References to Literature and Poetry in World of Warcraft

By Wowhead Updated: 2017/09/28

World of WarcraftA Song of Ice and FireAlice in Wonderland

Savory Deviate Delight, Savory Savage Delight: The Use effect states "Eat me," which is what Alice's cake says that causes her to grow.

Noggenfogger Elixir: The Use effect states "Drink me," which is what Alice's bottle says that causes her to shrink. Noggenfogger also can cause the user to greatly shrink (Noggenfogger Elixir). Pygmy Oil also has similar text and an effect.

The Anarchist's CookbookThe Arcanist's CookbookThe Anarchist's CookbookBeat MovementAlchemist BurroughsWilliam S. BurroughsArcanist GinsbergAllen GinsbergAjeck RouackJack KerouacSir S. J. ErlgadinJ. D. SalingerThe Bible

And the Meek Shall Inherit Kalimdor: "Blessed are the meek: for they will inherit the earth" is a line from Matthew's Beatitudes.

Our Daily Bread: Line from The Lord's Prayer.

Newbs to Plowshares: References to swords to ploughshares from the Book of Isaiah, showing how military equipment can be repurposed in times of peace. This achievement requires you to win the battleground quickly, minimizing bloodshed.

The Book of Five RingsSpaulders of Five RingsThe Book of Five RingsBeowulfDrottinn HrothgarBritish Poetry"Ode to a Nightingale," John Keatsdissolve, and quite forgetDarklingOf perilous seasfaery lands forlorn

MY heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains

My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk,

Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains

One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk:

'Tis not through envy of thy happy lot,

But being too happy in thine happiness,

That thou, light-wingèd Dryad of the trees,

In some melodious plot

Of beechen green, and shadows numberless,

Singest of summer in full-throated ease.

Cool'd a long age in the deep-delvèd earth,

Tasting of Flora and the country-green,

Dance, and Provençal song, and sunburnt mirth!

O for a beaker full of the warm South!

Full of the true, the blushful Hippocrene,

With beaded bubbles winking at the brim,

And purple-stainèd mouth;

That I might drink, and leave the world unseen,

And with thee fade away into the forest dim:

What thou among the leaves hast never known,

The weariness, the fever, and the fret

Here, where men sit and hear each other groan;

Where palsy shakes a few, sad, last grey hairs,

Where youth grows pale, and spectre-thin, and dies;

Where but to think is to be full of sorrow

And leaden-eyed despairs;

Where beauty cannot keep her lustrous eyes,

Or new Love pine at them beyond to-morrow.

Not charioted by Bacchus and his pards,

But on the viewless wings of Poesy,

Though the dull brain perplexes and retards:

Already with thee! tender is the night,

And haply the Queen-Moon is on her throne,

Cluster'd around by all her starry Fays

But here there is no light,

Save what from heaven is with the breezes blown

Through verdurous glooms and winding mossy ways.

I cannot see what flowers are at my feet,

Nor what soft incense hangs upon the boughs,

But, in embalmèd darkness, guess each sweet

Wherewith the seasonable month endows

The grass, the thicket, and the fruit-tree wild;

White hawthorn, and the pastoral eglantine;

Fast-fading violets cover'd up in leaves;

And mid-May's eldest child,

The coming musk-rose, full of dewy wine,

The murmurous haunt of flies on summer eves.

I have been half in love with easeful Death,

Call'd him soft names in many a musèd rhyme,

To take into the air my quiet breath;

Now more than ever seems it rich to die,

To cease upon the midnight with no pain,

While thou art pouring forth thy soul abroad

In such an ecstasy!

Still wouldst thou sing, and I have ears in vain—

To thy high requiem become a sod.

No hungry generations tread thee down;

The voice I hear this passing night was heard

In ancient days by emperor and clown:

Perhaps the self-same song that found a path

Through the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home,

She stood in tears amid the alien corn;

The same that ofttimes hath

Charm'd magic casements, opening on the foam

To toll me back from thee to my sole self!

Adieu! the fancy cannot cheat so well

As she is famed to do, deceiving elf.

Adieu! adieu! thy plaintive anthem fades

Past the near meadows, over the still stream,

Up the hill-side; and now 'tis buried deep

In the next valley-glades:

Was it a vision, or a waking dream?

Fled is that music:—do I wake or sleep?

"To Autumn," John KeatsSEASON of mistsfruit the vinesthatch-eves runbend with applesripeness to the core;flowers for the beeswinnowing windhalf-reap’d furrowtwined flowersgleanerbarred cloudsbloom the soft-dying day"To Sleep," John Keatsgloom-pleased eyessoothest Sleeplulling charitiesbreeding many woescurious conscienceburrowing like a molecasket of my soul"Bright Star," John Keatslone splendourmoving watersnew soft-fallen maskOf snowstedfastsweet unrest"The Waste Land," T. S. Eliotroots that clutchbroken imagesdry stonered rockStirring the patternwitheredstumps of time

Line 173:
The river's tent is broken: the last fingers of leaf
Clutch and sink into the wet bank. The wind
Crosses the brown land, unheard.rattle of the boneschuckle spread from ear to earfaces sneer and snarllamentationendless plains

Line 385:
In this decayed hole among the mountains
In the faint moonlight, the grass is singing
Over the tumbled graves, about the chapel
There is the empty chapel, only the wind’s home.
It has no windows, and the door swings,
Dry bones can harm no one.
Only a cock stood on the roof-tree
Co co rico co co rico
In a flash of lightning.aetherial rumours

"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," T. S. Eliot

Line 4:

Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats	5
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:

Streets that follow like a tedious argument
Of insidious intent

Line 15:

The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes, 15

The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes

Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,

Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,

Line 84 (this item also summons a ghost):

I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,

And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker, 85

And in short, I was afraid.

"The Daffodills," Wordsworth

The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee:
A Poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

"The Lady of Shallot," Tennyson

Four grey walls, and four grey towers,
Overlook a space of flowers,
And the silent isle imbowers
The Lady of Shalott.

There she weaves by night and day
A magic web with colours gay.
She has heard a whisper say,
A curse is on her if she stay.

"Sonnet 73," Shakespeare

In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire
Consumed with that which it was nourish'd by.

"Ode to Psyche," Keats

Yes, I will be thy priest, and build a fane
In some untrodden region of my mind,
Where branchèd thoughts, new grown with pleasant pain,
Instead of pines shall murmur in the wind:

"Ode on Melancholy," Keats

Though seen of none save him whose strenuous tongue
Can burst Joy's grape against his palate fine;
His soul shall taste the anguish of her might,
And be among her cloudy trophies hung.

"By the Aurelian Wall: In Memory of John Keats," Bliss Carman

By the Aurelian Wall,
Where the long shadows of the centuries fall
From Caius Cestius' tomb
A weary mortal seeking rest found room
For quiet burial,

Catch 22

Help the Bombardier! I'm the Bombardier!: Reference to the following dialogue in Catch 22: "Dobbs: Help the bombardier!" "Yossarian: I'm the bombardier, I'm all right." "Dobbs: Then help HIM, help HIM!"

Charles Dickens

Scrooge: Reference to the main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, of A Christmas Carol who initially has a gloomy outlook on Christmas.

Crime and Punishment

Nikova Raskol, who wanders around Stormwind, is an inversion of Raskolnikov.
While thematically unrelated to the novel, Crime and Punishment is a quest in Dread Wastes. Crime and Punishment was a removed quest that sent players to the Stockades.

C.S. Lewis

Dawn Treaders: Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the name of the third novel in the Chronicles of Narnia series.

Dale Carnegie

How to Win Friends and Influence People is one of the most famous books on how to improve networking skills, and How To Win Friends And Influence Enemies is one of the starting Death Knight quests.

Dances with Wolves

Dances with Oozes (10 player): Reference to the book Dancing with Wolves.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep

Lifelike Mechanical Toad: The main character in this story spends the story wondering if a toad pet is real or a robot.

Don Quixote

Toy Windmill: The titular character of Don Quixote famously attacks windmills, believing them to be giants.

Dracula

Mina Harken / Heyzzle Veinripp: This Alliance Worgen follower, who fittingly is a Blood Elf Death Knight, is a tribute to the protagonist Mina Harker.

Dr. Seuss

Green Eggs and Whelps and Green Ham & Eggs reference the famous children's book Green Eggs and Ham.
Lorax: This NPC formerly gave Blacksmithing quests before Cataclysm. It is a tribute to the beloved tale The Lorax.
During the Feast of Winter Veil, players can defeat the The Abominable Greench who has stolen Christmas! He has the abilities Throw Winter Veil Tree, Shrink Heart and Throw Strange Snowman. This is needed for the quest You're a Mean One... in which you acquire the Stolen Treats. These are all references to How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Dune

Jom Gabbar: Tribute to the deadly Gom Jabbar, a poison needle. The box icon refers to the box the "humanity test" is conducted in--if you pull your hand out of the painful box, you are stung with the gom jabbar. The buff icon looks like a needle too: Jom Gabbar.
The quest rewards from The Big Bone Worm are Crysknives, weapons created from Shai-Hulud the giant sandworm. Dib'Muad's Crysknife references Muad'Dib, Revered Mother's Crysknife references a Bene Gesserit after she's completed the Spice Agony transformation, and Shani's Crysknife references Chani.

Edgar Allan Poe

By the Sea, Nevermore: This is a reference to two of his famous poems--"The Raven" (Nevermore) and "Annabel Lee" (In the kingdom by the sea).
Gilnean Raven: This battle pet references "The Raven" and has the ability Nevermore. The NPC who sells you the pet, Will Larsons, has the pet Poe.
Nevermore: This Garrison mission sends you to fight the ravens in Spires of Arak.

Emperor's New Clothes

The Emperor's New Cape: This cape has an invisible model, referencing the Hans Christian Andersen tale. In this fairy tale, two tailors convince the emperor that they have expensive cloth that only the wisest people can see. The Emperor is afraid to admit that he sees nothing, and "dresses" himself in nothing for a parade.

Fifty Shades of Grey

In the quest All Due Respect, Reshad and Percival are searching Syth's hut for important texts when they come across Fifty Layers of Shadow instead:
Reshad says: Fifty Layers of Shadows? PERCIVAL, YOU PUT THAT BACK THIS INSTANT.
Reshad says: Nasty bird...

Fight Club

The First Rule of Brawler's Guild (Season 1 or 2), The First Rule of Ring of Blood is You Don't Talk About Ring of Blood: The First Rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club.
The Second Rule of Brawler's Guild (Season 1): The second rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club.
You Are Not Your $#*@! Legplates (Season 1): Reference to the anti-consumerist rant You Are Not Your ***** Khakis.
Fight Club: This rare item has such a low droprate from Scarlet Monastery, it's like they don't want you to talk about it.

Foxtrot

Doomulus Prime is an imaginary weapon mentioned in this episode.

Hamlet

Ophelia Montague is a ghost banker in the Undercity, referring to her tragic story.
Dirge Quikcleave gives the quest Clamlette Surprise, in which he orders you to "Get thee to a cheesery!" This is a reference to the famous line "Get thee to a nunnery."

Harry Potter

The Daughter Who Lived is a reference to "The Boy Who Lived"--a common description of Harry Potter.
Chamber of Secrets: This removed quest was part of the Scourge Invasion event before Wrath of the Lich King. It references the second novel in the Harry Potter series.

Hemingway

The Old Gnome and the Sea: Tribute to the novella The Old Man and the Sea, a fishing expedition gone badly.
The Green Hills of Stranglethorn: Reference to Green Hills of Africa, Hemingway's second non-fiction work.
Hemet Nesingwary: The Collected Quests: Hemet Nesingwary is an anagram of Ernest Hemingway. He shows up in every expansion asking you to kill a certain number of animals.
Hills Like White Elekk: Tribute to the short story Hills Like White Elephants.
The Snows of Northrend: Tribute to the short story The Snows of Kilimanjaro.
Hemet Nesingwary is feeling exploited in Warlords of Draenor by the Alliance and Horde. You can find him drinking and throwing dynamite at fish in Nagrand. If you share a drink with him, he will later join your Garrison.
Nesingwary's Lost Horn is an item found in Ashran which summons a stampede of Nesingwary's pets: Silkwing, Ironhide Bull, Cypress Condor, Stompy, Direhorn, Kroshik, Gibby

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

The four heads needed for Four Heads are Better than None spell out Zaphod Beeblebrox. On this quest, you must fight two-headed ogres.

The Hulk

The Incredible Hulk: Tribute to the superhero The Incredible Hulk who has appeared in numerous comic books.

Isaac Asimov

Asimov's Drape: Named after the famous writer of science fiction and science books. The boss this drops from, Mimiron, fits the theme of his stories.
You, Robot, which rewards the follower item Grease Monkey Guide, is a followup to the Burning Crusade quest You, Robot in which you test out a newly-controlled robot that save Area 52 from Negatron. It looks like the robot controlling system has been perfected if you can acquire Grease Monkey Guide. These all refer to I, Robot, a collection of sci-fi short stories.

Jules Verne

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Name of his famous book Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

King Arthur

Lance a Lot: Reference to Sir Lancelot, King Arthur's greatest champion. The achievement requires the player to joust at the Argent Tournament.
The Sword in the Skull: Reference to The Sword in the Stone by T. H. White covering the fantasy childhood of King Arthur.

Lovecraft

Berinand's Research: In the quest Have They No Shame?, the research is referred to as the Arcanomicron, a clear reference to the Necronomicon that frequently appears in Lovecraft's short stories.
In His House He Waits Dreaming (25 player): Reference to "In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming."
While the Puzzle Box of Yogg-Saron is a Hellraiser reference, there are also numerous Cthulhu references that box can whisper to you.
Xal'atoh, Desecrated Image of Gorehowl also whispers things to users that build upon the mythology of the Old Gods.
Hand of Dextren Ward and Crime and Punishment, removed Stockades quests, are tributes to The Case of Charles Dexter Ward which also has a body-snatcher.

Macbeth

Full of Sound and Fury: From Macbeth's famous soliloquy: " It is a / Tale told by and idiot, full of sound and fury, / Signifying nothing."

The Merchant of Venice

Parts for the Job: One of the materials needed for this quest is Fresh Pound of Flesh, which is what Shylock must promise Antonio. This item is also sold by Anton. There is also the junk item Pound of Flesh.

Mistborn

Survivor's Bag of Coins: Tribute to the Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. References Allomancy, which allows characters to push on metal in order to propel themselves great distances over articles. An important character with this ability was the Survivor of Hathsin. In WoW, this item has a really neat way to obtain it which pays tribute to the series as well, including Reislek's Ghost.
Moby Dick

From Hell's Heart I Stab at Thee: Ahab dooms his crew and ship with his obsession with Moby Dick, yelling the famous line "…to the last I grapple with thee; from hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee." right before he gets stuck in his harpoon rope and is dragged into the sea.

Must Love Dogs

Must Love Dogs: Based on Must Love Dogs, a book by Claire Cook that was later turned into a movie. This achievement requires players to all have dog pets out while fighting a specific boss.

Mythology

Golden Fleece: In Jason and the Argonauts, the Golden Fleece was a treasure Jason sought to find in order to rightfully claim the throne of Iolcus. In game, the fleece makes you shimmer and can spawn additional gold when a mob dies.
Grasscutter: Named after a legendary broadsword which had the power to control the wind. Legend has it that when trapped in a burning field of grass, Yamato Takeru was able to turn the flames back on his enemies as he was cutting down the grass. This is also considered one of the three Imperial Regalia of Japan, which is referenced in the flavor text.

Nietzsche

The Abyss Will Gaze Back Into You: Taken from the quote "He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you," from the book Beyond Good and Evil.
Crystal of Insanity: The flavor text references a famous quote by philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche: "When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back into you."

Oglaf

Skull Drinking Cup: This poorly-designed cup doesn't retain liquid, as according to the archaeology notes, the liquid drips out of the eye sockets. This is a reference to one of Oglaf's comics. (Note: the comic is safe for work, but many others are not.)

P.G. Wodehouse

Jeeves is named after the butler in P. G. Wodehouse's short stories. Like the butler, the engineering robot is very talented and offers a variety of services like bank access and repairs.

Ray Bradbury

Bradbury's Entropic Legguards is a direct reference to noted science-fiction author Ray Bradbury. They drop from Flameweaver Koegler, who burns books in his encounter--a nod to Bradbury's famous book Fahrenheit 451.
Temperature-Sensing Necklace: The flavor text references the title of Fahrenheit 451.

The Right Stuff

The Right Stuff: The Right Stuff is a book covering the U.S. postwar space program. It was later turned into a film. This achievement describes a significant milestone in Azeroth travel.

Red Riding Hood

The Big Bad Wolf is one of the possible Opera Events in Karazhan. In this encounter, the The Big Bad Wolf chases around a player, who turns into Red Riding Hood and has no armor but gains increased run speed.
Big Bad Wolf's Head and Big Bad Wolf's Paw are obvious references to the evil wolf in the fairy tale.
Wolfslayer Sniper Rifle: In some versions of the fairy tale, a hunter shoots the wolf at the end.
Red Riding Hood's Cloak: Just like Little Red Riding Hood's noticeable cloak, the in-game one is red too.
Spiky Collar: This pet is a tiny version of the wolf--the flavor text suggests he's often hidden in Red Riding Hood's basket of sweets.

Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Treasure, Treasure Everywhere: Reference to the poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Coleridge, specifically the phrase "Water, water, every where, / And all the boards did shrink; / Water, water, every where, / Nor any drop to drink."

Robert Burns

My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose: Reference to the famous poem "My Love is Like A Red, Red Rose". This achievement is part of Love is in the Air as well.

Romeo and Juliet

The Romulo and Julianne encounter in Karazhan have loot that references Romeo and Juliet. Romeo's abilities reference swordsmanship, such as Poisoned Thrust, and Julianne's abilities reference their love, such as Blinding Passion. To defeat these encounter, they must both die at the same time or they will resurrect each other.
Romulo's Poison Vial: When Romeo thought Juliet had died, he ended his life by drinking a vial of poison.
Blade of the Unrequited: When Juliet woke up after faking her death and saw Romeo had killed himself, she stabbed herself with his dagger. This could also reference Paris, whose love for Juliet was not returned.
Masquerade Gown: Romeo and Juliet met at a masked ball.
Despair: While the name is generic, the rest of Julianne's loot explicitly references the play and the name does fit the theme of the doomed lovers.
A Curse Upon Both of Your Clans!: This Burning Crusade quest references the famous line "A plague o' both your houses!"
Several Undercity bankers are named after the Montagues, Romeo's family: William Montague, Mortimer Montague, Randolph Montague
What's in a Name Name?: This Horde quest refers to the famous line "What's in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet."

Rowan of Rin

Rowan's Rifle of Silver Bullets: In this children's book, Rowan is an adventurous shpherd who has a magical gun and flock of sheep.

Sherlock Holmes

Bastiana Moran / Coggeye Aimbot: This follower references the character Sebastian Moran. The in-game follower is a hunter, while Sebastian Moran was a sniper from the military.

Silence of the Lambs

When you grab the Ogre Tannin, an ogre screams "Noo! It puts the tannin in the basket, or else it gets the mallet again" which is a reference to the serial killer "Buffalo Bill" lowering a bucket down the well to his victims and saying "It rubs the lotion on its skin, or else it gets the hose again."

A Song of Ice and Fire

Syrio's Gloves of Tutelage: A nod to Arya's dancing master, Syrio Forel. The gloves are itemized for agility, as fits his nimble fighting style, and the flavor text references his famous line, "What do we say to death?"
Axe of the Iron Price: References the Greyjoy philosophy that one should pay the "iron price" and loot riches by killing foes, instead of acquiring riches through spending gold. The irony is that this is a great twink weapon with ilvl 417 available to level 81 players--so it's highly sought-after on the AH.
The Bear and the Lady Fair: "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" is the name of a popular bawdy song frequently referenced in Westeros (lyrics here). It's also the name of the Season 3 Episode 7 show featuring Brienne fighting a bear in a pit (similar to a Brawler's Guild quest) wearing an ill-fitting pink dress (Gorgeous Blouse).
Robes of the Quiet Isle: Mysterious location in A Feast of Crows which several characters visit.
Danaeris Amberstar / Pele'zol: References Daenerys Targaryen--the follower has a Fire Mage spec as a tribute to Daenerys' dragons, is a Night Elf with white hair to match her appearance, and is dressed in a regal robe.
Breaker of Chains: This is named after one of Daenerys' many titles.
A Song of Frost and Fire: This is the very first quest players get in Frostfire Ridge.
Tyrion is a gnome in Stormwind, Lady is a pet in Arathi Basin, Jon-Jon the Crow was formerly an Undead in Stranglethorn, and Cersei Dusksinger is an annoyed power-hungry blood elf.
The mission Summer is Here is the opposite of the motto "Winter is Coming." It rewards the item Winning with Wildlings, a term the Seven Kingdoms uses to describe the Free Folk.

Star Wars Universe

Shadow of the Empire: This novel fits in between "Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi." Sadly it was not made into a movie.

A Tale of Two Cities

The tailoring building in Booty Bay is called "A Tailor to Cities."

Terry Pratchett

Sam Vines of the City Watch shows up as Commander Samaul and Captain Garran Vimes in Dustwallow Marsh. Commander Vines was added to the Blasted Lands in Warlords of Draenor.
Other members of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch show up: Sergeant Krolan and Corporal Nobsy.
Many NPCs in Duskwood are part of the Night's Watch.
Gor'in Littlebottom is running around panicked in Wyrmrest Temple along with Mr. Stomp. The dialogue references the Lord Rhyolith encounter but the name refers to Cheery Littlebottom.
Barracks Master Harga: Reference to Harga's House of Ribs.
Deprecated Cowardly Flight Potion: Perfect for Rincewind who is always running away from danger.
The Creepy Crate battle pet, obtained during Hallow's End, is a reference to The Luggage which followed Rincewind around and ate anything harmful in its path. In-game, Creepy Crate will eat all critters in its path.

Tolkien

Stung: When Bilbo is killing spiders with his sword, he names it Sting.
Mrgl Blade:Tribute to Morgul Blade, wielded by the Witch-King of Angmar.
The 1 Ring, The 2 Ring, The 5 Ring: Direct reference and humorous variations on The One Ring, the most powerful item in Middle-Earth, which drives the plot of Lord of the Rings.
Precious Bloodthorn Loop: This ring turns you invisible and is dropped by Gorum.
There is a special vignette in Spires of Arak at 58.6, 59.6 referencing The Hobbit. Toom, Bort, and Wullim (references to the three ogres Tom, Bert, and William), guard a chest. If you defeat the ogres and open the chest, you loot 12 Dwarf Beard Rings and a Burglar's Vest for Bilbo.

Treasure Island

Short John Mithril, who announces the start of the Gurubashi Arena, and Long John Copper, a Bloodsail Buccaneer, are references to the opportunistic pirate Long John Silver.

Twilight

The first two novels of the Twilight Series are referenced in Twilight Tome, Rituals of the New Moon, and A Steamy Romance Novel: Blue Moon.
Eclipse: Reference to The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, the third installment of the series. This achievement requires players to kill Twilight Sparks.
Graceful Swan, the Innkeeper on the Timeless Isle, is named after the protagonist Bella Swan.

Unstoppable Force

The Immovable Object and The Unstoppable Force: These two Alterac Valley items reference the popular question "What would happen if an unstoppable force would hit an immovable object?" They later made a reappearance in The Burning Crusade, with The Stoppable Force as vendor trash.

Walt Whitman

Whit Wantmal, a resident of Duskwood, is an anagram of the American poet Walt Whitman.
Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz encounter is a potential Opera Event in Karazhan. Players defeat Dorothee (Dorothy), Tito (her dog), Strawman (Scarecrow), Tinhead (Tin Man), Roar (Cowardly Lion) and finally the The Crone (Wicked Witch).
Ruby Slippers: Red slippers just like Dorothy's--while hers take her to Kansas, yours work as a Hearthstone.
Wicked Witch's Hat and Blue Diamond Witchwand are suitable props for the Wicked Witch of the West, Dorothy's antagonist.
The Wrath quest I'm Smelting... Smelting! references the final words of the Wicked Witch of the West.
Tito is a battle pet that can drop from this encounter, and Tito Cosmetic Aura can Summon Tornado.

Wonder Woman

In a removed Feralas quest, players would free Arko'narin from a prisoner's cage and escort her to her armor. She spins several times and then is fully dressed in her combat armor, and then says she wishes she has a golden lasso.

Comments

Comment by 869061

Don't forget the battle pet, Tito. When he is active there will be a periodic mini tornado with a house in it that spawns around him.

Comment by 1458800

The NPC Nikova Raskol in Stormwind is a reference to the protagonist of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov

Comment by 1400345

There is also the toy; Rime of the Time-Lost Mariner from Timeless Isle, referencing The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and the battlepet Archimedes that shows up in the menagerie, referencing Merlin's pet owl in the disney classic "The Sword in the Stone".

Comment by 1457002

One of the early Draenor missions is called Speaker for the Dead, which is the title of the sequel to Ender's Game.

Comment by 1358603

You forgot As I walk Through the Valley of the Shadow of Moon

Comment by 1453431

There are so many! Thanks for this awesome guide!

Comment by GnuclearGnome

Another Bible reference, I believe, are the three Security/Interface computers in the Tribunal of Ages event in the Halls of Stone. Kaddrak, Marnak, and Abedneum are references to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendnego, three young Jews brought to Babylon by the conquering Babylonians as told in the book of Daniel.

Comment by 1473160

This is a great list, but you missed one of my favourites. I guess this would be listed under Mythology: in the Highmaul raid area in draenor, there is a is a duo of Bosses who are huge cyclops (one-eyed ogrons in wow) named Pol and Phemos. This is in reference to Homer's "The Odyssey" where the hero Odysseus comes across a nasty Cyclops named Polyphemus - and Pol and Phemos is a reverse-portmanteau of his name :)

Comment by thoramir

if im not much mistaken there are a few flaws in your references to Tolkien
is sting not named after the slughter of the orcs and/or goblins in the hobit and the majority of kills there goes to gandalf the gray tho i can be mistaken but im pretty sure there are not spiders involved in that part.
is the Morgul Blade not wieled by all 9 dead kings of man from ages ago(the once using the 9 rings of man)
the rings could they not also relate to the rings the dwarf(7 rings), elf(3 rings) or man(9 rings) got?

Comment by Llysan

I think the Dire Wolf is also a reference to A Song of Ice and Fire. The flavor text on the mounts list says: "Once thought to be extinct except in the far north. Highly sought for those preparing for winter."

Comment by labinf

the dune book series is represented also with a npc Shui Halad the big worms of dune shai'hulud

Comment by marshdapro

It's rather long but human males have a /silly joke referring to the Tolkein's LotR trilogy:

"So, I have this idea for a great movie. It's about two gnomes who find a bracelet of power, and they have to take it to the Burning Steppes and cast it into the Cauldron. They form the Brotherhood of the Bracelet. Along the way they're trailed by a murloc named Gottom, who's obsessed with the bracelet, and nine bracelet bogeymen. It could be a three-parter, called 'Ruler of the Bracelet'. The first part would be called 'The Brotherhood of the Bracelet', followed by 'A Couple of Towers', with the climactic ending called 'Hey, the King's Back!'"

Comment by Selenddron

There is another Harry Potter reference you missed, though it is very recent. Beakbuck, he's in the broken isles somewhere. I forget exactly where. It's a reference to Hagrid's gryphon Buckbeak.

Comment by herddog

Regarding the Fresh Pound of Flesh, the OP says "which is what Shylock must promise Antonio." Actually, it is the other way around. Shylock requires no usury for his loan to "a friend," but "in a merry sport" exacts an "equal pound of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken In what part of your body pleaseth me."
And Antonio agrees to this. o.O

Comment by dmciver

The opening warfront quest line into Nazmir for the Alliance is basically Joseph Conrad's "The Heart of Darkness" (made into a movie "Apocalypse Now"). Sub Blood Trolls for savages and going up the river to meet (in WOW's case) Conrad while in the book and movie it's Kurtz (who's gone native) is also mirrored in the quest.

Comment by breemen

Under "Dune" your missing Maud and Deeb. Rares in Tirisfal Glades

Comment by viva

The Sha of Fear achievement "The Mind Killer" is a reference to Dune. The Bene Gesserit's Litany Against Fear.

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

Comment by Morbys

Oof, you missed one of the biggest references, The Legend of Zelda. The quest in Un'Goro , not sure if its still there but in vanilla, was one of my fondests memories for quests. Then theres the reference of Silvermoon City, taken from one of R.A. Salvatores books of Silverymoon coven.

Comment by link55557

Another reference I appreciated a lot was Ari in the Mage Order Hall in Legion. She's a reference to Auri from Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicle series, and her quest The Proper Way of Things is a reference to the novella she narrates, The Slow Regard of Silent Things. At one point, she gives Kvothe, the protagonist a wooden ring, and a wooden ring is one of the quest rewards!

References to Literature and Poetry in World of Warcraft

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