AGDInteractive - Sierra Adventure Game Remakes Forum

I've seen on many posts people missing the point of QFG subject basing. I think the most fascinating thing about the series is its reliance on actual mythological characters and concepts. Its not really a geographical emphasis (well it is to a small extent) but a folklore of a general region.

i.e

Quest for Glory I = Western European myths/medieval (i.e Lord of the Rings type stuff)

Quest for Glory II = Middle Eastern/Persian mythology (i.e 1001 nights)

Quest for Glory III = A combination of mainly Egyptian myths with some basis from central and southern africa

Quest for Glory IV = Slavic mythology. Not a 'horror' basing as many people believe. These concepts originate from the myths/legends within Eastern Europe

Quest for Glory V = Greek mythology. Need I say more. The most popular and well known concepts derived from any mythology.

Look up nearly every character in the game and you'll see about 90% of them are derived from a mythological basis that has been written about for 500 years. So are the Coles rip offs? Hell no. They combined a sense of original and borrowed fiction to design an unforgettable gaming experience...

Comments are welcome.

Naw, they're not rip-offs. QFG did a better job at truly integrating existent fictional characters into the game world than KQ did.

Well, you are right for the most part, but:
1.) Baba Yaga first made her appearance in QFG 1, and she is a character from Slavic mythology.
2.) The vampires are not so much of Slavic origin, as they are Hungarian and Romanian (contrary to what they say in the film "Practical Magic", Transilvania has nothing to do with the Slavic people )

And QfG3 had a lot of Jamaican (especially the dialogue). The Coles admitted once that they didn't know much about African cultures, so they used a lot from what they knew.

And out of all fantasy stories/games, they did the least amount of LOTR copy-catting. Perhaps that's why the series was so fantastic... the only real "cliche's" they had was those they made jokes of.

Heh. And Cumboy, I think you covered everything there is to say about this subject.

Erpy wrote:QFG did a better job at truly integrating existent fictional characters into the game world than KQ did.

Here-here!

I thought that people in transylvania and surrounding area's married family members to much, which resulted in a high rate of albinism, which resulted in people with red eyes, white skin who couldn't stand the sun.

Meerbat, I was distracted by a phonecall.

You were learning me interesting things, so we'll have to finish that soon!!!!

The folklore in QFG1 is mostly Germanic, so "Western European" sits a bit oddly.

Although the Hungarian and Romanian peoples of Transylvania are not Slavic in origin, they've been under heavy Slav influence for a thousand years or more, and there are Slavic groups living in the area. So it does have something to do with Slavs.

Cumboy wrote:
Quest for Glory I = Western European myths/medieval (i.e Lord of the Rings type stuff)

Actually, it'd be more Germanic traditions.

Lord of the Rings type stuff is based more in Anglo-Saxon traditions, much like "The Battle of Maldon" and "Beowulf". Being that Tolkien was a professor of such subjects it makes more sense.

But, really this is just a minor digression.

Bt

EDIT: REMIND SELF TO READ ALL POSTS BEFORE POSTING. Good one Snarky.

Beowulf belongs not only to Anglosaxan texthistory, but also to German languages.

Meerbat wrote:Well, you are right for the most part, but:
1.) Baba Yaga first made her appearance in QFG 1, and she is a character from Slavic mythology.
2.) The vampires are not so much of Slavic origin, as they are Hungarian and Romanian (contrary to what they say in the film "Practical Magic", Transilvania has nothing to do with the Slavic people )

Did Baba Yaga have a chicken-legged hut in Slavic mythology?

Most certainly. It, along with the flying pestle and mortar, was her most well-known telltale mark. I believe even the rhyme was similar to the one in QFG1.

Yes, Erpy is of course right. Baba Yaga's character was very well presented in the game. Many stories that have witches in them are usually changed so that the witch is Baba Yaga. Baba means "granny" (in Bulgarian) and "aunty" (in Russian, if I am not mistaken).
There is this crazy old woman that lived under our apartment, and I always thought she was Baba Yaga. She really looks like her, I am not kidding...

Spikey, could you elaborate on what you mean?

There's a Sandman story that has Baba Yaga -- chicken-legged hut, flying pestle and all. It's called "The Hunt' and is in the Fables and Reflections collections. Well worth seeking out.

I believe that it's one of the earliest known Anglo-saxon texts, but it's also one of the earliest German texts, as well as one of the earliest Dutch texts. The language used seems basic to all those languages.

I did not know that the text was extant in anything but Anglo-Saxon. I thought the story was only known to us through one surviving manuscript.

Baba is actually a short version of babuska. A babuska(in Russian) is a grandmother. Baba has become a bit of a cruder way or saying it though, bordering on disrespectful. I'm not sure if Yaga means anything or is just a nickname, but Baba Yaga has come to mean The Old Witch and along those lines. She is a character from Russian and Slavic mythologies, a witch who turns people into animals and eats them, lives inside a hut supported on giant, enchanted chicken legs, has strange animals for pets, and is vry old and ugly. I don't know where the Coles got the whole Ogress theme, but it can be easily tied in. I can't remeber where, but I heard in the mythology, that she once did battle with Dyed Maroz(Grandfather Winter, Russia's version of Santa Claus), and was beated by him. Oh and BTW, Totya means aunt in Russian. Read pages 456-478 and write a minimal 400 word essay on it and I'll see you guys in class Monday.

It does. But that manuscript is as for from English as it is from Dutch or German. At least, I THINK I learned that in school (if it is, then at least I learned something). But I could be mistaken. I'm not in the mood to dig into it right now.

Snarky wrote:I did not know that the text was extant in anything but Anglo-Saxon. I thought the story was only known to us through one surviving manuscript.

Yeah, you're correct. There's only one surviving manuscript of Beowulf, which is Anglo-Saxon (middle or old english). Unlike say, Piers Plowman where there are 54 surviving manuscripts, and three different versions between them.

Bt

Spikey wrote:It does. But that manuscript is as for from English as it is from Dutch or German. At least, I THINK I learned that in school (if it is, then at least I learned something). But I could be mistaken. I'm not in the mood to dig into it right now.

Ah, I see what you're saying. Yeah, going that far back, the languages were very similar. English has changed more than Dutch or German (mainly because of the Norman invasion), so I'm sure you're right that the manuscript looks as much Dutch/German as it does English.

I did not think that the Anglo-Saxon used in Beowulf is actually a root of Dutch and German, though. I thought it split off some time before.

Dutch is not a very static language. I would have much trouble understanding somebody Dutch from 100 years ago, it's one of the most variable languages ever. In English, for example, one can still read Shakespear very very well, only the sounds have changed a bit. In Dutch the spelling changes a lot. And with that, I mean A LOT.

Is it true that the Flemmish Belgians speak dutch as it was spoken 100's of years ago?

If it is, then compare the way Flemmish Belgians speak to the way the Dutch speak.

No I don't think that's true. Flemmish is as variable as regular Dutch.

No, that's not true.
It is true that the Flemish are considered more 'purist' in their language and tend to object more to anglicisms and (shudder) new government-imposed spelling rules. It is also true that they win the weekly Holland-vs-Belgium language quiz most of the time.

I found little problem in reading 100-year-old Dutch plays (it's mandatory in my old high school). Although admittedly the spelling is different, and there's any number of archaeisms in there. As to how it was pronounced, who knows?

Yeah, you can read it. But not as easily as English from 100 years ago. The farther you get back in time, the harder it gets to understand the Dutch.

"Hebban olla vogela nestas hagunnan hinase hic enda thu"