History Literature / FafhrdAndTheGrayMouser

The pair weren't entirely Lieber's creation, but a joint effort between him and his friend Harry Otto Fischer. ([[AuthorAvatar Fafhrd being loosely based on Lieber and Mouser on Fischer]].) Fischer's only story contribution was "The Tale of the Grain Ships", which was ultimately [[FixUpNovel integrated]] into Lieber's ''The Swords of Lankhmar''. Lieber would end up writing the series but was always insistent on equally crediting Fischer for the pair's creation. There are seven books containing all the stories: ''Swords and Deviltry'', ''Swords Against Death'', ''Swords in the Mist'', ''Swords Against Wizardry'', ''The Swords of Lankhmar'', ''Swords and Ice Magic'', and ''The Knight and Knave of Swords''. There is also the [[OutlivedItsCreator authorized novel sequel]] ''Swords Against the Shadowland'' by Robin Wayne Bailey.

* BrainsAndBondage: The Mouser has some pretty heavy tendencies to sexual sadism, with increasing explicitness over Lieber's lifetime.

There are seven books containing all the stories: ''Swords and Deviltry'', ''Swords Against Death'', ''Swords in the Mist'', ''Swords Against Wizardry'', ''The Swords of Lankhmar'', ''Swords and Ice Magic'', and ''The Knight and Knave of Swords''. There is also the [[OutlivedItsCreator authorized novel sequel]] ''Swords Against the Shadowland'' by Robin Wayne Bailey.

* StuffedIntoTheFridge: [[spoiler: Vella and Ivrian.]]

** Nehwon is named after the pattern of "Erewhon", a fantasy land created by Samuel Butler. Erewhon is an anagram of Nowhere, and Nehwon is an anagram of Nowhen.

** Nehwon is named after the pattern of "Erewhon", a fantasy land created by Samuel Butler.

* IntercontinuityCrossover: In the 1970s, they appeared in a ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' comic. Creator/DCComics did a comic adaptation of these, so this guest appearance was probably considered as a fairly standard in-house crossover.

One of the most seminal pieces of SwordAndSorcery was Creator/FritzLeiber's ''Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser'' series of short stories and novellas. Set in the world of Nehwon (except for one story set on Earth), often in the city of Lankhmar, it starred Fafhrd, a seven-foot tall {{barbarian|Hero}} from the North, and the Mouser, a trickster [[LoveableRogue thief]] and former wizard's apprentice, who find and befriend each other one day.

A {{deconstruction}} of the Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian stories that Leiber had grown tired of, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser showed two heroes closer to actual human beings. To quote Wiki/{{Wikipedia}}: "They spend a lot of time drinking, feasting, wenching, brawling, stealing, and gambling, and are seldom fussy about to whom they hire their swords. But they are humane and -- most of all -- relish true adventure."

A massive source for inspiration for much of modern roleplaying, specifically ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', either directly or indirectly, and pretty much any ''swashbuckling'' -- as opposed to ThudAndBlunder -- fantasy story written after about 1970 or so probably owes a debt to these stories. The fact that the most important city in most of the Literature/{{Discworld}} stories is called '''Ankh-Mor'''pork is absolutely no coincidence, too; {{exp|y}}ies of Fafhrd and the Mouser show up in the first chapter of the first book, after all.

* ShapeshifterBaggage: In ''The Swords of Lankhmar'', a shrinking potion does, in fact, displace mass, as the now rat-sized Mouser has to swim his way out of a good-sized puddle of meat, cloth fibers, and metal fragments (flesh, clothes, armor, and weapons). Later, he grows back to his full size away from that puddle, and the mass is taken from nearby objects (and people!), stripping some enemy {{Mooks}} of armor and weapons-- and giving a nearby FatGirl a magical liposuction. Great news for her, {{Squick}} for the Mouser?

* IntercontinuityCrossover: In the 1970s, they appeared in a ''Wonder Woman'' comic. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:WW202.jpg Don't believe me?]]
** DC did a comic adaptation of these, so this guest appearance was probably considered as a fairly standard in-house crossover.

* JumpedAtTheCall: The both do this a lot. See DamselInDistress and {{Plunder}}.

* ThePowerOfHate: Even after Guay’s [[spoiler: sorcerers die and he succumbs to the cursed diseases, his hatred of his brother Haasjarl allows him to remain in his utterly ravages body and even cast spells.]]

* ThePowerOfHate: Even after Guay’s [[spoiler: sorcerers die and he succumbs to the cursed diseases, his hatred of his brother Haasjarl allows him to remain in his utterly ravaged body and even cast spells.]]
* RedOniBlueOni: Ningable is the red to Sheelba's blue.

** The Cat's Claw gets referenced by a number of early [[Creator/SquareEnix Square RPGs]] (VideoGame/{{Final Fantasy|I}}, Franchise/SaGaRPG), appearing as a store-bought dagger/sword that's usually one of the better daggers in the games. Later games seemed to have forgotten the original reference and made the Cat Claw/Cat Claws into an actual paw-shaped glove weapon with claws.

* RedOniBlueOni: Ningauble is the red to Sheelba's blue.

A massive source for inspiration for much of modern roleplaying, specifically D&D, either directly or indirectly, and pretty much any ''swashbuckling'' -- as opposed to ThudAndBlunder -- fantasy story written after about 1970 or so probably owes a debt to these stories. The fact that the most important city in most of the Literature/{{Discworld}} stories is called '''Ankh-Mor'''pork is absolutely no coincidence, too; {{exp|y}}ies of Fafhrd and the Mouser show up in the first chapter of the first book, after all.

* AuthorAppeal: Especially some of the later stories, though Fafhrd is something of an AuthorAvatar throughout.

** The Cat's Claw gets referenced by a number of early [[Creator/SquareEnix Square RPGs]] (VideoGame/{{Final Fantasy|I}}, VideoGame/SaGa), appearing as a store-bought dagger/sword that's usually one of the better daggers in the games. Later games seemed to have forgotten the original reference and made the Cat Claw/Cat Claws into an actual paw-shaped glove weapon with claws.

* BadassBaritone: Subverted: Fafhrd's voice is a light tenor, and he is noted to sing quite beautifully.

->''"Now about Lankhmar. She's been invaded, her walls breached everywhere and desperate fighting is going on in the streets, by a fierce host which out-numbers Lankhamar's inhabitants by fifty to one -- and equipped with all modern weapons. Yet you can save the city."''\\

One of the most seminal pieces of SwordAndSorcery was Creator/FritzLeiber's ''Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser'' series of short stories and novellas. Set in the world of Nehwon (except for one story set on Earth), often in the city of Lankhmar, it starred Fafhrd, a seven-foot tall {{barbarian|Hero}} from the North, and the Mouser, a trickster [[LoveableRogue thief]] and former wizard's apprentice, who find and befriend each other one day. A {{deconstruction}} of the Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian stories that Leiber had grown tired of, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser showed two heroes closer to actual human beings. To quote Wiki/{{Wikipedia}}: "They spend a lot of time drinking, feasting, wenching, brawling, stealing, and gambling, and are seldom fussy about to whom they hire their swords. But they are humane and -- most of all -- relish true adventure." A massive source for inspiration for much of modern roleplaying, specifically D&D, either directly or indirectly, and pretty much any ''swashbuckling'' -- as opposed to ThudAndBlunder -- fantasy story written after about 1970 or so probably owes a debt to these stories. The fact that the most important city in most of the Literature/{{Discworld}} stories is called '''Ankh-Mor'''pork is absolutely no coincidence, too; {{exp|y}}ies of Fafhrd and the Mouser show up in the first chapter of the first book, after all.