl came from + the "Land of the Rising Sun". He wore a long white robe and + had a beard; he taught the people crafts and customs and laid + down wise laws. He created an empire in which the ears of + corn were as long as men are tall, and caused bolls of colored + cotton to grow on cotton plants. But for some reason or other + he had to leave his empire. ... But all the legends of + Quetzalcoatl unanimously agree that he promised to come again. + [ Gods, Graves, and Scholars, by C. W. Ceram ] +quit* + Maltar: [...] I remembered a little saying I learned my first + day at the academy. + Natalie: Yeah, yeah, I know. Winners never quit and quitters + never win. + Maltar: What? No! Winners never quit and quitters should be + cast into the flaming pit of death. + [ Snow Day, directed by Chris Koch, + written by Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi ] +raijin +raiden + The god of thunder. +human ranger +ranger + "Lonely men are we, Rangers of the wild, hunters -- but hunters + ever of the servants of the Enemy; for they are found in many + places, not in Mordor only. + If Gondor, Boromir, has been a stalwart tower, we have played + another part. Many evil things there are that your strong walls + and bright swords do not stay. You know little of the lands + beyond your bounds. Peace and freedom, do you say? The North + would have known them little but for us. Fear would have + destroyed them. But when dark things come from the houseless + hills, or creep from sunless woods, they fly from us. What + roads would any dare to tread, what safety would there be in + quiet lands, or in the homes of simple men at night, if the + Dunedain were asleep, or were all gone into the grave?" + [ The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien ] +rat +* rat + Rats are long-tailed rodents. They are aggressive, + omnivorous, and adaptable, often carrying diseases. + + "The rat," said O'Brien, still addressing his invisible + audience, "although a rodent, is carnivorous. You are aware + of that. You will have heard of the things that happen in + the poor quarters of this town. In some streets a woman dare + not leave her baby alone in the house, even for five minutes. + The rats are certain to attack it. Within quite a small time + they will strip it to the bones. They also attack sick or + dying people. They show astonishing intelligence in knowing + when a human being is helpless." + [ 1984, by George Orwell ] +raven + But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only + That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour. + Nothing further then he uttered -- not a feather then he fluttered-- + Till I scarcely more than muttered, 'other friends have flown before-- + On the morrow *he* will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.' + Then the bird said, 'Nevermore.' + [ The Raven - Edgar Allan Poe ] +*ring +ring of * + Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky, + Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, + Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die, + One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne, + In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie. + One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, + One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them + In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie. + [ The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien ] +robe + Robes are the only garments, apart from Shirts, ever to have + sleeves. They have three uses: + 1. As the official uniform of Priests, Priestesses, Monks, + Nuns (see Nunnery), and Wizards. The OMT [ Official Management + Term ] prescribed for the Robes of Priests and Nuns is that + they _fall in severe folds_; of Priestesses that they _float_; + and of Wizards that they _swirl_. You can thus see who you + are dealing with. + 2. For Kings. The OMT here is _falling in stately folds_. + 3. As the garb of Desert Nomads. [...] + [ The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, by Diana Wynne Jones ] +rock + Bilbo saw that the moment had come when he must do something. + He could not get up at the brutes and he had nothing to shoot + with; but looking about he saw that in this place there were + many stones lying in what appeared to be a now dry little + watercourse. Bilbo was a pretty fair shot with a stone, and + it did not take him long to find a nice smooth egg-shaped one + that fitted his hand cosily. As a boy he used to practise + throwing stones at things, until rabbits and squirrels, and + even birds, got out of his way as quick as lightning if they + saw him stoop; and even grownup he had still spent a deal of + his time at quoits, dart-throwing, shooting at the wand, + bowls, ninepins and other quiet games of the aiming and + throwing sort - indeed he could do lots of things, besides + blowing smoke-rings, asking riddles and cooking, that I + haven't time to tell you about. There is no time now. While + he was picking up stones, the spider had reached Bombur, and + soon he would have been dead. At that moment Bilbo threw. + The stone struck the spider plunk on the head, and it dropped + senseless off the tree, flop to the ground, with all its legs + curled up. + [ The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien ] +rock mole + A rock mole is a member of the rodent family. They get their + name from their ability to tunnel through rock in the same + fashion that a mole tunnels through earth. They are known to + eat anything they come across in their diggings, although it + is still unknown how they convert some of these things into + something of nutritional value. +rogue +human rogue + I understand the business, I hear it: to have an open ear, a + quick eye, and a nimble hand, is necessary for a cut-purse; a + good nose is requisite also, to smell out work for the other + senses. I see this is the time that the unjust man doth + thrive. <...> The prince himself is about a piece of iniquity, + stealing away from his father with his clog at his heels: if + I thought it were a piece of honesty to acquaint the king + withal, I would not do't: I hold it the more knavery to + conceal it; and therein am I constant to my profession. + [ Autolycus the Rogue, from The Winter's Tale by + William Shakespeare ] +rothe + The rothe (pronounced roth-AY) is a musk ox-like creature with + an aversion to light. It prefers to live underground near + lichen and moss. +*royal jelly + "'Royal Jelly,'" he read aloud, "'must be a substance of + tremendous nourishing power, for on this diet alone, the + honey-bee larva increases in weight fifteen hundred times in + five days!'" + + "How much?" + + "Fifteen hundred times, Mabel. And you know what that means + if you put it in terms of a human being? It means," he said, + lowering his voice, leaning forward, fixing her with those + small pale eyes, "it means that in five days a baby weighing + seven and a half pounds to start off with would increase in + weight to five tons!" + [ Royal Jelly, by Roald Dahl ] +rust monster + These strange creatures live on a diet of metals. They can + turn a suit of armour into so much useless rusted scrap in no + time at all. +*saber +*sabre + Flashed all their sabres bare, + Flashed as they turned in air, + Sab'ring the gunners there, + Charging an army, while + All the world wondered: + Plunged in the battery smoke, + Right through the line they broke; + Cossack and Russian + Reeled from the sabre-stroke + Shattered and sundered. + Then they rode back, but not-- + Not the six hundred. + [ The Charge of the Light Brigade, + by Alfred, Lord Tennyson ] +saddle + The horseman serves the horse, + The neat-herd serves the neat, + The merchant serves the purse, + The eater serves his meat; + 'Tis the day of the chattel, + Web to weave, and corn to grind, + Things are in the saddle, + And ride mankind. + [ Ode, by Ralph Waldo Emerson ] +sake + Japanese rice wine. +salamander + For hundreds of years, many people believed that salamanders + were magical. In England in the Middle Ages, people thought + that fire created salamanders. When they set fire to damp + logs, dozens of the slimy creatures scurried out. The word + salamander, in fact, comes from a Greek word meaning "fire + animal". + [ Salamanders, by Cherie Winner ] +sandestin + Ildefonse left the terrace and almost immediately sounds + of contention came from the direction of the work-room. + Ildefonse presently returned to the terrace, followed by + Osherl and a second sandestin using the guise of a gaunt blue + bird-like creature, some six feet in height. + + Ildefonse spoke in scathing tones: "Behold these two + creatures! They can roam the chronoplex as easily as you + or I can walk around the table; yet neither has the wit to + announce his presence upon arrival. I found Osherl asleep + in his fulgurite and Sarsem perched in the rafters." + [...] + "No matter," said Rhialto. "He has brought Sarsem, and this + was his requirement. In the main, Osherl, you have done well!" + + "And my indenture point?" + + "Much depends upon Sarsem's testimony. Sarsem, will you sit?" + + "In this guise, I find it more convenient to stand." + + "Then why not alter to human form and join us in comfort at + the table?" + + "That is a good idea." Sarsem became a naked young epicene + in an integument of lavender scales with puffs of purple hair + like pom-poms growing down his back. He seated himself at + the table but declined refreshment. "This human semblance, + though typical, is after all, only a guise. If I were to put + such things inside myself, I might well become uneasy." + [ Rhialto the Marvellous, by Jack Vance ] +sasquatch + The name _Sasquatch_ doesn't really become important in Canada + until the 1930s, when it appeared in the works of J. W. Burns, + a British Columbian writer who used a great deal of Indian + lore in his stories. Burn's Sasquatch was a giant Indian who + lived in the wilderness. He was hairy only in the sense that + he had long hair on his head, and while this Sasquatch lived a + wild and primitive life, he was fully human. + Burns's character proved to be quite popular. There was a + Sasquatch Inn near the town of Harrison, British Columbia, and + Harrison even had a local celebration called "Sasquatch Days." + The celebration which had been dormant for years was revived + as part of British Columbia's centennial, and one of the + events was to be a Sasquatch hunt. The hunt never took place, + perhaps it was never supposed to, but the publicity about it + did bring out a number of people who said they had encountered + a Sasquatch -- not Burns's giant Indian, but the hairy apelike + creature that we have all come to know. + [ The Encyclopedia of Monsters, by Daniel Cohen ] +*sceptre of might + This mace was created aeons ago in some unknown cave, + and has been passed down from generation to generation of + cave dwellers. It is a very mighty mace indeed, and in + addition will protect anyone who carries it from magic + missile attacks. When invoked, it causes conflict in the + area around it. +scorpio* + A sub-species of the spider (_Scorpionidae_), the scorpion + distinguishes itself from them by having a lower body that + ends in a long, jointed tail tapering to a poisonous stinger. + They have eight legs and pincers. + [ Van Dale's Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal ] +scorpius + Since early times, the Scorpion has represented death, darkness, + and evil. Scorpius is the reputed slayer of Orion the Hunter. + [...] The gods put both scorpion and hunter among the stars, but + on opposite sides of the sky so they would never fight again. + As Scorpius rises in the east, Orion sets in the west. + [ 365 Starry Nights, by Chet Raymo ] +*scroll +scroll * + And I was gazing on the surges prone, + With many a scalding tear and many a groan, + When at my feet emerg'd an old man's hand, + Grasping this scroll, and this same slender wand. + I knelt with pain--reached out my hand--had grasp'd + Those treasures--touch'd the knuckles--they unclasp'd-- + I caught a finger: but the downward weight + O'erpowered me--it sank. Then 'gan abate + The storm, and through chill aguish gloom outburst + The comfortable sun. I was athirst + To search the book, and in the warming air + Parted its dripping leaves with eager care. + Strange matters did it treat of, and drew on + My soul page after page, till well-nigh won + Into forgetfulness; when, stupefied, + I read these words, and read again, and tried + My eyes against the heavens, and read again. + [ Endymion, by John Keats ] +shad* + Shades are undead creatures. They differ from zombies in + that a zombie is an undead animation of a corpse, while a + shade is an undead creature magically created by the use + of black magic. +shaman karnov + Making his quarters in the Caves of the Ancestors, Shaman + Karnov unceasingly tries to shield his neanderthal people + from Tiamat's minions' harassments. +shan*lai*ching + The Chinese god of Mountains and Seas, also the name of an + old book (also Shan Hai Tjing), the book of mountains and + seas - which deals with the monster Kung Kung trying to + seize power from Yao, the fourth emperor. + [ Spectrum Atlas van de Mythologie ] +shito + A Japanese stabbing knife. +skeleton + A skeleton is a magically animated undead creature. Unlike + shades, only a humanoid creature can be used to create a + skeleton. No one knows why this is true, but it has become + an accepted fact amongst the practitioners of the black arts. +slasher + "That dog belonged to a settler who tried to build his cabin + on the bank of the river a few miles south of the fort," + grunted Conan. ... "We took him to the fort and dressed his + wounds, but after he recovered he took to the woods and turned + wild. -- What now, Slasher, are you hunting the men who + killed your master?" ... "Let him come," muttered Conan. + "He can smell the devils before we can see them." ... + Slasher cleared the timbers with a bound and leaped into the + bushes. They were violently shaken and then the dog slunk + back to Balthus' side, his jaws crimson. ... "He was a man," + said Conan. "I drink to his shade, and to the shade of the + dog, who knew no fear." He quaffed part of the wine, then + emptied the rest upon the floor, with a curious heathen + gesture, and smashed the goblet. "The heads of ten Picts + shall pay for this, and seven heads for the dog, who was a + better warrior than many a man." + [ Conan The Warrior, by Robert E Howard ] +slime mold + Slime mold or slime fungus, organism usually classified with + the fungi, but showing equal affinity to the protozoa. Slime + molds have complex life cycles with an animal-like motile + phase, in which feeding and growth occur, and a plant-like + immotile reproductive phase. The motile phase, commonly + found under rotting logs and damp leaves, consists of either + solitary amoebalike cells or a brightly colored multinucleate + mass of protoplasm called a plasmodium, which creeps about + and feeds by amoeboid movement. + [ The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia ] +sling + And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and + drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward + the army to meet the Philistine. + And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, + and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that + the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face + to the earth. + So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with + a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there + was no sword in the hand of David. + [ 1 Samuel 17:48-50 ] +*snake +serpent +water moccasin +python +pit viper + Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field + which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, + hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? + And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of + the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is + in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of + it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent + said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth + know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be + opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And + when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it + was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one + wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also + unto her husband with her; and he did eat. + + And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou + hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I + did eat. And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou + hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above + every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and + dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put + enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her + seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. + [ Genesis 3:1-6,13-15 ] +snickersnee + Ah, never shall I forget the cry, + or the shriek that shrieked he, + As I gnashed my teeth, and from my sheath + I drew my Snickersnee! + --Koko, Lord high executioner of Titipu + [ The Mikado, by Sir W.S. Gilbert ] +sokoban + Sokoban (Japanese for "warehouse person") is a puzzle-type + game where the player must push around treasure to a goal + area. It apparently won first prize in a Japanese programming + contest. + [ Xsokoban web site ] +*soldier +sergeant +lieutenant +captain + The soldiers of Yendor are well-trained in the art of war, + many trained by the Wizard himself. Some say the soldiers + are explorers who were unfortunate enough to be captured, + and put under the Wizard's spell. Those who have survived + encounters with soldiers say they travel together in platoons, + and are fierce fighters. Because of the load of their combat + gear, however, one can usually run away from them, and doing + so is considered a wise thing. +*spear +javelin + - they come together with great random, and a spear is brast, + and one party brake his shield and the other one goes down, + horse and man, over his horse-tail and brake his neck, and + then the next candidate comes randoming in, and brast his + spear, and the other man brast his shield, and down he goes, + horse and man, over his horse-tail, and brake his neck, and + then there's another elected, and another and another and + still another, till the material is all used up; and when you + come to figure up results, you can't tell one fight from + another, nor who whipped; and as a picture of living, raging, + roaring battle, sho! why it's pale and noiseless - just + ghosts scuffling in a fog. Dear me, what would this barren + vocabulary get out of the mightiest spectacle? - the burning + of Rome in Nero's time, for instance? Why, it would merely + say 'Town burned down; no insurance; boy brast a window, + fireman brake his neck!' Why, that ain't a picture! + [ A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, by Mark + Twain ] +*spellbook* + The Book of Three lay closed on the table. Taran had never + been allowed to read the volume for himself; now he was sure + it held more than Dallben chose to tell him. In the sun- + filled room, with Dallben still meditating and showing no + sign of stopping, Taran rose and moved through the shimmering + beams. From the forest came the monotonous tick of a beetle. + His hands reached for the cover. Taran gasped in pain and + snatched them away. They smarted as if each of his fingers + had been stung by hornets. He jumped back, stumbled against + the bench, and dropped to the floor, where he put his fingers + woefully into his mouth. + Dallben's eyes blinked open. He peered at Taran and yawned + slowly. "You had better see Coll about a lotion for those + hands," he advised. "Otherwise, I shouldn't be surprised if + they blistered." + [ The Book of Three, by Lloyd Alexander ] +*spider + Eight legged creature capable of spinning webs to trap prey. + + "You mean you eat flies?" gasped Wilbur. + "Certainly. Flies, bugs, grasshoppers, choice beetles, + moths, butterflies, tasty cockroaches, gnats, midges, daddy + longlegs, centipedes, mosquitoes, crickets - anything that is + careless enough to get caught in my web. I have to live, + don't I?" + "Why, yes, of course," said Wilbur. + [ Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White ] +*spore +*sphere + The attack by those who want to die -- this is the attack + against which you cannot prepare a perfect defense. + --Human aphorism + [ The Dosadi Experiment, by Frank Herbert ] +~*aesculapius +*staff + So they stood, each in his place, neither moving a finger's + breadth back, for one good hour, and many blows were given + and received by each in that time, till here and there were + sore bones and bumps, yet neither thought of crying "Enough," + or seemed likely to fall from off the bridge. Now and then + they stopped to rest, and each thought that he never had seen + in all his life before such a hand at quarterstaff. At last + Robin gave the stranger a blow upon the ribs that made his + jacket smoke like a damp straw thatch in the sun. So shrewd + was the stroke that the stranger came within a hair's breadth + of falling off the bridge; but he regained himself right + quickly, and, by a dexterous blow, gave Robin a crack on the + crown that caused the blood to flow. Then Robin grew mad + with anger, and smote with all his might at the other; but + the stranger warded the blow, and once again thwacked Robin, + and this time so fairly that he fell heels over head into the + water, as the queen pin falls in a game of bowls. + [ The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, by Howard Pyle ] +*staff of aesculapius + This staff is considered sacred to all healers, as it truly + holds the powers of life and death. When wielded, it + protects its user from all life draining attacks, and + additionally gives the wielder the power of regeneration. + When invoked it performs healing magic. +staircase* + Up he went -- very quickly at first -- then more slowly -- then + in a little while even more slowly than that -- and finally, + after many minutes of climbing up the endless stairway, one + weary foot was barely able to follow the other. Milo suddenly + realized that with all his effort he was no closer to the top + than when he began, and not a great deal further from the + bottom. But he struggled on for a while longer, until at last, + completely exhausted, he collapsed onto one of the steps. + "I should have known it," he mumbled, resting his tired legs + and filling his lungs with air. "This is just like the line + that goes on forever, and I'll never get there." + "You wouldn't like it much anyway," someone replied gently. + "Infinity is a dreadfully poor place. They can never manage to + make ends meet." + [ The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster ] +~statue trap +statue* + Then at last he began to wonder why the lion was standing so + still - for it hadn't moved one inch since he first set eyes + on it. Edmund now ventured a little nearer, still keeping in + the shadow of the arch as much as he could. He now saw from + the way the lion was standing that it couldn't have been + looking at him at all. ("But supposing it turns its head?" + thought Edmund.) In fact it was staring at something else - + namely a little dwarf who stood with his back to it about + four feet away. "Aha!" thought Edmund. "When it springs at + the dwarf then will be my chance to escape." But still the + lion never moved, nor did the dwarf. And now at last Edmund + remembered what the others had said about the White Witch + turning people into stone. Perhaps this was only a stone + lion. And as soon as he had thought of that he noticed that + the lion's back and the top of its head were covered with + snow. Of course it must be only a statue! + [ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis ] +sting + There was the usual dim grey light of the forest-day about + him when he came to his senses. The spider lay dead beside + him, and his sword-blade was stained black. Somehow the + killing of the giant spider, all alone and by himself in the + dark without the help of the wizard or the dwarves or of + anyone else, made a great difference to Mr. Baggins. He felt + a different person, and much fiercer and bolder in spite of + an empty stomach, as he wiped his sword on the grass and put + it back into its sheath. + "I will give you a name," he said to it, "and I shall call + you Sting." + [ The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien ] +stormbringer + There were sounds in the distance, incongruent with the + sounds of even this nameless, timeless sea: thin sounds, + agonized and terrible, for all that they remained remote - + yet the ship followed them, as if drawn by them; they grew + louder - pain and despair were there, but terror was + predominant. + Elric had heard such sounds echoing from his cousin Yyrkoon's + sardonically named 'Pleasure Chambers' in the days before he + had fled the responsibilities of ruling all that remained of + the old Melnibonean Empire. These were the voices of men + whose very souls were under siege; men to whom death meant + not mere extinction, but a continuation of existence, forever + in thrall to some cruel and supernatural master. He had + heard men cry so when his salvation and his nemesis, his + great black battle-blade Stormbringer, drank their souls. + [ The Lands Beyond the World, by Michael Moorcock ] +susano*o + The Shinto chthonic and weather god and brother of the sun + goddess Amaterasu, he was born from the nose of the + primordial creator god Izanagi and represents the physical, + material world. He has been expelled from heaven and taken + up residence on earth. + [ Encyclopedia of Gods, by Michael Jordan ] +tanko + Samurai plate armor of the Yamato period (AD 300 - 710). +tengu + The tengu was the most troublesome creature of Japanese + legend. Part bird and part man, with red beak for a nose + and flashing eyes, the tengu was notorious for stirring up + feuds and prolonging enmity between families. Indeed, the + belligerent tengus were supposed to have been man's first + instructors in the use of arms. + [ Mythical Beasts, by Deirdre Headon (The Leprechaun Library) ] +thoth + The Egyptian god of the moon and wisdom, Thoth is the patron + deity of scribes and of knowledge, including scientific, + medical and mathematical writing, and is said to have given + mankind the art of hieroglyphic writing. He is important as + a mediator and counsellor amongst the gods and is the scribe + of the Heliopolis Ennead pantheon. According to mythology, + he was born from the head of the god Seth. He may be + depicted in human form with the head of an ibis, wholly as an + ibis, or as a seated baboon sometimes with its torso covered + in feathers. His attributes include a crown which consists + of a crescent moon surmounted by a moon disc. + Thoth is generally regarded as a benign deity. He is also + scrupulously fair and is responsible not only for entering + in the record the souls who pass to afterlife, but of + adjudicating in the Hall of the Two Truths. The Pyramid + Texts reveal a violent side of his nature by which he + decapitates the adversaries of truth and wrenches out their + hearts. + [ Encyclopedia of Gods, by Michael Jordan ] +thoth*amon + Men say that he [Thutothmes] has opposed Thoth-Amon, who is + master of all priests of Set, and dwells in Luxor, and that + Thutothmes seeks hidden power [The Heart of Ahriman] to + overthrow the Great One. + [ Conan the Conqueror, by Robert E. Howard ] +*throne + Methought I saw the footsteps of a throne + Which mists and vapours from mine eyes did shroud-- + Nor view of who might sit thereon allowed; + But all the steps and ground about were strown + With sights the ruefullest that flesh and bone + Ever put on; a miserable crowd, + Sick, hale, old, young, who cried before that cloud, + "Thou art our king, + O Death! to thee we groan." + Those steps I clomb; the mists before me gave + Smooth way; and I beheld the face of one + Sleeping alone within a mossy cave, + With her face up to heaven; that seemed to have + Pleasing remembrance of a thought foregone; + A lovely Beauty in a summer grave! + [ Sonnet, by William Wordsworth ] +tiger + 1. A well-known tropical predator (_Felis tigris_): a + feline. It has a yellowish skin with darker spots or + stripes. 2. Figurative: _a paper tiger_, something that is + meant to scare, but has no really scaring effect whatsoever, + (after a statement by Mao Ze Dong, August 1946). + [ Van Dale's Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal ] + + Tyger! Tyger! burning bright + In the forests of the night, + What immortal hand or eye + Could frame thy fearful symmetry? + [ The Tyger, by William Blake ] +tin +tin of * +tinning kit + "You know salmon, Sarge," said Nobby. + "It is a fish of which I am aware, yes." + "You know they sell kind of slices of it in tins..." + "So I am given to understand, yes." + "Weell...how come all the tins are the same size? Salmon + gets thinner at both ends." + "Interesting point, Nobby. I think-" + [ Soul Music, by Terry Pratchett ] +tin opener + Less than thirty Cat tribes now survived, roaming the cargo + decks on their hind legs in a desperate search for food. + But the food had gone. + The supplies were finished. + Weak and ailing, they prayed at the supply hold's silver + mountains: huge towering acres of metal rocks which, in their + pagan way, the mutant Cats believed watched over them. + Amid the wailing and the screeching one Cat stood up and held + aloft the sacred icon. The icon which had been passed down + as holy, and one day would make its use known. + It was a piece of V-shaped metal with a revolving handle on + its head. + He took down a silver rock from the silver mountain, while + the other Cats cowered and screamed at the blasphemy. + He placed the icon on the rim of the rock, and turned the + handle. + And the handle turned. + And the rock opened. + And inside the rock was Alphabetti spaghetti in tomato sauce. + [ Red Dwarf, by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor ] +titan + Gaea, mother earth, arose from the Chaos and gave birth to + Uranus, heaven, who became her consort. Uranus hated all + their children, because he feared they might challenge his + own authority. Those children, the Titans, the Gigantes, + and the Cyclops, were banished to the nether world. Their + enraged mother eventually released the youngest titan, + Chronos (time), and encouraged him to castrate his father and + rule in his place. Later, he too was challenged by his own + son, Zeus, and he and his fellow titans were ousted from + Mount Olympus. + [ Greek Mythology, by Richard Patrick ] +tourist +elven tourist +human tourist + The road from Ankh-Morpork to Chrim is high, white and + winding, a thirty-league stretch of potholes and half-buried + rocks that spirals around mountains and dips into cool green + valleys of citrus trees, crosses liana-webbed gorges on + creaking rope bridges and is generally more picturesque than + useful. + Picturesque. That was a new word to Rincewind the wizard + (BMgc, Unseen University [failed]). It was one of a number + he had picked up since leaving the charred ruins of + Ankh-Morpork. Quaint was another one. Picturesque meant -- + he decided after careful observation of the scenery that + inspired Twoflower to use the word -- that the landscape was + horribly precipitous. Quaint, when used to describe the + occasional village through which they passed, meant fever- + ridden and tumbledown. + Twoflower was a tourist, the first ever seen on the discworld. + Tourist, Rincewind had decided, meant "idiot". + [ The Colour of Magic, by Terry Pratchett ] +towel + The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has a few things to say + on the subject of towels. + A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing + an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great + practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as + you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie + on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus + V, inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it + beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of + Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down down the slow heavy + River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand combat; wrap it + round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze + of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (a mind-bogglingly + stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't + see you - daft as a brush, but very very ravenous); you can + wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of + course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean + enough. + [ The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, + by Douglas Adams ] +*tower + Towers (_brooding_, _dark_) stand alone in Waste Areas and + almost always belong to Wizards. All are several stories high, + round, doorless, virtually windowless, and composed of smooth + blocks of masonry that make them very hard to climb. [...] + You will have to go to a Tower and then break into it at some + point towards the end of your Tour. + [ The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, by Diana Wynne Jones ] +trap*door + I knew my Erik too well to feel at all comfortable on jumping + into his house. I knew what he had made of a certain palace at + Mazenderan. From being the most honest building conceivable, he + soon turned it into a house of the very devil, where you could + not utter a word but it was overheard or repeated by an echo. + With his trap-doors the monster was responsible for endless + tragedies of all kinds. + [ The Phantom of the Opera, by Gaston Leroux ] +trapper + The trapper is a creature which has evolved a chameleon-like + ability to blend into the dungeon surroundings. It captures + its prey by remaining very still and blending into the + surrounding dungeon features, until an unsuspecting creature + passes by. It wraps itself around its prey and digests it. +tree + I think that I shall never see + A poem lovely as a tree. + A tree whose hungry mouth is prest + Against the earth's sweet flowing breast; + A tree that looks at God all day, + And lifts her leafy arms to pray; + A tree that may in Summer wear + A nest of robins in her hair; + Upon whose bosom snow has lain; + Who intimately lives with rain. + Poems are made by fools like me, + But only God can make a tree. + [ Trees - Joyce Kilmer ] +tripe +tripe ration + If you start from scratch, cooking tripe is a long-drawn-out + affair. Fresh whole tripe calls for a minimum of 12 hours of + cooking, some time-honored recipes demanding as much as 24. + To prepare fresh tripe, trim if necessary. Wash it thoroughly, + soaking overnight, and blanch, for 1/2 hour in salted water. + Wash well again, drain and cut for cooking. When cooked, the + texture of tripe should be like that of soft gristle. More + often, alas, because the heat has not been kept low enough, + it has the consistency of wet shoe leather. + [ Joy of Cooking, by I Rombauer and M Becker ] +*troll + The troll shambled closer. He was perhaps eight feet tall, + perhaps more. His forward stoop, with arms dangling past + thick claw-footed legs to the ground, made it hard to tell. + The hairless green skin moved upon his body. His head was a + gash of a mouth, a yard-long nose, and two eyes which drank + the feeble torchlight and never gave back a gleam. + [...] + Like a huge green spider, the troll's severed hand ran on its + fingers. Across the mounded floor, up onto a log with one + taloned forefinger to hook it over the bark, down again it + scrambled, until it found the cut wrist. And there it grew + fast. The troll's smashed head seethed and knit together. + He clambered back on his feet and grinned at them. The + waning faggot cast red light over his fangs. + [ Three Hearts and Three Lions, by Poul Anderson ] +*tsurugi of muramasa + This most ancient of swords has been passed down through the + leadership of the Samurai legions for hundreds of years. It + is said to grant luck to its wielder, but its main power is + terrible to behold. It has the capability to cut in half any + creature it is wielded against, instantly killing them. +~*muramasa +tsurugi + The tsurugi, also known as the long samurai sword, is an + extremely sharp, two-handed blade favored by the samurai. + It is made of hardened steel, and is manufactured using a + special process, causing it to never rust. The tsurugi is + rumored to be so sharp that it can occasionally cut + opponents in half! +twoflower +guide + "Rincewind!" + Twoflower sprang off the bed. The wizard jumped back, + wrenching his features into a smile. + "My dear chap, right on time! We'll just have lunch, and + then I'm sure you've got a wonderful programme lined up for + this afternoon!" + "Er --" + "That's great!" + Rincewind took a deep breath. "Look," he said desperately, + "let's eat somewhere else. There's been a bit of a fight + down below." + "A tavern brawl? Why didn't you wake me up?" + "Well, you see, I - _what_?" + "I thought I made myself clear this morning, Rincewind. I + want to see genuine Morporkian life - the slave market, the + Whore Pits, the Temple of Small Gods, the Beggar's Guild... + and a genuine tavern brawl." A faint note of suspicion + entered Twoflower's voice. "You _do_ have them, don't you? + You know, people swinging on chandeliers, swordfights over + the table, the sort of thing Hrun the Barbarian and the + Weasel are always getting involved in. You know -- + _excitement_." + [ The Colour of Magic, by Terry Pratchett ] +tyr + Yet remains that one of the Aesir who is called Tyr: + he is most daring, and best in stoutness of heart, and he + has much authority over victory in battle; it is good for + men of valor to invoke him. It is a proverb, that he is + Tyr-valiant, who surpasses other men and does not waver. + He is wise, so that it is also said, that he that is wisest + is Tyr-prudent. This is one token of his daring: when the + Aesir enticed Fenris-Wolf to take upon him the fetter Gleipnir, + the wolf did not believe them, that they would loose him, + until they laid Tyr's hand into his mouth as a pledge. But + when the Aesir would not loose him, then he bit off the hand + at the place now called 'the wolf's joint;' and Tyr is one- + handed, and is not called a reconciler of men. + [ The Prose Edda, by Snorri Sturluson ] +*hulk + Umber hulks are powerful subterranean predators whose + iron-like claws allow them to burrow through solid stone in + search of prey. They are tremendously strong; muscles bulge + beneath their thick, scaly hides and their powerful arms and + legs all end in great claws. +*unicorn +unicorn horn + Men have always sought the elusive unicorn, for the single + twisted horn which projected from its forehead was thought to + be a powerful talisman. It was said that the unicorn had + simply to dip the tip of its horn in a muddy pool for the water + to become pure. Men also believed that to drink from this horn + was a protection against all sickness, and that if the horn was + ground to a powder it would act as an antidote to all poisons. + Less than 200 years ago in France, the horn of a unicorn was + used in a ceremony to test the royal food for poison. + + Although only the size of a small horse, the unicorn is a very + fierce beast, capable of killing an elephant with a single + thrust from its horn. Its fleetness of foot also makes this + solitary creature difficult to capture. However, it can be + tamed and captured by a maiden. Made gentle by the sight of a + virgin, the unicorn can be lured to lay its head in her lap, and + in this docile mood, the maiden may secure it with a golden rope. + [ Mythical Beasts, by Deirdre Headon (The Leprechaun Library) ] + + Martin took a small sip of beer. "Almost ready," he said. + "You hold your beer awfully well." + Tlingel laughed. "A unicorn's horn is a detoxicant. Its + possession is a universal remedy. I wait until I reach the + warm glow stage, then I use my horn to burn off any excess and + keep me right there." + [ Unicorn Variations, by Roger Zelazny ] +valkyrie +human valkyrie + The Valkyries were the thirteen choosers of the slain, the + beautiful warrior-maids of Odin who rode through the air and + over the sea. They watched the progress of the battle and + selected the heroes who were to fall fighting. After they + were dead, the maidens rewarded the heroes by kissing them + and then led their souls to Valhalla, where the warriors + lived happily in an ideal existence, drinking and eating + without restraint and fighting over again the battles in + which they died and in which they had won their deathless + fame. + [ The Encyclopaedia of Myths and Legends of All + Nations, by Herbert Robinson and Knox + Wilson ] +vampire +vampire bat +vampire lord + The Oxford English Dictionary is quite unequivocal: + _vampire_ - "a preternatural being of a malignant nature (in + the original and usual form of the belief, a reanimated + corpse), supposed to seek nourishment, or do harm, by sucking + the blood of sleeping persons. ..." +venus + Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, was the daughter of + Jupiter and Dione. Others say that Venus sprang from the + foam of the sea. The zephyr wafted her along the waves to + the Isle of Cyprus, where she was received and attired by + the Seasons, and then led to the assembly of the gods. All + were charmed with her beauty, and each one demanded her + for his wife. Jupiter gave her to Vulcan, in gratitude for + the service he had rendered in forging thunderbolts. So + the most beautiful of the goddesses became the wife of the + most ill-favoured of gods. + [ Bulfinch's Mythology, by Thomas Bulfinch ] +vlad* + Vlad Dracula the Impaler was a 15th-Century monarch of the + Birgau region of the Carpathian Mountains, in what is now + Romania. In Romanian history he is best known for two things. + One was his skilled handling of the Ottoman Turks, which kept + them from making further inroads into Christian Europe. The + other was the ruthless manner in which he ran his fiefdom. + He dealt with perceived challengers to his rule by impaling + them upright on wooden stakes. Visiting dignitaries who + failed to doff their hats had them nailed to their head. +*vortex +vortices + Swirling clouds of pure elemental energies, the vortices are + thought to be related to the larger elementals. Though the + vortices do no damage when touched, they are noted for being + able to envelop unwary travellers. The hapless fool thus + swallowed by a vortex will soon perish from exposure to the + element the vortex is composed of. +vrock + The vrock is one of the weaker forms of demon. It resembles + a cross between a human being and a vulture and does physical + damage by biting and by using the claws on both its arms and + feet. +wakizashi + The samurai warrior traditionally wears two swords; the + wakizashi is the shorter of the two. See also katana. +wand of * +*wand + 'Saruman!' he cried, and his voice grew in power and authority. + 'Behold, I am not Gandalf the Grey, whom you betrayed. I am + Gandalf the White, who has returned from death. You have no + colour now, and I cast you from the order and from the Council.' + He raised his hand, and spoke slowly in a clear cold voice. + 'Saruman, your staff is broken.' There was a crack, and the + staff split asunder in Saruman's hand, and the head of it + fell down at Gandalf's feet. 'Go!' said Gandalf. With a cry + Saruman fell back and crawled away. + [ The Two Towers, by J.R.R. Tolkien ] +warg + Suddenly Aragorn leapt to his feet. "How the wind howls!" + he cried. "It is howling with wolf-voices. The Wargs have + come west of the Mountains!" + "Need we wait until morning then?" said Gandalf. "It is as I + said. The hunt is up! Even if we live to see the dawn, who + now will wish to journey south by night with the wild wolves + on his trail?" + "How far is Moria?" asked Boromir. + "There was a door south-west of Caradhras, some fifteen miles + as the crow flies, and maybe twenty as the wolf runs," + answered Gandalf grimly. + "Then let us start as soon as it is light tomorrow, if we can," + said Boromir. "The wolf that one hears is worse then the orc + that one fears." + "True!" said Aragorn, loosening his sword in its sheath. "But + where the warg howls, there also the orc prowls." + [ The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien ] +~mjollnir +war*hammer + They had come together at the ford of the Trident while the + battle crashed around them, Robert with his warhammer and his + great antlered helm, the Targaryen prince armored all in + black. On his breastplate was the three-headed dragon of his + House, wrought all in rubies that flashed like fire in the + sunlight. The waters of the Trident ran red around the + hooves of their destriers as they circled and clashed, again + and again, until at last a crushing blow from Robert's hammer + stove in the dragon and the chest behind it. When Ned had + finally come on the scene, Rhaegar lay dead in the stream, + while men of both armies scrambled in the swirling waters for + rubies knocked free of his armor. + [ A Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin ] +water + Day after day, day after day, + We stuck, nor breath nor motion; + As idle as a painted ship + Upon a painted ocean. + + Water, water, everywhere, + And all the boards did shrink; + Water, water, everywhere + Nor any drop to drink. + [ The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, by Samuel Taylor + Coleridge ] +web + Oh what a tangled web we weave, + When first we practise to deceive! + [ Marmion, by Sir Walter Scott ] +# werecritter -- see "lycanthrope" +*wight + When he came to himself again, for a moment he could recall + nothing except a sense of dread. Then suddenly he knew that + he was imprisoned, caught hopelessly; he was in a barrow. A + Barrow-wight had taken him, and he was probably already under + the dreadful spells of the Barrow-wights about which whispered + tales spoke. He dared not move, but lay as he found himself: + flat on his back upon a cold stone with his hands on his + breast. + [ The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien ] +wizard of yendor + No one knows how old this mighty wizard is, or from whence he + came. It is known that, having lived a span far greater than + any normal man's, he grew weary of lesser mortals; and so, + spurning all human company, he forsook the dwellings of men + and went to live in the depths of the Earth. He took with + him a dreadful artifact, the Book of the Dead, which is said + to hold great power indeed. Many have sought to find the + wizard and his treasure, but none have found him and lived to + tell the tale. Woe be to the incautious adventurer who + disturbs this mighty sorcerer! +wolf +*wolf +*wolf cub + The ancestors of the modern day domestic dog, wolves are + powerful muscular animals with bushy tails. Intelligent, + social animals, wolves live in family groups or packs made + up of multiple family units. These packs cooperate in hunting + down prey. +woodchuck + The Usenet Oracle requires an answer to this question! + + > How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could + > chuck wood? + + "Oh, heck! I'll handle *this* one!" The Oracle spun the terminal + back toward himself, unlocked the ZOT-guard lock, and slid the + glass guard away from the ZOT key. "Ummmm....could you turn around + for a minute? ZOTs are too graphic for the uninitiated. Even *I* + get a little squeamish sometimes..." The neophyte turned around, + and heard the Oracle slam his finger on a computer key, followed + by a loud ZZZZOTTTTT and the smell of ozone. + [ Excerpted from Internet Oracularity 576.6 ] +*worm +long worm tail +worm tooth +crysknife + [The crysknife] is manufactured in two forms from teeth taken + from dead sandworms. The two forms are "fixed" and "unfixed". + An unfixed knife requires proximity to a human body's + electrical field to prevent disintegration. Fixed knives + are treated for storage. All are about 20 centimeters long. + [ Dune, by Frank Herbert ] +wraith +nazgul + Immediately, though everything else remained as before, dim + and dark, the shapes became terribly clear. He was able to + see beneath their black wrappings. There were five tall + figures: two standing on the lip of the dell, three advancing. + In their white faces burned keen and merciless eyes; under + their mantles were long grey robes; upon their grey hairs + were helms of silver; in their haggard hands were swords of + steel. Their eyes fell on him and pierced him, as they + rushed towards him. Desperate, he drew his own sword, and + it seemed to him that it flickered red, as if it was a + firebrand. Two of the figures halted. The third was taller + than the others: his hair was long and gleaming and on his + helm was a crown. In one hand he held a long sword, and in + the other a knife; both the knife and the hand that held it + glowed with a pale light. He sprang forward and bore down + on Frodo. + [ The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien ] +wumpus + The Wumpus, by the way, is not bothered by the hazards since + he has sucker feet and is too big for a bat to lift. If you + try to shoot him and miss, there's also a chance that he'll + up and move himself into another cave, though by nature the + Wumpus is a sedentary creature. + [ wump (6) -- "Hunt the Wumpus" ] +xan + They sent their friend the mosquito [xan] ahead of them to + find out what lay ahead. "Since you are the one who sucks + the blood of men walking along paths," they told the mosquito, + "go and sting the men of Xibalba." The mosquito flew + down the dark road to the Underworld. Entering the house of + the Lords of Death, he stung the first person that he saw... + + The mosquito stung this man as well, and when he yelled, the + man next to him asked, "Gathered Blood, what's wrong?" So + he flew along the row stinging all the seated men until he + knew the names of all twelve. + [ Popul Vuh, as translated by Ralph Nelson ] +xorn + A distant cousin of the earth elemental, the xorn has the + ability to shift the cells of its body around in such a way + that it becomes porous to inert material. This gives it the + ability to pass through any obstacle that might be between it + and its next meal. +ya + The arrow of choice of the samurai, ya are made of very + straight bamboo, and are tipped with hardened steel. +yeenoghu + Yeenoghu, the demon lord of gnolls, still exists although + all his followers have been wiped off the face of the earth. + He casts magic projectiles at those close to him, and a mere + gaze into his piercing eyes may hopelessly confuse the + battle-weary adventurer. +yeti + The Abominable Snowman, or yeti, is one of the truly great + unknown animals of the twentieth century. It is a large hairy + biped that lives in the Himalayan region of Asia ... The story + of the Abominable Snowman is filled with mysteries great and + small, and one of the most difficult of all is how it got that + awful name. The creature is neither particularly abominable, + nor does it necessarily live in the snows. _Yeti_ is a Tibetan + word which may apply either to a real, but unknown animal of + the Himalayas, or to a mountain spirit or demon -- no one is + quite sure which. And after nearly half a century in which + Westerners have trampled around looking for the yeti, and + asking all sorts of questions, the original native traditions + concerning the creature have become even more muddled and + confused. + [ The Encyclopedia of Monsters, by Daniel Cohen ] +*yugake + Japanese leather archery gloves. Gloves made for use while + practicing had thumbs reinforced with horn. Those worn into + battle had thumbs reinforced with a double layer of leather. +yumi + The samurai is highly trained with a special type of bow, + the yumi. Like the ya, the yumi is made of bamboo. With + the yumi-ya, the bow and arrow, the samurai is an extremely + accurate and deadly warrior. +*zombie + The zombi... is a soulless human corpse, still dead, but + taken from the grave and endowed by sorcery with a + mechanical semblance of life, -- it is a dead body which is + made to walk and act and move as if it were alive. + [ W. B. Seabrook ] +zruty + The zruty are wild and gigantic beings, living in the + wildernesses of the Tatra mountains.