From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Fantasy fiction tends to draw upon a common set of creatures that are easily recognizable to fans of the fantastic genre and have some pre-determined traits. Most are based on mythology, legends, fairy tales, or classical literature. (See List of fictional species.) Fantasy writers and authors have also created a number of monsters and races unique to their particular tales and worlds. Some of these monsters have become quite popular even among those not familiar with the writer's actual body of work, and in a few cases their popularity has spread to other media and genres.
Many fantasy worlds' humanoid species are referred to as "racess". In particular, in role-playing games, "race" often refers to a species that can be played as a player character. In general, such races are humanoids of size, strength and intellect approximate to that of a human. Species available only to non-player characters are often called monsters, regardless of the actual nature of the species in question. The Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual is the most prominent RPG monster reference; many other games have similar rulebooks.
Note that this list does not include fantasy stories' names for species more properly included in other lists, such as Atani (Humans of Middle-earth) or Melnibonéans (Elves of Michael Moorcock's Elric cycle), nor does it include fictional races of humanity unless they are physiologically different enough to merit seperate consideration.
- Aarakocra (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Aasimar (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Ai'el
- Ainur (Middle-earth)
- Baatezu (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Balrog (Middle-earth)
- Bangaa (Final Fantasy)
- Barrow-Wights (Middle-earth)
- Beholder (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Boojum (Lewis Carroll)
- Cactuar (Final Fantasy)
- Cave Moll
- Cave Thing
- Cheshire Cat (Lewis Carroll)
- Chocobo (Final Fantasy)
- Death knight (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Death Shadow
- Deep Ones (Cthulhu Mythos)
- Deku Scrubs (Legend of Zelda)
- Delrith
- Draconian (Dragonlance)
- Dragons in literature
- Drider (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Drow (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Elder Things
- Ents (Middle-earth)
- Ettin (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Ewinding
- Flind (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Flumph (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Gelatinous cube (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Ghast (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Gholam (The Wheel of Time)
- Githyanki & Githzerai (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Gnoll (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Golrük
- Goron (Legend of Zelda)
- Great Old Ones (Cthulhu Mythos)
- Great Race of Yith (Cthulhu Mythos)
- Groll (MUD)
- Grue (Zork)
- Hobbit / Halfling / Periannath (Middle-earth)
- Illithid / Mind Flayer (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Istari (Middle-earth)
- Jabberwocky (Lewis Carroll)
- Ka'Dalun
- Koopa (Super Mario Bros)
- Lich (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Maiar (Middle-earth)
- Mephit (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Mi-go (Cthulhu Mythos)
- Mimic (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Modron (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Moogle (Final Fantasy)
- Nahas
- Nazgul (Middle-earth)
- Nightgaunts (Cthulhu Mythos)
- Nu Mou (Final Fantasy)
- Ogier (The Wheel of Time)
- Olog-hai (Middle-earth)
- Orc (Middle-earth)
- Orog (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Osinian
- Ovz
- P'Shog
- Rito (Legend of Zelda)
- Serpent People
- Shadowpeople (Dragonlance)
- Shoggoth (Cthulhu Mythos)
- Skeleton
- Slaad (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Snark (Lewis Carroll)
- Sreek
- Tanar'ri (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Thoul (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Thri-Kreen (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Tiefling (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Tonberry (Final Fantasy)
- Trolloc (The Wheel of Time)
- Uruk (Middle-earth)
- Valar (Middle-earth)
- Viera (Final Fantasy)
- Wargs (Middle-earth)
- Wight (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Wumpus (Hunt the Wumpus)
- Xorn (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Yugoloth (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Zora (Legend of Zelda)
