#fantasy ref

A collection of research links and cool websites I’ve found helpful for medieval fantasy worlds i.e. no electricity, horse and buggy, etc. 

I try to update this post but there will probably be old versions floating around Tumblr. Google Drive is the best place to find the most up-to-date version. 

If you find a cool link you think would help others, just message me!  

Need a name for something/someone? 

Fantasy Name Generator (this website has an awesome repertoire of basically any kind of name you could want - places, real language names, objects, and more!)

Another Fantasy Name Generator

Yet Another Fantasy Name Generator

Existing Fantasy Names (this one is a master-list rather than a generator, but it’s detailed and includes characters, towns and villages) 

Another Resource for Existing Fantasy Names (also includes references for specific fandoms/series) 

Can’t figure out how to describe that thing in a way that makes sense for the time period/cultural background? 

Castles (everything you need to know for that big, beautiful palace) 

Castle Gardening (this has detailed descriptions of classic maintenance of gardens but also gives a good idea of what engineering techniques were available before modern technology) 

Medieval Architecture (the website is also a great resource for any historical culture questions you have)

Japanese Gardens (helpful for constructing/visualizing those beautiful magical japanese gardens in K-dramas - hint: the red bridge is called a guzei bridge! ;)

Medieval Technology (an outline of available technology from agriculture to forgery) 

Another Technology Resource

And Yet Another Technology Resource

One More Medieval Technology Resource

Maps (this is meant to be a drawing reference but it can help you figure out the lay of the land for journeys and descriptions, from how a city or building is organized to what entire continents in your world look like)

Alternatively, A Fantasy Map Generator (for constructing kingdoms and continents)

A List of Ancient Cultures (each culture has more specific reference pages for technology, traditions, and more) 

More History and Ancient Culture Info (well-organized and well-described)

British Nobility (scroll to the bottom for resources on manners, rank, politics and more)

Medieval Clothing by Character Background (how to dress characters based on rank, class, etc. - also a good resource for lots of other things) 

What’s that thing/action/place called? 

Armour and Clothing (this website is actually a store but the sections are well organized and all items are labelled with their real names)

Royal Titles From Around the World (and throughout history - for all your nobility-naming needs) 

Weapons (a really good resource on basically any kind of weapon from any period of history you could think of) 

Another Medieval Weapons Resource

Fantasy Weapons (this one is also a store but is good for weapon inspiration)

More Fantasy Weapons (also has fandom/series’ specific weapons and weapons organized by type - melee, siege, ranged, etc.) 

Sword-fighting terms (for describing that fast-paced, action-sequence in gloriously accurate detail) 

Medieval Buildings Based on Usage

Other useful links 

Choosing a Weapon for Your Character

World-building (questions to answer to help develop your world)

Fantasy Writing Do’s and Don’ts

High Fantasy Tips

Reference Pinterest for my own book (my world is fantasy inspired by real historical cultures like Arabian/Korean/Japanese/Egyptian and African) 

Commission for friend on discord!! This is their lovely Demigod OC, Damon. The energy he uses in battle causes him to burn and crack like molten lava. If he cools, he crumbles. 

~This is a fullbody complex commission!~

PLEASE DO NOT REPOST MY ART

Clean then oil your blade. Oiling stops water from settling on the blade and rusting it.

Leather parts should be treated with a paste-based wax.

Whetstone for sharpening. Note that majority of swords were only sharp at the tip. The long sword was a piercing and hitting weapon. They would often break bones of opponents, then pierce with the tip.

Swords can chip easy. Upon hitting something harder than it(such as a rock or stronger sword) the sword will most likely break or chip. For this reason, the blades would not have been used for chopping trees. 

Also, since the blades were nicked easily, shields were most likely used for blocking other blades, not the sword.

When you tell someone to picture a fairy, they probably picture something along the lines of Tinker Bell from Peter Pan. Well, a “Watershee" is actually not far off from that image with its small delicate wings and a tiny enough body to fit in a hand; although if she wants to, she can appear as a beautiful woman.

The favourite game of the Watershee is to lure people out into her waters to drown using her lovely voice.