INSPIRATION & INFLUENCE

Feature:  Isle of the Beasts  
Inspiration: Itzcuintlan (the Place of Dogs)

In Aztec myth there multiple places you could go once you died depending on status and what conditions  you died under however when most Aztec commoners died they would have to pass through the nine levels of Mictlan (the underworld). The first level of Mictlan was called Apanoayan (where one crosses the river), and also known as Itzcuintlan (the Place of Dogs) because here the souls of many dogs roamed the shores. A dog that recognised its former owner would carry him across the river on its back. There were also cases where if you were cruel to dogs in your life you might be attacked or consumed by them on the shores and unable to continue your journey through Mictlan. 

Feature:  Club of Ares
Inspiration: The Macuahuitl

A macuahuitl is kind of a wooden sword with several obsidian blades embedded along its edge, which is capable of producing an edge sharper than high quality steel razor blades and remains sharp even after the blades are chipped or otherwise damaged. It was capable of inflicting serious cuts and lacerations from its rows of blades which could be chiselled into squares, curved blades, spikes or a circular scale-like design that looked like scales.  It was noted by the Spanish that the weapon was so well constructed that the blades could not be pulled out or broken

The weapon could be made with a one handed or two handed grip with the two handed variety being much larger once being described as being "as tall as a man". The macuahuitl was sharp enough to decapitate a man and according to an account by Bernal Díaz del Castillo it could even decapitate a horse

Feature:  Stars of Styx
Inspiration: Aurora Borealis

Aurora Borealis (or the northern lights) are a natural lights caused by the interaction of particles from the sun with Earth's atmosphere.

In most cases the mythology tied to this phenomenon relate to some kind of spirits communicating with the living or guiding them in some manner. The Cree tribe held that the Aurora was the spirits of the dead who remained in the sky but apart from their loved ones. They believed that the lights were spirits of these departed friends and relatives trying to communicate with those they had left behind on earth and watching over their loved ones. To them, the dancing of the lights was their ancestors letting them know that they were protecting them. 

Feature:  Spear & Atlatl of Athena
Inspiration: Woomera

A spear-thrower, spear-throwing lever, or atlatl is a tool that uses leverage to throw spears, javelin or dart at a greater velocity. It often consists of a shaft with a hook, cup or spur at one end that holds and throws the end of the spear. A very similar mechanic is used for modern day, plastic dog ball launchers. 

The Word Atlatl comes from the Nahuatl (group of peoples native to southern Mexico and Central America, including the Aztecs) but in Australia, the Dharug word woomera is used instead. In Ancient Greece and Rome the device was supplemented with a leather strap or loop like a sling. 

 Feature:  Cadair Amser and Lake Llyncau
Inspiration: Cadair Idris and Llyn cau 

Cadair Idris (Chair of Idris/ Giant/ God) is a mountain in Gwynedd, Wales. It lies at the southern end of the Snowdonia National Park. The peak is one of the most popular spots for walkers and hikers in Wales and has a rich history of myths and folklore. One of the most common myths that I heard was  that anyone who sleeps on its slopes or by the lake alone will supposedly awaken either a madman or a poet. This tradition apparently stems from bardic traditions, where bards would sleep on the mountain in hope of inspiration.
Other folklore says that Cadair Idris is the hunting ground of Gwyn ap Nudd, the Celtic ruler of the underworld, who uses a pack of red-eared hounds to herd souls into the underworld. Another stories suggests that King Arthur captured an Afanc is (a Welsh water dragon) that had terrorised the locals near Llyn Barfog (another lake) and dragged it to Llyn Cau, where he released it.

The page on Cadair Amser includes many references to other aspect of Welsh culture and folklore including:

• Amser:  The Welsh word for 'Time'.

• Twelve spires:  The Welsh village of Capel Celyn, was flooded in 1965 to create a reservoir, Llyn Celyn, for the purpose of supplying water to Liverpool. When the water levels in Llyn Celyn reservoir are low, the tops of the church pillars become visible, as do the remains of a graveyard. 

• E. Caradoc: Named after Caradoc Evans Welsh story writer, novelist and playwright.

• Miss Machen: Based on Arthur Machen the pen-name of Arthur Llewellyn Jones, a Welsh author best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction.

Feature:  Herspia
Inspiration: Herspia

Hesperia in Ancient Greece meant "western land" and was their name for Italy. As Witchbreed takes a great deal of inspiration from 'the Wild West' I thought it would be a fitting name for the main location

Feature:  Orichalcum
Inspiration: Orichalcum (Mountain Copper)

Orichalcum (Mountain Copper) was a metal used in coins during ancient Greece. The metal consists of both copper and zinc and is also referred to as brass. The Romans were the first to make coins from orichalcum and were attracted to the metal due to its close resemblance to gold. According to Plato, orichalcum was only second in value to gold. Plato wrote about Orichalcum a number of times regarding the lost city of Atlantis and many myths have hero's wearing armour made from the material.  

Feature:  The lost city of Pandemonium
Inspiration: Paradise Lost

Pandæmonium is the capital of Hell in John Milton's Paradise Lost. (1667) Milton actually coined the name himself from the Greek stems of 'all/every' and 'demon' though now its come to also mean a noun thats defined as 'wild and noisy disorder or confusion; uproar.' I first heard the term in the context of a city from the amazing painting Pandemonium (1841) by John Martin.
See painting:  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Martin_Le_Pandemonium_Louvre.JPG

Feature:  Samsonite Lions
Inspiration: Samson's riddle

Samson's riddle is found in Bible, specifically the Book of Judges, as apart of the larger story of Samson and Delilah. In the story Samson challenges his thirty wedding guests, with a riddle "Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet." The solution was purposely impossible to guess because its based on a very specific and personal experience Samson had when he killed a young lion only to find honeybees and honey in its corpse. 

Feature:  Rhino Lucida
Inspiration: Camera lucida

A camera lucida (patented in 1806) is a device used as a drawing aid by many artists. It's used to project an optical superimposition of a subject onto a surface where the artist can drawing. This projection means the artist can see both subject and drawing surface at once.