by JR Cook - 11 years ago     show comments

Discussing the lore behind the Gnomish race presents a unique challenge, since their foundations are based almost entirely on folklore and mythology rather than a specific real-world culture.  The concept of the Gnome was originally created by the European scientist Paracelsus in the 16th century and has since seen many incarnations in fantasy literature and media; in many instances, it’s safe to say that no two Gnomes are alike, as authors throughout the years have built upon and changed much of their story to create a Gnomish race of their very own.

In World of Warcraft, the Gnomes are a diminutive humanoid race with a love of mechanical engineering and technology.   Their “ancestors” were the Titan-created clockwork Mechagnomes who were eventually afflicted with the same Curse of Flesh that turned the Titans’ other creation, the Dwarves, from their original stone forms into the skin-and-bone version predominantly seen today.  Some Mechagnomes, seemingly immune to the Curse, still exist in far-flung corners of Azeroth, often protecting remnants of Titan data and relics, although some of their crazed brethren are convinced that the modern fleshy gnomes are inferior to their own mechanized structure and wish to “free” them by returning them to their original state.  The concept of an “upgrade” from flesh to robot seems somewhat reminiscent of Doctor Who’s villainous Cybermen, who believe that humans are inferior because of their fleshy state and seek to transmogrify them into fully mechanical drones.  Their appearances are even similar.

Azerothian Gnomes and the Gnome races of real-world tales share few features beyond their short stature.  In fact, perhaps the only other general commonality to be found is their tendency to live underground.  Nearly all literary sources dealing with Gnomes agree that they are tiny creatures with subterranean homes; the Gnomish race in World of Warcraft hails from the recently reclaimed Gnomeregan, a complex underground city.

J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium surrounding the Elves of Middle Earth speaks of a race known as the Noldor (referred to as the Noldoli or Gnome in early versions of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings)  who were revered as being masters of technology in their world.  Though it is important to note that these Gnomes were described as being almost inhumanly tall, the translation of their name in the Quenya language means “those with knowledge.” Even before Tolkien’s authoring of his legendarium in the 1950s, Gnomes had already achieved an association with technological advances during the 1910s with Gnome et Rhône, or “The Gnome Engine Company,” a popular French aircraft engine manufacturer whose engines were used in the majority of aircraft during the first half of World War I on both sides of the conflict and still found some use during the second World War.  It may be worth noting that according to Warcraft’s lore, the Gnomes developed and built many war vehicles for the Alliance, including airplanes, during the Second War (Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness).  Other correlations between Gnomes and technology include:

• Gnome Press, a small publishing company well-known for its contributions to the spread of classic science fiction literature between 1948 and 1962
• The Rolls-Royce Gnome, one of the first engines to be developed with an analog computer
• British Sky Broadcasting’s now-defunct Sky Gnome, which allowed users to tune into radio channels and digital television from anywhere in their home
• GNOME, an open source graphical UI that runs over that of the standard OS for Unix and similar operating systems
• The experimental programming environment GNOME (Gandalf NOvice programMing Environment) formerly used by Carnegie Mellon, and definitely inspired by Tolkien in name

In December of 1961, the United States conducted what would be the first phase of Operation Plowshare, an underground nuclear weapon test that occurred in southeastern New Mexico.  Its name was Project Gnome.  It is possible that the irradiated Leper Gnomes who inhabited the subterranean Gnomish capital of Gnomeregan before The Shattering in the Cataclysm could have been inspired by this event.

This week’s Behind the Lore was (quite appropriately) short, but if you haven’t seen Honorary Lorewalker Bunny’s inaugural Behind the Lore article, you can read it here or monitor the Behind the Lore tag to see what you’ve missed.  Be sure to check back next Wednesday for a brand-new installment to see a whole new side of your favorite Warcraft races, quests, and locations!