Grogs
Encyclopedia
For the puppets, see Grogs (YTV)
.
For the clay caricatures, see Grogg
.
Grogs are a fictional extraterrestrial
species
in author Larry Niven
's Known Space
universe. They first appeared in the short story "The Handicapped
".
Grogs are a sessile
lifeform, spending most of their lives attached to a rock from which they catch prey using their extremely long tongue. The young of the species are motile, the female being described as something like a hairy bulldog and the male approximately the size of a chihuahua
. Both possess serrated cutting edges instead of teeth. After mating, they search out a suitable location in which to settle and become sessile adults. The sessile adults appear as a furry cone roughly 5 feet (1.5 m) high by 4 feet (1.2 m) wide at the base with a bald, rounded point and a reddish coloration similar to the sands of their environment. They possess four small hairless vestigial paws, a 3 foot (0.9144 m)-wide mouth and no eyes.
Grogs are found only on the human colony world of Down and were initially assumed to be non-sentient. It was since discovered that they were indeed sentient and furthermore possessed telepathic abilities which they used to control prey animals, literally making them leap into their mouths. It was hypothesized that they were the devolved descendants of the Thrint
species, but the Grogs claimed to have no knowledge of their ancestors.
Because Grogs can read and control human minds their threat potential was considered sufficient to demand that precautions be taken in the form of a Bussard ramjet
kept in orbit around Down's sun (where it was hoped it would be out of range of the Grogs' telepathy); this would be used to create an artificial solar flare
and sterilize the world of Down should the Grog take aggressive action against other species. It is implied that Grogs are aware of human fears and are careful to appear friendly and benevolent.
Grogs apparently are later allowed to travel off Down, as a Grog is later mentioned as a passenger aboard a human-built interstellar liner headed to the human-colonized world of Gummidgy in the short story "Grendel
".
Grogs (YTV)
Grogs were the different puppet characters on various YTV programming blocks between 1992 and 1994. They were created by 21 year olds Jason Hopley and Jamie Shannon in their first professional puppeteering job. The duo later founded The Grogs puppet company, and went on to do other puppet based...
.
For the clay caricatures, see Grogg
Grogg
A Grogg is a clay caricature made at the family run John Hughes world of Groggs which was established in 1965 in Trefforest near Pontypridd, Wales. Most Groggs are 9 inches tall or less and are made of a type of clay. Groggs are usually made of Popular Welsh rugby players, Welsh celebrities...
.
Grogs are a fictional extraterrestrial
Extraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
in author Larry Niven
Larry Niven
Laurence van Cott Niven / ˈlæri ˈnɪvən/ is an American science fiction author. His best-known work is Ringworld , which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics...
's Known Space
Known Space
Known Space is the fictional setting of some dozen science fiction novels and several collections of short stories written by author Larry Niven. It has also in part been used as a shared universe in the Man-Kzin Wars spin-off anthologies sub-series....
universe. They first appeared in the short story "The Handicapped
The Handicapped
"The Handicapped" is a science fiction short story written in 1967 by Larry Niven, set in the Known Space universe. The story introduces the Grogs; the sessile but sentient inhabitants of the planet known as Down.-Plot:...
".
Grogs are a sessile
Sessility (zoology)
In zoology, sessility is a characteristic of animals which are not able to move about. They are usually permanently attached to a solid substrate of some kind, such as a part of a plant or dead tree trunk, a rock, or the hull of a ship in the case of barnacles. Corals lay down their own...
lifeform, spending most of their lives attached to a rock from which they catch prey using their extremely long tongue. The young of the species are motile, the female being described as something like a hairy bulldog and the male approximately the size of a chihuahua
Chihuahua (dog)
The ' is the smallest breed of dog and is so named for the state of Chihuahua in Mexico. Chihuahuas come in a wide variety of sizes, head shapes, colors and coat lengths.-History:...
. Both possess serrated cutting edges instead of teeth. After mating, they search out a suitable location in which to settle and become sessile adults. The sessile adults appear as a furry cone roughly 5 feet (1.5 m) high by 4 feet (1.2 m) wide at the base with a bald, rounded point and a reddish coloration similar to the sands of their environment. They possess four small hairless vestigial paws, a 3 foot (0.9144 m)-wide mouth and no eyes.
Grogs are found only on the human colony world of Down and were initially assumed to be non-sentient. It was since discovered that they were indeed sentient and furthermore possessed telepathic abilities which they used to control prey animals, literally making them leap into their mouths. It was hypothesized that they were the devolved descendants of the Thrint
Thrint
The Thrintun , in Larry Niven's fictional Known Space universe, were a long-extinct species which ruled the galaxy through telepathic mind control. Humans knew them as "Slavers", since "Thrint" is unpronouncable to the human larynx...
species, but the Grogs claimed to have no knowledge of their ancestors.
Because Grogs can read and control human minds their threat potential was considered sufficient to demand that precautions be taken in the form of a Bussard ramjet
Bussard ramjet
The Bussard ramjet is a theoretical method of spacecraft propulsion proposed in 1960 by the physicist Robert W. Bussard, popularized by Larry Niven in his Known Space series of books, and referred to by Carl Sagan in the television series and book Cosmos....
kept in orbit around Down's sun (where it was hoped it would be out of range of the Grogs' telepathy); this would be used to create an artificial solar flare
Solar flare
A solar flare is a sudden brightening observed over the Sun surface or the solar limb, which is interpreted as a large energy release of up to 6 × 1025 joules of energy . The flare ejects clouds of electrons, ions, and atoms through the corona into space. These clouds typically reach Earth a day...
and sterilize the world of Down should the Grog take aggressive action against other species. It is implied that Grogs are aware of human fears and are careful to appear friendly and benevolent.
Grogs apparently are later allowed to travel off Down, as a Grog is later mentioned as a passenger aboard a human-built interstellar liner headed to the human-colonized world of Gummidgy in the short story "Grendel
Grendel (Niven)
"Grendel" is an English language science fiction short story written in 1968 by Larry Niven. It is the fourth in the series of Known Space stories featuring crashlander Beowulf Shaeffer...
".
External links
- Grogs at the Encyclopedia of Known Space