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

[Henadic Theologian]

The Shining South in FR is very Indian subcontinent inspired. Var the Golden, Estagund, and Durpar. Their religion of the Adama is inspired by Hinduism.

Also the Beastlands city of Tirumala, which us ruled by a Rakshasa.

Also Koung Kingdom practices Hinduism in Zakhara.

The Borderlands of FR draws culturally from Calimshan, so Middle Eastern, as do some specific cities in Tethyrs like Zuzzapur.

 

[Voadam]

You seem to have missed Rakshasa and Nagas from India.

 

[cbwjm]

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!

That's not too surprising, while I don't know what it looked like in 1e, in 2e at least the gold dragon artwork in the MM was definitely of a Chinese style dragon. I wouldn't be surprised if the artwork for 1e was similar.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

some of these are very tenuous. Ergothians on Krynn, for instance, are only African in appearance, not culture (and that’s just the northern ergothians, as well). In every other aspect they actually have more in common with the post-Heraclius Roman Empire, or maybe the UK after American independence.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

The natives of the Oerth Isle of Dread are Olman, as well, so should be a separate listing to the Mystara one.

In 2E/3E Ravenloft, most of the core had real world inspirations: Barovia (Romanian), Borca (Italian), Falkovnia, Lamordia (Germany), Mordent (England), Nova Vaasa and Hazlik have a Norwegian based language but their culture is different. Paridon is Victorian London. Tepest is rural Ireland.

 

[Voadam]

1e Oriental Adventures, the 2e Kara Tur Monstrous Compendium Appendix, and the 3e Oriental Adventures have a lot of Japanese, Chinese, and South Asian monsters in them. Gaki are Japanese, but I am not familiar enough with most of the others to say on their specific cultural origins.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

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 Gygax's world of Aerth)
• In Mystara: the chameleon-men of the Land of Wallara
• In Toril: the Osse continent
• In Ravenloft: the Abber Nomads of the Nightmare Lands

~African American, ~Afro-Caribbean, and ~French Creole:

• In Mystara:
  • The Pearl Islands (~Afro-Caribbean). Home of the "Rake" PC class (charisma-based swashbuckler).
  • Nouvelle-Renardie (~French Louisiana) and the Gurrash of The Bayou (Cajun gator-folk!)
• In Ravenloft: Souragne (~French Louisiana)
• 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 ~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:

• In Oerth: The Touv of Hepmonaland
• In Ærth: Afrik. (WotC reportedly owns the rights to Gygax's Aerth setting.)
• In Mystara:
  • The Divinarchy of Yavdlom (~Swahilis)
  • Ulimwengu (~Twa Little People)
  • Village of Mantru and the Taboo Islanders of 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:
  • Land of Chult (seen most recently in the 5E Tomb of Annihilation storyline)
  • Katashaka continent
• In Krynn: the Empire of Ergoth and the Ackalites. Maquesta Kar-Thon, a black woman who is a pirate in the Dragonlance Chronicles, is an Ergothian half-elf.
• In Ravenloft: The Wildlands (The Crocodile King is an evil version of the Lion King)
• In Athas: the Ivory Triangle
• In the Concord Worlds of the Radiant Citadel:
  
  • The modern coastal realm of Djayna (~Sudano-Sahelian + Gwana 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)

~Central Asian (~Mongolian, ~Central Asian Turkic, and ~Scythian):

• In Oerth: Tiger Nomads and Wolf Nomads
• 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 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 Hordelands of the Plain of Horses (~Mongolians)
  • Murghôm (said by Rich Baker to be partly evocative of the Cossacks/Turanians of the Conan stories)
  • The Ama Basin peoples (are parallel to the real-world Tarim Basin peoples, such as the Uighurs)
• In Krynn:
  • The Khanate of Khur in Ansalon
  • On the continent of Taladas: the Uigan, Purgi, Pureshk, Kazar, and Alan-Atu (~Buryat) tribes, and the Tamire Elves

~Chinese:

• In Oerth: Celestial Imperium/Shaofeng/Sufang
• In Mystara:
  • The Kingdom of Ochalea
  • A couple of the names of the Yellow Orcs [sic!] are Chinese (see here).
  • The Ethengarians (~Mongols) use Chinese names for their calendar.
• In Toril: Shou Lung and T'u Lung
• 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)
• Also:
  • The kirin (qilin) and lung (Chinese dragons).
  • In AD&D 1e, the Gold Dragon's scientific name is "Draco Orientalus Sino Dux", meaning "Eastern Chinese Duke Dragon"!
  • The 3e/4e/5e Draconic script is based on the aesthetics of Chinese writing.

~Himalayan (~Tibetan, ~Nepalese, and ~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 here), and one is Bhutanese.
• In Toril:
  • Tabot (~Tibet)
  • Ra-Khati (~Nepal)
• Also: yeti and yak-folk.

~Iberian American (Spanish American and 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)
• Also: DRAGON magazine's Capoeira (Battle-dancer) PC class

~Indigenous North American (including ~Mesoamerican and ~Inuit):

• In Oerth:
  • The Flan in general, including the Rovers/Arapahi (~Arapaho)
  • The Olmans of Hepmonaland (~Mexicah/Nahuatl/Aztec)
• 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: ~Lakota and ~Apsaalooke (Crow)]
  • The Yazi goblinoids [sic!] of the Savage Coast (the name "Yazi" is probably inspired by Navajo "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 (~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."
• In Toril:
  • Maztica: Maztica was transported to the world of Abeir (in 4e) and then back to Toril (in 5E).
    • Nexalans (~Mexicah/"Aztec")
    • 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").
  • The Anchorome continent, north of Maztica (~Indigenous North America, north of Mexico)
  • The Ulutiun people of the Great Glacier (~Inuit)
• In Krynn: Partial inspiration for the Plains Barbarians (~North American Plains Cultures)
• 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)
• Other resources:
  • AD&D 1e Amerindian and Mesoamerican pantheons; the Happy Hunting Grounds outer plane
  • 2e Angakok wizard kit (Inuit shaman)
  • monsters: ixitxachitl, coatl, thunderbird

~Indigenous Siberian:

• In Toril: the Northern Wastes

~Indigenous South American:

• 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 (caimen-folk, based on the Galibi Carib culture of South America; the word 'caimen' comes from the Galibi language). caiman - Wiktionary
• In Toril: Lopango, the Land of Fire

~Japanese:

• In Oerth: Nippon/Ryuujin
• In Mystara:
  • The rakasta (~Japanese catfolk) Empire of Myoshima on Mystara's invisible moon of Patera;
  • 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: Kozakura and Wa
• In Ravenloft: Rokushima Taiyoo
• WotC's 3e Rokugan/L5R
• 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)
• Other resources: Various iterations of the Ninja and Samurai classes. E.g. AD&D Complete Ninja's Handbook. The kirin and ogre magi.

~Korean:

• In Oerth: Nippon Dominion [sic!] (not to be confused with "Nippon" as such, which is Oerth's analogue of Japan. Nippon's "Dominion" is presumably a painful Korean analogue.)
• In Toril: Koryo
• In the Concord Worlds of the Radiant Citadel: "Sins of Our Elders" by Stephanie Yoon (author interview)

~Middle Eastern / Southwest Asian and North African (~Arab, ~Ottoman/Turkish, ~Iranian/Persian, ~Afghan)

• In Oerth: the Bakluni peoples
• In Blackmoor: The Afridhi of the Goblin Kush. (~Afghan). "Afridi" is a real Afghan tribe who live in the Hindu Kush mountains.)
• 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 (~Ottoman Turkish, but the illustration of the Master appears to be evocative of the Ayatollah of Iran [sic!]), and Huyule'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).
• In the Kingdom of Ghyr (the unplaced homeland of the LJN Action figures):
  • The Sarken [sic!] Mercenaries (AD&D PVC figures)
  • 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 (three~Arab analogues):
  • Zakhara (and the entire Al-Qadim product line)
  • Calimshan
  • The Bedine of the Anauroch Desert
• In Ravenloft: Phazaria in the Amber Wastes
• 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 Faerun's Plains of Purple Dust; Also, GAZ2 suggested placement in Mystara's Emirate of Ylaruam
• In Aebrynis (Birthright setting): the Khinasi
• In D&D Earth: The Crusades [sic! uncomfortably named] Campaign Sourcebook Historical Reference Guide. 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)
• Also: genies (efreet, djinni, marid), ghoul (ghul), mummy (mūmiya) originate in Arab folklore or the Arabic language.

~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 (~Hawaiian) of Ierendi and the Hollow World
  • The Kara-kara (~Melanesian/Papuan Orcs) [sic!]
• 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).

~South Asian / ~Indian / ~Vedic:

• In Blackmoor: The Peshwah of the Plains of Hak (~Marathi Empire; The Marathi emperor's title was 'Peshwah.')
• In Oerth: Zindia/Zahind
• In Mystara:
  • The Kingdom of Sind
  • Jaibul
  • The Principality of Krondahar in Glantri
  • Ogremoor in the Broken Lands (~Indian ogres) [sic!]
  • Rajahstan on the invisible moon of Patera
  • Shajapur in the Hollow World
  • BECMI monsters: bhut, juggernaut. PC class: Thug.
• In Toril: the Utter East
• 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)
• Other resources: 1e and 2e Indian pantheons, Ascetic class in 2e Legends & Lore
• 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

~Southeast Asian:

• 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. (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: Malatra (the Living Jungle), the Island Kingdoms, and other lands in the south of Kara-Tur.
• 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.)
• 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)
• Also: penanggalan (ghost from Malay folktales)

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 non-European 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.

For this presentation, I'm not counting ~European cultures (~Celtic, ~Finnish, ~Greek, ~Norse, ~Slavic, etc.), or ~Anglo-American cultures (e.g. New Waterdeep). Nor does the chart include the archetypally "ancient" civilizations of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. I could include those if people would prefer that I did. (I originally laid out the D&D Cultures in an old 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 DRAGON mag Australian article. Other DRAGON mag articles?
Are there more non-European Blackmoor cultures besides the Afridhi and Peshawah?

Very thorough and excellent. Can I make a couple of Taladas-based additions? I note you already got the Central Asian ones for Taladas.

For Oceania etc. in Taladas there is also the Payan Mako (definitely - the Shark People are really just a problem the Payan Mako are having rather than a separate culture) and at least arguably the Cha'asii/Wild Elves (albeit maybe they're "just elves").

And there's an Inuit analogue in the Ice People too (the portrayal is solidly positive, even the physical description borders on the racist).

Most of the other stuff is analogous to cultures not listed. I feel like the Ilquar Goblins and the First People Ogres are analogous to some culture but I'm not able to pin it down (both are playable and largely neutral or positive in their portrayal). The Saqualaminoi are intended to be friendly Yetis, but I don't think that quite counts as Nepalese/Tibetan!

 

[Tonguez]

For this presentation, I'm not counting ~European cultures (~Celtic, ~Finnish, ~Greek, ~Norse, ~Slavic, etc.), or ~Anglo-American cultures (e.g. New Waterdeep). Nor does the chart include the archetypally "ancient" civilizations of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. I could include those if people would prefer that I did. (I originally laid out the D&D Cultures in an old article at my website.)

I for one would appreciate seeing the Slavic and Hyperborean inspired cultures included on your list. And Kudos for the great work

 

[Dungeonosophy]

You seem to have missed Rakshasa and Nagas from India.

Yep, overlooked it - I added it in now - thanks again!

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Republic of Turmish, on might fit in with Africa or the Caribbean.

A lot of Toril cities have Shou Towns, and Nathlan is Shou nation on Faerun, it didn't start that way though that happened through heavy immigration. Maybe Asian American?