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 "Appendix N" of the Realms?
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Dark Wizard
Senior Scribe

USA
830 Posts

Posted - 09 Aug 2012 :  05:32:08  Show Profile Send Dark Wizard a Private Message  Reply with Quote  Delete Topic
What are the literary influences and fictional inspirations for the Realms?

Like D&D had the Appendix N for further reading of stories that inspired the game.

Not sure if this has been discussed previously. Or if Ed already provided a detailed response on this topic. My guess is yes. I would appreciate directions to the correct thread or archive related to the topic question.

Jorkens
Great Reader

Norway
2950 Posts

Posted - 09 Aug 2012 :  06:35:29  Show Profile Send Jorkens a Private Message  Reply with Quote
This is of course something that only ed can answer, but those I remember mentioned are Roger Zelazny's Amber books, Fritz Leibers Lankhmar stories, Tolkiens Lord of the Rings and various authors mentioned concerning gates and the planes (Philip Jose Farmer's World of Tiers, Michael Moorcock's multivers and C.J Cherryh's Morgaine stories). Howards Conan and other pulp fantasy and sci-fi have had some short mentions.

The interesting thing I see looking over the list is that most of these are so called "low magic"

No Canon, more stories, more Realms.

Edited by - Jorkens on 09 Aug 2012 06:36:37
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire

USA
15724 Posts

Posted - 09 Aug 2012 :  08:36:53  Show Profile Send Markustay a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Other influences were Narnia and the Celtic world as portrayed in Mists of Avalon (although he told me that he derived some things from the same sources that influenced Marion Zimmer Bradley, not her work itself).

But that just leads us back to Tolkien (who borrowed heavily from the Norse, Germanic, and Celtic mythos).

So we might as well throw classical mythology on the heap as well. There's a lot of the Greco-Roman back-biting in his pantheon. Also, the whole idea of 'god-blessed heroes rising from the masses to do super-human things'.

EDIT: Also, I recall Ed mentioning some influence from the poem The Lion and the Unicorn. Thats where we partially get Lurure and Nobanion (they are also based off of several other things - aside form their rivalry the poem does not give us much). Lewis Carroll's spin on it was that they were rivals working for the same side, but I have no idea if Ed was influenced by L.C.'s take.

"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone


Edited by - Markustay on 09 Aug 2012 21:25:54
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Faraer
Great Reader

3308 Posts

Posted - 10 Aug 2012 :  01:28:16  Show Profile  Visit Faraer's Homepage Send Faraer a Private Message  Reply with Quote
He's often answered that question, and about his favourite authors.

http://community.wizards.com/bookclub/blog/2011/05/10/fr_authors_speak:_your_idols
http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2009/09/interview-ed-greenwood-part-i.html
http://orullian.com/writing/edgreenwood_interview.html
http://sf-fantasy.suvudu.com/2010/08/interview-ed-greenwood-elminster.html
etc.
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Dark Wizard
Senior Scribe

USA
830 Posts

Posted - 10 Aug 2012 :  06:22:04  Show Profile Send Dark Wizard a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Thanks, Faraer. You provided links to very detailed responses by Ed. And to everyone, you brought up some stories and novels I haven't heard of before. I'll add them to the list.
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Jorkens
Great Reader

Norway
2950 Posts

Posted - 10 Aug 2012 :  13:00:34  Show Profile Send Jorkens a Private Message  Reply with Quote
And thanks for the links; there is a couple here I didn't know about.

No Canon, more stories, more Realms.
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Quale
Master of Realmslore

1757 Posts

Posted - 11 Aug 2012 :  13:49:29  Show Profile Send Quale a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I think Feist's books are the most similar to the Realms (what's published at least, not some secret Ed's version that WotC/TSR suppressed). Those mentioned above share a few elements, but by that criteria it's possible to add thousands of other fantasy books.
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