Pygmy

Pygmy
Faction/Affiliation	Independent, Neferset tribe
Character classes	Headhunter, Scout, Shaman, Thief, Warrior, Witch doctor
Racial leader(s)	Yngwie (Lost Isles); Sultan Oogah (Uldum, presumed)
Racial mount	Hyena; Turtle; Crocolisk
Homeworld	Azeroth
Area(s)	Lost Isles, Uldum
Language(s)	Pygmy

Pygmies are a race of small, primitive humanoids found on the Lost Isles and in Uldum. According to Brann Bronzebeard, pygmies share an unknown common ancestor with goblins.^[1]

History

On the Lost Isles

The pygmies on the Lost Isles are found by the Bilgewater Cartel goblins after the goblins' escape from Kezan. The pygmies have enslaved the monkeys on the island to mine kaja'mite. They worship Volcanoth, and transform some goblins into zombies by sucking out their life-force, while others are sacrificed to their "god".^[2] The pygmies also planned to release Volcanoth upon the Town-In-A-Box, but were unable to do so.

In Uldum

In Uldum, after the player follows Adarrah, Budd Nedreck and the others on a camel caravan into Uldum to help them steal ancient artifacts, the caravan is ambushed by pygmy mercenaries. The pygmies bring the prisoners to the Neferset tol'vir, who pay the pygmies with coconuts.

Appearance and culture

Pygmy architecture in Oostan Sor.

Pygmies are small humanoid creatures, about the size of goblins. Their skin ranges in many tones of peach to dark brown.

Pygmies on the Lost Isles can be seen riding turtles, and many wear helmets fashioned from turtle shells. Turtle shells can also be seen in their architecture, ranging from giant shells serving as huts to relatively small ones adorning torches.

Pygmies appear to have their own language.

Magic

Teloch, a pygmy shaman.

Pygmy witch doctors use necromancy, shadow as well as elemental magic. However, pygmy shaman use only elemental magic.

Known tribes

Oomgut
Oomlot tribe
Unnamed tribe — found in Uldum, led by Sultan Oogah, and consists of scouts and thieves.

Notable

Augh <Lost City Tour Guide>
Gaahl
Malmo
Sultan Oogah
Teloch
Yngwie

Notes and trivia

The entrance to Oomlot Village.

During the development stages of Cataclysm, pygmies used placeholder models in the form of gnomes of both genders. They were later changed to have their own unique model, but only males are seen.
During the Cataclysm alpha and beta, Uldum was initially inhabited by sand gnomes, but they were replaced by pygmies later in development.
Concept art shows that the pygmies of the Lost Isles were initially envisioned as worshipping a giant gorilla named Kong, (an obvious reference to King Kong), even having a giant wall surrounding his cavern.^[3] Kong was later replaced by Volcanoth and the cavern turned into an escape route for goblin players during the volcanic eruption.
The pygmy animation skeleton was later reused for grummles, stewards, Jastor Gallywix, and Harlan Sweete.
The pygmies on the Lost Isles reference various elements of metal music, particularly Scandinavian musicians. Yngwie is a reference to Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, Gaahl to Norwegian vocalist Kristian "Gaahl" Eivind Espedal, and Teloch to Norwegian guitarist Morten "Teloch" Iversen. Several of these pygmies' abilities are also references to various songs by the aforementioned artists. The pygmy casting animation, much like that of male Forsaken, features the sign of the horns, a hand gesture commonly associated with heavy metal. The sign of the horns can also be seen in the two hand-shaped wooden statues flanking the entrance to Oomlot Village.
The names of the various sub-regions of Oostan (Nord, Ost and Sor) are also reminiscent of the words for "North", "East" and "South" in Scandinavian languages. This may or may not be connected to the heavy metal references noted above. On a related note, Malmo's name resembles the Swedish city of Malmö.