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The term ''lich'' comes from the on the German Language Wikipedia . In modern Fantasy Fiction , a lich is a type of Undead creature, usually an evil Magician . The usage of the term "lich" as a specific type of undead creature originates in the '' Dungeons & Dragons '' Role-playing Game ; previous works of fantasy fiction, such as Clark Ashton Smith 's "Empire of the Necromancers", had used the term as a general term for an animate or inanimate corpse. In old Roman Catholicism , the "lych" or "lych gate" is a covered area at the entrance to the cemetery where the casket awaits the clergy before proceeding into the cemetery for proper burial. As such, the suggestion as to the fantasy undead creature, the Lich, is of an undead creature that was never properly buried, never made it to the grave. This is different from other types of undead creatures, such as vampires and zombies, who were buried and returned from the dead. Since most religions maintain that only God or a god can bring someone back from the dead, there is also a suggestion of hubris in the idea of anyone but a deity reanimating dead. Hence, the idea of Undead is the idea of an unclean, unholiness. LICHES IN ''DUNGEONS & DRAGONS'' In the '' Dungeons & Dragons '' game (and many unrelated works of fantasy fiction that draw upon ''D&D'' for inspiration), a lich is a Spellcaster who seeks to defy death by magical means. Liches convert themselves into an Undead skeleton by means of Black Magic and Necromancy , storing their Soul s in magical receptacles called Phylacteries . In some sources the method of becoming a lich is referred to as the Ritual of Endless Night. The lich creation process is often described as requiring the creation and consumption of a deadly potion which is to be drunk on a full moon. The potion invariably kills the drinker but if the process is successful he rises again some days later as a lich. Occasionally, this Metamorphosis occurs by accident as a result of life-prolonging magic. Unlike most other forms of ''D&D'' undead creatures, the lich retains all of the memories, personality, and abilities that it possessed in life- but it has a virtual eternity to hone its skills and inevitably becomes quite powerful. Like other powerful forms of undead (such as a Vampire or Mummy ), a lich has unnatural powers owing to his state. For example, he can paralyze mortals with a mere touch, and can, through force of will, summon other lesser undead to protect him. Liches can radiate an aura of horror which can send weak-willed would-be foes to flight. The lich is capable of sustaining tremendous physical damage, and is immune to disease, poison, fatigue and other effects that could not affect something which is not alive. However, despite all his undead "gifts", a lich's most valuable resources are his vast intellect, his supreme mastery of sorcery and limitless time to research, plot and scheme. Since a lich's soul is mystically tied to his phylactery, destroying his body will not kill him. Rather, his soul will return to the phylactery, and his body will be recreated by the power keeping him immortal. Thus the only way to permanently destroy a lich is to destroy the phylactery as well. Therefore, the lich will generally be extremely protective of the priceless item. The phylactery, which can be of virtually any form (but usually appears as a valuable amulet or gemstone), will often be hidden in a secret place and protected by powerful spells, charms, monsters and/or other servants; the phylactery itself is usually of magical nature, meaning its destruction will generally be little easier than attaining it. Liches are usually among the most powerful undead creatures in almost any setting in which they appear, and are one of the most powerful non-unique undead creatures in the ''D&D'' game. Several ''D&D'' gods were liches before becoming deities; these gods include:
Other well-known liches are Klaxx the Malign (from ''''). Other forms of liches Still in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' universe, one can also encounter the ''Archlich'', which is not, as the name implies, a more powerful type of lich. Archliches are good liches which are able to memorize spells through intuitive nature and do not need spellbooks; they also do not become demiliches (see below) but remain in their form for eternity. If a lich exists long enough, it may reach a point where it feels it cannot learn any more in its present state and seeks other avenues to attain knowledge. The lich's interest turns away from the physical realm, and its soul voluntarily leaves its undead form and phylactery, using ''. Other races also have their own special versions of the lich, which are not necessarily evil; for example, an Elf from the Forgotten Realms setting can become a ''baelnorn'', or an Illithid can become an ''illithilich'', also known as an ''alhoon''; a powerful Beholder wizard can become a ''death tyrant''. A Dragon can also become a Dracolich . Dracoliches are greatly feared, for they are far more powerful than ordinary liches. A dracolich that becomes a demilich would be an extremely powerful monster, even by dragon standards. LICHES IN OTHER FICTION Many other works of fantasy fiction have borrowed the term and concept of the lich from ''D&D'' to lend an element of supernatural fear to their cast or atmosphere. Such works include the '' and '' Shadowrun '' Role-playing Game s, and the novel '' The Scar '' by China Miéville . They also appear in The Kingdom Of Loathing , but are featured as "lihcs" because they are found in the "Misspelled Cemetary". David Drake 's ''Lord of the Isles'' series of novels used the term to mean the corpse of a drowned man, animated by magic, which can only be destroyed by smashing its skull. In the video game '' Disciples II '', the most powerful liches are referred to as Arch-liches, though several other varieties of this term have appeared in other works. Andrew J. Offutt 's ''Conan and the Sorcerer'', a 1978 Pastiche of Robert E. Howard 's '' Conan The Barbarian '', features the Sand-Lich, Tosya Zul. The book series '' Rise To Heaven '' features the lich Soveliss, who chose the path of lichhood instead of succumbing to a life-threatening disease. Other notable sightings include:
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND While this usage of the term "lich" is particular to ''Dungeons & Dragons'' and other modern fantasy fiction, the underlying idea of eluding death by means of arcane study and black magic is not. It can be traced to Middle East ern Folklore , and the method of achieving immortality by placing one's soul in a jar (which is usually hidden in some vast fortress) is suggestive of the burial practices of Egypt . This would make the Lich a very-far-from-its-roots mythologization of Egyptian Pharaoh s. It should be noted that the Ancient Egyptians did not fear death (they were not eluding death), and that the creation of the Mummy was for the soul to fly back to; it was free to exist in both the Afterlife and physical world (to commune with its descendants). Eastern Slavic legends tell of a powerful dark wizard or a demon, Koschei the Deathless, who evades death by having his fiery soul placed in the eye of a magical needle. The needle is inside an egg, which is inside a duck, which is inside a hare, which is locked in an iron chest, placed at the roots of a great oak tree, on a magical island of Buyan . Koschei can be killed only by breaking the magical needle, which is much like a phylactery of a lich. Like many of the creatures found in ''Dungeons & Dragons'', the Lich was derived from monsters found in classic Sword And Sorcery fiction, which is filled with powerful sorcerers who used their magic to triumph over death. Many of Clark Ashton Smith 's short stories feature powerful wizards whose magic enables them to return from the dead. The term "lich", used as an archaic word for corpse, is commonly used in these stories. Other imagery surrounding demiliches, in particular that of a jeweled skull, is drawn from the early Fritz Leiber story "Thieves' House". There is also a Melodic Death Metal band out of Brewster, Ohio called Lich . EXTERNAL LINKS
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