Quote:
Originally Posted by whswhs
Technically, the breadlike stuff is manna. The word mana with one n is Polynesian and refers to a quality of sacred power that inheres in chieftains and ritual objects. There's no etymological relation between the two.
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While I have not researched it, I believe Larry Niven grabbed the Polynesian word and used it for the concept for a
limited magical fuel in his "Warlock" stories, the first being "Not Long Before The End" in 1969. And it entered common usage in gaming from there.