Perhaps, as a reader of a D&D blog, you are already familiar with the theory that some of the plastic toys that Gary Gygax was inspired to make D&D monsters off of were bootleg toys of Ultraman monsters - bulettes being based on a toy of Gabora, for example.
You may be less familiar with the theory that there was an Ultraman monster inspired by a D&D monster - probably because I just made it up.
However I am not making this up in the same sense as the mentally-unwell lady who once told me that I had been disassembled by lasers which also removed my memory of that experience - without prompting, without evidence - but in the sense of revelation given to one of God's holy fools who sees the connection between A and E and leaves the busywork of B, C, and D to others.
To cut to the chase, I think the Ultraman monster Mother Deents was inspired by aboleths.
Evidence A:
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| Evidence A-2 - refer to eye colour |
Evidence E:
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| Evidence E-2 - Higher definition image, Mother Deents getting throat-chopped by Ultraman |
Aboleths were invented for I1 Dwellers of the Forbidden City published in 1983, and the Ultraman episode featuring Mother Deents airing in 1998. I'm not going to do any real research, but apparently Fighting Fantasy books were big in Japan in the mid '80s, so it's not beyond possibility that a costume designer for Ultraman saw an illustration of an aboleth.
All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
I was not aware of this theory that early D&D monsters may have taken some inspiration from Ultraman, that's wild to think about. Your contribution to the theory also on-face seems plausible too, well done!
ReplyDeleteMany such cases! See, for example: https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/of-mysteries-monsters-and-mosquitillos
DeleteWow, oh wow
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