References
LoreArc entries are curated by cross-referencing the following sources. Rather than citing a single source per entry, we synthesize across mythology, history, and fantasy literature for consistency and accuracy as a visual reference.
01
Mythology & Legends
Myths and legends from various cultures are cross-referenced from primary sources and well-known translations.
Encyclopedia Mythica
Cross-cultural mythology reference
Theoi Greek Mythology
Greek myth & deities
Bulfinch's Mythology (Thomas Bulfinch)
Classical Greek, Roman, and medieval legends
The Prose Edda / Poetic Edda
Norse mythology — primary sources
Kojiki · Nihon Shoki
Japanese mythology — primary chronicles
Shan Hai Jing 山海經
Classical Chinese bestiary of mythical creatures
Samguk Yusa 三國遺事
Korean legends and folk tales
02
Fantasy Genre & TRPG
Modern fantasy vocabulary and visual conventions — armor terms, race taxonomies, magic systems — draw on the following.
Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition Player's Handbook, Monster Manual)
Standard taxonomy of fantasy races, classes, and monsters
Pathfinder Bestiary
Extended monster reference
The Tolkien Bestiary (David Day)
Visual reference for Tolkien's legendarium
The Atlas of Middle-earth (Karen Wynn Fonstad)
Geography and architecture of Middle-earth
World of Warcraft Chronicle (Blizzard)
Visual vocabulary of MMO fantasy
Final Fantasy Ultimania Series (Square Enix)
Aesthetic reference for JRPG fantasy
03
History, Armor & Weapons
Period and cultural forms of armor, weapons, and clothing reference museum collections and authoritative works.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Arms & Armor Collection
European and Asian arms & armor primary references
The Royal Armouries (Leeds, UK)
Royal Armouries Museum
Records of the Medieval Sword (Ewart Oakeshott)
Standard taxonomy of medieval swords
Arms and Armour of the Medieval Knight (David Edge)
Equipment of the medieval knight
Samurai: The Weapons and Spirit of the Japanese Warrior (Clive Sinclaire)
Japanese samurai equipment
한국 전통 갑옷·복식 자료 — 국립중앙박물관, 국립민속박물관
Korean traditional armor and hanbok references
04
Architecture & Environments
Castles, temples, hanok, Japanese temples — architectural styles draw on architectural history and museum archives.
A History of Architecture (Sir Banister Fletcher)
Standard text on world architecture
Castles of Britain and Ireland (Plantagenet Somerset Fry)
European castles reference
한국건축개념사전 (김봉렬)
Korean traditional architecture
Japanese Temples and Shrines (Yoshikazu Hayashi)
Japanese temple and shrine architecture
05
Literary Sources
Much of the vocabulary and many motifs of modern fantasy originate in the following works.
J.R.R. Tolkien — The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, The Hobbit
Ursula K. Le Guin — Earthsea Cycle
C.S. Lewis — The Chronicles of Narnia
George R.R. Martin — A Song of Ice and Fire
Brandon Sanderson — Mistborn, The Stormlight Archive
06
Encyclopedic & General
Term verification, cultural notation, and proper nouns are cross-referenced via the following.
Encyclopædia Britannica
Wikipedia (영어·한국어·일본어판 — 1차 출처 추적용)
Used only as a starting point for tracing primary sources
Images
Images on LoreArc are visualized using AI image generation technology based on textual sources. They are intended as creative references rather than scholarly illustrations, and the same entry may have multiple legitimate interpretations across myths, eras, and works.
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