| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 07 Jan 2006 : 16:29:02
I have a question, just a quick one that may have no real official answer. Looking over some OLD D&D information, I ran across a reference in Mystara material that refers to halflings as "hin," and to my knowlage this predates the use of the term in the Forgotten Realms. I was just wondering if this was just a name that was pinned on to give halfings a more dignified racial identity, or if this was meant to imply that some of the halfling population migrated from Mystara. |
| 14 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Markustay |
Posted - 06 Jun 2012 : 18:32:24
The very first appearance of halings in the Realms was in Calimshan - they were brought to Faerūn by the Djen during The Great Arrival in -7800 DR.
In -6000 DR, 'Hin' (that exact word is used) are first sptotted in Luiren.
The Djen came from Zakhara, and Luiren is just north of Zakhara. Conclusion: Halflings are native to Lands of Fate (when a desert halfling tells you he'd like to have you for dinner, DON'T except!!!)
Homebrew:
The original Hin are offshoot of Ling and Human crossbreeding. 'Ling' is an oriental/K-T term for a group of creatures scholars refer to as 'fauns', or even 'Urchins'. They are fey, and are the progenitors to such creatures as Satyrs & Korred, and other such creatures. This information is completely unknown on most prime worlds, and Halflings will adamantly deny they "half of anything', and refuse to except they have either a human or fey heritage.
Djen kept humans and some fey* as slaves in the old Zakharan empires (pre-dating anything known today). The humans were primarily houshold servants, and the fey were used to maintain the Djen's domains to their liking. The genies both encouraged and forced their slaves to interbreed, to create new and interesting creatures (this is a habit they picked-up from their own former masters, the Rakshasa... but thats another tale). In time, several different offshoots emerged from this program, half-lings amongst them. This is something that happened sometime after -16,000 and before -10,000 DR (that gives about 6000 years to breed new species). If a Sage (in-setting) came to these same conclusons they would most likely be hit in the head by the nearest halfling, who will take grave offense to such 'accusations'. Sadly, their own creation myths hide the truth - they are truly made from parts of all the other races.
I developed this lore for the Utter East project, uniting the histories of all three campaign areas (four if you count the Hordelands separately). It was also designed to explain many of the races we have in Faerūn (and why the Dwarves fled the Yehimals).
*fey, NOT Fey - there is a difference. 'Fey' with a capitol is the Creator race (the LeShay, for all intents and purposes). In my own HB world material, I differentiate 'fey' as a the group, and 'Fay' as the fey nobility (the Shidh - of which there are two main branches, the Shee and the Sith - that from The Shadowrift). 'Fae' (or Fę) is the common language of all fey. Although all of this sounds the same to the human ear, fey can tell the subtle difference - fey are natural empaths, and many of their words are differentiated by the 'emotional undertone'. |
| Faraer |
Posted - 06 Jun 2012 : 17:44:15
Yes, they appeared in the Monster Manual. |
| Jorkens |
Posted - 06 Jun 2012 : 17:38:16
As far as I remember there are no references to anything like the hobbit/halfling in Norse lore or myths; they are more correctly Tolkiens idealized (and to a degree patronizing)view of the rural populace of England put into fantasy.
I dont have the books here right now; were the halfling subraces found in the 1st ed. at all? |
| Sightless |
Posted - 06 Jun 2012 : 17:26:33
quote:
Originally posted by Dalor Darden
Old Grey Box, Page 48 of the Cyclopedia of the Realms:
quote:
...Halflings come in all shades and with the same variety of hair and eye color as men...There seem to be no racial sub-groups of Halflings, though to the far south there is said to be a nation of the creatures, called Lurien, whose inhabitants have pointy ears...
EDIT:
Interesting that in the first Forgotten Realms setting, there were not even Stouts or Tallfellows!
From the Norce lore, they were orginally Faykin, and very good and kind. Although I think Gnomes kind of have taken over the concept at least in 4e. At least from what I've heard. |
| Hawkins |
Posted - 06 Jun 2012 : 17:10:45
quote:
Originally posted by Dalor Darden
Old Grey Box, Page 48 of the Cyclopedia of the Realms:
quote:
...Halflings come in all shades and with the same variety of hair and eye color as men...There seem to be no racial sub-groups of Halflings, though to the far south there is said to be a nation of the creatures, called Lurien, whose inhabitants have pointy ears...
Interesting. I know that the sub-races thing got changed in 3.x. There are ghostwise (mostly barbarian), lightfoot (PHB), and strongheart (give up +1 to all saves for bonus feat at 1st level) sub-races mentioned in both the FRCS and RoF. Lightfoot are mostly what are seen in the north, while ghostwise and strongheart are found in the south. |
| Dalor Darden |
Posted - 06 Jun 2012 : 16:49:39
Old Grey Box, Page 48 of the Cyclopedia of the Realms:
quote:
...Halflings come in all shades and with the same variety of hair and eye color as men...There seem to be no racial sub-groups of Halflings, though to the far south there is said to be a nation of the creatures, called Lurien, whose inhabitants have pointy ears...
EDIT:
Interesting that in the first Forgotten Realms setting, there were not even Stouts or Tallfellows! |
| Sightless |
Posted - 06 Jun 2012 : 15:45:40
If it's true, then they were trying to capitalized on both halfling lore at once. The halflings as Elderian, as in the Gremstard, and the more English description of them. |
| Hawkins |
Posted - 06 Jun 2012 : 15:40:50
quote:
Originally posted by Dalor Darden
<Casts Rez Scroll>
Ok...anyone know where Halflings are supposed to originate in the Forgotten Realms?
Are there any hard dates for them?
Shamefully, I know almost NOTHING about the halfling nation of the south...except that they have pointed ears as opposed to the rounded ears of the north halflings.
Have you read the halfling entries in the 3e FRCS, RoF, or 3e SS (and I assume 2e SS)? Though I do not know if any of those really cover the origin of Realmsian halflings, I think they all give some history of Luiren, the halfling nation. Also, where did you pick up the piece of lore about southern halflings having pointed ears and northern halflings having rounded ears? I do not remember reading that anywhere (though I very well may have and then forgot it). |
| Dalor Darden |
Posted - 06 Jun 2012 : 06:53:27
<Casts Rez Scroll>
Ok...anyone know where Halflings are supposed to originate in the Forgotten Realms?
Are there any hard dates for them?
Shamefully, I know almost NOTHING about the halfling nation of the south...except that they have pointed ears as opposed to the rounded ears of the north halflings. |
| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 07 Jan 2006 : 21:40:51
I'll have to see if I can scrounge that up. I have some old Karemeikos information, because my first campaign was (nominally) set there, so it was for nostalgia sake. When I noticed the hin thing, it got me to wondering. |
| Faraer |
Posted - 07 Jan 2006 : 20:44:22
That's certainly the case. Happened that 'hin' cropped up in Ed's GAZ8 The Five Shires (which is the best and fullest reference on Realms halflings, despite not being set in the Realms) before it did in published Realmslore. |
| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 07 Jan 2006 : 20:04:24
That may indeed make sense . . . |
| Gray Richardson |
Posted - 07 Jan 2006 : 20:00:48
Ed Greenwood wrote the definitive halfling sourcebook for Mystara: The Five Shires Gazeteer in 1988. It might have been Ed himself who was responsible for introducing the name Hin to Mystara. |
| scererar |
Posted - 07 Jan 2006 : 18:52:15
I had never seen the reference to the "Hin" until the release of 3E FRCS and other 3E material. I will go and look through all of my old 2E stuff though to see if there are any references. |
|
|
