legendarium
Invented world's lore
A legendarium is a collected body of legends, myths, and lore forming a fictional universe—most associated with J.R.R.
Tolkien's interconnected works about Middle-earth.
The term describes not just the stories themselves but the entire imaginative framework: histories, languages, genealogies, and cosmology that give a fictional world depth and coherence.
Tolkien's legendarium spans thousands of years of invented history.
Study of universal structure
- geographyStudy of places
- languagesSystems of human communication
- racesContests of speed
- kingdomsMonarch-ruled territories
history · cultures · calendars · artifacts · maps · chronicles · ages · realms
Extended heroic narrative
- chronicleOrdered historical record
- taleSpoken or written narrative
- epicImpressively grand in scope
- odysseyExtended adventurous journey
quest · adventure · ballad · romance · yarn · storytelling · annals · cycle
Gathered set of items
- compilationGathered works assembled together
- volumeAmount of space filled
- worksFunctions or labors
- omnibusVolume of gathered writings
canon · treasury · corpus · editions · archives · library · series · manuscripts
All gods of a religion
- deitiesWorshipped supernatural beings
- cosmogonyStudy of universal origins
- titansDominant powerful figures
- demigodsHalf-mortal, half-divine beings
underworld · afterlife · heroes · monsters · archetypes · primordial · oracles · prophecy
cosmology
Study of universal structure
kingdoms · history · cultures · calendars · artifacts · maps · chronicles · ages · realms · genealogies
saga
Extended heroic narrative
odyssey · quest · adventure · ballad · romance · yarn · storytelling · annals · cycle · heroic
collection
Gathered set of items
- compilationGathered works assembled together
- volumeAmount of space filled
- worksFunctions or labors
omnibus · canon · treasury · corpus · editions · archives · library · series · manuscripts · posthumous
pantheon
All gods of a religion
- deitiesWorshipped supernatural beings
- cosmogonyStudy of universal origins
- titansDominant powerful figures
demigods · underworld · afterlife · heroes · monsters · archetypes · primordial · oracles · prophecy · divination
elves
Mythical small beings
sorcery · enchantment · magic · goblins · orcs · hobbits · rings · quests · prophecy · kingdoms
legendariumslice of life
Realistic everyday depiction
realist fiction · literary realism · naturalism · contemporary fiction
legendariumhistorical record
Preserved account of past
chronicle · documentary · nonfiction · historiography · archive