What's the earliest instance of a “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” reference to beholders?












27















Is there any recorded use of the phrase, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" being used in a commercially available D&D campaign of any edition, specifically to reference (secretly or overtly) a beholder that appears in the course of the campaign? What's the earliest instance?










share|improve this question

















This question has an open bounty worth +200
reputation from lightcat ending in 6 days.


Looking for an answer drawing from credible and/or official sources.


Preference for (A)D&D gaming publications of any version, including rule books and published or commercially available campaigns. Will also accept any other D&D branded material, including games, video games, publications and marketing. Please include reference images if possible (with web link citation) and which publication the reference is from and the date, even if you think it's obvious.












  • 2





    Related: Beauty and beholder in respect to other senses

    – Peter Mortensen
    Jan 11 at 15:07






  • 5





    I've updated this to ask for the earliest instance since that will help us filter to a “best” answer rather than merely collecting an ongoing list of all the times it ever happened. (Which is probably a lot.)

    – doppelgreener
    2 days ago











  • @ShadowRanger At best that comment was chatting, and possibly it was attempting to answer the question. Neither usage are what the commenting feature is provided for, so your comment was removed. See this FAQ for more information. Thanks!

    – SevenSidedDie
    yesterday


















27















Is there any recorded use of the phrase, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" being used in a commercially available D&D campaign of any edition, specifically to reference (secretly or overtly) a beholder that appears in the course of the campaign? What's the earliest instance?










share|improve this question

















This question has an open bounty worth +200
reputation from lightcat ending in 6 days.


Looking for an answer drawing from credible and/or official sources.


Preference for (A)D&D gaming publications of any version, including rule books and published or commercially available campaigns. Will also accept any other D&D branded material, including games, video games, publications and marketing. Please include reference images if possible (with web link citation) and which publication the reference is from and the date, even if you think it's obvious.












  • 2





    Related: Beauty and beholder in respect to other senses

    – Peter Mortensen
    Jan 11 at 15:07






  • 5





    I've updated this to ask for the earliest instance since that will help us filter to a “best” answer rather than merely collecting an ongoing list of all the times it ever happened. (Which is probably a lot.)

    – doppelgreener
    2 days ago











  • @ShadowRanger At best that comment was chatting, and possibly it was attempting to answer the question. Neither usage are what the commenting feature is provided for, so your comment was removed. See this FAQ for more information. Thanks!

    – SevenSidedDie
    yesterday
















27












27








27


2






Is there any recorded use of the phrase, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" being used in a commercially available D&D campaign of any edition, specifically to reference (secretly or overtly) a beholder that appears in the course of the campaign? What's the earliest instance?










share|improve this question
















Is there any recorded use of the phrase, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" being used in a commercially available D&D campaign of any edition, specifically to reference (secretly or overtly) a beholder that appears in the course of the campaign? What's the earliest instance?







monsters dungeons-and-dragons history-of-gaming story






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 2 days ago









doppelgreener

32k11137230




32k11137230










asked Jan 11 at 11:31









lightcatlightcat

1,578325




1,578325






This question has an open bounty worth +200
reputation from lightcat ending in 6 days.


Looking for an answer drawing from credible and/or official sources.


Preference for (A)D&D gaming publications of any version, including rule books and published or commercially available campaigns. Will also accept any other D&D branded material, including games, video games, publications and marketing. Please include reference images if possible (with web link citation) and which publication the reference is from and the date, even if you think it's obvious.








This question has an open bounty worth +200
reputation from lightcat ending in 6 days.


Looking for an answer drawing from credible and/or official sources.


Preference for (A)D&D gaming publications of any version, including rule books and published or commercially available campaigns. Will also accept any other D&D branded material, including games, video games, publications and marketing. Please include reference images if possible (with web link citation) and which publication the reference is from and the date, even if you think it's obvious.










  • 2





    Related: Beauty and beholder in respect to other senses

    – Peter Mortensen
    Jan 11 at 15:07






  • 5





    I've updated this to ask for the earliest instance since that will help us filter to a “best” answer rather than merely collecting an ongoing list of all the times it ever happened. (Which is probably a lot.)

    – doppelgreener
    2 days ago











  • @ShadowRanger At best that comment was chatting, and possibly it was attempting to answer the question. Neither usage are what the commenting feature is provided for, so your comment was removed. See this FAQ for more information. Thanks!

    – SevenSidedDie
    yesterday
















  • 2





    Related: Beauty and beholder in respect to other senses

    – Peter Mortensen
    Jan 11 at 15:07






  • 5





    I've updated this to ask for the earliest instance since that will help us filter to a “best” answer rather than merely collecting an ongoing list of all the times it ever happened. (Which is probably a lot.)

    – doppelgreener
    2 days ago











  • @ShadowRanger At best that comment was chatting, and possibly it was attempting to answer the question. Neither usage are what the commenting feature is provided for, so your comment was removed. See this FAQ for more information. Thanks!

    – SevenSidedDie
    yesterday










2




2





Related: Beauty and beholder in respect to other senses

– Peter Mortensen
Jan 11 at 15:07





Related: Beauty and beholder in respect to other senses

– Peter Mortensen
Jan 11 at 15:07




5




5





I've updated this to ask for the earliest instance since that will help us filter to a “best” answer rather than merely collecting an ongoing list of all the times it ever happened. (Which is probably a lot.)

– doppelgreener
2 days ago





I've updated this to ask for the earliest instance since that will help us filter to a “best” answer rather than merely collecting an ongoing list of all the times it ever happened. (Which is probably a lot.)

– doppelgreener
2 days ago













@ShadowRanger At best that comment was chatting, and possibly it was attempting to answer the question. Neither usage are what the commenting feature is provided for, so your comment was removed. See this FAQ for more information. Thanks!

– SevenSidedDie
yesterday







@ShadowRanger At best that comment was chatting, and possibly it was attempting to answer the question. Neither usage are what the commenting feature is provided for, so your comment was removed. See this FAQ for more information. Thanks!

– SevenSidedDie
yesterday












4 Answers
4






active

oldest

votes


















36














The earliest reference is 1987



First time I heard it referenced in Dungeons and Dragons was in the 1987 Saturday morning cartoon.



It was Episode 2, The Eye of the Beholder, specifically at this point during their conversation with Dungeon Master.



Not really published though and not exactly canon.






share|improve this answer





















  • 8





    This does at least establish by precedent that it was very early on that the reference was occurring to people and being used.

    – doppelgreener
    Jan 11 at 14:29





















26














The earliest reference is 1988



Yamara was comic strip which appeared in Dragon magazine. The first strip published in May 1988 made this joke:



An elf says to her beholder friend: "Oh, you know what they say about the beauty being in the–"






share|improve this answer










New contributor




Ori Gurel-Gurevich is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.




























    23














    The earliest reference is 1990



    Not exactly a campaign but an early issue of Dragon magazine had a “cute” drawing of a beholder on the cover. The issue’s tagline is “Beauty is in the eye of — oh, skip it.” It was their 1990 April issue, #156:



    A man in a tunic and hose, with a sword and pouches on his belt, kneels on one knee and presents a bouquet of flowers to a blushing beholder monster floating before him. His right hand is on his chest and he is speaking or singing, as if reciting an love poem to the beholder.
    Cover by Daniel Horne © TSR & WotC, used under Fair Use for teaching and cultural critique purposes



    (This issue is in the tradition of April issues of Dragon being silly for April Fools’. If you ever wanted to encounter the dread Bubble Dragon or a herd of Blink Mammoths, this is your DM’s issue.)






    share|improve this answer










    New contributor




    Vidar is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.




























      19














      The earliest reference is 2017



      The back cover of Xanathar's Guide to Everything for D&D 5E (lore-wise written by the beholder crime-lord "The Xanathar") has a similar phrase, though not exactly the same:




      "Beauty and Guile Are in the Eyes of the Beholder"




      the back cover of  Xanathar's Guide to Everything, with that phrase for the title of the blurb.



      From https://www.tsrarchive.com/5e/5e-hb-acc.html






      share|improve this answer

























        Your Answer





        StackExchange.ifUsing("editor", function () {
        return StackExchange.using("mathjaxEditing", function () {
        StackExchange.MarkdownEditor.creationCallbacks.add(function (editor, postfix) {
        StackExchange.mathjaxEditing.prepareWmdForMathJax(editor, postfix, [["\$", "\$"]]);
        });
        });
        }, "mathjax-editing");

        StackExchange.ready(function() {
        var channelOptions = {
        tags: "".split(" "),
        id: "122"
        };
        initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

        StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
        // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
        if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
        StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
        createEditor();
        });
        }
        else {
        createEditor();
        }
        });

        function createEditor() {
        StackExchange.prepareEditor({
        heartbeatType: 'answer',
        autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
        convertImagesToLinks: false,
        noModals: true,
        showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
        reputationToPostImages: null,
        bindNavPrevention: true,
        postfix: "",
        imageUploader: {
        brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
        contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
        allowUrls: true
        },
        noCode: true, onDemand: true,
        discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
        ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
        });


        }
        });














        draft saved

        draft discarded


















        StackExchange.ready(
        function () {
        StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2frpg.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f138857%2fwhats-the-earliest-instance-of-a-beauty-is-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder-referen%23new-answer', 'question_page');
        }
        );

        Post as a guest















        Required, but never shown

























        4 Answers
        4






        active

        oldest

        votes








        4 Answers
        4






        active

        oldest

        votes









        active

        oldest

        votes






        active

        oldest

        votes









        36














        The earliest reference is 1987



        First time I heard it referenced in Dungeons and Dragons was in the 1987 Saturday morning cartoon.



        It was Episode 2, The Eye of the Beholder, specifically at this point during their conversation with Dungeon Master.



        Not really published though and not exactly canon.






        share|improve this answer





















        • 8





          This does at least establish by precedent that it was very early on that the reference was occurring to people and being used.

          – doppelgreener
          Jan 11 at 14:29


















        36














        The earliest reference is 1987



        First time I heard it referenced in Dungeons and Dragons was in the 1987 Saturday morning cartoon.



        It was Episode 2, The Eye of the Beholder, specifically at this point during their conversation with Dungeon Master.



        Not really published though and not exactly canon.






        share|improve this answer





















        • 8





          This does at least establish by precedent that it was very early on that the reference was occurring to people and being used.

          – doppelgreener
          Jan 11 at 14:29
















        36












        36








        36







        The earliest reference is 1987



        First time I heard it referenced in Dungeons and Dragons was in the 1987 Saturday morning cartoon.



        It was Episode 2, The Eye of the Beholder, specifically at this point during their conversation with Dungeon Master.



        Not really published though and not exactly canon.






        share|improve this answer















        The earliest reference is 1987



        First time I heard it referenced in Dungeons and Dragons was in the 1987 Saturday morning cartoon.



        It was Episode 2, The Eye of the Beholder, specifically at this point during their conversation with Dungeon Master.



        Not really published though and not exactly canon.







        share|improve this answer














        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer








        edited 8 hours ago









        SevenSidedDie

        206k30661937




        206k30661937










        answered Jan 11 at 12:36









        SlagmothSlagmoth

        17.8k15196




        17.8k15196








        • 8





          This does at least establish by precedent that it was very early on that the reference was occurring to people and being used.

          – doppelgreener
          Jan 11 at 14:29
















        • 8





          This does at least establish by precedent that it was very early on that the reference was occurring to people and being used.

          – doppelgreener
          Jan 11 at 14:29










        8




        8





        This does at least establish by precedent that it was very early on that the reference was occurring to people and being used.

        – doppelgreener
        Jan 11 at 14:29







        This does at least establish by precedent that it was very early on that the reference was occurring to people and being used.

        – doppelgreener
        Jan 11 at 14:29















        26














        The earliest reference is 1988



        Yamara was comic strip which appeared in Dragon magazine. The first strip published in May 1988 made this joke:



        An elf says to her beholder friend: "Oh, you know what they say about the beauty being in the–"






        share|improve this answer










        New contributor




        Ori Gurel-Gurevich is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
        Check out our Code of Conduct.

























          26














          The earliest reference is 1988



          Yamara was comic strip which appeared in Dragon magazine. The first strip published in May 1988 made this joke:



          An elf says to her beholder friend: "Oh, you know what they say about the beauty being in the–"






          share|improve this answer










          New contributor




          Ori Gurel-Gurevich is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
          Check out our Code of Conduct.























            26












            26








            26







            The earliest reference is 1988



            Yamara was comic strip which appeared in Dragon magazine. The first strip published in May 1988 made this joke:



            An elf says to her beholder friend: "Oh, you know what they say about the beauty being in the–"






            share|improve this answer










            New contributor




            Ori Gurel-Gurevich is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.










            The earliest reference is 1988



            Yamara was comic strip which appeared in Dragon magazine. The first strip published in May 1988 made this joke:



            An elf says to her beholder friend: "Oh, you know what they say about the beauty being in the–"







            share|improve this answer










            New contributor




            Ori Gurel-Gurevich is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.









            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer








            edited 7 hours ago









            SevenSidedDie

            206k30661937




            206k30661937






            New contributor




            Ori Gurel-Gurevich is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.









            answered 2 days ago









            Ori Gurel-GurevichOri Gurel-Gurevich

            36114




            36114




            New contributor




            Ori Gurel-Gurevich is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.





            New contributor





            Ori Gurel-Gurevich is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.






            Ori Gurel-Gurevich is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.























                23














                The earliest reference is 1990



                Not exactly a campaign but an early issue of Dragon magazine had a “cute” drawing of a beholder on the cover. The issue’s tagline is “Beauty is in the eye of — oh, skip it.” It was their 1990 April issue, #156:



                A man in a tunic and hose, with a sword and pouches on his belt, kneels on one knee and presents a bouquet of flowers to a blushing beholder monster floating before him. His right hand is on his chest and he is speaking or singing, as if reciting an love poem to the beholder.
                Cover by Daniel Horne © TSR & WotC, used under Fair Use for teaching and cultural critique purposes



                (This issue is in the tradition of April issues of Dragon being silly for April Fools’. If you ever wanted to encounter the dread Bubble Dragon or a herd of Blink Mammoths, this is your DM’s issue.)






                share|improve this answer










                New contributor




                Vidar is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                Check out our Code of Conduct.

























                  23














                  The earliest reference is 1990



                  Not exactly a campaign but an early issue of Dragon magazine had a “cute” drawing of a beholder on the cover. The issue’s tagline is “Beauty is in the eye of — oh, skip it.” It was their 1990 April issue, #156:



                  A man in a tunic and hose, with a sword and pouches on his belt, kneels on one knee and presents a bouquet of flowers to a blushing beholder monster floating before him. His right hand is on his chest and he is speaking or singing, as if reciting an love poem to the beholder.
                  Cover by Daniel Horne © TSR & WotC, used under Fair Use for teaching and cultural critique purposes



                  (This issue is in the tradition of April issues of Dragon being silly for April Fools’. If you ever wanted to encounter the dread Bubble Dragon or a herd of Blink Mammoths, this is your DM’s issue.)






                  share|improve this answer










                  New contributor




                  Vidar is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                  Check out our Code of Conduct.























                    23












                    23








                    23







                    The earliest reference is 1990



                    Not exactly a campaign but an early issue of Dragon magazine had a “cute” drawing of a beholder on the cover. The issue’s tagline is “Beauty is in the eye of — oh, skip it.” It was their 1990 April issue, #156:



                    A man in a tunic and hose, with a sword and pouches on his belt, kneels on one knee and presents a bouquet of flowers to a blushing beholder monster floating before him. His right hand is on his chest and he is speaking or singing, as if reciting an love poem to the beholder.
                    Cover by Daniel Horne © TSR & WotC, used under Fair Use for teaching and cultural critique purposes



                    (This issue is in the tradition of April issues of Dragon being silly for April Fools’. If you ever wanted to encounter the dread Bubble Dragon or a herd of Blink Mammoths, this is your DM’s issue.)






                    share|improve this answer










                    New contributor




                    Vidar is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.










                    The earliest reference is 1990



                    Not exactly a campaign but an early issue of Dragon magazine had a “cute” drawing of a beholder on the cover. The issue’s tagline is “Beauty is in the eye of — oh, skip it.” It was their 1990 April issue, #156:



                    A man in a tunic and hose, with a sword and pouches on his belt, kneels on one knee and presents a bouquet of flowers to a blushing beholder monster floating before him. His right hand is on his chest and he is speaking or singing, as if reciting an love poem to the beholder.
                    Cover by Daniel Horne © TSR & WotC, used under Fair Use for teaching and cultural critique purposes



                    (This issue is in the tradition of April issues of Dragon being silly for April Fools’. If you ever wanted to encounter the dread Bubble Dragon or a herd of Blink Mammoths, this is your DM’s issue.)







                    share|improve this answer










                    New contributor




                    Vidar is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.









                    share|improve this answer



                    share|improve this answer








                    edited 7 hours ago









                    SevenSidedDie

                    206k30661937




                    206k30661937






                    New contributor




                    Vidar is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.









                    answered 2 days ago









                    VidarVidar

                    2312




                    2312




                    New contributor




                    Vidar is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.





                    New contributor





                    Vidar is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.






                    Vidar is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.























                        19














                        The earliest reference is 2017



                        The back cover of Xanathar's Guide to Everything for D&D 5E (lore-wise written by the beholder crime-lord "The Xanathar") has a similar phrase, though not exactly the same:




                        "Beauty and Guile Are in the Eyes of the Beholder"




                        the back cover of  Xanathar's Guide to Everything, with that phrase for the title of the blurb.



                        From https://www.tsrarchive.com/5e/5e-hb-acc.html






                        share|improve this answer






























                          19














                          The earliest reference is 2017



                          The back cover of Xanathar's Guide to Everything for D&D 5E (lore-wise written by the beholder crime-lord "The Xanathar") has a similar phrase, though not exactly the same:




                          "Beauty and Guile Are in the Eyes of the Beholder"




                          the back cover of  Xanathar's Guide to Everything, with that phrase for the title of the blurb.



                          From https://www.tsrarchive.com/5e/5e-hb-acc.html






                          share|improve this answer




























                            19












                            19








                            19







                            The earliest reference is 2017



                            The back cover of Xanathar's Guide to Everything for D&D 5E (lore-wise written by the beholder crime-lord "The Xanathar") has a similar phrase, though not exactly the same:




                            "Beauty and Guile Are in the Eyes of the Beholder"




                            the back cover of  Xanathar's Guide to Everything, with that phrase for the title of the blurb.



                            From https://www.tsrarchive.com/5e/5e-hb-acc.html






                            share|improve this answer















                            The earliest reference is 2017



                            The back cover of Xanathar's Guide to Everything for D&D 5E (lore-wise written by the beholder crime-lord "The Xanathar") has a similar phrase, though not exactly the same:




                            "Beauty and Guile Are in the Eyes of the Beholder"




                            the back cover of  Xanathar's Guide to Everything, with that phrase for the title of the blurb.



                            From https://www.tsrarchive.com/5e/5e-hb-acc.html







                            share|improve this answer














                            share|improve this answer



                            share|improve this answer








                            edited 7 hours ago









                            SevenSidedDie

                            206k30661937




                            206k30661937










                            answered Jan 11 at 11:34









                            rpgstarrpgstar

                            2,011845




                            2,011845






























                                draft saved

                                draft discarded




















































                                Thanks for contributing an answer to Role-playing Games Stack Exchange!


                                • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

                                But avoid



                                • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

                                • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


                                Use MathJax to format equations. MathJax reference.


                                To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




                                draft saved


                                draft discarded














                                StackExchange.ready(
                                function () {
                                StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2frpg.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f138857%2fwhats-the-earliest-instance-of-a-beauty-is-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder-referen%23new-answer', 'question_page');
                                }
                                );

                                Post as a guest















                                Required, but never shown





















































                                Required, but never shown














                                Required, but never shown












                                Required, but never shown







                                Required, but never shown

































                                Required, but never shown














                                Required, but never shown












                                Required, but never shown







                                Required, but never shown







                                Popular posts from this blog

                                GameSpot

                                日野市

                                Tu-95轟炸機