September 2006: As per the recent race names vote at Wowpedia talk:Writing policy#Race name case, the correct race name spelling is "gnomes" and not "Gnomes"
One Theory of Gnomish Origins
Let's put the text someone made up here, as it is a nice theory but not okay for the main article to show:
Although, much like the humans, the Gnomes origins are unknown, one such "Gnomologist" has compiled a likely story of origin: "One possible origin of the Gnome begins with the Burning Legion. Just as they had corrupted the Night Elves through suggestion and promises, the Demons has set their eyes on Sargeras former allies, the Titans. Having birthed the Earthen, the Titans children were a prime target for the Burning Legions corruption. The whispers and voices began in one powerful Earthen, he then attempted, much like the Highborne before the sundering, to summon the burning legion and it's god. Also much like the Highborne, the Demons transformed many of the Earthen into more powerful and controllable forms. The plan backfired as the transformed Earthen were not corrupted or empowered, but mearly deformed. Seeing the Titan's children try to summon the Burning Legion cemented Sargeras' decision, he would try his summoning at a more suitable location, the Well of Eternity. Leaving the corrupted Earthen behind, Sargeras' went to begin what would be called the War of the Ancients. Ashamed of their betrayal and mutation, the tainted Earthen exiled themselves. These Earthen would then be known as Gnomes. This theory is supported by many pieces of lore; 1. Gnomes are 'cousins' to the Dwarves, perhaps they are more closely related then we thought. 2. In a warlock quest, a human states that Gnomeregan was the HQ of all warlocks until it was destroyed, Gnomes have a connection to the Demonic. 3. The Arcane corruption of the Demons gives purpose to the Gnomes aptitude for magic. Their bodies became slight and small while their minds grew. 4. Sargeras hates the Titans and would've made attempts to corrupt and destroy their creations." Tinkerer
- A stronger argument in favor of the dwarven offshoot theory is that gnomes and dwarves each have only 4 digits where humans have 5. However, the other physiological differences between gnomes and dwarves (particularly facial features) are very much so against the notion of a shared ancestry that doesn't span millions of years. For one, it's known that Gnomeregan is a new city. It was constructed roughly 200 years before the coming of the Burning Legion, shortly after the dwarves encountered the gnomes. However, this is contradicted by an account of a gnome being in the Tirisfalen some 850 years before the third war.
- --Piroko 13:52, 27 September 2006 (EDT)
- However, my own theory of gnomish evolution is that they were not infact a diminished offshoot of the earthen, but rather an enchanced group of the earthen. According to lore, Eonar and Khaz'Goroth created the earthen, and the dwarves reflect this ancestry. My belief is that Aman'Thul, who has dominion over lightning and electricity, forsaw the future evils of his brother Sargeras and set to creating an improved form of the earthen. He recognized that the inhabitants of Azeroth were not strong enough to have a chance of withstanding the coming darkness without leveling the playing field. So, he gifted a small sect of the earthen with the means to do just that. He gave them the logical faculties to overcome the limitations of the physical world in a way that didn't require arcane magic.
- --Piroko 15:02, 28 September 2006 (EDT)
- Actually dwarves have 5 fingers(like most races), not 4(like the gnomes). Also Gnomes with the tirisfalan before they met dwarves is not a contradiction. What it establishes is that gnomes encountered humans and elves before they encountered dwarves. This would imply that gnomes originated from the north, and slowly came down to the southern continents. Both of these facts could disrupt the fan idea that gnomes are offshoots from dwarves, although they could still be offshoots from titans.Baggins 11:04, 18 November 2006 (EST)
Gnome History
I don't have time to add it all in currently but Alliance Sourcebook added in some new facts about how the Dwarves met the Gnomes.
But here is a quick run down, including a few amusing and interesting facts; No one knows the gnomes history before Dwarves discovered them, not even the Gnomes know much of their own history prior to the second war. Apparently about 200 years before Burning Crusade, a Dwarven explorer came across their first Gnomes. He discovered a small village of gnomes. He was shocked to find out while dwarves had just discovered gunpowder, the gnomes already had fully automated village, with mechanical chickens. He and other dwarves offered their friendship, and they accepted, offered to let them build a new city in mountains of Dun Morogh, and thus they built Gnomeregan, at that point gnomes came out of the woodwork. Ever since then the two races have lived side by side. The Gnomes discovered goblins at that point and the two races developed a mercantile feud that lasts to this day.
Gnomes have not had King's or Queens for at least 400 years. They often organize into pairs, for rather mysterious reasons that they don't fully understand.
They have an odd crazy-guy/sane-guy relationship. One is always tyring to push the the limits of his devices to unknowable extrmeds while the other one does everything he can to keep the invention from becoming disasterous.
A single gnome home can hold up to 20 individuals.
And remember, "Go Hug a Gnome, He'll thank you for it".Baggins 11:10, 3 September 2006 (EDT)
Interesting. I might just buy this Sourcebook to use it to update this gnome page, as it's fairly small (no pun intended). --Tinkerer 04:00, 4 October 2006 (EDT)
There's something I still don't get. Which Burning Crusade is he talking about ? Because if it's the one we're about to fight in January, it's self-stupidly-retconning. Does he mean the First War ?--K ) (talk) 16:04, 15 November 2006 (EST)
- The book is a compilation of notes Brann Bronzbeard has written for a socio-political, political-science, history book he's writing. The book has notes covering some things before world of warcraft (which he wrote during his journey to northrend), during world of warcraft (refrences certain quests in the MMO that have recently be completed by "heroes"), and some things that take place before or the start of the burning crusade. As for term "Burning Crusade" its actually another name for the war that has been going on for millenia lead by the faction known as the "Burning Legion". This definition was hinted in a previous rpg book, even before we first heard of the expansion pack, as I recall.Baggins 23:37, 19 November 2006 (EST)
Gnome Lore - (maybe)
I would say that we are all on the same path - Here is my take on Gnome History.
From the tomb city of Uldum, came a being like the Earthens that helped shaped and guarded the Arcanum of Azeroth. These beings were known as the wards of Malygos the Blue Dragon. Under the control Malygos, these wards of magic grow close the Earthens of Neltharion. As did many of the other beings that shaped the World. These small but brillent wards were blessed with the ability to balance the natural arcane power of the planet and the ability to pull power from other diminions and cosmos. They aid Malygos in the ordering of the World. After the order was complete like other children of titans, these under dwellers were put into a deep sleep. As the Upper World grow and changed the sleepers slept for thousands and thousands of years, until the Great awakening.
These once Wards of Magic awoke from their sleep to find they had adopted flesh and bone. Struggling to make their way from the Great Titan city of Uldum to the surface, they found quickly the surfaceof this regent of world was too savage for their now soft skin and small frames. They rushed to find a better suited environment. Crossing the great seas and climbing the mountains of Azeroth, the small once magical beings nested in small groups all through the new lands. The now new Gnomes made their home living in small villages and hovels learning to expand their talents and skills, the Gnomes once magical wards of Malygos found that they had a nature understanding of a new type of magic call science. Learning how to create potions from flowers and build devices from rock and wood, arcane magic which is at their very core seem to have taken a step back as their newly developed culture and science began to take form.
- Sign your posts, please.
- I really do like this a lot; nice and well though out. Works with avaliable material, and it definetly makes sense
- You can't put a word of it in the article, however. Only official lore can be posted in the article itself, and this is too detailed to bear a speculation tag. I'd advise marking it as fanfiction if you want to give it an article. --Ragestorm (talk · contr) 21:30, 8 February 2007 (EST)
- Not bad, i like it although there are a few things i like to mention.
- First of all you say that they come from the north. If they did why haven't they been discovered before? If it's big group then some people would have seen them? There has only been sighted one earlier and he could be an explorer, bored at his old place and wanting to see some more.
- Also mentioned in 1 of the RPG-books (can't remember wich one) is that science and magic is hardly combined.
- I also got a question. It is stated that the "accident" Gnomeregan began between the second and third war. Does anyone know when? The second war ended at year 8 and the third war began year 25. According to the stories it would have been near the third war so i think it is somwhere between year 20 and year 25.
You LIE!!!
Gnomes can heal themselves when their Warlock, have you heard of healing stones? - Quinn
- Quinn, you removed perfectly valid info, which is why I reverted the change. Yes warlocks can heal - but only themselves (healthstones really don't count). Therefore they are no different to any other class, which could just as easily use a pot or bandages. They cannot heal others directly, however, which is a true healer's role. -- Kirkburn (talk) 21:10, 9 September 2006 (EDT)
- (Also, I haven't forgotten your little outburst a while back, so make sure any reply to this is well thought out) -- Kirkburn (talk) 21:27, 9 September 2006 (EDT)
Religion?
Do Gnomes have a majority religion? There are Gnomish Holy Light clerics in Nethergarde, but they seem to unstable to worship it en-masse. Mannerheim
As a people they are agnostic.--Zexx 10:58, 28 January 2007 (EST)
They beleive holy light,just dont fight for/with it,some might not have a religion and belives in scienceUser:Airiph/sig 21:51, 6 January 2008 (UTC)
Character
A little thing about the character of the average gnome; although the Roleplaying Guide says they take a "fatherly approach" and are "friendly", most gnomes in-game are silly, eccentric, or plain mad. --Tinkerer 13:52, 27 January 2007 (EST)
Allies to Illidan?
As of the Burning Crusade, I'm seeing more gnomes alligned to the Illidari than any other newly alligned race (orcs, blood elves, naga and demons were already there) - Mekgineer Steamrigger, Mechano-Lord Capacitus, Engineer "Spark" Overgrind, all the leper gnomes in the Steam Vaults... Is there some dark group of gnomes out there? --Tinkerer 10:13, 25 March 2007 (EDT)
- Well, first of all the Mekgineer is goblin, and I'm not sure how you've decided what race the Mechano-Lord is, if any? However, some Warlocks are Gnomes, and some Warlocks more engulfed in the Darkness and Demon-worshipping than others, qv Shadow Council. -Ballistae 11:37, 2 April 2007 (EDT)
- The Mekgineer is a gnome, a leper gnome, but still a gnome :P I thought the Mechano-Lord was a gnome too, seeing as he has the same accent as other boss-gnomes. I really can't imagine a Blood Elf saying the things he does.. --Tinkerer 14:45, 3 April 2007 (EDT)
- His voice contradicts that, however. For example, Doomwalker's voice sounds mechanical, but Capacitus' voice doesn't sound mechanical at all. --Tinkerer 13:21, 12 June 2007 (UTC)
No religion?
Maybe the Gnomes were too busy making radical technolgies that they didn't even THINK about how they were created. But, that's just my guess. --IbbertTheGnome 01:08, 7 April 2007 (EDT)
- They're probably atheists... which would be kind of odd in Warcraft, but still - they are gnomes. --User:Vorbis/Sig 22:54, 18 March 2008 (UTC)
life
How long are Gnomes lifespand?Dwarves?--Airiph 22:01, 23 June 2007 (UTC)
Arond how long do gnomes live???? Anyone know??Airiph 14:45, 8 July 2007 (UTC)
- Oh thank you!Airiph 11:42, 9 July 2007 (UTC)
Weight
Is there an average weight for a Gnome?-User:Airiph/sig 01:16, 1 October 2007 (UTC)
- Blizzard has never released any information regarding the races' height or weight. --Odolwa 11:32, 1 October 2007 (UTC)
- Height, at least, is in the RPG books afaik. User:Kirkburn/Sig3 15:57, 1 October 2007 (UTC)
- Well actually there is a "Random Height and Weight" table for randomizing possible height and weight, much like they did for life spans. But I have no interest in converting it to normal numbers :p.--Baggins 15:59, 1 October 2007 (UTC)
- Ok I can give you the base weight for gnomes, "40 lb", and base height is 3 feet for the males, and 35 lb and 2'5" for the females.Template:CiteBaggins 16:03, 1 October 2007 (UTC)
- Ok thanks...I got to change my weight then lol.-User:Airiph/sig 22:18, 1 October 2007 (UTC)
History of the Gnomes
"The first widely recorded interaction between gnomes and dwarves occurred 200 years prior to the Burning Crusade. As the story goes, a dwarven explorer came across a small gnomish village. He was shocked to discover that while dwarves had just discovered gunpowder, the gnomes already had a fully automated village with such novelties as mechanical chickens. Contact between the two races grew, and soon, they became quick allies, and the dwarves allowed the gnomes to build their capital city, Gnomeregan, in the foothills of Dun Morogh, near the dwarvish capital, Ironforge."
Does anyone have some speculation on that gnomish village? I'm assuming it was in Khaz Modan, but not Dun Morogh, because the dwarves let them build their city there. I'm assuming the gnomes were a racial offshoot of the dwarves so they probably originated in the Badlands but that's a completely different story. Anyone have any thoughts? Commonsense 16:14, 18 March 2008 (UTC)
- Western Dun Morogh perhapsUser:Airiph/sig 19:51, 18 March 2008 (UTC)
- There're two possibly zones, Western Dun Morogh and Southern Dun Morogh. Hope they'll be included in a next expansion/patch.
EraclitoRunetotem-EU 00:13, 25 March 2008 (UTC)
Posibly Lorderon if you think about it.Read Erbag.He was Before he discovery if GnomesUser:Airiph/sig 00:45, 25 March 2008 (UTC)
Other Model?
I was looking at some models in wow model viewer and i noticed that there was another, and rather ugly, gnome model there. Anyone know where it is used in the game, or if it is used at all? ----File:IconSmall Red.gif Lakarialstraz
