Gruul In World of Wardcraft and Shrike

Introduction

Gruul’s Lair was my first raid when I played World of Warcraft more than 15 years ago. Therefore, Gruul the Dragonkiller and Blade’s Edge Mountains, where Gruul’s Lair is located, are very memorable to me.

There are many killed young black dragons impaled on Blade’s Edge Mountains by Gruul, demonstrating his strength, power, and cruelty. When I first saw those, I was astonished.

While Gruul the Dragonkiller might be inspired by Vlad the Impaler in history, I found it more interesting that the bird Shrike also has a nature of impaling its prey.

Vlad the Impaler

Looking at the following image, I will not doubt that the creator of Gruul the Dragonkiller at Blizzard was inspired by Vlad the Impaler.

Vlad the Impaler was a prince of Wallachia, a historical and geographical region of Romania, in the 15th century. He was known for his cruelty and impaling his enemies.

Shrike

By looking at the appearance and the size of Shrike, you would not think of it has a nickname of “Butcher Bird”.

In the Bay Area, the Loggerhead Shrike is fairly common in the San Joaquin Valley.