D&D 5E [Radiant Citadel] A chart of parallel Earth cultures and motifs across the D&D Multiverse

Dungeonosophy

Dungeonosophy

Legend
The Concord Worlds (marked in pink) in the context of the Earth-inspired cultures of the D&D Multiverse:

~Aboriginal Australian:
  • In Ærth: The continent of Magmur (WotC reportedly owns the rights to Gary Gygax's world of Ærth.)
  • In Mystara: the chameleon-men of the Land of Wallara
  • In Toril: the Osse continent
  • In Ravenloft: the Abber Nomads of the Nightmare Lands
  • Also: "The Mythos of Australia In Dungeons & Dragons" by Jerome Arkenberg, DRAGON 19 (p14), for OD&D
~African Diaspora (~African American, ~Afro-Caribbean, ~Black British, ~Black European, & ~French Creole) + Black characters of non-African fantastic cultures:
  • In Toril:
  • In Mystara:
    • Nouvelle-Renardie (~French Louisianan dog-folk) and the Gurrash of The Bayou (~Cajun gator-folk!). Nouvelle-Rendardie is a post-TSR creation by Mystaran-designer Bruce Heard, expanding upon the published Savage Coast gator-folk culture of The Bayou.
  • In Izmer (the setting of the first D&D film): Snails the rogue, played by Marlon Wayans. [Editorial note: When I saw the film, as soon as Snails appeared, I said to myself: "If the Black man is the first to die, this film is sh*t." Well, the film was sh*t.]
  • In the unplaced Kingdom of Ghyr (the homeland of the LJN action figures):
    • In the BECMI reality, Molliver the Thief is a ~Caucasian cis woman, yet in the 5e reality, Molliver is a ~Black trans woman. In the absence of further cultural origins, given her ~English name "Molliver = Molly + Oliver", she might represent a ~Black British motif, since her name is likely inspired by the roguish tale of Oliver Twist.
  • In the Realm of the D&D Cartoon Show: Diana the Acrobat is an African American from Earth.
  • In Ravenloft: Souragne (~French Louisiana)
  • In Eberron: (Since real-world motifs are so throughly blended in Eberron, we're listing Black Eberron characters in this Diaspora section.)
    • Dalin d'Vadalis, patriarch of House Vadalis. His wife is ~Caucasian-featured, so their children, Crown Prince Wrogar, Prince Jurian, and Princess Corrine would have blended ~Black/Caucasian-features.
    • An illustration of a Black female artificer in Keith Baker Presents "High Level Adventures" (here).
    • An illustration of a Black male member of House Cannith:
​
  • An illustration of a Black half-elf male member of House Medani:
​
  • In the Concord Worlds of the Radiant Citadel:
    • The region of Godsbreath (~U.S. South / Southern Gothic) in "Written in Blood" by Erin Roberts (author interview)
    • The modern coastal realm of Djayna (~Gullah-Geechee / African Diaspora, in addition to West African aspects) in "The Nightsea's Succor" by D. Fox Harrell (African American) (author interview)
    • The city of Zinda in the nation of N’war (~Louisiana+Haitian+Gullah +Caribbean. Gullah is the traditional Black culture of the Lowcountry in the U.S. seaboard) in "The Wages of Vice" by T.K. Johnson (author interview)
~Afrotropical / Tropical African / Pan-African:
  • In Blackmoor: the settlement of Windhoek is named after Windhoek, the capital of Namibia.
  • In Oerth:
    • The Touv of Hepmonaland, which they call Melavi, "The Bountiful Place."
    • "The Dark Continent" [sic!] by David Howery, DRAGON #189(p10), AD&D2e: "For my original WORLD OF GREYHAWK campaign, I drew up an extended map of Hepmonaland, making it into a vast and wealthy continent of spice traders, ivory hunters, warring natives, lost cities, and all that wonderful African flavor. This was the original setting for 'The Elephant's Graveyard,' and 'The
      Leopard Men' (see DUNGEON® Adventures, #15 and #22). Recent events on Oerth (detailed in Greyhawk Wars and From the Ashes), invalidated this set-up by revealing that Hepmonaland is a backwater area that had been conquered by the Scarlet Brotherhood. With this knowledge, the best place for an African continent is southwest of the Sea of Dust. It would be difficult, but not impossible, to set up trade routes to this area. DMs will have to draw up an extended map of Oerik to include the Dark Continent."
      • Cultures:
        • Mibida (~Mali)
        • City of Kinitah (~Benin)
        • Kingdom of Konogo (~Kongo)
        • Union of Kumasa (~Asante)
        • Matuso Tribe (~Zulu)
        • Land of N'Tshane (no cultural equivalencies were given by Howery for this and the following three cultures)
        • Watangas
        • N'goto
        • Kanakres
  • In Ærth: (WotC reportedly owns the rights to Gygax's Ærth setting.)
    • Further Afrik and the Vodoun Pantheon
    • The Nubian Oversight (~Egyptian Nubia)
    • Ætheope (~Ethiopia)
    • Axxum (~Axum)
    • Punt (~Ancient Punt)
    • Meroe (~Meroe)
    • Keshu (~Kush)
  • In Earth's "Age of Magic" / Age of Atlantis (Alphatia) / Jurassic Earth / Pangaea / Urt (The pre-Mystaran, Mentzerian setting of the original Master Set world map and other pre-Gazetteer BECMI products):
    • The Vulture Peninsula, as originally conceived by Frank Mentzer and Francois Froideval was analogous to Madagascar.
  • In Mystara:
    • The Divinarchy of Yavdlom (~Swahilis)
    • Ulimwengu (~Twa Little People)
    • Village of Mantru and the Taboo Islanders of the Central Plateau in the Isle of Dread (~Yoruba; X1 says they worship "Oloron, Lord of the Skies", which is clearly based on the real-world Ọlọrun, the Yoruba name for the Supreme Being)
    • N'jatwaland elf-ogres and Simbasta lion-folk in Davania
    • Tangor in Skothar
    • Tanagoro (~Zulu) in the Hollow World.
  • In Toril:
    • The Chultan Language Group: "à la Niger[-Congo]: Ashanti, Banda, Zulu" (Source: DRAGON Annual #4 "Speaking in Tongues.")
      • Tabaxi language: "Tabaxi is said to have its roots in a continent far from the shores of Faerûn, known only in far-fetched tales as those of the 'Dark Continent.'" [sic!]
    • Land of Chult (seen most recently in the 5E Tomb of Annihilation storyline)
    • Katashaka continent:
      • David Howery writes: "The FORGOTTEN REALMS® setting: To date, the southern hemisphere of Toril has not been developed. The Dark Continent could easily he placed southeast of Faerun and southwest of Kara-Tur. It may be difficult for trade routes to develop to this area, but the obstacles are no worse than those between Kara-Tur and Faerun."
      • But also offers another placement: "The AL-QADIM setting: While technically part of the Realms, Zakhara is a land quite different from Faerun. The Dark Continent is a logical adjunct to Zakhara, since the real Africa is adjacent to the real Arabia. Due to proximity, the people of Zakhara are familiar with the Dark Continent, and have long-established trade routes there. DMs should feel free to place the Dark Continent off the western edge of the High Desert."
      • DRAGON Annual #4 "Speaking in Tongues" also states that Katashaka can be "unofficially" represented by Howery's "Dark Continent": "A small official reference under the entry for the Anaconda mercenary band in FR15 Gold & Glory, by Tim Beach, suggests that there is a sub-Saharan-like island somewhere in the southwest Realms. In addition, in a January 1993 DRAGON Magazine article, David Howery describes an unofficial Dark Continent [sic!], an Africa-like land in the far southwest of Faerun. DMs can easily combine both of these sources into an Australia-sized island-continent far south of Nimbral and West of Zakhara."
    • ~African aspects of Malatra, the Living Jungle: The Living Jungle Writer's Guidelines state: "The Living Jungle setting and its inhabitants are inspired in large part by African and Asian cultures, inhabitants, legends, geography, and animals. But you’ll also find elements of other jungle cultures in the adventures, and of course there are some parts of the Living Jungle which are almost pure fantasy." [...] "For inspiration, read books on early African and Asian cultures, visit a museum, watch films, or even just browse a few encyclopedia entries. Any realistic element you add to an adventure is sure to heighten the excitement surrounding magic or monsters when those elements of an adventure appear. But remember--the Living Jungle is not historically accurate, nor is it meant to be a strictly actual depiction of real-world cultures." [...] "Feel free to include elements of any real-world culture as well as your own imaginary additions to the setting when writing your tournament. African, Asian, South American, and Polynesian culture, myths, legends, geography, flora, and fauna would all provide excellent inspiration for your adventure. When in doubt, keep Africa and Asia foremost in mind, and try to blend two or more cultures when creating a new part of the setting."
      • The katanga PC race is the name for hengeyokai in Malatra. This name is from Katanga, a region in Congo, in Central Africa.
        • The Impala Katanga has a ~Zulu connection, since the word "impala" is from Zulu.
        • The Ostrich Katanga has an ~African connection, since ostriches are endemic to large parts of Africa.
      • The Nubari / Ancients may be inspired by the ancient Nubians, the southern neighbors of the ancient Egyptians.
        • The Simbara tribe of Nubari, the "People of the Lion" are named after the Swahili word for lion: simba.
        • The "Bagoomba" tribe of Nubari is likely somehow inspired by the Anglo pop cultural pseudo-African word "magoomba" which is attributed various pseudo meanings. [sic!]
  • In Krynn: There are three Black human cultures in Ansalon:
    • The Empire of Ergoth and the Ackalites. Maquesta Kar-Thon, a black woman who is the most famous pirate in the Dragonlance Chronicles, is an Ergothian half-elf. As is usual with Krynnish motifs, the Ergothian culture does not appear to be especially based on Africa; only the physical appearance of the people. However, the Ackalite people within Ergoth have a more traditional / indigenous culture. Since the real-world cultural sources of the Ergothian Empire are not quite clear to us, the Ergothians are included in this African section (rather than the African Diaspora section) for a simplistic reason: the Ergothians aren't depicted as a "diaspora", since their Ackalite traditionalists seem to be indigenous to Ergoth.
    • The Sea Barbarians. They are a distinct nation which has existed since before the Cataclysm. Their main haven which is known to us is the city of Sea Reach on the island of Saifhum. For source quotes, see this post. In earthly terms, their culture is somewhat evocative of the sailors of the ~Swahili Coast.
    • The Black Nordmen (home of Theros Ironfeld) (See the ~Norse section for their culture.)
  • In Ravenloft:
    • The Wildlands (The Crocodile King is an evil version of the Lion King)
    • David Howery, author of "The Dark Continent" [sic!] writes: "The RAVENLOFT® campaign: While the Demiplane of Dread is too small for a whole continent, one of my adventures sent the PCs to a small island with a twisted and evil version of an African jungle. This island was ruled by a cruel witch doctor who practiced voodoo and sorcery. He broke the PCs' limbs with voodoo dolls,
      and had werehyenas and undead for servants, plus doll golems and demon-possessed animals. The island included a small native village, the jungle, and a river."
  • In Athas: the Ivory Triangle
  • In the Concord Worlds of the Radiant Citadel:
    • The modern coastal realm of Djayna (~Sudano-Sahelian + Gnawa (a Berber ethnicity) aspects, in addition to African Diaspora aspects) in "The Nightsea's Succor" by D. Fox Harrell (African American) (author interview)
    • The Sensa Empire (~Mali Empire in West Africa and North Africa) in "Gold for Fools and Princes" by Dominique Dickey (author interview)
  • DUNGEON magazine:
    • 'The Elephant's Graveyard' issue #15. Set in David Howery's "The Dark Continent." [sic!] Later offered suggested placements in Oerth and Toril.
    • 'The Leopard Men' issue #22. Set in David Howery's "The Dark Continent." [sic!] Later offered suggested placements in Oerth and Toril.
  • DRAGON magazine:
    • "Arms & Armor of Africa" by Michael J. Varhola, DRAGON 189(p20), AD&D2e
    • "The Priests of Africa" by Michael John Wybo II, DRAGON 209(p16), AD&D2e
    • "Gaming the Dark Continent" [sic!] by Roger E. Moore, DRAGON 122(p27), AD&D1e
    • "Out of Africa" by Charles R. Saunders, DRAGON 122(p22), AD&D1e
    • "An African Genesis" by Brady English, DRAGON 191(p32), AD&D2e
    • "The Deities of Africa" by Michael John Wybo II, DRAGON 215(p48), AD&D2e
    • "Mythos of Africa in Dungeons & Dragons" by Jerome Arkenberg, DRAGON 27(p39), OD&D
    • "Mythic Races of Africa" by Michael John Wybo II, DRAGON 202(p46), AD&D2e
    • "Real Warriors Ride Elephants" by Michael John Wybo II, DRAGON 195(p26), AD&D2e
    • "Arms & Armor of Africa" by Michael J. Varhola, DRAGON 189(p20), AD&D2e
    • "Magic From the Gods" by Michael John Wybo II, DRAGON 200(p14), AD&D2e
  • Also: "Human Names: Niger-Congo" in Xanathar's Guide to Everything, for 5e.
~Ancient Egyptian / Pharaonic:
  • In Oerth: Erypt in Western Oerik
  • In Ærth: Ægypt and the Ægyptian Pantheon (WotC reportedly owns the rights to Gygax's world of Ærth. Gygax redid Ægypt as "Khemit" in his d20 Necropolis module.)
  • In Earth's "Age of Magic" / Age of Atlantis (Alphatia) / Jurassic Earth / Pangaea / Urt (The pre-Mystaran, Mentzerian setting of the original Master Set world map and other pre-Gazetteer BECMI products):
    • Arypt and Lower Arypt.
  • In Mystara:
    • The Kingdom of Thothia on the Isle of Dawn. (Spider-worshipping ~Egyptians.)
    • The Hutaakans of the Lost Valley (~Egyptian jackal-folk)
    • There are relics of Nithian culture (such as pyramids) in the Emirates of Ylaruam, though overlaid with ~Arab culture.
    • The Valley of Hutaaka in the Hollow World (more ~Egyptian jackal-folk!)
    • The Kingdom of Nithia in the Hollow World (culturally preserved ~Egyptians)
    • Tracy Hickman's Desert of Desolation has ~Ancient Egyptian motifs (e.g. pyramids). GAZ2 suggested placing it in Ylaruam.
  • In the Kingdom of Ghyr (the unplaced homeland of the LJN Action Figures) and in Fantasy Forest:
    • Nightshade the Lich / Skeleton-King is dressed in ~Egyptian gear. As seen in the Lich PVC figure and in a couple of the Fantasy Forest gamebooks.
  • In Toril:
    • The Mulani Langauge Group: "à la Hamitic [sic!]: Ancient Egyptian, Coptic, Berber" (Source: DRAGON Annual #4 "Speaking in Tongues.")
      • Mulhorandi language
      • Thayan language
      • Muhjuri language (varieties: Murghom, Semphari)
    • Mulhorand
    • In Toril, the Egyptian Pantheon is known as the Mulhorandi Pantheon. The Mulan people are Ancient Egyptians from D&D Earth, who were captured by the Imaskari and brought to Toril.
    • Tracy Hickman's Desert of Desolation has ~Egyptian motifs (e.g. pyramids). It was retroactively placed in the Plains of Purple Dust.
  • In Krynn: Bast the Cat Lord is named after Bast the Egyptian cat-headed goddess.
  • In Ravenloft: Sebua and Har'Akir--featured in the video game Ravenloft: Stone Prophet
  • In Jakandor (a mini-setting of the 2e Odyssey product line): The Charonti nation has several Egyptian motifs, such as worship of the god "Thanhotep."
  • In Magic: The Gathering / D&D Plane Shift: The Plane of Amonkhet.
  • In Spelljammer:
    • Flying Pyramid Ships. Constructed by a (reportedly) now-vanished human culture which followed the Egyptian pantheon.
    • The Dark Pharaoh
    • Ptah in Spelljammer: Ptah is worshipped in nearly every crystal sphere.
    • The Temple of Ptah on the Rock of Bral
    • In Cluster Space: the Varan worship the god Seltaine, a local aspect of Set. (It's not clear to what extent the Varan have other Egyptian cultural motifs.)
  • In Planescape and the Planes of Existence:
    • The OD&D Egyptian Mythos
    • The AD&D1e Egyptian Mythos
    • The AD&D2e Egyptian Mythology
    • The D&D3e Pharaonic Pantheon
    • The D&D5e Egyptian Pantheon
  • DRAGON magazine:
    • "Artifacts of the Pharaohs" Kevin Hamilton 325(74) D&D3
    • Egypt, ancient: Characters of "Giants In the Earth: Legends of the Nile" Bruce F. Beyers 269(88) D&D2
    • Set: Followers of: FORGOTTEN REALMS "Faiths of Faerun: Elder Serpents of Set" Thomas M. Costa 313(84) D&D3
  • Also: "Human Names: Egyptian" in 5e Xanathar's Guide to Everything.
~Ancient Greek / Olympian + ~Minoan:
(See also Byzantine/Medieval Greek under “Eastern European.”)
  • In Oerth:
    • Iggwilv has a portal to a world based on Greek mythology in the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth. In his article "Gates in the World of Greyhawk," Roger E. Moore suggests she may have gone there to recuperate and regain her powers after her climactic battle with Graz'zt.
    • The Tharquish Empire has ancient Greek architecture as portrayed in Francois Froideval's Black Moon Chronicles.
  • In Ærth: The Greco-Roman Pantheon. (WotC reportedly owns the rights to Gary Gygax's Ærth setting.)
  • In Earth's "Age of Magic" / Age of Atlantis (Alphatia) / Jurassic Earth / Pangaea / Urt (The pre-Mystaran, Mentzerian setting of the original Master Set world map and other pre-Gazetteer BECMI products):
    • Frank Mentzer said that Minaea was intended to be ~Minoan, and that Cestia was an analogue of the mythological Amazons.
  • In Mystara:
    • Minaea on the continent of Skothar (~Minoa)
    • The unplaced islands of Cathos and Vacros, from module M2SOLO: Maze of the Riddling Minotaur. The most sensible placement is here.
    • The Milenian city-states in the continent of Davania
    • The Milenian Empire in the Hollow World (~Classical Greece)
    • The Traldar Kingdoms in the Hollow World (~Homeric Greece)
  • In the unplaced Kingdom of Ghyr (the setting of the LJN Action Figures):
    • The name "Greek" is used on the back of the card of the Chimera and Five-Headed Hydra BENDABLE MONSTER Adventure Figures: "The chimera is a beast from Greek mythology that has the hind legs of a huge goat, the forelegs of a lion and the wings of a dragon." —Chimera card back.
  • In Toril:
    • The Chessan Language Group: "à la Æolic, Cyprian, Modern Greek" (Source: DRAGON Annual #4 "Speaking in Tongues.")
      • Auld Chessic / Alambic language (extinct)
      • Thresk language (extinct)
      • Chessic language (varieties: Western, Threskian, Ixinosian)
      • Alambit language (varieties: Altumbelan, Coastal/Reach)
      • Arkian language (extinct)
      • Eshowan language (extinct)
      • Telfir language (extinct)
      • Akalan language (varieties: Swag creole, Proper Akalan)
      • Akûrian language (varieties: Samarachian, Tashlutar, Jungle Akûr)
      • Shaartan language (varieties: Northern Laker, Southern Laker, True Shaartan, Reacher, Lapaliiyan, Tharsult)
      • Sespechian language (varieties: Plains Sespechian, Hlondethan creole, Western/Lizard creolee, Middle/Proper Sespechian): "As a result of the influence of nonhuman tongues, most notably the wemics of the Shining Plains, the yuan-ti of Hlondeth, and the lizard men of Surkh, Sespechian's dialects are all very distinct, often in both accent and vernacular."
    • Chessenta (partially inspired by ~Ancient Greece)
    • Earthly Greeks and the Olympian Pantheon in Toril: Over the course of the planet of Toril's history, there were waves of planar immigrants that came from the ancient Greek city-states of D&D Earth. One wave settled in the kingdom of Bakar, in the city of Medinat Muskawoon. There they constructed temples to the Olympian gods, such as Prometheus and Tyche, with several temples to Prometheus spanning the River Athis.
  • In Ravenloft: The Temple of Athena comes from the outlander World of Bacchar, a Greek-themed world.
  • In Gothic Earth: There are several mentions of Greek historical motifs in Masque of the Red Death (e.g. The Illiad and The Odessey, Alexander the Great). See: Search results for "greek" - Mistipedia
  • In D&D Earth: HR6: Age of Heroes Campaign Sourcebook, for AD&D2e.
  • In Magic: The Gathering: The World of Theros
  • In Spelljammer: The Planar Church of Olympus (a syncretic Greek-Elvish church) has a temple on the Rock of Bral.
  • In Planescape and the Planes of Existence:
    • In Sigil: Within the Outlands city of Sigil, there stood temples to Apollo, Hermes, and Zeus. Some of the proxies of these deities could also be found within the city, specifically within The Lady's Ward. Also in the Outlands, the gate-town of Sylvania had a large temple to the pantheon as a whole. In regards to the planar factions that resided in Sigil and elsewhere, Hades was revered by the Dustmen, Athena and Zeus by the Fraternity of Order, the Furies by the Mercykillers, Zeus by the Sign of One, Aphrodite by the Society of Sensation, and Tyche by the Xaositects.
      • The OD&D Greek Mythos
      • The AD&D1e Greek Mythos
      • The AD&D2e Greek Mythology
      • The D&D3e Olympian Pantheon
      • The D&D5e Greek Pantheon
  • DRAGON magazine:
    • Greek war vs. Persia "Giants In the Earth: Heroes of the Persian War" Michael Trice 279(86) D&D3
    • Greek martial arts styles "Wrestling With Style" Janne Jarvinen 156(50) D&D2
  • Monsters:
    • Actaeon
    • Basilisk
    • Cacodaemon
    • Catoblepas
    • Centaur
    • Cerberus
    • Chimera
    • Cyclops
    • Daemon
    • Demogorgon
    • Dryad
    • Gorgon
    • Griffon
    • Hamadryad
    • Harpy
    • Hippocampus
    • Hydra
    • Lamia
    • Lycanthrope
    • Manticore
    • Medusa
    • Minotaur
    • Nymph
    • Pegasus
    • Satyr
    • Siren
    • Sphinx
    • Titan
    • Triton
    • Troglodyte
    • Unicorn (Monoceros)
  • Also relevant:
    • Greek D&D product listing. These products are relevant from an in-universe perspective too, since they contain official Greek names for the D&D races, classes, spells, gear, monsters, etc.
    • "Human Names: Greek" in 5e Xanathar's Guide to Everything.
~Ancient Hebrew / Israelite + Ancient Canaanite / Phoenician + Medieval & Modern Jewish Culture:
  • In Oerth:
    • Baalzephon is a pit fiend. Its name means "Lord of the North" in Hebrew.
    • Kusnir, the capital of the Duchy of Berghof, is likely a modification of the Yiddish surname Kushner, which is from the Ukrainian kushnir 'furrier.' Kushner - Wiktionary ; Kushner - Wikipedia
  • In Ærth: The Phoenician Pantheon. (WotC reportedly owns the rights to Gary Gygax's Ærth setting.)
  • In Mystara:
    • The Magiocracy of Herath in the Savage Coast. The Herathian proper names are from the ~Hebrew language. (As seen on this map of eastern Herath.) Some have pointed out the uncomfortable design choice of using a secretive shapeshifting spider-people (araneas) to represent Jewish culture. Given the nearby Spanish and Portuguese motifs also on the Savage Coast, there appear to be parallels with, at best, the Marrano "crypto-Jews" who hid their Jewish culture in secrecy, while appearing to participate in outward Iberian Catholic soceity. Or at worst, a careless association with the era of fearful superstitions which the Jews endured within medieval Christendom. [sic!]
    • The Dream Land of Smyslvych, the setting of two Israeli-designed official D&D modules: (link to cover photos)
      • HCM1: Lunar Women
      • HCM2: Living Statues War
    • In CM7: The Tree of Life by Bruce Heard. The four regions of the Elven Land (Atziluth, Beriah, Ietzirah, Asiah) are directly named after the four worlds of creation in Jewish Kabbalah. Four Worlds - Wikipedia ; CM7 states these words are the archaic names of the four elements. This is not their meaning in Hebrew (they mean something like "emanation", "creation", "formation" and "doing"), although it is possible that in some kabbalistic schemes the four worlds also parallel the elements. Also, the "Tree of Life" (etz chaim) is the name of an important 16th-century kabbalistic work: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etz_Chaim_(book)
    • Sister Rebecca the Adept, an iconic NPC from the Moldvay Basic Set, has a Hebrew name. Rebecca is the Vulgate (Latin) form of biblical Rebekah, from Hebrew רִבְקָה‎ (Rivka, “enchantingly beautiful, captivating, snare”). Rebecca - Wiktionary
    • Also of note: Hebrew-language BECMI product list. Many BECMI products were translated into Hebrew. These products are relevant from an in-universe perspective too, since they contain official Hebrew names for the D&D races, classes, spells, gear, monsters, etc.)
  • In Toril:
    • The Sartani crab-giants in Zakhara. "Sartan" is Hebrew for crab: סרטן - Wiktionary ; whereas Arabic is "saratan." However, "sartan" appears to be the Midani word for crab, since it appears in another context as Jazayir al-Sartan (Isles of the Crab).
  • In Krynn: Biblical Hebrew motifs via Jeff Grubb (see "Jeff Grubb on the Gods of Krynn"), and probably reinforced by Tracy Hickman's Latter-day Saints (Mormon) culture. Jeff Grubb says: "Several of the names are biblical in origin, and taken from a book called 'Everyone in the Bible' by the Reverend William P. Barker, who was also the minister of my church when I was growing up[.]" Jeffs other comments on the Hebrew origin of names in Krynn:
    • Chemosh: "In the real world the supposed god of the Ammonites in the Bible. In First and Second Kings, Solomon erected an altar to him at Jerusalem, and Josiah destroyed it. (Later note I’ve discovered hooks him up with the biblical Moloch)"
    • Chislev: "The name Chislev evolved out of Kislev, the name for the ninth month of the Jewish year."
    • Kiri-Jolith: "Partially manufactured (Kiri), partially inspired by Joelah, a son of Jeroham from First Chronicles."
    • Gilean: "Originally Gilead the Book. As in ”Is there no balm in Gilead?” (Book of Jeremiah)."
    • Habbakuk: "In the real world, Habakkuk (note the single ”b” and the third ”k” ) was a prophet in the Bible (one of the ”eight minor prophets” ). His book is a collection of oracles delivered against the backdrop of the Babylonian threat to Judah in c.600 B.C. Interestingly enough, the original Habakkuk was a bard, a temple singer. His book was on the subject of why a good god would allow the evil Babylonians to exist and thrive."
    • Mishakal: "The name comes from the story of the fiery furnace from the Book of Daniel – Meshach, Shadrach, and Obendigo."
    • Sargonnas: "Sargon was the King of Babylon in the book of Isaiah."
    • Shinare: "Again, may have been inspired by biblical names, but was likely pure invention."
    • Sirrion: "The name started with a wizard character in my early campaign named Simon, metamorphed to Simeon (one of the leaders of the twelve tribes of Isreal), then jumped the track entirely when the m turned into a double-r ( and occasionally a single-r as well)."
    • Zeboim: "Influenced by bliblical names such as Zebidiah and Zebulon." Note: Zeboim was a city destroyed by fire and brimstone.
    • Zivilyn: "May have been inspired by a real bibical name, but could not tell you at this stage."
    • Also: the title of the Dragonlance Chronicles themselves, likely from the Book of Chronicles in Hebrew scripture.
  • In Planescape and the Planes of Existence:
    • Gehenna, an outer plane. From the Hebrew Gēʾ-Hīnnōm (Gehenna), a valley near Jerusalem, associated with hellfire.
    • Tamiel, an angel. From real-world Tamiel in the Book of Enoch.
    • The OD&D Near Eastern Mythos by Jerome Arkenberg, DRAGON #16(p4) includes Canaanite gods and heroes, some of which appear in the Hebrew scriptures: Anat, Asherah, Astarte (Ashtoreth), Athtar (Venus), El - Father of the Gods, Yerah (Moon), Shapash (=Shemesh, Sun), and others.
  • Also relevant:
    • Clay golems are from medieval Yiddish folklore, as is the word "golem." Golem - Wikipedia
    • Magical phylacteries at various points have been portrayed as ~Jewish tephillin. This includes lich phylacteries, but also other D&D magic items such as phylacteries of faithfulness. The association of Jewish culture with the phylacteries of evil liches has recently been called to account, and the term is likely to be retired in future D&D products. For more on this, see: Dungeons & Dragons Has an Antisemitism Problem - Hey Alma ; Do Vecna’s New Stats Mean D&D is Killing the Phylactery?
    • Horn of blasting is evocative of the trumpets at the Battle of Jericho.
    • Torah inspired D&D spells:
      • Sticks to snakes: Moses and the Egyptian magicians.
      • Part water: Moses at the Red Sea.
      • Create food and water: mana from heaven as the Israelites cross the desert.
      • Flame strike: Elijah's contest against the worshippers of Baal.
    • The title "High Priest" level-title of Basic D&D and AD&D clerics could be interpreted to be Jewish-inspired (and/or Christian-inspired and/or pagan-inspired). See: High Priest of Israel - Wikipedia
~Ancient Roman:
  • In Oerth:
    • The Old Oeridian language has some similarities with Latin.
    • The ancient Oeridian peoples are ~similar to the Latin / Southern European peoples, in that their blending with the Suloise peoples (~Germanic / Northern European) comprise the ~European population of the Flanaess: "The inner mixture of Oeridians with Suloise tends toward a typical European-mix looking population." --Gary Gygax, DRAGON #52, p.24
    • The command words on each piece of the Rod of Seven Parts are "Ruat," "Coelum," "Fiat," "Justitia," "Ecce," "Lex," and "Rex," which collectively make up a Latin phrase that translates into "Though chaos reign, let justice be done. Behold! Law is king."
  • In Ærth: The Greco-Roman Pantheon. (WotC reportedly owns the rights to Gary Gygax's Ærth setting.)
  • In Mystara:
    • The Thyatian Empire is partly Ancient Roman based, and partly based on the medieval Greek empire of Byzantium. TSR's in-house Mystara Reference Guide says: "The Thyatians are a pragmatic and self-centered people, with the conquering instincts of Earth's ancient Romans (with their tastes in entertainment, too)."
      • Module DDA1: Arena of Thyatis contains an appendix on Thyatian Names, which provides tables of name elements, most of which are ~Latin.
      • DDA2: Legions of Thyatis is also Roman-themed.
  • In Krynn:
  • James Wyatt's Imperium Romanum and Shield of Faith settings. Some facets of James' settings appeared in DRAGON magazine during the 3e era.
  • In D&D Earth: HR5: The Glory of Rome Campaign Sourcebook for AD&D2e.
  • DRAGON magazine:
    • Roman pantheon: "The Imperial Gods" by Eric Oppen, #133(p26), AD&D1e
  • Also: "Human Names: Roman" in Xanathar's Guide to Everything, for 5e.
~Anglo North American:
  • In Oerth:
    • The Nyr Dyv ("near dive") lake is based on the shape of Lake Superior.
    • The Earldom of Walworth (later the Shield Lands) is based on Walworth County, Wisconsin.
    • The Caverns of Quasqueton are named after Quasqueton, Iowa.
  • In Earth's "Age of Magic" / Age of Atlantis (Alphatia) / Jurassic Earth / Pangaea / Urt (The pre-Mystaran, Mentzerian setting of the original Master Set world map and other pre-Gazetteer BECMI products):
    • The Empire of Tangor was originally conceived by Frank Mentzer and Francois Froideval as being inspired by Edgar Rice Burrough's sci-fi novel Beyond the Farthest Star, about an American WW2 veteran who is transported to the Poloda System (map), which is locked in a Cold War-style conflict between the brave Unis and the totalitarian Kapars. The American came to be called "Tangor" in the language of Poloda: TANGOR > Edgar Rice Burroughs Presumably, in the Mentzerian conception, the U.S. veteran Tangor found his way back in time to the Age of Magic of Pangaea/Urt (the magical prehistoric past of Earth), and established an empire there, as shown on the Master Set map. But that Mentzerian conception was dropped and heavily revised by later designers, on the way to becoming "Mystara."
  • In Mystara:
    • The County of Cimarron (~Texas) on the Savage Coast.
    • The Caverns of Quasqueton are named after Quasqueton, Iowa. (This locale exists in both Mystara and Oerth.)
    • An Immortal-level adventuring party visits New York and Chicago in IM1: The Immortal Storm.
    • Slag, the common language of the Savage Coast, is implied to be the equivalent of American English vis-a-vis the Thyatian common language of the ~European Known World. (Not to be confused with the Slagich (~Croatian) language, the native language of the City-States.)
  • In the Kingdom of Ghyr (the unplaced homeland of the LJN Action Figures):
    • Elkhorn the Dwarf Fighter is named after Elkhorn, Wisconsin.
  • In the Realm of the D&D Cartoon Show: the Kids are from the United States. Since the creators, D&D Entertainment Company, were based in Beverly Hills, the Kids and the amusement park in the title sequence may be located in Los Angeles.
  • In Toril: New Waterdeep (~New York) on the coast of Maztica.
  • In Krynn: There are Latter-day Saints ("Mormon") motifs in the World of Dragonlance. For example:
  • DRAGON magazine:
    • Magic items from Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" by F. Wesley Schneider #324(p28), D&D3e
    • In the "Wizards Three" series, Elminster, Mordenkainen, and Dalamar (later, his apprentice Rautheene) visit Ed Greenwood at his home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
~Asian-featured characters of non-Asian fantastic cultures (~Pan-Asian diaspora):
​
  • An illustration of a male Deneith soldier:
​
~Celtic (~Gaulish, ~Welsh, ~Breton, ~Irish, ~Scottish, ~Pictish):
  • In Oerth: Some aspects of the ancient Flan, such as the druids of the Old Faith and the bards of the Old Lore. The ancient Flan Kingdom of Caerdiralor has a ~Welsh name (caer = "fortress"). Yet other aspects of the Flan are Black/"Hamitic"[sic!], American Indian ("Arapahi"), and Cossack ("ataman").
  • In Ærth: Hibernia (~Ireland) and the Keltic Pantheon. (WotC reportedly owns the rights to Gary Gygax's Ærth setting.)
  • In Mystara:
    • The Principality of Klantyre in Glantri and their Kaelic language (~Scotland and ~Gaelic language). They are said to be migrants from the World of Laterre in the Dimension of Myth, which is a magical medieval version of Earth.
    • The Confederacy of Dunadale on the Isle of Dawn (~Scotland)
    • The Province of Redstone on the Isle of Dawn (~Ireland)
    • The Kingdom of Robrenn on the Savage Coast (~Gaul)
    • The Carnax Orcs (~Iron Age Continental Celts / Gauls) The word "carnyx" is an ancient Celtic horn, and comes from a Gaulish rootword. See: Carnyx - Wikipedia
    • The Cassivellonis Orcs (~Catuvellauni, an Ancient Brittonic tribe: Catuvellauni - Wikipedia)
    • The Pyctis Goblins (~Picts of North Britain, and/or the Pictones of Poitiers, France). In traditional legends, the Picts of Britain founded Poitiers (the city of the Pictones tribe) on their way to Britain. Pictones - Wikipedia
    • The Thratian Hinterlanders of the Four Kingdoms (a.k.a. The Coast) (~tribal Welsh, with some ~Irish motifs)
  • In Toril:
    • The Waelan Language Group: "à la Celtic: Cornish, Manx, Welsh" (Source: DRAGON Annual #4 "Speaking in Tongues.")
      • Waelan language (varieties: Waelan Proper, Five Kingdoms)
      • Cosh language: "Cosh is a little-known tongue made up of a number of creoles and patois spoken in some forgotten enclaves among the Nelanther Isles."
      • Drueidan language: "Drueidan is the secret tongue of druids. A powerfu; sect of druids dedicated to Silvanus were the first to develop Drueidan. However, an agreement among the nature gods of Faerûn spread the language to most druids of the Realms irrespective of faith, with dialects emerging among different faiths and regions."
      • Dælic language: "Dælic is the similar, but distinct, secret Longue of druids dedicated to the Earth-mother of the Moonshaes."
    • The Ffolk of the Moonshae Isles (~blended Welsh+Scottish+Irish). "Ffolk" is parallel to the Celtic term toutā, Irish tuath: Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/toutā - Wiktionary ; To give only a few examples of the blended ~Celtic names: the capital, Caer Callidyrr is ~Welsh (caer = "fortress"). "Moray" is a province in Scotland. "O'Roarke" is an Irish name.
    • Irish migrants to Toril from Earth: "Over the course of the planet of Toril's history, there were waves of planar immigrants that came from a 'rugged land' [Ireland] on another world with a culture tied to nature, the sea, and [...] greater god. These brought their own societies and the worship of the Celtic gods, such as Herne and Oghma. One wave settled in the kingdom of Bakar, in the city of Medinat Muskawoon. There they constructed temples to the Celtic gods, such as Dunatis. While another, later wave of planar immigrants from the same rugged land would settle around the time of the rise of Netheril."
    • The Celtic pantheon in Toril: Celtic pantheon
  • In Krynn:
  • In Ravenloft:
    • The Forlorn domain (~Scottish Gaelic, with Welsh motifs). The Forfarian language is ~Scottish Gaelic; see: Forfarian (Language) - Mistipedia ; The Darklord's name, Tristan ApBlanc, is partly ~Welsh (the name Tristan is Brythonic/Welsh, and the prefix "ap" means "son of"): Tristan - Wikipedia ; ap - Wiktionary
    • The Celtic pantheon in Ravenloft is reported to be worshipped by the Forfarians and Tepestani. They were also known to have centers of worship in Avonleigh, Nidala, Shadowborn Manor, the Shadowlands, and Viktal. Celtic pantheon
  • "The celtic kingdom of Pellham", the mini-setting of the AD&D1e adventures: C4: To Find a King (1985) and C5: The Bane of Llywelyn (1985)
  • In D&D Earth: HR3: Celts Campaign Sourcebook for AD&D2e
  • In Planescape and the Planes of Existence:
  • DRAGON magazine:
    • "The Return of Conan Maol" by Paul K. Johnstone, #24(p33), fiction
    • "Cu Chulainn" by Roger E. Moore, #81(p40), AD&D1e
    • "The Deryni" by Arthur Collins, #78(p34), AD&D1e
    • "Bazaar of the Bizarre: Celtic Magical Items" by Steve Stewart, #207(p17), AD&D2e
    • "Tuatha De Danaan" by Robin Emrys Atkinson, #65(p47), AD&D1e
    • "Pooka" by Michael Fountain, #60(p66), AD&D1e
    • "The Celtic Warrior" by Kieran Turley, #330(p89), D&D3e
    • "The Wild Hunt" by William L. Christensen, #342(p88), D&D3e
  • Monsters:
  • Also relevant: "Human Names: Celtic" in 5e Xanathar's Guide to Everything.
~Central Asian and ~North Asian (~Mongolian, ~Central Asian Turkic, ~Ancient Scythian, & ~Indigenous Siberian):
  • In Oerth:
    • Tiger Nomads / Chakyik Horde (~Kipchak Turkic)
    • Wolf Nomads / Wegwiur (~Uyghur Turkic)
    • Burneal Forest (~The Siberian Taiga)
    • Chakji (~Chukchi). For quotes on the Chakchi, Guryik, and Uirtag, see this post. Ancient dugouts or pithouses are found in Chukchi sites.
    • Guryik (~Koryak)
    • Uirtag (perhaps the ~Yukagir nationality or the ~Aliutor nationality, both of which experienced Chukchi expansion into their original homelands. The name correlations are flimsy, sharing only a few mixed letters and sounds: e.g. Yukagir vs. Uirtag: Uir- = Yu****ir ; -tag = -kag; Aliutor vs. Uirtag: Ui = iu ; tag = tor.)
  • In Ærth: The Mongolian Pantheon. (WotC reportedly owns the rights to Gary Gygax's Ærth setting.)
  • In Earth's "Age of Magic" / Age of Atlantis (Alphatia) / Jurassic Earth / Pangaea / Urt (The pre-Mystaran, Mentzerian setting of the original Master Set world map and other pre-Gazetteer BECMI products):
    • Empire of the Great Khan
  • In Mystara:
    • The Ethengar Khanates (~Mongolian). Though the Uighur tribe of Ethengarians is from the real-world Uyghur Turkic people. Note: "Some of the more powerful shamans of Ethengar are capable of entering the Ethereal plane and reaching other worlds. Most often, shamans are attuned to places like the Plain of Horses in the Forgotten Realms region of Kara-Tur, or the Tiger Nomads in Greyhawk. Visitors accompanying or sent by a shaman usually seem to phase out of an animal when entering the other world." --GAZ12, p.32
    • The Principality of Krondahar in Glantri (~Mughal = blended ~Mongolian + ~Indian; The illustration of Khan Jherek Virayana (GAZ2 p.30) has a ~Mongolian aesthetic. The title "khan" is ~Mongolian, but was also used by the ~Mughals in India. The double "aa" in the name of city of Braastar is ~Mongolian, cf. Ulaan Baatar. But other aspects of Krondahar are Indian: Virayana and Singhabad (see the South Asian section for sources). In-world, the Krondaharians are of Ethengarian (~Mongolian) origin.)
    • The Yellow Orcs [sic!] of Yellow Orkia and the Hobgoblins of Hobgobliny in the Broken Lands (both ~Mongolian)
    • The Yazak goblinoids [sic] of the Yazak Steppes (~Kazakh)
    • Jennites (~Scythians) of the Skothar continent and in the Hollow World
  • In Toril:
    • The Imaskari Language Group: "à la Altaic: Azerbaijani, Turkish, Mongol" (Source: DRAGON Annual #4 "Speaking in Tongues.")
      • Rauran language (extinct)
      • Reian language (extinct): "Both Rauran and Reian are long-dead languages from the Old Empires region, Chessenta, Unther, Mulhorand, and Raurin, thought to predate the appearance of the Mulan."
      • Imaskari language: "The tribes of the steppes have largely lost the knowledge of the Imaskari alphabet and with it the ability to read and write. Some of the tribes have adopted neighboring writing systems, though most have not found their illiteracy to be a hindrance. The Imaskari languages are more fully described in Cook's The Horde. This source includes information and rules about the mutual intelligibility of the various dialects. Northern, Southern, and Eastern Imaskari have only been labeled as distinct languages for ease of use."
      • Northern Imaskari language (varieties: Khassidi, Commani, Naican, Raumvira)
      • Southern Imaskari language (varieties: Tuigan, Naican, Dalat, Oigur, Quirish)
      • Eastern Imaskari language (varieties: Zamogedi, Gur, Fankiang, Oigur, Quirish, Khaghun)
      • Imaskari Creole / Gurri: "Gurri is the patois of tire nomadic Gurs, a people similar to the Roma, the Gypsies [sic!] of Medieval Europe. Gurri's roots are found in Imaskari, but the influence of numerous other tongues, many thought long dead (especially the Rashemi's Halardrim) have been noted by a few careful and well-trained Realms scholars."
      • Alarric language (varieties: Shining, Desert): The Shining Alarric variety is spoken in ~South Asian "Shining Lands" of Durpar, Estagund, and Var.
      • Raurindi language
      • Devic language (Ulgarthic, Solonese)
      • Durpari Creole / Durpari-Shaartan Patois language
      • Lantanna language
    • The Tuigan people of the Plain of Horses, in the land of Taan (a.k.a. the Hordelands / the Endless Wastes) (~Mongolians)
    • The Oigur tribe (~Uighur Turkic / Oirat Mongolian)
    • Murghôm (said by Rich Baker to be partly evocative of the Cossacks/Turanians of the Conan stories)
    • The Northern Wastes (~Siberia)
    • The Maraloi / The Ancient Lords (~Ancient Iranic-speaking Scythians who preceded the Turkic settlement of Central Asia)
    • The Ama Basin and Koryaz Mountains (based on the Amur Basin northeast of China and the Koryak Mountains of northeastern Russia)
      • Issacortae tribe (~the ancient Issedones Scythians / Thyssagetae Scythians)
      • Pazuki (the wordshape, but not the location, most closely fits the Emirate of Pazuki, which was a Kurdish state in eastern Turkey. The name is slightly evocative of the Tajiki / Wakhi / Pamiri peoples of the Pamir Mountains. Both the Kurds and the Tajiks are Iranic-speaking peoples)
      • Tayanulchi / Tayanuchi tribe (~ Ulchi nationality, a Tungusic people)
      • Wu-haltai tribe (~Altai nationality, a Turkic people; "wu" is Chinese for "five." The name may mean approx. the "Five Altai")
      • Palace of Balinaikal the Ogre Mage (the name is evocative of Lake Baikal, which is in Buryatia, a Mongolic nation)
  • In Krynn:
    • In the continent of Ansalon:
      • The Khanate of Khur / The Nomads of Khur. Their Khurish language appears to be mostly fantastic, but there is at least one Persian motif ("Khur" is a common placename in Iran), a few Mongolian motifs (the word "khan", plus, regardless of their meanings: the word "Alash", from the Alash mountains in Inner Mongolia, and the word "Nor", from famous lake "Lop Nor"), a Russian/Circassian/Balkar motif (keffre 'a strong hot beverage' < keffir), some Arabic motifs (souk 'market', and the word "yl" is used similar to "al-"). Given the Iranian name of their nation, plus the Mongolian title "khan", the closest earthly parallel could be the Ilkhanate of Iran, which was the successor state of the Mongolian Empire in Persia.
      • The Khanate of the Southern Wastes / The Horselords of Nordmaar. They have blended motifs: Turko-Mongolic "khan"; Anglo-Saxon (their capital is named "Wulfgar", which is Old English for "wolf-spear". Note the Tolkienian Horse-lords / Rohirrim were ~Anglo-Saxon), and Aztec (the chief tribe is named "Huitzitlic").
    • In Taladas:
      • The Uigan (~Mongolian) nation and language of the continent of Taladas. Note the parallel with the "Tuigan" people and language from Forgotten Realms. They live in "yurts" (which is a Mongolian word).
      • The Kazar nation and language in Taladas: ~Khazar and/or ~Kazakh, both of which are Turkic peoples.
      • The Alan-Atu nation (~Buryat Mongolian+ ~Alannic; "Ulan-Ude" is the real-world capital of Buryatia. The Alans were an Iranic Scythian people whose descendants are now known as the Ossetians.).
      • The Puresk nation is evocative of the Mukhsha Ulus, whose leader was named Puresh. This was a kingdom which spoke the Moksha Finnic language, but was conquered by the Mongolian Empire, and forced to fight the Russians.
      • (Note: for the Purgi nation, see the Himalayan section.)
      • The Merkitsa Elves of the Tamire (~Mongolian elves). Their name is likely inspired by the Merkits tribal confederation "wise ones/skillful ones" who were one of the first adversaries of the Mongols.
      • Another motif: The name of the Burya Ilquar mountains is likely inspired by the Buryats.
  • DRAGON magazine:
    • Wolf Nomads use of: "Protection Circles and the Like..." Gary Gygax 56(18) D&D1
    • "Mongols: History, Weaponry, Tactics, The" Michael Kluever 36(31) --
~Chinese:
  • In Oerth: Celestial Imperium/Shaofeng/Sufang
  • In Ærth: Ch'in and the Chingsunese Pantheon, in Furthest Azir / the Far East. (WotC reportedly owns the rights to Gary Gygax's Ærth setting.)
  • In Mystara:
    • The Kingdom of Ochalea
    • A couple of the names of the Yellow Orcs [sic!] are Chinese (see my research here).
    • The Ethengarians (~Mongols) use Chinese names for their calendar. This facet may be indicative of the ~Yuan Dynasty, when Mongolians began to adopt aspects of Chinese culture. However, there's no ~Chinese analogue near the Ethengar Khanates.
    • Ssu-Ma, an Immortal.
  • In Toril:
    • Shou Lung
    • T'u Lung
    • Shou Towns in Faerûn (~Chinatowns in Europe)
  • In Ravenloft: I'Cath
  • Tianguo from WotC's 2e-era Dragon Fist RPG. Rights reportedly sold to Chris Pramas though.
  • In the Concord Worlds of the Radiant Citadel: "Buried Dynasty" by Felice Tzehuei Kuan (Taiwanese American). (author interview)
  • In Spelljammer: Shou Lung, from Toril, is the most advanced human spacefaring civilization. The junk is a kind of spelljammer.
  • In Planescape and the Planes of Existence:
    • The OD&D Chinese Mythos
    • The AD&D1e Chinese Mythos
    • The AD&D2e Chinese Mythology
    • In Nowhere, a camp on the Infinite Staircase, there is Ching-Dau, a human artist who traded meat. He lived in a pink tent and wore clothes cut from the same fabric as his tent. (His name is ~Chinese.)
  • DRAGON magazine:
    • Chinese Dragons "Chinese Dragons" David Sweet 24(8) OD&D
    • Chinese Folklore: Liang Shan P'o "Righteous Robbers of Liang Shan P'o" Joseph Ravitts 54(16) D&D1
    • Chinese Generals: Warring States "Lords of the Warring States" Thomas M. Kane 167(77) D&D2
    • "Chinese Undead" David Sweet 26(20) OD&D
  • Monsters:
    • gold dragon: In AD&D 1e, the Gold Dragon's scientific name is "Draco Orientalus Sino Dux", meaning "Eastern Chinese Duke Dragon"! The 1e Monster Manual depicts a Chinese-style dragon.
    • kirin < Japanese spelling of qilin: Qilin - Wikipedia
    • Monkey (Hu Sen) < the Monkey King (Sun Wukong): Monkey King - Wikipedia
  • Also:
    • The 3e/4e/5e Draconic script is based on the aesthetics of Chinese writing.
    • The Chinese D&D product list. These products are relevant from an in-universe perspective too, since they contain official Chinese names for the D&D races, classes, spells, gear, monsters, etc.
    • "Human Names: Chinese" in 5e Xanathar's Guide to Everything.
~Eastern European (~Slavic, ~Eastern Orthodox/Byzantine Greek, ~Roma, ~Romanian, ~Hungarian, ~Albanian, ~Baltics, ~Caucasus):
  • In Oerth:
    • The Stonefist Barbarians (~Slavic)
    • Ataman (~Cossack) title among the Flan
    • The Rhenee (~Roma)
    • Kusnir, the capital of the Duchy of Berghof, is likely a modification of the Jewish-German (Yiddish) surname Kushner, which is from the Ukrainian kushnir 'furrier.' Kushner - Wiktionary ; Kushner - Wikipedia
  • In Ærth: The Slavic Pantheon. (WotC reportedly owns the rights to Gary Gygax's Ærth setting.)
  • In Mystara:
    • The Traladarans, the native culture of the Grand Duchy of Karameikos. (~various Eastern European cultures)."The Traladarans are a very free-spirited, spiritual people with clothing and names similar to inhabitants of our Earth's Eastern Europe." --from "Mystara Reference Guide", an in-house TSR writers guide
    • Here are some earthly sources of Traladaran placenames: (See my research into Traladaran names here.)
      • Cherkass (~Ukrainian city "Cherkasy" or Russian word "Cherkess"; both of which are the name for the Circassian nationality of the east shore of the Black Sea, since Circassian immigrants reportedly founded the city): Cherkasy - Wikipedia (And my research here. Note: the word "Cherkass" implies that there are ~Circassians in or near Karameikos as well.)
      • Dmitrov (~Bulgarian)
      • Hokol (~Ukrainian Cossack)
      • Koriszegy Keep (~Hungarian placename "Kőris-hegy" 'ash-mountain')
      • Marilenev (blended ~Romanian + Russian = Moldavian):
      • Misha (~Russian)
      • Sielo (~Russian): https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Reconstr ... lavic/selo
      • The Steach (perhaps from the U.S. surname "Steach", which ultimately comes from the Polish surname "Strach")
      • Sulescu (~Romanian)
      • Syereb (maybe a modification of the Russian word for Serb: Syerb). This could imply a speculative interpretation of the nearby ruins of Krakatos to be a fantastic modification of Kroatikos, the Greek word for "Croat."
      • Volaga (~Russian "Volga")
      • Geographically, these varieties of the Traladaran culture roughly map to:
        • Bulgarian localisms in southeastern Karameikos (centered on Dmitrov)
        • Croatian localisms around the ruins of Krakatos.
        • Hungarian localisms in west-central Karameikos (around Koriszegy Keep)
        • Polish localisms in northwestern Karameikos (in the foothills of The Steach)
        • Moldavian localisms around Specularum, formerly known as Marilenev.
        • Romanian localisms in south-central Karameikos (around Sulescu)
        • Russian localisms in east-central Karameikos (along the Volaga River)
        • Serbian localisms along the Syereb River.
        • Ukrainian localisms in a smaller area of east-central Karameikos (around Hokol and Cherkass)
    • The Thyatians are explicitly (though only partially) inspired by ~Byzantine/Greek Orthodox culture. (Along with ~Ancient Roman.)
    • The Principality of Boldavia in Glantri (~Transylvania). Though the overarching motif is "Gothic/Transylvania", there are also specific motifs: (See my research here.)
    • The City-States and the Goat-Men of Kavaja: (From Bruce Heard's explanation of real-world cultural analogues)
      • Slagich (Slagovich) = Croatian Language with Croatian Localisms (Slagich Proper). Also spoken by part of the caprines (source of the name "Kavaja").
      • Slagich (Zagora) = Croatian Language with Bulgarian* and Romanian Localisms, yet with Romanian Culture < Traladaran (Sulescu). Also spoken by part of the northern goatlings. *(The city of Stara Zagora, Bulgaria is the most prominent "Zagora" on RW maps.)
      • Slagich (Zvornik) = Croatian Language with Bosnian* and Hungarian Localisms, yet with Hungarian Culture < Traladaran (Koriszegy). Also spoken by part of the central ovinaurs. *(Zvornik is a town in Bosnia.)
      • Slagich (Nova Svoga) = Croatian Language with Slovenian Localisms, but with Bulgarian Culture. The culture (but not the linguistic localisms) come from Traladaran (Dmitrov) culture. Also spoken by part of the northern goatlings (and source of the name "Crnograd").
      • Slagich (Hojah) = Croatian Language with Albanian Localisms. Also spoken by part of the central ovinaurs (and source of the name "Pazaria"), and by part of the caprines.
    • The Dominion of Vyolstograd and the Dominion of Stamtral in Norwold, from module CM4: Earthshaker! (~Russian)
  • In Toril:
    • The Raumtheran Language Group: "à la Slavic: Russian, Bulgarian, Albanian" [though Albanian isn't a Slavic language] (Source: DRAGON Annual #4 "Speaking in Tongues.")
      • Halardrim language (extinct)
      • Rasallesian language
      • Allesian language (varieties: Ashane, Golden Allesian)
      • Sossic language
    • Rashemen (~Russia). The Rashemi language has some aesthetically ~Slavic elements: e.g. cheznitznia 'shapeshifter'; domovoi 'house spirits' ; dvorovoi 'evil spirits'; nydeshka 'blunt sword' ; polevik 'a kind of dwarf' ; volodni 'Pine Folk.'
    • Cossacks are a partial inspiration for Murghom. (Source: Rich Baker)
    • The Ulou Language Group: "à la Baltic: Old Prussian, Lettish [i.e. Latvian], Lithuanian"(Source: DRAGON Annual #4 "Speaking in Tongues.")
      • Netherese language (extinct)
      • Halruaan language
      • Ruathlek language: "Ruathlek is the magical language of illusionists. It is said that the dead goddess of deception and illusion, Leira, developed the language with some of the descendants of Netheril, the wizards of Nimbral. However unlike most illusionists, the people of Nimbral have developed Ruathlek into a language both magical and mundane."
      • Uluik language [Note: the author of the DRAGON article is likely mistaken, as this language and the Ulutiun language are both clearly ~Inuit-inspired, rather than ~Baltic. Though in 'fantasy linguistics', an ~Inuit-like aesthetic could be designed to be descended from ~Proto-Baltic.]
      • Ulutiun language (varieties: lulutiuri, Angulutiun, Nakulutiun) [See note above.]
      • Rengardt language
      • Uloushinn language
      • Andt language
      • Erakic language
      • Naric language
      • Chardic language (varieties: Vaasan creole, Damaran) [Note: Vaasa is a real place-name in Finland; so the original roots of this language may have been Finnish, rather than (or in addition to?) Baltic.]
      • Easting language (varieties: Mulman, Tantran, Procampan, Impilturian)
      • D'tarig language: "D'tarig has strong roots in Dethek, the language of the dwarves."
  • Gur people (~Roma): “Gurri is the patois of tire nomadic Gurs, a people similar to the Roma, the Gypsies [sic!] of Medieval Europe.” —Dragon Annual, “Speaking in Tongues”
  • In Ravenloft:
    • Barovia (~Transylvania). Their Balok language is ~Romanian (see the glossary here). Originating in Barovia, Balok is also spoken in Invidia, Borca, G'Henna, Markovia, and the former domain of Dorvinia.
    • Borca (~Russian with Borgian Italian politics). The ruler is Ivana Boritsi.
    • Dorvinia (~Russian). The ruler was Ivan Dilisnya, cousin of the ruler of Borca. During the Grand Conjunction event, Dorvinia was merged into Borca.
    • Invidia speaks the Balok language, but has ~Italian motifs.
    • Markovia (~Russian). The darklord of Markovia, Dr. Frantisek Markov, was born in Barovia. Markov is a real-world Russian (and Bulgarian) name.
    • G'Henna (~Russian). The darklord of G'Henna, High Priest Yagno Petrovna, was born in Barovia. Petrovna is a real-world surname of Russian nobles.
    • Vorostokov and their Vos language (~Russian). Note: the Vos people of the world of Aebrynis (Birthright) are also ~Russian.
    • The Gundars/Gundarakites of Gundarak. Their language is ~Hungarian (see the glossary here). It's said that the horsemen who settle in Gundarak were possibly kin to the (~Turko-Mongolian) Neureni Horde. The real-world Hungarians (Magyars) are descendants of steppe warriors who were allied with the Turko-Mongolian peoples.
    • Vlad Drakov, darklord of Falkovnia, is modeled on Vlad Dracula / Vlad the Impaler of Wallachia (~Romania). Vlad Drakov is from the nation of Thenol on the continent of Taladas, in the world of Krynn.
    • The Vistani (~Roma)
  • In Krynn:
  • In Eberron:
    • "Karrnath is a cold, icy, militaristic land that has incorporated necromancy into its military. There’s no question that that’s drawing inspiration from the flavor of early twentieth century Russia/Ballkans, as well as some Dracula and Transylvania worked in there. It’s not a direct analogy, but it’s a touchstone." -Keith Baker interview with LegendKeeper, Feb. 2023
  • In Aebrynis (Birthright): The Vos people. Their name "Vos" is evocative of "Rus/Ros", the original name of Russia.
    • Vosgaard appears to equivalent to "Rosgrad."
  • James Wyatt's Petroyeska campaign setting. Bits of James' settings appeared in DRAGON magazine during the 3e era.
  • In Magic: The Gathering:
    • The Plane of Innistrad. (~Transylvania / Gothic Eastern Europe+German motifs)
    • The Plane of Ravnica (~Slavic high magic cityscape)
  • In Planescape and the Planes of Existence:
    • [was a Slavic pantheon published?]
  • DRAGON magazine:
    • "The Dancing Hut" by Roger E. Moore, Dragon #83
    • "Larger than Life: The Bogyatr's of Old Kiev" by David Nalle, Dragon #53
    • "Gypsies [sic!]: A Curse Or a Blessing - Or Both" A.D. Rogan 59(16) D&D1
    • "The Gypsy [sic!] Train" Richard Fichera 93(43) D&D1
    • "The Taltos" (~Hungarian shaman PC class) by Tom Moldvay, DRAGON #247(p38), AD&D2e
    • Eastern Europe "Armies of the Renaissance, Part V" Nick Nascati 30(24) --
  • Monsters:
  • Also relevant:
    • Hungarian, Greek, Polish, and Russian D&D product listings. These products are relevant from an in-universe perspective too, since they contain official Eastern European names for the D&D races, classes, spells, gear, monsters, etc.
    • "Human Names: Greek, Slavic" in 5e Xanathar's Guide to Everything.
~Finnish:
  • In Ærth: The Kelevalan Pantheon. (WotC reportedly owns the rights to Gary Gygax's Ærth setting.)
  • In Toril:
    • The mages of the ancient Imaskar Empire sought to revitalize their population by opening two great gates to another world (D&D Earth), then kidnapping from it numerous humans (Ancient Finns) to serve as their slaves. Finnish pantheon
    • The Finnish Pantheon in Toril: Mielikki and Loviatar are Finnish deities who are also members of the Faerûnian Pantheon. Untamo and Kiputytto formerly had a small presence in Toril.
    • Based on its wordshape and location in the Cold Lands, the land of Vaasa may have initially had a Finnish motif. "Vaasa" is a real-world city in Finland. Though, if so, this seems to have not been carried forward by later designers.
  • In Pelinore (the world of TSR UK): The Village of Kaantinnen, in the County of Corwyn has a ~Finnish-style name. (IMAGINE April 1985). However, the places and people in Kaantinnen have the usual Anglo-Celtic names, so the name is only a single motif.
  • In Planescape and the Planes of Existence:
    • The OD&D Finnish Mythos
    • The AD&D1e Finnish Mythos
  • Also relevant: Finnish D&D product listing. These products are relevant from an in-universe perspective too, since they contain official Finnish names for the D&D races, classes, spells, gear, monsters, etc
~Himalayan (~Tibetan, ~Nepalese, & ~Bhutanese):
  • In Mystara:
    • The village of Lhamsa in the Principalities of Glantri
    • The Snow Pardasta catfolk
    • In Yellow Orkia [sic!] several names of the Yellow Orcs are ~Tibetan (see my research here), and one is Bhutanese.
  • In Toril:
    • Tabot (~Tibet + ~Nepal). The Tabotan language =~Tibetan. However, DRAGON #315 p.61 says "Tabot uses names from Nepal." The leader of Tabot is the High Lord of Oceans. (In Tibetan, "Dalai Lama" means "Ocean Master.")
    • Ra-Khati (~Tibet). Ra-Khati follows the Padhran religion. The leader of Ra-Khati is the Dalai Lama.(!)
      • Note: Tabot and Ra-Khati are redundant parallels of Tibet, developed by two different TSR design teams. Tabot and the Path of Enlightenment were developed by the Kara-Tur designers. Ra-Khati and the Padhran religion were developed by the Hordelands designers. The Kingdom of Khazari appears to be yet another standalone ~Tibetan parallel, since it has its own Red Mountain and Yellow Mountain sects, though more blended with other motifs.
    • The Kingdom of Khazari (~blended Tibetan/Balti/Inner Mongolian/Bhutanese/Chinese). Monk leaders are called "lamas", which is a Tibetan word; the capital city of Skarou/Skardu < the city of Skardu, in Gilgit-Baltisan, Pakistan (the name "Skardu" is from the Balti Tibetic language); the city of Alashan < the Alashan Mountains in Inner Mongolia; the Khazari word tsampo "barley meal" < Tibetan tsampa "barley meal"; the town of Hsiliang is ~Chinese; the Khazari ruler has a partly ~Chinese name: Ogandi Tsipiang.
    • The ruined Kingdom of Guge (~the real-world ancient Kingdom of Guge in western Tibet)
    • Phuthan (~Bhutan). Its capital city is named "Bhutan." The Phutanese language =~Bhutanese.
    • The monastery-fortresses of Punakha Dzong and Luntse Dzong. The word "dzong" is a Bhutanese word for monastery-fortress.
    • The Yak Folk / Yak-Men of the World Pillar Mountains. The word "yak" is from the Tibetan language.
    • DRAGON magazine: Land of the Yak-Men, "Campaign Classics" by Wolfgang Baur #241(p88), AD&D2e
  • In Krynn:
    • The Purgi nation in Taladas appears to be named after the real-world Purigpa people and their Purgi language--they're a Muslim people of Baltistan (Pakistan) and Ladakh (India) who speak a Tibetan language.
  • Monsters:
  • Also: The "Lama" level-title for 7th-level Clerics in AD&D 1E, and 8th-level Clerics in B/X and BXCMI D&D. The word "lama" is from the Tibetan language. This means that the D&D Cleric had a Tibetan Buddhist aspect from the start.
~Iberian American (~Spanish American & ~Portuguese American)
  • In Mystara: (Here's an article about the real-world correspondences by one of the designers of the Savage Coast)
    • Texeiras (~Brazil)
    • Almarron (~Mexican Alta California)
    • Guadalante (~Argentina)
    • Torreon (~"conquistadors")
  • In Toril: New Amn (~New Spain)
  • In the Magic: The Gathering / D&D Plane Shift: The Legion of Dusk ("vampire conquistadors") on the continent of Torrezon, in the Plane of Ixalan. (pdf)
  • In the Concord Worlds of the Radiant Citadel:
    • "The Fiend of Hollow Mine" (~contemporary Mexican) by Mario Ortegón (Northern Mexico) (author interview)
    • "Orchids of the Invisible Mountain" (~Venezuelan Amazon + inspired by the Brazilian death metal band Sepultura) - Terry Hope Romero (author interview)
  • DRAGON magazine:
    • Capoeira (Brazilian battle-dancer) character class: "Rhythm Warriors" by Joseph R. Ravitts #159(74), AD&D1e
  • Monsters:
    • The monster "sahuagin" gains its name from the historian Bernardino de Sahagún who dwelled in New Spain, and was the first person to write extensively about the Aztecs. His namesake hometown, Sahagún, is a town in Spain. See my research here.
  • Also relevant:
    • The Portuguese and Spanish D&D product listings. These products are relevant from an in-universe perspective too, since they contain official names in these Iberian American languages for the D&D races, classes, spells, gear, monsters, etc.
    • "Human Names: Spanish" in 5e Xanathar's Guide to Everything.
~Indigenous North American (including ~Mesoamerican & ~Inuit):
  • In Oerth:
    • The Rovers of the Barrens / Arapahi (name: ~Arapaho; author describes as: "Sioux-like"), as depicted in "Ghost Dance" by David Howery published in DUNGEON® Adventures issue #32.
    • The Olmans (~Aztec):
      • The Olmans of the Amedio Jungle (site of Xamaclan, the last city-state of the Olman)
      • The Olmans of Hepmonaland, which they call Xamolatatl "Home of the People."
    • The ruined Flan city of Tostenhca (~Tolteca+Inca; the ancient Tolteca culture of Aztec legend). Called "Skrellingshald" by the Frost Barbarians. "Skrelling" is the name for Flannae people in the Cold Tongue of the Frost Barbarians (< Old Norse Skræling).
    • "Lands of the People", a "continent far to the east across the Solnor Ocean", by David Howery in DRAGON #205: "The WORLD OF GREYHAWK® setting: In the northern Flanaess was a land called the Barrens, with a people called the Rovers. In my old GREYHAWK® campaign, I made the Rovers into a fierce Sioux-like tribe. They were savage and free, and had a brief moment of glory in "Ghost Dance" published in DUNGEON® Adventures issue #32. With the recent wars in the Flanaess (see the From the Ashes set), the Rovers were destroyed by Iuz. However, my campaign also included a continent far to the east across the Solnor Ocean. This was a fantasy America with many cultures inspired by the Native Americans. This continent is the basis of this article."
      • There are [only!] three cultures in the Lands of the People:
        • Eastern Woodlands
        • Great Plains
        • Southwest Desert
  • In Ærth: (WotC reportedly owns the rights to Gary Gygax's Ærth setting.)
    • The Manitou Pantheon of Vargaard (~"Manitou" is the real-world Algonquian word for "Spirit.')
    • Tlecan and the Tlecan Pantheon (~Aztec)
    • Muya (~Maya)
  • In Mystara:
    • The Atruaghin Clans: Bear Clan = Pueblo Cultures; Horse Clan = Plains Cultures; Turtle Clan = Pacific Northwest Cultures; Elk Clan = Eastern Woodlands Cultures; Tiger/Viper Clan = Aztec
    • The Red Orcs [sic!] of the Broken Lands. (Specific sources: includes parodies of ~Lakota and ~Apsaalooke (Crow) names)
    • The Yazi goblinoids [sic!] of the Savage Coast (the name "Yazi" is probably inspired by the common Navajo name "Yazhi") Specific sources: Chiriqui Gnolls (~Chiracahua Apache) - Dead Yucca Gnolls (~Western Shoshone) - Black Bellies Goblins (~Gros Ventres) - see my research here)]
    • The Tortle peasants of the Savage Coast (~Maya)
    • The Schattenalfen (~Aztec elves)
    • The orcs of Oenkmar (~Aztec orcs)
    • The Oceotl rakastas (~Aztec catfolk)
    • The Azcan Empire in Hollow World (~culturally preserved Aztec)
    • Also: the name "Quasqueton" (from B1: In Search of the Unknown) is from the real-world town of Quasqueton, Iowa, from the Sac-Fox language "swift running water." See the ENWorld article: In Search Of Quasqueton With Mike Carr . Also from B1: the name of one of the NPCs, "Mohag", appears to be an alteration of "Mohawk", "Mohican", or "Mohegan."
    • Immortals: Atzanteotl (Aztec elf), Ahmanni Turtlerider
  • In Toril:
    • Maztica / the True World: Maztica was transported to the world of Abeir (in 4e) and then back to Toril (in 5E).
      • Nexalans (~Aztec)
      • Itzcali (~Aztec sahuagin)
      • Payit (~Maya)
      • Green Folk & Kola (~Indigenous Central Americans & Kuna of Panama)
      • North Ones/Dog People (~Chichimeca of Northern Mexico; chichi is sometimes interpreted to mean "dog").
      • Desert Dwarves (~Aztec dwarves)
    • The Anchorome continent, north of Maztica (~Indigenous North America, north of Mexico)
      • The peoples of the Pasocada Basin in southwestern Anchorome (~the peoples of the Colorado River Basin)
        • Azuposi (~Pueblo/Anasazi peoples)
        • Metahel (~a Pacific Northwest nation). Said to have arrived in the Pasocada Basin recently from the northwest. Described as whalers who trade in whale oil. The name is slightly evocative of the Makah and Chehalis nations of the Pacific Northwest)
        • Nahopaca (~Lakota/Dakota/Nakoda Siouan people; the name is evocative of "Nakoda" (the autonym of the northern Siouan Assiniboine nation) and "Hunkpapa", one of the seven Lakota clans)
        • Pasocada Elves (~nomadic Apachean peoples of the Colorado Basin; the meter of the name is slightly evocative of the Chiricahua nation, an Apachean people. The Apachean peoples surround the Pueblo peoples in a similar way as the Pasocada Elves vis-a-vis the Azuposi peoples)
    • "Lands of the People" by David Howery in DRAGON #205: "The FORGOTTEN REALMS® setting: This world contains an ideal setting for placing Native-American cultures: the lands north of the Maztican nations. Obviously, if Maztica is the fantasy counterpart of the pre-Columbian Central America, then the lands to the north are the fantasy version of North America." [Note: the map of the Lands of the People fits closely with the shape of Anchorome.]
      • There are [only!] three cultures in the Lands of the People:
        • Eastern Woodlands
        • Great Plains
        • Southwest Desert
    • The Ulutiun peoples (~Inuitic peoples):
      • Ice Hunters / Ancient Men of the North, who speak the Uluik language, and who dwell in the Cold Run, Ice Peak island, and the Sea of Moving Ice, northwest of Icewind Dale. Relative to the more eastern Ulutiun of the Great Glacier the Ice Hunters are geographically similar to the western Inuitic peoples of Alaska. Relative to Icewind Dale, Ice Peak island is similar to one of the large islands off the west coast of Alaska: Kodiak Island, St. Lawrence Island, or Nunivak Island, all of which are Yupik-speaking. The Uluik words for their boats, khyeks and oumyeks, are analogous to kayaks and umiaks. The English word "kayak" (qajaq 'man's boat') and "umiak" (umiaq 'woman's boat' / 'large-skinned boat') are similar in form throughout the Inuitic languages. Given the western location, the Uluik language is probably analogous to the Inupiatun language of northern Alaska, and possibly also covers the Yupik languages of southwestern Alaska.
      • The Nakulutiun people of the Nakvaligach region of the Great Glacier, also called the "Northern Barrens", the northernmost and most dangerous region of the Great Glacier, are likely based on the real-world Inughuit (Polar Inuit) of the Avanersuaq region of northernmost Greenland...historically the most isolated branch of humanity in the world. The Nakulutiun of Toril speak the Ulutiun language. The real-world Inughuit speak the Inuktun language, which is slightly different than Standard Greenlandic.
      • The caribou-herding Angulutiun people of the Great Glacier are similar to the Caribou Inuit of central Canada. The Angulutiun speak the Ulutiun language.
      • The Iulutiun people are the most populous of the Ulutiun peoples, and appear to be most similar to the Kalaallit (Greenland Inuit), since they are the prominent Inuitic people. They are the main people of the Great Glacier, which is geographically analogous the Greenland Ice Sheet. The Ulutiun language would be most similar to Kalaallisut (Greenlandic) then.
    • Arctic dwarves (~Inuit dwarves)
  • In Krynn:
    • In the continent of Ansalon:
      • Partial inspiration for the Plains Barbarians (~North American Plains Cultures)
      • The tribal names in Nordmaar are ~Nahuatl/Aztec. Namely, Cuichtalic, Netzalic, Topotlic, and Xocnalic; and also the ruins of Mohrlexctlan. Nordmaar contains a blend of ~Norse, ~Aztec, ~Black African, and ~Mongolian motifs.
    • In the continent of Taladas:
      • The Ice People of Taladas are ~Inuit. As seen in their words "Kitaglu" (their main village; evocative of "iglu/igloo"), "Sakalaminuik" (yeti) and "Amaguik" (spirit wolves), their language is Inuit-like. The silver dragon Ukamiak has taken his name from that language.
      • Sakalaminuik (~Inuit yeti). Their other name, Saqualaminoi, is a modification of "sasquatch" (a.k.a. Bigfoot), which comes from an Indigenous North American language: either the Nlaka'pamuctsin language se'sxa or Halkomem language sásq’ets. Both are Salishan languages of British Columbia, Canada. But the name connection appears to be superficial, and not indicative of Salishan culture; the arctic terrain doesn't suggest any cultural motif beyond the ~Inuit. Since "Saqualaminoi" shares the "-oi" ~Greek-like suffix of other peoples of Krynn (Gnomoi, Minoi, etc.), this appears to be a more learned name used by outside scholars. So culturally, they're basically "Inuit sasquatches/yeti."
      • The First People / Abaqua Ogres culture is generalization of Indigenous American motifs, such as their fringed deerskin clothing and the term "warchief." Specifically the cultures of the Eastern Woodlands ("Deerwood Tribe"; and also the wigwam-style homes: "domed houses of saplings, that are covered with leaves and bark"), Prairie/Plains (the "Grass Tribe"), and the Rocky Mountains ("Black Peak Tribe" is slightly evocative of the Blackfoot Nation of the Montanan and Canadian Rockies). The name "Abaqua" (meaning 'first people' in the Abaquan language) is vaguely reminiscent of the word "Aboriginal" + the Canadian pronunciation of "Iroquois" (Iro-qua).
      • The Wretched Ones / Ilquar Goblins, appear to represent the most oppressed aspect of Indigenous American history. Their culture is vaguely evocative of Indigenous America. Several Indigenous American peoples practiced head-shaping, such as some Salish peoples of the Pacific Northwest, and the Choctaw nation of the U.S. Southeast. Though notably, the so-called "Flathead" nation did not practice head-flattening!
  • Land of the People: DRAGON magazine mini-setting (~Indigenous North America). The shape of the continental map fits almost exactly as Anchorome.
  • In the Magic: The Gathering / D&D Plane Shift - The Plane of Ixalan: (pdf)
    • The Sun Empire (~Aztec)
    • The River Heralds merfolk (~Maya)
  • In the Concord Worlds of the Radiant Citadel: the region of Tletepec in "Trail of Destruction" by Alastor Guzman (Aztec/Mesoamerica) (author interview)
  • In Planescape and the Planes of Existence:
    • The OD&D Aztec Mythos and Mayan Mythos
    • The AD&D1e Central American Mythos
    • The AD&D2e American Indian Mythology and Aztec Mythology
    • The D&D3e Aztec Mythos:
      • "Aztec Mythos I" David Schwartz 352(96) D&D3
      • "Aztec Mythos II" David Schwartz 354(90) D&D3
      • "Aztec Mythos III" David Schwartz 356(90) D&D3
      • "Aztec Mythos IV" David Schwartz 358(88) D&D3
    • The 1e Happy Hunting Grounds outer plane (2e Beastlands)
  • DRAGON magazine:
    • Rovers of the Barrens use of: "Protection Circles and the Like..." Gary Gygax 56(18) D&D1
    • Iroquois folklore: Jo-Ga-Oh "Jo-Ga-Oh: Little People of the Iroquois" Conrad Froehlich 61(57) D&D1
    • "The People" David Howery 205(12) D&D2
    • Quetzalcoatl "Feathered Serpent, The" Lynn Harpold 2(16) --
    • Aztec Monsters "Beasts of the Sun: Central American Monsters" J.C. Alvarez 317(62) D&D3
    • Aztec Mythology "Feathered Serpent, The" Lynn Harpold 2(16) --
    • Aztec War "War of Flowers" William B. Fawcett 25(35) --
    • "Xochiyaoyotl: Rules for Pre-Hispanic Mexican Warfare" Neal M. Dorst 25(37) --
  • Monsters: coatl, thunderbird, tlincalli, ixitxachitl (from the name of the Aztec historian Fernando de Alva Cortés Ixtlilxóchitl), and sahuagin (their designer calls them "sea Aztecs"; see my research here).
  • Also:
    • 2e Angakok wizard kit (Inuit shaman)
    • "Human Names: Mesoamerican" in 5e Xanathar's Guide to Everything.
~Indigenous South American:
  • In Oerth: The ruined city of Tostenhca in the Griff Mountains. The name is evocative of ~Toltec+Inca. The high, glacier-licked mountainous setting especially suggests an ~Incan motif for the ancient Flan civilization which built the now ruined sites throughout the Griff Mountains and the neighboring Corusk Mountains.
  • In Ærth: The Incan Pantheon. (WotC reportedly owns the rights to Gary Gygax's Ærth setting.)
  • In Mystara:
    • The Oltec in the Hollow World (~Inka)
    • The Phanatons of Jibaru on the Savage Coast (~Jivaro)
    • The Manacupuru in Davania (~Mura language; the name of the real-world Amazonian municipality "Manacupuru" comes from the Mura language, and is in Mura traditional territory)
    • The Caymen of the Blight Swamp in AC2: Combat Shield & Mini Adventure (caiman-folk, based on the Galibi Carib culture of South America; the word 'caiman' comes from the Galibi language). caiman - Wiktionary
  • In Toril:
    • Lopango, the Land of Fire.
    • The Caiman Katangas (shapeshifters) of Malatra have a connection with ~South America, since caimans are endemic to South America, and word 'caiman' comes from the Galibi Carib language of South America.
~Islamdom in the Middle East / Southwest Asia and North Africa (~Arab, ~Ottoman/Turkish, ~Iranian/Persian, ~Afghan); also Zoroastrian Persia:
  • In Blackmoor:
    • The Afridhi of the Goblin Kush. (~Afghan). "Afridi" is a real Afghan tribe who live in the Hindu Kush mountains.)
    • Kerman Peaks (< the city of Kermanshah, Iran, which is mostly Southern Kurdish-speaking, an Iranic language)
  • In Oerth:
    • The Baklunish peoples (~Arab; other than the ~Turkic nomadic steppe peoples, who are said to be blended with the indigenous Flannae):
      • The former Baklunish Empire (~The Arab Caliphate, which reached its territorial extent during the Ummayad Caliphate, and reached its highest culture during the Abassid Calphiate, known as the golden age of Islam.)
      • The Plains of the Paynims [sic!] (~Arabs; "Paynim" is a medieval Western term for Muslims.)
      • The Paynims of the Dry Steppes
      • The Calphiate of Ekbir. The "caliphate", ruled by the "caliph" (anglicized from Arabic khilāfah, 'successor'), is the highest title in Islamic religious and political statecraft. The name "Ekbir" is evocative of the Arabic word "akbar" meaning 'greatest', seen in the common phrase: "Allahu Akbar" 'God is Greatest.
      • Ket (a blended Baklunish + Suel-Oeridian nation). The name "Ket" is perhaps inspired by the common Middle Eastern stimulant known in English as "qat" or "khat", from the Arabic al-qāt. The shift of /a/ to /e/ would be similar to the shift seen in "Akbar" to "Ekbir." Definition of KHAT
      • Ull. The name is likely from the the city of Al-'Ula near Medina, in Saudia Arabia, which is better known as the the capital of the ancient kingdom of the Lihyanites, the biblical Dedanites: Al-'Ula - Wikipedia
      • Zeif (said to be 'pure' Baklunish). There are three main examples of real-world "Zeif": 1) The Ottoman Turkish spelling "zaif" of the Arabic word "dhaʿīf", meaning "sick, feeble." 2) The Yiddish surname "Zeif." 3) A village near Hebron, Palestine spelled Zeif or Zif.
      • The Baklunish Hegira calendar ("BH") is inspired by the ~Anno Hegirae ("AH") calendar.
      • The Baklunish Pantheon: Al'Akbar (Arabic 'the greatest'), Al'Asran, Al'Zarad, Azor'alq, Daoud, Geshtai, Istus, Mouqol, Tharoth the Reaper, Xan Yae, Zuoken
  • In Ærth: Near Azir and the Persian Pantheon. (WotC reportedly owns the rights to Gary Gygax's Ærth setting.)
  • In Earth's "Age of Magic" / Age of Atlantis (Alphatia) / Jurassic Earth / Pangaea / Urt (The pre-Mystaran, Mentzerian setting of the original Master Set world map and other pre-Gazetteer BECMI products):
    • The Coast (a.k.a. The Four Kingdoms) was originally conceived by Frank Mentzer and Francois Froideval to be inspired by the Barbary Coast. In Bruce Heardian Mystara, the Four Kingdoms were revised to be Welsh-speaking Celtic tribes.
  • In Mystara:
    • The Emirates of Ylaruam (mostly ~Arab, but explicitly overlays ~Ancient Egyptian (Nithian pyramids), ~Persian (Ctesiphon), ~Mesopotamian (Uruk, Kirkuk), Uzbek Turkic (Uzbek "Samarkand" mentioned in X1 paragraph), and ~Buryat Mongolian (Ust-Urt) elements and placenames)
    • The Desert Nomads of the Great Waste (~Afghan)
    • The Hagiarchy of Great Huyule/Hule (~Ottoman Turkish, but the illustration of the Master appears to be evocative of the Ayatollah of Iran [sic!]), and Hule’s colony of Bogdashkan on the Jungle Coast
    • The gnolls of Gnollistan [sic!], lead by Nizam Pasha (Nazim Pasha was Chief of Staff of the army of the Ottoman Empire, and “pasha” is an Ottoman title)
    • The culture of The Manor and of the ancient city of Tuma in B8: Journey to the Rock (e.g the name "Hakeem" and the arabesque architecture in the illustration of the Ghostly Warriors of Tuma).
    • The Altan Tepe Mountains and the city of Selenica are from the Turkish language: Altın Tepe "golden hill" and Selânik (Ottoman Turkish name for the now Greek city of Thessalonika).
    • Immortals: Sinbad and Al-Kalim
  • In the Kingdom of Ghyr (the unplaced homeland of the LJN Action figures):
    • The Sarken Mercenaries (AD&D PVC figures) is from “Saracen”, a medieval Western term for Arabs. [sic!]
    • 2 NPCs from AC1: The Shady Dragon Inn: Laila the Dark (Laila is an Arabic name) and Peregine the Hawk (note his arabesque armor).
    • Zarak the Half-Orc Assassin -- an LJN AD&D Action Figure -- is likely named after the 1957 film "Zarak" about Zarak Khan, an Afghan resistance fighter. [sic!]
  • In Toril: There are three ~Arab analogues: Calmishan, the Bedine of the Anauroch Desert, and Zakhara, the Land of Fate.
    • The Midani Language Sub-Group. This sub-group is part of the wider Utheric Language Group: "à la Semitic: Assyrian, Babylonian, Modern Arabic." (Source: DRAGON Annual #4 "Speaking in Tongues.")
      • Noga language (extinct)
      • Kadari language (extinct)
      • Midani language (varieties: Qudran, Pearl Cities, Pantheist, Eastern, Golden): "Midani is the dominant tongue of Zakhara, the Land of Fate, an[d] much like the Calishite Alzhedo tongue has strong roots in the native language of the Plane of Elemental Air, Midani has roots in the native languages of all of the Inner Elemental Planes."
      • Maran language
    • The Alzho Language Sub-Group. This sub-group is part of the wider Utheric Language Group: "à la Semitic: Assyrian, Babylonian, Modern Arabic." (Source: DRAGON Annual #4 "Speaking in Tongues.")
      • Calishite Alzhedo language (varieties: High Calidrian, Desert Alzhedo, Lion, Amadar pidgin): "Calishite Alzhedo's roots in
        Old Alzhedo, the language of the Plane of Elemental Air, are still quite obvious and strong. With the exception of the desert raiders of the Calim Desert, High Calidrian is the dialect spoken by most Calishites."
    • Zakhara / Land of Fate (and the entire Al-Qadim product line)
    • Calimshan
    • The Bedine of the Anauroch Desert
  • In Krynn:
  • In Ravenloft:
    • Phazaria in the Amber Wastes
    • The Tergs who occupied Barovia (in the Barovian homeworld) for 30 years prior to the creation of Land of Mists. (~Ottoman Turks). Ther Tergs were led by Durukan the Unstoppable, who is an analogue of the Ottoman Sultan, Mehmed II who occupied Wallachia, the country of Vlad the Impaler.
  • The Land of Arir in the stand-alone AD&D 1e adventure I9: Day of Al-Akbar
  • The Desert of Desolation, stand-alone 1e adventure trilogy, later placed in Faerûn's Plains of Purple Dust; Also, GAZ2 suggested placement in Mystara's Emirate of Ylaruam
  • In Aebrynis (Birthright setting): "khir-aften-el-Arrasi" (the Khinasi people)
  • In D&D Earth: HR7: The Crusades [sic! uncomfortably named] Campaign Sourcebook Historical Reference Guide for AD&D2e. Set in the Outremer.
  • In the Concord Worlds of the Radiant Citadel: "Shadow of the Sun" (~Iran/Persia) by Justice Ramin Arman. Includes aspects of the Shahnameh epic (Zoroastrian to Islamic era) and the Safavid Empire (Islamic Persia). (author interview)
  • DRAGON magazine:
    • BIRTHRIGHT rulership system in Al-Qadim: "Campaign Classics" Jim Parks 233(40) AD&D2
    • Brotherhood of True Flame "Secrets of the Brotherhood of True Flame" Paul Fraser 268(50) AD&D2
    • Campaign ideas "Campaign Journal" Gregory W. Detwiler 202(96) AD&D2
    • Dark Arabia setting "Campaign Journal" Wolfgang Baur 198(65) AD&D2
    • Geomancers "Arcane Lore: Secrets of the Arch-Geomancer" Paul Fraser 250(92) AD&D2
    • High Desert tribes "Magic and Intrigue in the High Desert Tribes" Wolfgang Baur 351(28) D&D3
    • City of Iram "The City of Lofty Pillars" Steve Kurtz 201(10) AD&D2
    • Magic items "Wonders of the Lands of Fate" Jeff Grubb 179(66) AD&D2
    • Musical instruments "Sounds of Wonder & Delight" Jeff Grubb 190(84) AD&D2
    • Prestige classes "Champions of Fate" Dean Poisso 321(84) D&D3
    • Sha'ir: D&D 3.5 "Return of the Sha'ir" Dean Poisso 315(78) D&D3
    • Yak-Men "Campaign Classics" Wolfgang Baur 241(88) AD&D2
    • Underground: Turkish "Turkey's Underground Cities" Allen Varney 201(16) --
    • Persian mythos "Persian Mythos, The" Jerome Arkenberg 12(8) OD&D
  • Monsters: genies (efreet, djinni, marid), ghoul (ghul), mummy (mūmiya), and the al-miraj originate in Arab folklore or the Arabic language.
  • Also relevant:
    • Turkish D&D product list. These products are relevant from an in-universe perspective too, since they contain official Turkish names for the D&D races, classes, spells, gear, monsters, etc.
    • "Human Names: Arabic" in 5e Xanathar's Guide to Everything.
~Japanese:
  • In Oerth: Nippon/Ryuujin (Ryuujin is the name from the "Greyhawk 2000" article)
  • In Ærth: The Nipponese Pantheon. (WotC reportedly owns the rights to Gary Gygax's Ærth setting.)
  • In Mystara:
    • The rakasta Empire of Myoshima on Mystara's invisible moon of Patera. (~Japanese catfolk)
    • The Yasuko barbarians of the Jungle Coast
    • The nomadic rakastas of the Yazak Steppes (distinct from the ~Elizabethan English settled rakasta of Bellayne)
    • The ninja tortles of the Savage Coast.
  • In Toril:
  • In Ravenloft: Rokushima Taiyoo
  • WotC's 3e Rokugan/L5R. This ~Japanese setting features a ~China-like geography...a mainland empire facing an eastern ocean, with barbarian tribes on the inland peripheries. This has been controversial, given the Japanese attempt during WW2 to conquer China. The 5E version of Rokugan reportedly is revised in the light of that controversy, drawing on the expertise of Lydia Suen (Chinese American) as lead story designer. In any case, Rokugan is not owned by WotC, so it's not a part of the 5E D&D Multiverse. This chart typically does not include other IPs which are not fully WotC owned (e.g. Lankhmar, Conan), but 3e Rokugan is included because it was an entire WotC-published book on adapting earthly cultures (in this case, Asian cultures) to D&D.
  • In the Concord Worlds of the Radiant Citadel: the city-state of Umizu (~Nagasaki, Osaka, and other Japanese coastal cities) by Miyuki Jane Pinckard (author interview)
  • In Planescape and the Planes of Existence:
    • The OD&D Japanese Mythos: "The Japanese Mythos" by Jerome Arkenberg, DRAGON #13(p11), OD&D
    • The AD&D1e Japanese Mythos
    • The AD&D2e Japanese Mythology
  • DRAGON magazine:
    • Castles "Life and Death of a Castle, The" David Cook 121(32) D&D1
    • Sun Dragon Castle "Sun Dragon Castle" Kauth & Jenkins 121(45) D&D1
    • Japanese Names "Whaddaya Mean, Jack the Samurai?" Barbara Curtis 121(16) D&D1
  • Other resources: Various iterations of the Ninja and Samurai classes. E.g. AD&D Complete Ninja's Handbook.
  • Monsters: kirin, ogre magi (oni).
  • Also relevant:
    • Japanese D&D product list. These products are relevant from an in-universe perspective too, since they contain official Japanese names for the D&D races, classes, spells, gear, monsters, etc.
    • "Human Names: Japanese" in 5e Xanathar's Guide to Everything.
~Korean:
  • In Oerth: Nippon Dominion [sic!] (not to be confused with "Nippon" as such, which is Oerth's analogue of Japan. Nippon's "Dominion", a "recently conquered" "protectorate" is presumably a painful analogue of the Japanese Protectorate of Korea.)
  • In Toril: Koryo
  • In the Concord Worlds of the Radiant Citadel: "Sins of Our Elders" by Stephanie Yoon (author interview)
  • Also of note: Korean BECMI D&D, Mystara, Legend of Crystania (TSR-licenced, BECMI-fueled RPG), and 5E product listing: Korean Dungeons & Dragons Archive. The products are relevant from an in-universe perspective too, since they contain official Korean names for the D&D races, classes, spells, gear, monsters, etc.
~Mesopotamian (~Sumerian + ~Akkadian/Babylonian):
  • In Oerth: Ishtarland in Western Oerik
  • In Ærth: Babylonia and the Babylonian Pantheon. (WotC reportedly owns the rights to Gary Gygax's Ærth setting.)
  • In Earth's "Age of Magic" / Age of Atlantis (Alphatia) / Jurassic Earth / Pangaea / Urt (The pre-Mystaran, Mentzerian setting of the original Master Set world map and other pre-Gazetteer BECMI products):
    • Addakia
  • In Mystara:
    • Nimmur
    • Enduks of Eshu
    • Alphatia is a blended fantasy culture, but one of its primary symbols is a lammasu, as seen on the cover of the Alphatian booklets in Dawn of the Emperors.
  • In Toril:
    • Unther (pre-Spellplague)
    • The Untheric Language Sub-Group, consisting only of the Untheric language. This sub-group is part of the wider Utheric Language Group: "à la Semitic: Assyrian, Babylonian, Modern Arabic." (Source: DRAGON Annual #4 "Speaking in Tongues."). This suggests that Untheric is based on the Akkadian (Babylonian) language, since that is a Semitic language; rather than on the Sumerian language which is an isolate, not a Semitic language.
  • In Krynn:
    • The Holy Empire of Istar. The name "Istar" is Babylonian. (Compare "Ishtarland" in Greyhawk.) The empire is a salient example of the theme of the "Fall of Babylon."
    • Sargonnas, an evil deity. Jeff Grubb on the name origin: "Sargon was the King of Babylon in the book of Isaiah."
  • The Babylonian deities from 2e Return to the Keep on the Borderland. Marketed as a Greyhawk module, but a WotC rep later recanted and said that it was false to put a Greyhawk logo on it, because it did not match GH continuity.
  • In Planescape and the Planes of Existence:
    • The OD&D Near Eastern Mythos by Jerome Arkenberg, DRAGON #16(p4). Includes Sumerian, Babylonian, and Canaanite synonyms.
    • The AD&D1e Babylonian Mythos
    • The AD&D1e Sumerian Mythos
    • The D&D3e Babylonian Mythos: "Mesopotamian Mythos" by David Schwartz, DRAGON #329(p32)
  • Monsters:
    • lammasu (the double "mm", single "s" spelling is unique to D&D): Lamassu - Wikipedia
    • scorpion-folk
    • shedu
    • Tiamat
~Norse / Asgardian / Viking + Ancient Germanic (incl. ~Anglo-Saxon) + Medieval & Modern Scandinavian (~Danish, ~Icelandic, ~Norwegian, ~Swedish):
  • In Blackmoor:
    • The Skandaharians of the Skandaharian Sea.
  • In Oerth:
    • The Frost Barbarians (Kingdom of Fruztii), the Ice Barbarians (Kingdom of Cruski), the Snow Barbarians (Kingdom of Schnai), and the Sea Barbarians (Kingdom of Zeai). They speak the Fruz language, also known as the Cold Tongue. Their physical appearance and gods are different than real-world Norse.
    • In Gygax’s home campaign, before the deities we’re codified, the Norse gods were called on: “Robert Kuntz: "Before [Gygax] codified the gods there [were] Norse Gods... Robilar really only mentioned Odin once or twice[.]” Robilar Remembers: Goddess of Luck?. Pied Piper Publishing (2002-11-20).
    • The ancient Suloise peoples are ~similar to the Germanic / Northern European peoples, in that their blending with the Oeridian peoples (~Latin / Southern European) comprise the ~European population of the Flanaess: "The inner mixture of Oeridians with Suloise tends toward a typical European-mix looking population." --Gary Gygax, DRAGON #52, p.24
  • In Ærth: The Norse Pantheon. (WotC reportedly owns the rights to Gary Gygax's Ærth setting.)
    • Nifflen (~Iceland)
  • In Mystara:
    • The Northern Reaches / Northlands of the Kingdom of Vestland, the Kingdom of Ostland, and Jarldoms of Soderfjord. They speak the Antalian (~Old Norse) language. "These three nations, living in chilly northern seaside lands, are all similar to Earth's ancient Viking cultures at various eras." --TSR's in-house "Mystara Reference Guide"
    • The Heldannic Freeholds (~Icelandic Commonwealth) prior to being conquered by the Heldannic Order (~Teutonic Knights).
    • The Kingdom of Eusdria in the Savage Coast (~Frankish realm)
    • The Kogolor Dwarves of the Hollow World appear to have placenames partly based on Modern Swedish.
    • BECMI Immortals of Mystara: Frey and Freyja, Loki, Odin, Thor, and Wayland
  • In Toril:
    • The Illuski Language Group: "à la Germanic: Old Norse, Danish, Norwegian" (Source: DRAGON Annual #4 "Speaking in Tongues.")
      • Truskan language (extinct)
      • Illuski language (varieties: Moonshae, Ruathen, True Illuski [Luskan], Northern Illuski, Tarnian)
      • Bothii language (varieties: Uthgardt, Hartsvaler)
      • Reghedjic language
    • The Northlanders / Northmen of the Moonshae Isles are analogous to the Danish and Norwegian vikings in Wales (the Black Heathens), Scotland (the Lordship of the Isles), and Ireland (the Ostmen).
      • Norland is an island in the Moonshaes which is inhabited and ruled primarily by Northlanders.
    • The Uthgardt Barbarians are primarily, but not solely ~Norse and ~Anglo-Saxon inspired. The name "Wulfgar" means "wolf-spear" in Old English. The Uthgardt speak the Bothii language.
    • The Norse Pantheon and Toril: Tyr is the one Norse god who is a member of the Faerûnian Pantheon.
  • In Krynn:
    • The Nordmen of Nordmaar. As with most Krynnish cultures, the Nordmen are a blend of earthly archetypes. Their name and physical appearance (of the inland Nordmen) are ~Norse-like; yet their tribal names are ~Aztec; and the biome is jungle. The coastal Nordmen are Black; such as Theros Ironfeld who was born in a Nordmaar fishing village. Human coloration is not a factor in Nordman identity.
    • The Ice Barbarians / Ice Folk of Icereach appear to be partially Norse inspired.
  • In Aebrynis (Birthright): The Rjurik people
  • In D&D Earth:
    • HR1: Vikings Campaign Sourcebook, AD&D2e Historical Reference series.
    • HR2: Charlemagne's Paladins Campaign Sourcebook. A transition time between tribal heathen Germanic tribal era and the High Medieval / Christian era. The book's blurb includes: "wars against the Lombards, Moors [sic!], Saxons, and Vikings."
  • In Ravenloft:
    • Nova Vaasa. The Vaasi language is modeled on Modern Danish (see the glossary here). For example Vaasi høj is Danish "high" (not Norwegian høy). This land is implied, but not definitely affirmed, to be spawned from the nation of Vaasa in the world of Toril.
    • Hazlan. The domain of Hazlan speaks the Vaasi language, and thus has ~Modern Danish placenames.
  • In Spelljammer:
    • In Cluster Space: The World of Thoric, a world of asteroid fields inhabited by 1.5 billion "space vikings" who worship Hordent, a manifestation of Thor.
    • "Bloody Vikings..." adventure in SJA2: Skull & Crossbones. Erik Bloodaxe, a viking from a groundling world, compels a shipwrecked wizard from Toril to outfit his drakkar with a spelljamming helm. In Earth, Eric Bloodaxe was a real Norwegian viking king during the 900s: Eric Bloodaxe - Wikipedia
    • The drakkar and longship spelljammers.
  • In Planescape and the Planes of Existence:
    • The OD&D Norse Mythos
    • The AD&D1e Norse Mythos
    • The AD&D 2e Norse Mythology
    • The D&D3e Asgardian Pantheon
    • The D&D5e Norse Pantheon
  • DRAGON Magazine:
    • Anglo-Saxon: Gods and religion "Hearth & Sword: Deities of the Dark Ages" Ian Malcolmson 263(28) AD&D2
    • Playing in Anglo-Saxon "Dark Ages" Ian Malcolmson 257(28) AD&D2
    • Gladsheim "Plane Facts On Gladsheim" Roger E. Moore 90(36) D&D1
    • Origins "Origins of the Norse Pantheon" Paul K. Johnstone 29(33) --
    • Vanir "For Better Or Norse: I" Joel McGraw 110(16) D&D1
    • "Vikings' Dragons Part 1, The" Jean Rabe 182(17) D&D2
    • "Vikings' Dragons Part 2, The" Jean Rabe 183(65) D&D2
    • In the Caspian Sea "Viking Campaign in the Caspian Sea, A" James E. Brunner 24(13) --
  • Monsters:
  • Also relevant:
    • The Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish D&D product listings. These products are relevant from an in-universe perspective too, since they contain official Scandinavian names for the D&D races, classes, spells, gear, monsters, etc. The Old Norse terms could be 'reverse-engineered' from these names.
    • "Human Names: Norse" in Xanathar's Guide to Everything, for 5e.
~Oceanic / Pacific Islands (~Micronesian, ~Melanesian, and ~Polynesian):
  • In Mystara:
    • The Village of Tanaroa on the Isle of Dread (~Tahitian), (See my research here: RW ethnolinguistic facets of the peoples of the Isle of Dread - The Piazza )
    • The Makai (~Hawai'ian) of Ierendi and the Hollow World
    • The Kara-kara (~Melanesian/Papuan Orcs) [sic!]
    • The Pearl Islands (~Papua New Guinea, specifically the culture of the Motu, an Austronesian people in PNG). In Dawn of the Emperors, the Pearl Islanders are said to be "black explorers" with "skin black" from "far-away Tangor" (~Africa). On p.79, the illustration of a Pearl Islander couple has an Austronesian aesthetic. So "black" + Austronesian = ~Melanesian. The text mentions the "Pearl Islander kilt" as clothing. The names appear to be fantastic quasi-Austronesian: Nuar (said to mean: Nu = "Western" + Ar "Home"), Tuar, Kuir, Puir, Dwar, Mt. Morimoru, Nurokidu. The name Morimoru is evocative of "Hiri Motu", a relatively well-known language that used to be the lingua franca of the Port Moresby area, the capital of Papua New Guinea. Hiri Motu is a pidgin language based on the local Austronesian Motu language of the Motu people, one of the indigenous peoples of the capital region. The names "Nuar" and "Tuar" have a slight similarity with "Papua" (the /ua/ wordshape), and the word "Nu" (meaning 'western') is like "New" in "Papua New Guinea. Seagirt, the capital of the Pearl Islands, could be something like Port Moresby. In DotE, the Pearl Islands are the home of the "Rake" PC class (charisma-based rogues).
  • The Isle of Dread is also located in Oerth (in 3e), the Feywild of Nerath (in 4e), the Sea of Worlds in the Plane of Water (in 5E), and in Eberron (in D&D Online, which explains that the island is owned by Vecna, and that he commands the Kopru to interdimensionally steer the island from world to world, so that he can 'collect' interesting persons).
  • In Krynn:
    • The Payan Mako (~Maori) in the continent of Taladas. The real-world "mako shark" gets its name from the Maori word for shark: makō mako shark - Wiktionary ; Their enemies are the Shark Men.
  • DRAGON magazine:
    • Oceania mythos "Mythos of Oceania In Dungeons & Dragons" Jerome Arkenberg 29(35) OD&D
    • Polynesian mythos "Mythos of Polynesia in Dungeons & Dragons, The" Jerome Arkenberg 20(8) OD&D
  • Monsters: were-shark (Chris Holmes, the son of designer J. Eric Holmes, says that his father got the were-shark from Hawai'ian mythology).
  • Also: "Human Names: Polynesian" in Xanathar's Guide to Everything, for 5e.
~Southeast Asian (~Cambodian, ~Filipino, ~Indonesian, ~Lao, ~Malay, ~Myanma/Burmese, ~Thai, ~Vietnamese):
  • In Mystara:
    • The Indonesian-inspired Siswa Elves in Tracy Hickman's B7: Rahasia module. "Siswa" means "Student" in Indonesian (and they are called "Elven students"), and other Indonesian names: "Rahasia" (='secret, confidential') and "the Rahib" (='monk').
    • The characters in the unplaced 3D Dragon-Tile adventures (AC3 & AC8) have Indonesian names. See my research here. (I suggest these take place on the isle of Zyxl, since that's the "Pangaean" equivalent of Java.)
    • The Village of Panitube in the Isle of Dread (~Ayta Sambal language of the Philippines, source of the name of real-world Mt. Pinatubo).
    • One-Eyed Jitra, the Bandit King from the original (banned) orange-cover B3: Palace of the Silver Princess, is explicitly said to be named after the Malaysian city Jitra. Presumably, there's a ~Malaysian culture on the Adri Varma Plateau northwest of Glantri.
    • ~Southeast Asian cultures on the the invisible moon of Patera: Selimpore (~Singapore), Malaycalog (~Philippines), Kompor-Thap (~Cambodia), Surabayang (~Malay);
  • In Toril:
    • The Lidahan people of the Shao Mountains in southern Kara-Tur (~Indonesian). In OA6: Ronin's Challenge, there's a Lidahan Word List which is entirely in Indonesian.
    • ~Southeast Asian aspects of Malatra / The Jungle Lands (DRAGON mag #315 says: "the Jungle Lands use names from Burma or Thailand." The following three cultures are included in that article):
      • The Purang hill country
      • The Kingdom of Laothan, including the Seng people. The name "Laothan" suggests a blend of ~Lao+Thai. The Thai and Lao languages are closely related.
      • Kuong Kingdom. The Kuong Kingdom worships the AD&D Vedic Pantheon, which they call the "Lords of Creation." Note: the wordshape "kuong" looks Vietnamese or Cantonese, rather than Thai or Burmese. It might be a T'u Lung name for the country.
      • Other cultures from the Living Jungle (~African and ~Asian foremost + "other jungle cultures"): The Living Jungle Writer's Guidelines state: "The Living Jungle setting and its inhabitants are inspired in large part by African and Asian cultures, inhabitants, legends, geography, and animals. But you’ll also find elements of other jungle cultures in the adventures, and of course there are some parts of the Living Jungle which are almost pure fantasy." [...] "For inspiration, read books on early African and Asian cultures, visit a museum, watch films, or even just browse a few encyclopedia entries. Any realistic element you add to an adventure is sure to heighten the excitement surrounding magic or monsters when those elements of an adventure appear. But remember--the Living Jungle is not historically accurate, nor is it meant to be a strictly actual depiction of real-world cultures." [...] "Feel free to include elements of any real-world culture as well as your own imaginary additions to the setting when writing your tournament. African, Asian, South American, and Polynesian culture, myths, legends, geography, flora, and fauna would all provide excellent inspiration for your adventure. When in doubt, keep Africa and Asia foremost in mind, and try to blend two or more cultures when creating a new part of the setting."
        • The Pangolin Katanga have a ~Malay connection, since the name for the animal "pangolin" comes from the Old Malay word pengguling, meaning "one who rolls up."
        • For the "katanga" and "Simbara Nubari" PC races, see the African section.
    • The Island Kingdoms: (DRAGON mag #315 says "the Island Kingdoms use names from the Philippines or Indonesia.")
      • The island nation of Bawa and the Bawani/Bavanese people and language. (~ Java, Indonesia) The different spellings are akin to the difference between "Java" (the English spelling) and "Jawa" (the native Indonesian spelling).
      • The island nation of Bertan/Bertran and the Bertanese people and language. Given that Bawa is more clearly ~Indonesian/Javanese, Bertan could be ~Filipino (the other cultural option mentioned in DRAGON #315).
  • In Krynn:
    • The Magius language of magic is partly based on the Indonesian language. (Tracy Hickman also used Indonesian names in his B7: Rahasia module.)
    • Neraka is Indonesian for "hell." neraka - Wiktionary Affirmed by Jeff Grubb: "Don’t know where Trace got the name Takhisis (May be Indonesian – Neraka definitely is)"
  • In the Concord Worlds (of the Radiant Citadel):
    • Siabsungkoh region (~Thailand) in "Salted Legacy" by Surena Marie (author interview)
    • Dayawlongon setting (~Phillipines) in "Between Tangled Roots" by Pam Punzalan (author interview)
  • DRAGON magazine:
    • Escrima (the national martial arts of the Philippines) "Kicks and Sticks" by Joseph R. Ravitts #124(p40), AD&D1e
  • Monsters: penanggalan (ghost from Malay folktales)
~Vedic + ~South Asian (~Indian, ~Bangladeshi, ~Pakistani, ~Sri Lankan):
(For Nepal and Bhutan, see the ~Himalayan section.)
  • In Blackmoor: The Peshwah of the Plains of Hak (~Marathi Empire; The Marathi emperor's title was 'Peshwah.')
  • In Oerth: Zindia/Zahind
  • In Ærth: Hind and the Hindic Pantheon, in the Hindic Subcontinent. (WotC reportedly owns the rights to Gary Gygax's Ærth setting.)
  • In Mystara:
    • The Kingdom of Sind (~Medieval India)
    • Jaibul
    • The Principality of Krondahar in Glantri (~Mughal = blended ~Indian + ~Mongolian; their capital Singhabad, is the name of a village in West Bengal, the "last railway station in India"; Virayana is the name of an Ayruvedic author. But other aspects are ~Mongolian (see the Central Asian section): the name Braastar, the illustration of Khan Jherek Virayana, the title "khan" is ~Mongolian, but was also used by the ~Mughals in India. In-world, the Krondaharians are of Ethengarian (~Mongolian) origin.)
    • Ogremoor in the Broken Lands (~Indian ogres) [sic!]
    • Rajahstan on the invisible moon of Patera
    • Shajapur in the Hollow World (~Mughal India)
    • The port of Serendib in the Minrothad Guilds (see discussion and placement here) is named after one of the ancient poetic names of Sri Lanka: Serendib - Wiktionary
  • In Toril:
    • The Shining Lands / The Lands of the One. The nations of Durpar, Estagund, and Var the Golden all follow the belief in Adama (The Forgotten Realms version of "Dharma" and/or "Brahma"). These are the last lands of southeastern Faerûn, before entering the mysterious Utter East.
    • The Utter East. The native Mar people have been heavily subjugated by western colonists. However ~South Asian elements can be seen for example in the Mar name "Rishi Saubhari." Materials published from 1998 onward have reportedly attempted to feature more South Asian flavor. (source)
    • The Holy City of Tirumala in the Beastlands (northwest of the Shining Lands). A rakshasa city. In the real world, Tirumala is a city in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The language of earthly Tirumala is Telugu, a Dravidian language. (~Telugu rakshasas)
    • The Kuong Kingdom in Malatra is ~Burmese/Thai, but worships the AD&D Vedic Pantheon, which they call the "Lords of Creation."
    • Other ~Vedic facets in Malatra:
  • In Ravenloft: Sri Raji
  • The land of Kolhapur in the stand-alone 2e adventure Star of Kolhapur
  • Mahasarpa setting for 3E OA by James Wyatt
  • In the Magic: The Gathering / D&D Plane Shift: The Plane of Kaladesh (pdf)
  • In the Concord Worlds of the Radian Citadel:
    • The city of Shankhabhumi (~South Asian / Bengal / "Bengali Gothic") in the story "In the Mists of Manivarsha" by Mimi Mondal (ancestry: Bengal, Gangaridai, Sundarbans, Ratargul, Assam, Purulia, Bagan, Myanmar) (author interview)
    • The Tayyib Empire (India - including Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist aspects) by Basheer Ghouse (author interview)
  • In Planescape and the Planes of Existence:
    • The OD&D Hindu Mythos
    • The AD&D1e Indian Mythos. Ascetic class in 2e Legends & Lore
    • The AD&D2e Indian Mythology
    • In Nowhere, a camp on the Infinite Staircase. Ceylon is an ogre mage who offered his services as a guide through the Staircase. He was also very experienced with traveling through the Abyss. (His name is identical to the island of Ceylon (a.k.a. Sri Lanka).)
    • Ching-Dau, a human artist who traded meat. He lived in a pink tent and wore clothes cut from the same fabric as his tent
  • DRAGON magazine articles:
    • "Rhino's Armor, Tiger's Claws" Dragon #189
    • "Caste of Characters", "Monsoons & the Power of Om", and "Bazaar of the Bizarre" in Dragon #226, 227, 229
  • Monsters:
    • bhut, from Mystara
    • maga
    • monadic deva (from Helena Blavatsky's Hinduism-inspired esoteric Theosophy)
    • planetar (<"planetary spirit" or "planetary chohan" from Helena Blavatsky's Hinduism-inspired esoteric Theosophy)
    • rakshasa
    • solar deva (from Helena Blavatsky's Hinduism-inspired esoteric Theosophy)
    • juggernaut, from Mystara: juggernaut - Wiktionary
  • Also: "Human Names: Indian" in 5e Xanathar's Guide to Everything.
~Western European (non-Celtic, post-tribal Medieval, Renaissance, & Modern: ~England, ~Arthuriana, ~general British, ~France, ~Netherlands, ~Germany, ~Switzerland, ~Italy, ~Spain, ~Portugal); also including Western Christian motifs:
[many more examples to add]
  • In Oerth:
    • The Duchy of Berghof from the the UK series of modules ~German names: Berghof (='mountain yard'), Kamph Mountains (=Kampf 'fight, struggle') and Adlerweg (=Eagle Way). Its capital, Kusnir, is likely a modification of the Jewish-German (Yiddish) surname Kushner, which is from the Ukrainian kushnir 'furrier': Berg - Wiktionary ; Hof - Wiktionary Kampf - Wiktionary ; Adler - Wiktionary ; Kushner - Wiktionary ; Kushner - Wikipedia
    • In regard to the Gygaxian halfling/hobniz (originally called "hobbits" in the first printings of OD&D), Tolkien explicitly said that the Shire is based on the English county of Worcester in the year 1897, and that the hobbits are intended to be a parody of the English people. The three subraces of Gygaxian halflings are based on the three stocks of Tolkienian hobbits, which were a parody of the three Anglo-Saxon tribes which settled Britain:
      • Hairfoot (Gygax) < Harfoot (Tolkien) < Angles
      • Stout (Gygax) < Stoor (Tolkien) < Saxons
      • Tallfellow (Gygax) < Fallohide (Tolkien) < Jutes
  • In Ærth: (WotC reportedly owns the rights to Gygax's Ærth setting.)
    • Avillonian Isles (~British Isles)
  • In Mystara:
    • The Flamenco Elves of the Principality of Belcadiz in Glantri (~Spanish elves)
    • The rakasta Kingdom of Bellayne on the Savage Coast (~Elizabethan English catfolk)
    • The lupin Kingdom of Renardie on the Savage Coast (~Bourbon French dogfolk)
    • The Principality of Caurenze in Glantri (~Italian)
    • The County of Hattias in Thyatis (~German)
    • Baron Ludwig von Hendricks and Jaggar von Drachenfels have German names.
    • The Heldannic Knights (~the Teutonic Order)
  • In Toril:
    • The Thorass Language Group: "à la Italic: Latin, Italian, French" (Source: DRAGON Annual #4 "Speaking in Tongues.")
      • Thorass language (varieties: Amnian, Old/Court Tethryian, Zazesspurian/West Tethyrian, Erlkazarian/East Tethyrian): "With the recent upheavals among the Lands of intrigue, linguists, especially those within those lands, have found themselves giving the same or similar dialects different appellations. To clarify, Old Tethyrian, or Court Tethyrian as it is sometimes and more appropriately known, is almost identical to the Zazesspurian dialect, except for its haughtier tone of speech, general verbosity, and greater usage of some of the Amnian dialect's phraseology. However, the Old Tethyrian dialect is not much used by the new nobility of Tethyr, many of whom are not human natives of Tethyr or had spent many years away from their native land."
      • Thorasta language (varieties: Baldurian, High Moor, Reaching, Backlands/Prairie creole): "The accent of the barbarian clans of the High Moor is so strong that most Thorasta speakers have an extremely difficult time understanding the clansmen. While most attribute it to the clansmen's lack of intelligence, some actually believe they speak a different language. Both beliefs are mistaken."
      • Northern language (varieties: Ten Towns pidgin/patois, Neveren-Waterdhavian, Nesme, Luruaran, Llorkh)
      • Northern Argot / Shadow Cant language: "Northern Argot was the original argot spoken by the Shadow Thieves when they were based in Waterdeep. A slightly modified version of it is still spoken by many of the criminal elements of that city and its environs, including those in Skullport. The argot's roots are, as is implied by its name, found in Northern; however, it also shows the influence of many Underdark racial tongues. Shadow Cant is the almost identical argot currently spoken by the Shadow Thieves, though it has since added some words and gestures from the thieves of Amn and Tethyr. It has supplanted most of the old cants of Amn and Tethyr. The two dialects are mutually intelligibIe."
      • Cormanthan language (varieties: Cormyrean, Dales, Semban)
      • Trade Pidgin language (varieties: Heartlands, Inner Sea): "Trade Pidgin is a simple pidgin used primarily bv traders and merchants across the Heartland of the Realms. However, following the Crusade against the Tuigan hordes, a number of military terms, mostly from Cormanthan, have worked their way into Trade Pidgin's vocabulary. Trade Pidgin's two dialects are due largely to accent and vernacular, almost incomprehensible to speakers of the other dialect, unless the speakers have reason to traffic the areas betweenthe two regions, such as the Dragon Coast, where both dialects are spoken. WhiIe both dialects are firmly based in the roots of the Central Thorass language [sub-]group, the Inner Sea dialect also draws from the other Thorass language [sub-]groups and the other tongues of the Inner Sea, especially Easting. Someone properly schooled in the language would leam both dialects as a matter of course."
      • Auld Cormanthan language
      • Chondathian language
      • "Maiden's Tongue" language: "The Maiden's Tongue is the secret ceremonial language of die Crintri priestesses of Loviatar in Dambrath."
      • Auld Tharian language (extinct)
      • Tharian language (varieties: Zhentish, Phlanite, Melvauntian-Thentian, Glistern, East Tharian): "Since the destruction of Hulburg and Sutasspryn, the East Tharian dialect has gone virtually unheard."
      • Zhentarim Argot language: "Zhentarim Argot is the secret tongue of the Black Network. It is rarely spoken outside of Zhentarim strongholds, such as the Citadel of the Raven, Darkhold, and Zhentil Keep, except by their nefarious agents meeting in secret."
      • Telpi language (varieties: Dragonsmere, Pirate pidgin/argot, Whamite): "There are very few native-born inhabitants among the Pirate Isles of the Sea of Fallen Stats, as such the dialect spoken among the pirates is something of a pidgin, having been heavily influence by the other languages of the Inner Sea, as well as the cants of its coastal cities. In addition, while the Inner Sea dialect of Trade Pidgin is used to conduct legitimate commerce, the pirates have kept their dialect of Telpi a somewhat secretive argot in which they conduct their illicit trade in ill-gotten gains."
      • Turmic language
      • Aglarondan language: "The language of Aglarond, Aglarondan, has been greatly influenced by the original green elf and current half-elf inhabitants of Aglarond, and its strong roots in Espruar are noticeable."
    • Cormyr (partially inspired by ~Arthurian Britain)
    • The Dalelands (~English dalelands, such as the Yorkshire Dales and Derbyshire Dales)
    • [more to add]
  • In Earth's "Age of Magic" / Age of Atlantis (Alphatia) / Jurassic Earth / Pangaea / Urt (The pre-Mystaran, Mentzerian setting of the original Master Set world map and other pre-Gazetteer BECMI products):
    • The Isle of Dawn was original conceived by Frank Mentzer and Francois Froideval as a British analogue. It is geologically the Jurassic predecessor of Great Britain. The name "Isle of Dawn" is evocative of the "Empire upon which the sun never sets."
  • In Krynn:
    • The Bilo Gnomes in Taladas have some ~German terms: "burgher" (citizen) and "burgomeister" (mayor; German Bürgermeister; the Krynnish 'burgomeister' is a blend of the English burgomaster + German meister 'master'). The rest of their culture does not appear to be especially German.
    • The personal name "Khristophus" is a blend of Greek Khristophoros and Latin Christophorus ('Christ-bearer'). The name was birthed from the legend of St. Christopher, who is honored in both Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions.
  • In Eberron:
    • "Thrane with the Church of the Silver Flame is a theocracy that’s preparing for some apocalypse, but it’s not the Holy Roman Empire [of medieval Germany]." -Keith Baker interview with LegendKeeper, Feb. 2023
    • "Flipping things around, the Gnomes are one of my favorite groups in Eberron because when I was first writing Eberron, Gnomes very much only existed as comic relief. Think about their abilities - they’re small, weak, illusory tricksters. So I looked at that and thought, they’re smaller and weaker than those around them. So they’re going to have to get by with wits rather than force. They’re naturally talented in illusions and alchemy, meaning poison, so they’ll rely on assassination rather than war. They developed this culture that’s a little bit inspired by renaissance Venice, with this secret council of ten and mailboxes where you could drop letters about fellow citizens committing crimes. Zilargo (The Gnommish nation) plays this up in a Minority Report-type way, where they have such an advanced surveillance state where criminals are dealt with before they’re committed. Their cities look like Disneyland, but it’s built on a foundation of murder and oppression." -Keith Baker interview with LegendKeeper, Feb. 2023
  • In D&D Earth:
    • HR2: Charlemagne's Paladins Campaign Sourcebook. The transition point between the tribal pre-Christian Western Europe and High Medieval / Christian Western Europe.
    • HR4: A Mighty Fortress Campaign Sourcebook. The Renaissance / Age of Discovery in D&D Earth.
  • DRAGON magazine:
    • Spanish Armada: Disasters "Armada Disasters, The" Lynn Harpold 25(9) --
    • Renaissance:
      Cavalry "Armies of the Renaissance, Part VI" Nick Nascati 37(19) --
      Condotierre era "Armies of the Renaissance, Part III" Nick Nascati 25(17) --
      English "Armies of the Renaissance, Part IV" Nick Nascati 28(16) --
      Italy "Armies of the Renaissance, Part III" Nick Nascati 25(17) --
      Landsknecht "Armies of the Renaissance, Part VI" Nick Nascati 37(19) --
      Swiss Confederation "Armies of the Renaissance, Part II - The Swiss" Nick Nascati 24(26) --
    • "Irresistible Force" [Swiss] Gary Gygax 22(8) --
    • London: 1589 "Cities For the Ages: London" Kenneth Hite 284(78) D&D3
    • Robin Hood & His Merry Men "Robin Hood" Katharine Kerr 55(20) D&D1
      Campaign based on "Steal From the Rich" Ian Malcolmson 274(54) D&D3
      Characters "Rogues & Royals" Ian Malcolmson 274(66) D&D3
      Country of "Great Greenwood, The" Ian Malcolmson 274(62) D&D3
    • "The City Beyond the Gate", the adventuring party visits London in D&D Earth. Dragon #100 (August 1985)
  • Also relevant:
    • The paladin class is inspired by the paladins of Charlemagne.
    • The Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish D&D product listings. These products are relevant from an in-universe perspective too, since they contain official names in these Western European languages for the D&D races, classes, spells, gear, monsters, etc.
    • "Human Names: English, French, German, Spanish" in 5e Xanathar's Guide to Everything.
Higher-Level Analogues: Continental Cultures, International Buddhism, and Trans-Continental Language Phylums:
  • ~"Europe" as a continental culture:
    • In Oerth: The Flanaess: "The inner mixture of Oeridians with Suloise tends toward a typical European-mix looking population." --Gary Gygax, DRAGON #52, p.24
    • In Ærth: Æropa. (WotC reportedly owns the rights to Gygax's Ærth setting.)
    • In Mystara: The Known World (Southeastern Brun): "The Known World is a setting whose cultures and level of technological development resemble the Europe of our Earth around the 15th century." --from "Mystara Reference Guide", an in-house TSR writers guide.
    • In Toril: Faerûn
  • ~"Africa" as a continental culture:
    • In Oerth: Hepmonaland. Unofficial suggestion in Dragon magazine to used David Howery's "The Dark Continent" [sic!] for Hepmonaland.
    • In Ærth: Afrik. (WotC reportedly owns the rights to Gygax's Ærth setting.)
    • In Toril: Katashaka. Unofficial suggestion in Dragon magazine to used David Howery's "The Dark Continent" [sic!] for Katashaka.
    • In Earth's "Age of Magic" / Age of Atlantis (Alphatia) / Jurassic Earth / Pangaea / Urt (The pre-Mystaran, Mentzerian setting of the Master Set world map and other pre-Gazetteer BECMI products):
      • Jurassic Africa is geologically the southeastern continent (Gondwanaland), which is attached to Jurassic South America, Jurassic India, and Jurassic Antarctica.
    • In Mystara: the Serpent Peninsula and Tangor
  • ~"Asia" as a continental culture:
    • In Oerth: "The mix of Oeridian and Baklunish brings a fairly light skin —a real yellowish cast, rather than the vague yellow of the oriental [sic!] human." --Gary Gygax, DRAGON #52, p.24
    • In Ærth: Azir. (WotC reportedly owns the rights to Gygax's Ærth setting.)
    • In Earth's "Age of Magic" / Age of Atlantis (Alphatia) / Jurassic Earth / Pangaea / Urt (The pre-Mystaran, Mentzerian setting of the Master Set world map and other pre-Gazetteer BECMI products):
      • The eastern continent (Jurassic Asia) is geologically the precedecessor of Asia.
    • In Mystara: The Invisible Moon of Patera is the primary Asian analogue.
    • In Toril: Kara-Tur
  • ~"The Americas" as a continental culture:
    • In Oerth: unofficial "Lands of the People" placed "far to the east across the Solnor Ocean" in DRAGON magazine.
    • In Ærth: Vargaard (~North America) and Amazonia (~South America). (WotC reportedly owns the rights to Gygax's Ærth setting.)
    • In Toril: The True World of Maztica, Anchorome, and Lopango.
    • In Earth's "Age of Magic" / Age of Atlantis (Alphatia) / Jurassic Earth / Pangaea / Urt (The pre-Mystaran, Mentzerian setting of the Master Set world map and other pre-Gazetteer BECMI products):
      • Jurassic North America is geologically the northwestern continent. Jurassic South America is the southwestern continent, attached to Jurassic Africa to form Gondwanaland.
    • In Mystara: The Savage Coast is portrayed with "New World" American themes (e.g. Mesoamerican tortles and ruins + Spanish, Portuguese, British, and French explorers) vis-a-vis the European-like Known World.
  • ~The Indo-European transcontinental language phylum:
    • The Faerûn Language Family (Source: DRAGON Annual #4 "Speaking in Tongues.")
  • ~The Afro-Asiatic transcontinental language phylum:
    • The Rauric Language Family (Source: DRAGON Annual #4 "Speaking in Tongues.")
  • ~The international Buddhist faith:
    • In Toril, there are two redundant analogues of Buddhism, created by two different TSR design teams (Kara-Tur vs. The Hordelands):
      • The Path of Enlightenment in Kara-Tur, which is a blend of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism.
      • The Padhran religion in the Hordelands. The Padhra is ~the Buddha.
~Literary and Pop Cultural motifs:
[under construction]
  • J.R.R. Tolkien’s World of the Middle-earth Legendarium:
    • OD&D Hobbits > Halflings; “Hobniz”; Sheriff (Basic D&D name-level title) < Shiriff
    • OD&D Ents > Treants
    • In Mystara:
      • The Five Shires < The Shire
      • Denagoth < Denethor + Morgoth
      • [name of character from Dragon Tiles]
    • OD&D Balrog > Balor
    • Spectre < Nazgul
    • Wight < Barrow-eight
    • Fireball spell
    • Lightning spell
  • H.P. Lovecraft’s World of the Cthulhu Mythos
    • Mind Flayer
    • Devilfish
  • Robert E. Howard’s World of the Hyborian Age
  • Clark Ashton Smith’s World of the Averoigne Cycle
  • Fritz Lieber’s World of Lankhmar
  • Michael Moorcock’s World of the Melnibonean Mythos:
    • In the Kingdom of Ghyr (the setting of the LJN Action Figures): Mandoom, Nihrain steed.
  • Magnum P.I.: Ierendi Gazetteer in Mystara
  • Fantasy Island: Ierendi Gazetteer in Mystara
Notes:

Even though the Concord Worlds are standalone mini-settings, reportedly, JTtRC also includes suggestions for placing them in various worlds (Toril, Oerth, etc.). I'd like to include those correlations in the chart as well.

The chart attempts to gather all of the settings and facets in the D&D Multiverse which directly originate in Earthly ethnolinguistic cultural sources. "Facets" could be a single character or monster. Also, if I've missed any sources, let me know.

I use the tilde mark (~) to indicate that is 'analogous to', 'inspired by', 'quasi-', 'fantasy version of'...a real-world culture.

Though, inspired by the Radiant Citadel, the chart was originally about ~Non-European cultures, I later added in the ~European and ~Anglo-American cultures (e.g. New Waterdeep). This chart is based on my D&D Cultures article at my website.

Especially problematic depictions are marked with a [sic!] (That's not to say that there aren't also questionable aspects in other examples.)* But I believe there are also many positive portrayals.

I realize that the groupings are somewhat arbitrary (e.g. Japan, Korea, and China each have their own entry, but the Indigenous North American nations are lumped together), yet I hope that it's an adequate start.

*[Footnote: BTW, I'm the one who started the research thread (here) which reveals the ugly depictions of East Asian and Indigenous American cultures in GAZ10: The Orcs of Thar. Yet I asserted over and over again that there's nothing inherently wrong with basing a D&D culture off of any real-world culture, as long as it's done respectfully. (I had to face down a bunch of snarky naysayers who were like: "Don't complain, or WotC will never publish a real-world-based D&D culture again!" Many people couldn't seem to understand anything other than an "either/or" binary mentality.)]

To do list:
  • Add suggested locations in other worlds from the Radiant Citadel
  • Add info from Journeys Beyond the Radiant Citadel supplement
  • Add Kara-Tur / Asian-themed DRAGON mag articles
  • Living Greyhawk regions
  • Eng Saung...monster of the ethereal plane?
  • RW origin of Outer Planes and locales (e.g. Asgard, Olympus)
  • Ashtagon's and others' OA monsters
  • Add German names from Pelinore.
  • Other culture-specific Mystaran Immortals: Complete List of Mystara Immortals - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren
  • Add notes about Earth-to-Athas "spectrum". Move Ravenloft to "Middling."
  • Continue to add the suggestions from other posters from this thread and the Piazza.
 
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overgeeked

overgeeked

B/X Known World
These look right.

Parmandur said:
Sure, see below, the missing elements here is the second Gazateeer only Setting in the back is Japanese, Sins of Our Elders is Korean, and Gold for Fools & Princes is West African:
Click to expand...
Urriak Uruk said:
I don't know if folks have pinned each adventure to their author (and likely cultural inspiration) yet, so I'm going to try and piece it together!

Salted Legacy - Surena Marie (Thailand)
Written in Blood - Erin Roberts (US Black South)
The Fiend of Hollow Mine - Mario Ortegon (Northern Mexico)
The Wages of Vice - TK Johnson (Louisiana, Caribbean)
Sins of Our Elders - Stephanie Yoon
Gold for Fools and Princes - Dominique Dickey
Trail of Destruction - Alastor Guzman (Mesoamerica)
In the Mists of Manivarsha - Mimi Mondal (Bengal, Gangaridai, Sundarbans, Ratargul, Assam, Purulia, Bagan, Myanmar)
Between Tangled Roots - Pam Punzalan (Luzan, Philippines)
Shadow of the Sun - Justice Ramin Arman (Iran)
The Nightsea's Succor - Fox Harrell (African American)
Buried Dynasty - Felice Kuan (China)
Orchids of the Invisible Mountain - Terry Hope Romero (Venezuela)
The Radiant Citadel itself - Ajit George
Beyond the Radiant Citadel (gazetteer) - Basheer Ghouse (India, Mughal Empire and Thughluq Dynasty)
Beyond the Radiant Citadel (gazetteer) - Jane Miyuki

Before you ask, I used only the culture/nations names used by the authors themselves in their own tweets. I used their words, so please don't @ me!

These adventures also seem to be in order (roughly) by level. Shadow of the Sun is 11 level, for example.
Click to expand...
 


Voadam

Voadam

Legend
Dungeonosophy said:
~Chinese:
  • In Toril: Shou Lung and T'u Lung
  • In Ravenloft: I'Cath in Ravenloft
  • In Mystara: Ochalea; plus a couple of the names of the Yellow Orcs [sic!] are Chinese (see here).
  • In Oerth: Celestial Imperium/Shaofeng/Sufang
  • Tianguo from WotC's 2e-era Dragon Fist rpg. Rights reportedly sold to Chris Pramas though.
  • Also: the kirin (qilin).
Click to expand...
For the monsters probably want to add the Oriental (Lung) dragons from the Fiend Folio.
 


Voadam

Voadam

Legend
Arabic monsters would be the genies (efreet, djinni, marid). Ghouls as Lovecraftian cemetery haunters might be considered Arabic ghuls or they might be considered too divorced from that origin. The Al-Qadim ghul would be closer. There is also the al-miraj.
 



Dungeonosophy

Dungeonosophy

Legend
Update:

I added all of the Radiant Citadel stories and locales, and posted links to each author interview. (Thanks "overgeeked"!) These are highlighted in pink!

I added the Ixalan cultures (~Aztec, Mayan, & Spanish conquistador) and the Plane of Kaladesh (~India) from Magic: The Gathering / D&D Plane Shift.

I reformatted the whole chart to make it easier to read. Broke out it out into separate lines for each entry.

Also split into two groups: Spanish/Portuguese America and French Creole/Afro-Caribbean/African American.

I added the suggestions from previous posters (genies, penanggalan, lung dragons, etc.)

Added new bits and bobbles, for example:
  • Arabesque NPCs from AC1: The Shady Dragon Inn. And the Sarken Mercenaries AD&D PVC figures.
  • Zarak the Half-Orc Assassin -- an LJN AD&D Action Figure -- is likely named after the 1957 film "Zarak" about Zarak Khan, an Afghan resistance fighter and bandit chief.
  • In AD&D 1e, the Gold Dragon's scientific name is "Draco Orientalus Sino Dux", meaning "Eastern Chinese Duke Dragon"! In Gygax's mind at least, the Gold Dragon -- crown of the metallic dragons -- is from Chinese culture!
  • In Krynn: The Magius language of magic is partly based on the Indonesian language. (Tracy Hickman also used Indonesian names in his B7: Rahasia module.)
  • The name "Quasqueton" (from B1: In Search of the Unknown) is from the real-world town of Quasqueton, Iowa, from the Sac-Fox language "swift running water." See the ENWorld article: In Search Of Quasqueton With Mike Carr .
  • In Mystara, the Altan Tepe Mountains and the city of Selenica are from the Turkish language: Altın Tepe "golden hill" and Selânik (Ottoman Turkish name for the now Greek city of Thessalonika).
  • One-Eyed Jitra, the Bandit King from the original (banned) orange-cover B3: Palace of the Silver Princess, is explicitly said to be named after the Malaysian city Jitra. Presumably, there's a ~Malaysian culture on the Adri Varma Plateau northwest of Glantri.
What else?
 
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