# What distinguishes Melniboneans from humans? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 1, 2005, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-distinguishes-melniboneans-from-humans/333487 "2005-12-01T01:02:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2005, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-distinguishes-melniboneans-from-humans/333487/1 "2005-12-01T01:02:26Z")
In his Elric novels, Michael Moorcock mentions several times that the Melniboneans are “not human” – but what makes them different from humans is never made clear. They are mortal beings, and they seem to have human physiognomy with no obvious distinguishing characteristics, not even pointed ears or brow ridges. How are they “not human”? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2005, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-distinguishes-melniboneans-from-humans/333487/2 "2005-12-01T01:47:01Z")
From what I remember, they tend to be taller, thinner, and weaker. They also can do magic, which I don’t think humans can do, but the big difference between Melniboneans and humans isn’t physical, it’s psychological. Melniboneans (with the possible exception of Elric) are cruel and amoral to the point of sociopathy. They don’t have any compassion and don’t care about anyone other than themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2005, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-distinguishes-melniboneans-from-humans/333487/3 "2005-12-01T01:56:23Z")
Okay, I know how to pronouce Cthulhu. But can anyone give me the straight dope on how to pronounce some of the other common terms he flangs around? Also definitions, too. 'Cept for R’lyeh. I know what that is. R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn mglw’nafh Ph’nglu Thanks!! ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2005, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-distinguishes-melniboneans-from-humans/333487/4 "2005-12-01T01:57:41Z")
Oh heck, that was supposed to be a new thread. Sorry! Sorry! ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2005, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-distinguishes-melniboneans-from-humans/333487/5 "2005-12-01T02:06:31Z")
I think humans can do sorcery in the Elric novels. The sorcerers of Pan Tang were human IIRC. The Melniboneans are just better at it, mainly because they’re cool with the gods of chaos. I don’t think the Melniboneans are necessarily weaker than humans. Elric was, but he was unique. Of course his strength was supernaturally enhanced through Stormbringer. As **Captain Amazing** says, the main difference is psychological. The Melniboneans are a race of disaffected sociopaths. I seem to vaguely recall that they had a longer lifespan than humans, but don’t quote me on that. They may have been taller on average, but not extemely so. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2005, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-distinguishes-melniboneans-from-humans/333487/6 "2005-12-01T02:39:11Z")
> [@Larry Borgia](#): > > The Melniboneans are a race of disaffected sociopaths. If that were true, how could they have build an empire lasting a hundred centuries? ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2005, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-distinguishes-melniboneans-from-humans/333487/7 "2005-12-01T02:43:47Z")
Aside from the physical differences (they do live longer, and tend toward being more elfin in appearance), they are a precursor of the residents of the Young Kingdoms (can’t officially call them humans because they too were precursors), closer to Chaos (created by Chaos Lords in fact) and the Elementals than science and logic. Whereas the Pan Tangians had to study their whole lives and make pacts with demons to gain magical power and prowess, Melniboneans could tap into the magical arts naturally, and could call upon distant debts and vows and deals with demons and elementals. The Melniboneans described in the Elric Saga are corrupted by their own complacency and spend their whole lives (except the slaves) under the influence of a hallucinogen (thus the Dreaming City), but what is described of the generations before they grew so complacent in their own power makes them seem pretty evil. Ambitious, uncaring, unsympathetic, cold and distant, ruthless, malicious and greedy. Their magical nature and history is what gives them ties to the dragons as well. I remember that Aubec created the Young Kingdoms out of raw chaos, but where did Aubec come from? (IIRC, he too was an incarnation of the Champion Eternal) Who created where he came from out of chaos, the Melniboneans? ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2005, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-distinguishes-melniboneans-from-humans/333487/8 "2005-12-01T02:59:09Z")
Melnibobeans do not poop. No, I’m not kidding. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2005, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-distinguishes-melniboneans-from-humans/333487/9 "2005-12-01T03:29:51Z")
> [@Menocchio](#): > > Melnibobeans do not poop. > > No, I’m not kidding. But, then what is their butfor? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2005, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-distinguishes-melniboneans-from-humans/333487/10 "2005-12-01T04:32:55Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > If that were true, how could they have build an empire lasting a hundred centuries? Well, it is fantasy after all. But they did have a monopoly on the ability to use magic until the Pan Tangians came along, which allowed them to rule the world, and prevented them from being too weakened by infighting to allow the Young kingdoms to rise up. Not to mention the dragons. I think **soulmurk** basically has it. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2005, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-distinguishes-melniboneans-from-humans/333487/11 "2005-12-01T04:38:12Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > If that were true, how could they have build an empire lasting a hundred centuries? Well, it is fantasy after all. But they did have a monopoly on the ability to use magic until the Pan Tangians came along, which allowed them to rule the world, and prevented them from being too weakened by infighting to allow the Young kingdoms to rise up. Not to mention the dragons. I think **soulmurk** basically has it.