On Gremlin Eggs and the Persistent Myth of the “Gremlin Mother”

The notion of a Gremlin household consisting of two parents lovingly tending a clutch of eggs persists almost entirely because illustrators find it charming. It is not charming. Gremlin reproduction is among the least sentimental arrangements yet produced by nature. A mature female lays a clutch which may number several dozen eggs, typically in a concealed and provisioned location. Upon hatching, the young disperse rapidly and violently, competing for food, shelter, and distance from one another with an intensity which would make conventional childcare impractical even if adult Gremlins showed any desire to attempt it, which they generally do not.

This has led some writers to describe Gremlins as having “no family structure.” That conclusion is equally foolish. Adult Gremlins form friendships, apprenticeships, partnerships, households, business associations, and lasting emotional attachments in abundance. They simply do not organise these relationships around descent in the manner familiar to Humans, Dwarves, or Aesir.

Indeed, Gremlins are often unusually enthusiastic participants in the households of other races. A Gremlin may refer to a Human couple as his family and inherit from them. He may care for their children and remain in the same household for decades while displaying no interest whatsoever in locating a biological sibling. This occasionally disturbs Human genealogists, and Gremlins seem to endure the disappointment.