Results 1 to 14 of 14
Thread: smurfs but not the smurfs
-
2017-12-01, 09:27 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2016
- Location
- krynn
- Gender
smurfs but not the smurfs
so i am working on a d&d world and i am trying to use smurfs. I know smurfs come from old Belgium stories but do to the popularity of the smurfs i am having trouble finding anything on these old story. could anyone help me with find these either by giving me a link or a search term. thanks
Have you accepted the Flying Spaghetti Monster as your Lord and Savior? If so, add this to your signature!
Beholders are just a meatball that fell out of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
78% of DM's started their first campaign in a tavern. If you're one of the 22% that didn't, copy and paste this into your signature.
my first game started on a pirate ship
Sorry for any spelling mistake
-
2017-12-01, 09:43 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2016
- Gender
Re: smurfs but not the smurfs
You might try Wikipedia. It has a decent amount of info.
-
2017-12-01, 09:59 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2016
- Location
- krynn
- Gender
Re: smurfs but not the smurfs
Have you accepted the Flying Spaghetti Monster as your Lord and Savior? If so, add this to your signature!
Beholders are just a meatball that fell out of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
78% of DM's started their first campaign in a tavern. If you're one of the 22% that didn't, copy and paste this into your signature.
my first game started on a pirate ship
Sorry for any spelling mistake
-
2017-12-01, 10:47 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2012
- Location
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Gender
Re: smurfs but not the smurfs
After a bit of digging, Peyo stated that the Smurfs were inspired by Nordic Troll folklore in general, not necessarily any specific stories. The same folklore roots as the fuzzy headed troll dolls you see. So digging through folklore collections with that in mind might help you find the sort of stories you're looking for!
-
2017-12-01, 12:02 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2013
- Gender
Re: smurfs but not the smurfs
I always wondered how the creators of those ridiculous little dolls went from things like this to those.
Scandinavian trolls are not little brownies or imps, they are big, ugly, dangerous and dumb.Last edited by BWR; 2017-12-01 at 12:03 PM.
-
2017-12-01, 12:25 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2012
- Location
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Gender
Re: smurfs but not the smurfs
That is a good question (and an awesome picture, by the way). And oddly those troll dolls were created around the same time (1959). I'm seeing some references where the word troll was sometimes used as a generic "magic folk to be avoided" rather than a specific creature type. Sort of like the wee folk or the good neighbors being a shorthand/euphemism for any manner of unknown fairy. But I'm not coming across anything (on my phone at work on my lunch break anyway) indicating them ever being helpful or friendly.
I'm really curious about this now too, and will have to do some digging over the weekend!
-
2017-12-03, 04:20 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2015
- Location
- UK
Re: smurfs but not the smurfs
You know, I always thought deep gnomes (svirfneblin) were supposed to be the smurfs of d&d. They're small, blue, community spirited, constantly persecuted by evil monsters and 'svirf' sounds a lot like 'smurf' if you say it out loud.
Lydia Seaspray by Oneris!
A Faerie Affair
Homebrew: Sig
-
2017-12-03, 07:36 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2011
Re: smurfs but not the smurfs
Last edited by Waddacku; 2017-12-03 at 07:41 AM.
-
2017-12-03, 09:34 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2013
- Gender
Re: smurfs but not the smurfs
-
2017-12-03, 12:11 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2011
Re: smurfs but not the smurfs
Equally as cultured and intelligent as humans, living in parallel societies doing pretty much exactly the same things. Mid-Swedish lore tends to have them difficult to distinguish from regular people and more characterized by magic than physical traits. Plenty of stories around about people dealing with them as if they were just some odd neighbors, too. A stranger-danger aspect is common.
I don't know if there are any particular folk tales I can refer you to, particularly since I guess you are not familiar with Swedish, which is what most every collection I've come across is in. You have to differentiate between folk tales and folk beliefs, though. Monstrous trolls are much more common in the former, while the human-like ones are mainly part of the latter.
-
2017-12-03, 03:40 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2014
- Gender
Re: smurfs but not the smurfs
Funny story : the original name of the smurfs (schtroumpf) was made up spontaneously by Peyo for a completely unrelated reason. If you don't find anything about actual old folklore by googling it, it's normal.
Yes, I am slightly egomaniac. Why didn't you ask?
Free haiku !
Alas, poor Cookie
The world needs more platypi
I wish you could be
Originally Posted by Fyraltari
-
2017-12-03, 04:19 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2013
- Gender
Re: smurfs but not the smurfs
-
2017-12-03, 04:27 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2011
Re: smurfs but not the smurfs
Ah! Well, in that case. To reiterate, I don't recall any specific folk tales on the theme, but https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll#...svensk_folktro and http://www.sprakochfolkminnen.se/om-...-folktron.html are some of the secondary sources I used to double check myself. Particularly the second one has some anecdotes of dealings with trolls people had actually heard from grandparents etc.
It wouldn't surprise me if Norwegian Wikipedia covers the regional variations in lore as well, but I hadn't looked at it. Swedish Wiki suggests the Norwegian versions are more uniformly about dumb brutes, though.
-
2017-12-04, 05:49 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2016
- Location
- krynn
- Gender
Re: smurfs but not the smurfs
thank you all of this info. i will use the lead and what you have given me. this will be very helpful.
Have you accepted the Flying Spaghetti Monster as your Lord and Savior? If so, add this to your signature!
Beholders are just a meatball that fell out of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
78% of DM's started their first campaign in a tavern. If you're one of the 22% that didn't, copy and paste this into your signature.
my first game started on a pirate ship
Sorry for any spelling mistake