Expansible Egg and Leomund's Tiny Hut

The Dungeons and Dragons spell Leomund's Tiny Hut bears a strong resemblance to the the Expansible Egg artifact in Jack Vance's short story "Guyal of Sfere." I think it's likely the latter directly inspired the former, and while I couldn't find a direct quote from Gary Gygax saying so, I think there's enough direct evidence to consider it probable.

Expansible Egg expounded extensively #

In "Guyal of Sfere" the Expansible Egg isn't a spell, but rather an artifact. Guyal's father gives it to him along with several other useful items and a blessing when Guyal sets off on his quest:

"I will bestow on you my fine white horse, my Expansible Egg for your shelter, my Scintillating Dagger to illuminate the night. In addtion, I lay a blessing along the trail and danger will slide you by so long as you never wander from the trail." - Jack Vance, "Guyal of Sfere" collected in Mazirian the Magician (aka The Dying Earth)

The item is mentioned four more times in the story. It's large enough that both Guyal and his horse fit inside. It protects him from the elements, and doesn't let any creatures in from the outside:

"By night he surrounded himself and his horse in his magical habiliment, the Expansible Egg -- a membrane impermeable to thew, claw, enscrolment, pressure, sound and chill -- and so rested at ease despite the efforts of the avid creatures of the dark." - Ibid.

It's ambiguous if the Expansible Egg lets light in from the outside:

"Stiffly he slid from the saddle, brought forth the Expansible Egg, and flung it around his horse and himself. Ah, now...Guyal released the pressure of his breath. Safety. [Section break] Wan red light slanted through the branches from the east. Guyals' breath steamed in the air when he emerged from the Egg." - Ibid.

Because of that section break, I'm not sure if we're meant to read that the light streams in, Guyal sees it, and then he emerges from the Egg, or if on the other hand the break means a break in the action and we are seeing Guyal again after he has emerged from the egg as he sees the "wan red light" and his steaming breath.

Leomund's Tiny Hut #

Leomund's Tiny hut is described in the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Editions Players Handbook thus:

"When this spell is cast, the wizard creates an unmoving, opaque sphere of force of any desired color around his person. Half of the sphere projects above the ground and the lower hemisphere passes through the ground. Up to seven other man-sized creatures can fit into the field with the creator, and these can freely pass into and out of the hut without harming it, but if the spellcaster removes himself from it, the spell dissipates."

Leomund's Tiny Hut also protects from heat and cold, thought with some limitation at the extreme ends, and further more "provides protection from the elements, such as rain, dust, sandstomres, and the like."

Unlike the Expansible Egg, Leomund's Tiny Hut is not impervious to magical or physical attacks, or rather, it's not harmed by them but neither does it protect the people inside^[1]:

"Missiles, weapons, and most spell effects can pass through the hut without affecting it, although the occupants cannot be seen from outside the hut."

Finally, Leomund's Tiny Hut is transparent from within but not from without, which the Expansible Egg may also be, depending on how you read it.

If Leomund's Tiny Hut was as good as the Expansible Egg that Guyal's father granted him, it would be too good a spell, I think. Even as it is, I saw various discussions on gaming forums and videos that Leomund's Tiny Hut is too good because it lets player characters rest for the full 8 hours needed to regenerate their magic spells even in the middle of a dangerous dungeon^[2].

The circumstantial evidence #

Gary Gygax, the creator of Dungeons & Dragons, explicitly names Jack Vance and his Dying World books as an influence on D&D. Jack Vance is named in Appendix N among others^[3].

In "Jack Vance & the D&D Game" by Gary Gygax^[4], Gygax writes "Later, when I picked up THE DYING EARTH, I was treated to more of the same sort of fanciful tale, an environment whimsy with characters to match." The Dying Earth was the original publication title of the book that contains "Guyal of Sfere." So, we know that Gygax definitely read the story.

Another artifact from Vance's fiction, the Ioun Stones, made it directly into D&D, with Jack Vance's permission:

"Anyway, later on when I got in touch about the Ioun Stones, permission was graciously given, and so a new and unique set of magical items was added to the AD&D game."^[5]

Not to belabor the point, but Gygax says throughout the essay that Vance was an influence, that he tried to get some of the flavor of The Dying Earth into D&D, and names a specific artifact that did make it into D&D from Vance's fiction.

Eggzactly #

Leomund's Tiny Hut isn't an exact replica of the Expansible Egg, but there are striking similarities. There's the dome-like shape, the opaqueness from the outside, the protection from the elements and the size. At the same time there's direct evidence that Gygax read the Vance story where the Expansible Egg appears, as well as direct statements from Gygax that aspects of D&D were inspired by The Dying Earth.

To me, the most striking thing was the feeling, the vibe if you will. When I read "Guyal of Sfere" and he set up his ridiculous-sounding but actually super-useful magical shelter the first time, I was like, oh, it's that spell from D&D that I found so risible 20 years ago. Not that "Guyal of Sfere" is a story that takes itself all that seriously, either. In fact, the match of the feeling was so compelling that I want down this whole rabbit hole to try to find evidence that would prove or disprove the connection.

On the other hand, there are many "Leomund's" spells in D&D and perhaps they are all named after some specific dude and the Tiny Hut has nothing to do with Jack Vance. However, I wasn't able to find any information about Leomund except for a Greyhawk fansite with 1990s website aesthetics (fitting).

Given the evidence I have been able to find, I think the Tiny Hut was likely inspired by the Egg.