I’ve been catchup on my Slovenly Trulls episodes, now that I once again have time to listen to slay feminists Dungeons & Dragons lore podcasts. Recently I listened to Gnoll & Beholder1 Shardae & Lyssa Episode #53 “Gnoll & Beholder” (1 August 2025) The Slovenly Trulls and was entertained by Shardae and Lyssa puzzling over the oddity that gnolls are, in all other lore, misogynistic patriarchal assholes… but in Monster Manual IV (2006)2 “Monster Manual IV” (July 2006, Wizards of the Coast, Seattle WA), at 67-71 and Dragon Magazine #367 (2008),3 Keith Baker “Playing Gnolls” in Dragon Magazine #368 Editor-in-Chief: (September 2008, Wizards of the Coast, Seattle WA), at 47-54 it seems to claim it’s a matriarchy, and specifically explains that the female gnolls are indistinguishable form the males?
What happened around 2006 – 2008 that inspired this fascination with the ideas of gnolls being a reverse patriarchy with reverse dimorphism… that seemed unsourced and faded away?
Or to put it another way, why we all briefly agree that female gnolls had massive alpha male big dick energy? What was the “magic” element?
Allow me to offer my not so humble theory as a wise old man who was active in a bunch of online communities at the time.
- 1Shardae & Lyssa Episode #53 “Gnoll & Beholder” (1 August 2025) The Slovenly Trulls
- 2“Monster Manual IV” (July 2006, Wizards of the Coast, Seattle WA), at 67-71
- 3Keith Baker “Playing Gnolls” in Dragon Magazine #368 Editor-in-Chief: (September 2008, Wizards of the Coast, Seattle WA), at 47-54