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Editorial note: Keep it clean, and no speculation.

Matters of gender and sexuality are not often called upon in the Warcraft universe, but are occasionally brought up throughout official Warcraft lore and art.

Sexuality in the Warcraft universe[]

Childbirth[]

  • According to Gaxim Rustfizzle, goblins seem to reproduce like rabbits.[1]
  • Draenei do not often have children because they are so long-lived.[2]
  • Orcs are fecund and commonly have large litters because so many die in childhood.[4]
  • Worgen can't create new worgen babies as being a worgen is a curse. If two worgen were to mate and produce an offspring, that offspring would not be a worgen. The child would merely possess the genetic material of his or her parents, like any other child sans the curse.[5]
  • It is unknown if demons can procreate, but Aggonis claims to be the son of Aggonar.

Interracial relationships[]

Interracial reproduction[]

Main article: Half-breed

Marriage and marriage ceremonies[]

Gender and gender roles[]

The original World of Warcraft: Game Manual states: "Men and women are equal in Azeroth, so the only differences between the two genders is cosmetic."[25] Character creation in World of Warcraft involves selecting either a "Body 1" or "Body 2" (called "Male" and "Female" prior to patch 10.0.2) gendered body type. Aside from the character's appearance and voice, this provides no gameplay effect, although some gendered titles and the way the character is addressed by some NPCs, quests, and user interfaces change slightly. Players may alter their body type as they see fit at Barbershops.

  • For some creatures and races, some members of a particular gender are mentioned by lore but rarely represented or seen, such as with female ogres.
  • Prior to the conclusion of the Third War, night elf society was sharply divided by gender, with the vast majority of druids being men and most warriors and clerics being women. There were a few deviations—males with no aptitude for druidism trained in the arts of war, and females with exceptional druidic gifts were trained—but these gender roles more or less defined the culture of the kaldorei for ten thousand years. In the years since the Third War, this gender division appears to have eased somewhat, and more women have taken up the mantle of the druids, just as men have begun to choose the path of war or dedicate themselves to Elune.[26][27][28][29][30]
  • The Kingdom of Lordaeron practiced male primogeniture; although Calia Menethil was King Terenas II's oldest child, it was her younger brother Arthas who was set to inherit the throne.[31][32] The details of the other human nations' inheritance rules have not been specified.
  • Warchief Thrall declared the Horde's females to be on equal footing with men. In the Crossroads, the orc Sergra Darkthorn commends female adventurers for showing initiative and warns male adventurers not to disrespect her because of her gender.[33]
  • In the original version of the H [53] Betrayed questline, Belgrom Rockmaul was expressly misogynistic; he told adventurers about how he'd been betrayed by Magus Rimtori and stated: "I may have made a grave mistake. I trusted a blood elf. What's worse, I trusted a woman!"[9] Later, when adventurers gave him Rimtori's head, he referred to her as a "wench" and "pathetic woman".[34] The questline was removed in World of Warcraft: Classic. It was re-added in Burning Crusade Classic, but some of the quest text was changed to tone down Belgrom's language.
  • King Magni Bronzebeard formerly believed that women could not rule as well as men. This led to a rift between him and his daughter Moira, but he later changed his attitude after realizing that he had been unfair.[35][36]
  • The Hyldnir, a faction of frost vrykul, have a strictly matriarchal society in which males are used as slave labor.[37][38] They regard even non-Hyldnir females with more respect than males.[39] When attacking other races, they capture the men and let the women go.[40]
  • The island of Ogrezonia is rumored to be inhabited by giant female ogres who perform horrible rituals on men who happen upon their island.[41]
  • Blood troll society is strictly matriarchal. Women serve as leaders and are in charge of war parties[42][43] while men are used as manual labor,[44] blood magic fuel,[45][46] or food.[47] Male blood trolls respectfully refer to females as ma'da (Zandali for "mother").[48][49]
  • The Maruuk centaur's cultural leader, the Khanam Matra, is always a female from Teera's bloodline.[50][51]

LGBTQ+ characters[]

Developer statements[]

In the open Q&A at BlizzCon 2011, one of the questions was: "There really hasn't been a large representation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender characters in the World of Warcraft lore. Are there any chances to change that in the future?" Chris Metzen's reply was "We have I don't know how many quest designers. Probably seven? So there's a lot of people that plug away on story for this thing and certainly, like, our CDev's department's always chasing fiction and hooking characters and stuff like that, and we totally appreciate every component of our audience and want the game to kind of sing to everybody, so... Off the top of my head, I don't know if we're currently developing gay or lesbian characters but it's certainly a possibility. As long as the story's compelling... I think everything's gravy as long as it's just a really good character, well-rounded character that people really respond to, so I think it's totally an open possibility."[52]

In a July 2020 interview with Eurogamer, while discussing the Shadowlands character Pelagos (see below), executive producer John Hight stated that "WoW is a game that doesn't try to emphasise sexual relationships so in that regard, we don't necessarily tell that part of the story other than to hint around it. But we certainly have characters [that have] - or we've always thought of characters as having - different gender identities in the game. We don't try to put a big focus on it and make it a big deal, we just try to make the game feel comfortable, friendly and approachable for everybody in the game, regardless of where they come from." When asked if this meant that there are transgender characters in content predating Shadowlands, Hight replied, "Knowing some of our designers and having conversations with them, I'm sure that was the intent. But we like to keep things subtle."[53]

In an interview with Wowhead around the same time, lead narrative designer Steve Danuser stated that "I think it's a valuable thing that we show these different perspectives [on gender and sexuality] on Azeroth and want to really make clear that, you know, there's people who sometimes say, “Well, Warcraft is this medieval fantasy game and those kinds of things weren't talked about in medieval times, so they shouldn't be in Azeroth,” but I disagree with that. I think that Azeroth is a world of magic and a world of possibilities, and one of the things that's really important to know is that, in Azeroth, you can love who you want, you can identify yourself the way that you want, and all of those things are possibilities. We just want the game to be able to reflect that through its storylines, and through its character customization options, and we're really excited about that."[54]

World of Warcraft[]

Novels[]

WoW-novel-logo-16x62 This section concerns content related to the Warcraft novels, novellas, or short stories.
Shadows Rising
Folk & Fairy Tales of Azeroth
Exploring Azeroth: Northrend
  • Two historical members of the Bronzebeard clan, Mina Stormsmith and Ailsa Bronzebeard—both women—were married and had children together.[78]

Non-canon sources[]

Prostitution[]

Pornography[]

Rape[]

Quotes[]

  • Concubine quote:
    "They fall asleep after. Me, I fall asleep during...."
  • Dryad annoyed speech:
    "I'll attract the enemy with my human call. I'm so wasted! I'm so wasted!"
  • A male goblin joke:
    "She told me to tie her up and do whatever I wanted to her. So I took her stereo."
  • A female goblin joke:
    "I'm a free spirit, I don't like to be tied down. Oh, you mean that literally. I'm totally into that."
  • A dwarven saying:
    "Be-ware, Be-ware of a gnome with long hair! Though tiny in height, if the ale is just right, she'll follow you back, and hop in the sack!"[91]
  • A female troll saying:
    "When enraged, and in heat, a female troll can mate over 80 times in one night. Be you prepared?"[92]
  • Succubus:
    "Don't touch what you can't afford."

In the RPG[]

Icon-RPG This section contains information from the Warcraft RPG which is considered non-canon.

Childbirth[]

  • In Duskwood, a pregnancy — human, elven, or dwarven — has not been carried to term in two years.[93]

Interracial reproduction[]

  • Interacial breeding is generally frowned upon by human and elven society. Half-elves usually suffer bigotry from both their elven and human parents. The elven parents often abandon their children.[94][citation needed] 
  • Goblins and dwarves do not hold strong opinions on human-elf mating.[94]
  • Male harpies may not exist, as no male harpies have been reported. Harpies will breed with captive males of many species, though they prefer elves, orcs, and humans to either smaller or larger species.[95]

Romance and love[]

  • It is not uncommon for a succubus in a mortal's servitude to fall uncontrollably in love with him or her; this occurrence is not always to the master's advantage, though, for a devoted succubus can be prone to fits of extreme jealousy, especially when her master deals with those of the opposite sex.[96]

Marriage and marriage ceremonies[]

Weddingreception

An Alliance wedding reception.

  • Night elves do not traditionally marry, but they do take companions for life.[97]
  • Wildhammer dwarves only have a single holiday each year in which all the marriages are performed. It is one of the three community rituals held per year (the other two are for births and deaths respectively). Wildhammer dwarves commonly marry someone from their same birth year.[98]
  • Traditional jungle troll rites of passage include suitors battling to the death for the object of their affection (either gender would do this), fights with blunt weapons during a marriage ceremony to establish dominance in the marriage.[99] Many jungle trolls consider their wives as both trophies to be proud of and lowly slaves who have no rights. The more wives a warrior has, the more ties he shares within the tribe and the more allies he has. Though the warrior must have the means to care for all of his wives, it is a matter of prestige but also of political and social interest to own as many wives as possible. Only a willing father or brother agrees to give a female to a husband; unless, of course, a husband decides to hand out one of his own wives to another jungle troll to show his appreciation. Such a valuable gift shows a mark of respect and mutual friendship between the giver and the recipient. This ancient tradition allows jungle trolls to cut deals and alliances with other tribes. It is not rare to see the members of a weaker jungle troll tribe offer wives as tributes or peace offerings to the warriors of a bigger or more organized tribe. Among the members of the Darkspear tribe — who suffer the influence of the Horde some are beginning to question this outdated way of life.[100]
  • For tuskarr, marriage occurs as soon as a man can support a wife, and for females as soon as they reach puberty. Tuskarr like to celebrate positive social behavior such as marriage, to indicate the proper way an individual should act to reach the afterlife. Tuskarr have simple rituals relating to marriage, and it is one of their most prominent ceremonies. Girls dream of marrying a good whaler.[101][102]
  • Orcs share many of common marriage ceremonies as humans.[103]

Mating rituals[]

  • Magnataur do not have a mating season. Magnataur breed when food is plentiful and chance brings a potential mate into close proximity. Once the act is complete the pair separates. Mating can pit males against each other. These fights are usually all display. The two shout and smash the ground until one loses his nerve and flees.[104]
  • Murlocs extract a greenish mucus from the colored head fin of threshadons for use by chieftains as a powerful aphrodisiac.[105]

Gender and gender roles[]

  • Some races previously discriminated against one gender or the other (for example, many years ago the orcs did not allow females to fight, and the night elves did not allow male mounted warriors), but war changes everything, including gender beliefs. Nowadays, both genders are accepted in all classes.[106]
  • Some races show extreme sexual dimorphism, though there are a few unique exceptions:
    • Murlocs have minimal amount of sexual dimorphism (only the length and shape of the head-fin and back-fin indicate gender).[107]
    • Makrura males and females appear identical to non-makrura observers unless a female is carrying a clutch of eggs on her torso. Male makrura mate only once and then molt into sexless drones (although they are still referred to as he for all practical purposes).[108]
    • Most female quilboar do not follow the males' path of the warrior. On occasion, a female child displays such unnatural strength that the shaman deems her a man. She then trains as a warrior and lives in all ways like a male, even taking female mates. Tribal legend holds that such unions have occasionally produced an exceptional quilboar warrior (though no scholar has confirmed the tale), so there is little or no stigma attached to such situations.[109]
    • Female trolls hold no place in regular troll society. Male trolls consider them mates, nothing more — though they honor and give respect to female trolls who distinguish themselves in battle. Tauren (and orcs, due to a recent decree from Thrall) value their females as more than mates and allow them to rise to positions of power. Female Darkspears find this concept interesting, and some choose to live in the future because they sense it affords them greater opportunities than standard troll culture.[110] Until Thrall’s involvement with the Darkspear trolls, only male trolls became witch doctors. Female trolls have since seen the equality other Horde women possess and crave their own emancipation. Despite their efforts, few female witch doctors exist, and those who attempt to take on the role of tribal witch doctor meet with much derision and resistance.[111]

Prostitution[]

  • Prostitution, the sex trade, and slavery are common business practices among goblins. While slavery is usually illegal in other parts of the world, it is a legitimate trade among goblins, and is condoned by the trade princes. However, it is kept secret to avoid offending potential customers who might object to the controversial business. Slaves are used not just for manual labor but for other deplorable pursuits, and have no rights at all.[112]
  • The streets along Ratchet's wharf teem with whorehouses (aka brothels) for those with earthier tastes.[113]

Rape[]

  • Rape is generally frowned upon in Azeroth's societies but exists. Half-human half-ogres are rumored to be products of ogre aggressions on human villages.[114] Half-orc genesis is usually violent and perverse, they are usually born to abused or victimized parents.[115] Forlarren are typically the result of couplings between unwilling night elves and demons.[116] A succubus is into pleasure and pain. Like all demons, she enjoys bringing death and misery to the mortal races, but that doesn't mean she can't have fun with them first.[96]
  • Harpies capture males of other humanoid races and force them to mate. These unfortunates are often hobbled to keep from escaping. Given the circumstances, seduction is out of the question. Harpies resort to magic and potions to ensure cooperation, and employ their captives until they succumb to disease and malnutrition...[117]

Notes[]

  • One of the great pleasures of the humanoid forms used by shapeshifted dragons is that soft skin is more sensitive to receiving a loving touch than hardened scales.[118] Despite her protections, Deathwing's last mating attempt left many burn marks and scars on Sintharia's body.[119]
  • While some demons do slake their lust with coupling, the man'ari eredar prefer to do so with violence.[120]

Gallery[]

This section contains images about the anatomy (nudity, sexual dimorphism, and suggestive imagery), sexuality in official artwork, and/or images that show off the physical form. They may include nudity or revealing clothing. It also includes examples of sexual dimorphism within a race.

Females[]

Males[]

Other[]

Patch changes[]

  • Dragonflight Patch 10.0.0 (2022-10-25): "Male" and "Female" on the character selection screen changed to "Body 1" and "Body 2".

See also[]

  • Flirts, which are often sexual in nature
  • Soulbinding, whose relationships often share some elements with mortal romance

References[]

 
  1. ^ A [21] A Gnome's Respite
  2. ^ Rise of the Horde, pg. 76 (ebook)
  3. ^ Draenei Caretaker, Draenei Child (Vindicaar)
  4. ^ The Last Guardian, pg. 302 (ebook)
  5. ^ Ask CDev - Answers Round 4
  6. ^ H [5-30] Easy is Boring
  7. ^ Ask CDev Answers - Round 4
  8. ^ N [20-30] Lakeside Landing
  9. ^ a b H [53] Betrayed
  10. ^ Baros Alexston#Quotes
  11. ^ H [52] Jes'rimon's Payment to Jediga
  12. ^ H [1-30] Thonk
  13. ^ H [10-30] We're Here to Do One Thing, Maybe Two...
  14. ^ The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm, pg. 126
  15. ^ Before the Storm, chapter 5
  16. ^ Vol'jin: Shadows of the Horde, pg. 207
  17. ^ Shadows Rising, pg. 28
  18. ^ N [54D] The Love Potion
  19. ^ N [60] Love Song for Narain
  20. ^ N [68-70] Time-Locked Timewalkers
  21. ^ a b N [62-65] The Sole Mender
  22. ^ Windsage Contan#Quotes
  23. ^ a b N [62-65] Bloodlines, Sweets, and Teerai
  24. ^ a b N [62-65] Shikaar Giver
  25. ^ World of Warcraft: Game Manual, pg. 15
  26. ^ The Warcraft Encyclopedia/Night Elves#Silver Eyes, Golden Eyes
  27. ^ The Warcraft Encyclopedia/Sentinels#Membership
  28. ^ The Warcraft Encyclopedia/Sisterhood of Elune#Membership
  29. ^ The Warcraft Encyclopedia/Cenarion Circle#Membership
  30. ^ The Warcraft Encyclopedia/Moon Guard
  31. ^ Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, chapters 1 and 3
  32. ^ Before the Storm, pg. 199: "'We all do what we must,' Calia said. 'I was not the direct heir. [...] But Arthas was the heir, the firstborn son, and as he grew up, Papa began to focus more on him.'"
  33. ^ H [12] Crossroads Conscription
  34. ^ H [56] Betrayed
  35. ^ The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm, chapter 12
  36. ^ Magni: Fault Lines
  37. ^ N [25-30] Discipline
  38. ^ N [25-30] Examples to be Made
  39. ^ N [25-30] A Certain Prisoner
  40. ^ N [25-30] They Took Our Men!
  41. ^ B Jewelcrafting [30-35 Daily] Ogrezonians in the Mood
  42. ^ H [20-60] Blood Troll on the Outside
  43. ^ H [20-60] Sneaking into Zalamar
  44. ^ H [20-60] How to Be a Blood Troll
  45. ^ H [20-60] Bad Juju
  46. ^ Amaki Bloodsingers' interactions with Amaki War Slaves
  47. ^ N [20-60] Killing Cannibals
  48. ^ Battle for Azeroth Preview: Nazmir Visitor's Guide
  49. ^ H [20-60] Isolating Zalamar
  50. ^ N [62-65] Toward the City
  51. ^ Qariin Dotur
  52. ^ BlizzCon 2011 - World Of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria - General Q&A Panel (Full) (36:46 - 38:46). YouTube (2011-10-22). Retrieved on 2020-10-07. (MMO-Champion transcript)
  53. ^ Robert Purchese 2020-07-09. World of Warcraft will drop the £13 fee for changing gender in Shadowlands. Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 2020-07-09.
  54. ^ perculia 2020-07-09. Shadowlands Lore Interview with Lead Narrative Designer Steve Danuser - Elune, Sylvanas, Calia. Wowhead. Archived from the original on 2020-07-09.
  55. ^ Skyguard Khatie#Quotes
  56. ^ B Warlock [20-70] Whatever You Sayaad
  57. ^ B Jewelcrafting [30-35 Daily] A Present for Lila
  58. ^ Behind You!#Notes
  59. ^ N [15-30] The Day that Deathwing Came: What Really Happened
  60. ^ Rhonda Cox on Twitter (2015-12-15). Retrieved on 2018-01-15.​ “It is most definitely my NPC. I designed her myself, and Kung Fu San Soo is the martial art I study. =)
  61. ^ Gergo Vas 2015-12-14. World of Warcraft: Legion Has A Ronda Rousey NPC [CORRECTION: It's Not] - Kotaku. Retrieved on 2018-01-15.
  62. ^ N Enchanting [10-45] Cursed, But Convenient
  63. ^ Charmed Sailor, Enthralled Sailor, Enthralled Sailor (Tiragarde Sound), and Anthemusa's Thrall
  64. ^ B [35-60] Glimmering Locket
  65. ^ N [10-50] Broken Compass
  66. ^ Blizzard Entertainment Kaivax 2020-07-01. An Update on Pelagos' Pronouns. World of Warcraft Forums. Archived from the original on 2020-07-01.
  67. ^ N [51-60] A Temple in Need
  68. ^ Outcast's Makeshift Muckpool
  69. ^ N [60] A Fitting Guise
  70. ^ N [50-60WQ] Things Remembered
  71. ^ N [60-62] Don't Be So Shellfish
  72. ^ N [60-62] A Gift for Miguel
  73. ^ N [65-68] Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice
  74. ^ Shadows Rising, prologue
  75. ^ Shadows Rising, chapter 7
  76. ^ a b Don Adams on Twitter (2020-07-08). Retrieved on 2020-07-08.​ “Hey there. When I was working on Flynn for Tiragarde, I wrote in some hints at enrequited[sic] feelings for Taelia, mostly for flavor and character depth, but Flynn's always been bi. He loves openly and with gusto. I could not be happier with where he's ended up. 😊 Hope this helps!
  77. ^ Shadows Rising, pg. 265
  78. ^ Exploring Azeroth: Northrend, pg. 162
  79. ^ Cam Shea 2021-03-19. We Reveal a Hearthstone: Forged in the Barrens Legendary Card!. IGN. Retrieved on 2021-04-07.
  80. ^ Destiny Awaits!
  81. ^ Blizzard Entertainment Blizzard Entertainment. Worldofwarcraft.com - Goblin. Retrieved on 2020-01-25.
  82. ^ World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 3, pg. 203
  83. ^ N [45] No Reason to Stay
  84. ^ N [15-30] In with a Bang
  85. ^ N [35-40] My Precious!
  86. ^ Arthas: Rise of the Lich King
  87. ^ Day of the Dragon
  88. ^ N [10-30] Bait and Switch
  89. ^ N [10-30D] Prisoner of War
  90. ^ Dark Riders
  91. ^ An Honest Trade
  92. ^ Flirt#Troll female
  93. ^ Lands of Conflict, pg. 46
  94. ^ a b Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, pg. 48
  95. ^ Monster Guide, pg. 88
  96. ^ a b Monster Guide, pg. 127
  97. ^ Alliance Player's Guide, pg. 127
  98. ^ Alliance Player's Guide, pg. 144
  99. ^ Alliance & Horde Compendium, pg. 65
  100. ^ Horde Player's Guide, pg. 143
  101. ^ Manual of Monsters, pg. 104-105
  102. ^ Dark Factions, pg. 22, 88, 208
  103. ^ Horde Player's Guide, pg. 140
  104. ^ Manual of Monsters, pg. 60
  105. ^ Lands of Conflict, pg. 194
  106. ^ World of Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, pg. 173
  107. ^ Lands of Mystery, pg. 135
  108. ^ Monster Guide, pg. 98
  109. ^ Monster Guide, pg. 111
  110. ^ Horde Player's Guide, pg. 87, 143
  111. ^ Horde Player's Guide, pg. 93
  112. ^ Dark Factions, pg. 116
  113. ^ Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, pg. 191
  114. ^ Alliance Player's Guide, pg. 7
  115. ^ Alliance Player's Guide, pg. 8
  116. ^ Manual of Monsters, pg. 199
  117. ^ Manual of Monsters, pg. 55
  118. ^ Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects, pg. 32 (e-book edition)
  119. ^ Night of the Dragon, pg. 70 (e-book edition)
  120. ^ Rise of the Horde, chapter 5
  121. ^ Don Adams on Twitter: "Not related to feather color or anything obvious to non-arakkoa. They appear androgynous to other races."
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