“How Nuth Would Have Practised His Art Upon the Gnoles” (1912)

One of Lord Dunsany’s most famous stories is typically very short, suggestive and allusive. No time to learn much directly about gnoles or about Nuth either, except the first are very dangerous, the latter is very skilled. The gnoles live in a picturesque section of the deep forest. Nuth is something of a trickster. He enlists a young man, Tommy Tonker, as an apprentice burglar. Burgling is one of the things Nuth does. His real intention here is to rob gnoles, who by rumor (or perhaps certain knowledge) are in possession of extremely large emeralds. Nuth thinks they can handle two of these gems between them but cautions Tommy they may have to abandon one if things get hot. That’s how big the emeralds are—or how small this cast of characters. For his part, Tommy would prefer to be excused from this exercise, fearful of the reputation of gnoles. By the way, so-called “gnolls” were among the first creatures in the original Dungeons & Dragons game. The spelling was off, but the description read, “A cross between gnomes and trolls (... perhaps, Lord Dunsany did not really make it all that clear).” Tommy, being an obedient pupil, does as he is told and it does not go well for him. In the end it looks more like a kind of reconnoitering mission for Nuth, who learns a few new things about gnoles, such as that they bore holes in the trees, from the insides of which they watch for intruders. I like the tone of the story—cheery and upbeat, like a little fairy tale, streaked with sinister cynicism. This is how Tommy Tonker’s end is described, for example: “And where [the gnoles] took him it is not good to ask, and what they did with him I shall not say.” It’s curious that such an arguably slight story had such an impact—besides shaping D&D, it inspired the science fiction writer Margaret St. Clair to take up the scenarios in 1951 with a story called “The Man Who Sold Rope to the Gnoles.” But there doesn’t appear to be much more mention of Nuth elsewhere. He is mysterious and unsettling, sharing a dry wit with Lord Dunsany. The best part of this story is the description of the woods where the gnoles live—dark and frightening they are. It’s a weird fairy tale with sharp edges.

The Weird, ed. Ann & Jeff VanderMeer
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