Traditionally, a woman who sells alcohol in an inn. The owner of a tavern or inn.
Equivalent to the figure of an innkeeper in the lands of the Republic of Calpheon.

Korean name for the board game Go, where two players compete with the aim of controlling more territory of the board than their opponent.

 

 

 

An untouchable, discriminated against, caste in Korea.
The baekjeong did jobs that no self-respecting Buddhist Korean would touch, including anything working with animals, such as slaughtering animals and leather making.

Mythological creatures of far eastern tradition that resemble the western phoenix. Known in Chinese as Fènghuáng and in Japanese as Hōō, in the Joseon dynasty the monarchy used it as their symbol.

 

A being from folktales that serve as cautionary tales about the danger of tigers.
A changui is an evil spirit born from the death of one killed by a tiger. Once created, a changui serves the tiger that killed them and goes after their own close family.
Historically, this folktale made people afraid to marry into the family of one killed by a tiger.

The traditional straw-thatched roof built for houses for the common, low-income, people in Korea up to the 20th century.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Historically, ancient trees considered sacred and symbols of protection for villages. Also referred to as the guardian tree of a village. They serve as informal gathering points and as spaces for traditional rituals and ceremonies involving prayer and offerings to them.

 

 

 

A notched, end-blown vertical bamboo flute used in Korean folk music.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A mythical being from Korean folklore.
They are nature deities or spirits that possess extraordinary powers that are used to interact with humans, at times playing tricks on them and at times helping them.
Contrary to ghosts, formed by the death of humans, dokkebi are formed by the spiritual possession of an inanimate object.

The East Sea; the sea to the east of Korea.
Used in Black Desert as the name of the eastern province of Land of the Morning Light.

A hot soup dish made by putting rice and some other condiments and ingredients into a soup.

 

 

Mythological creatures described in Korea as a mix of a deer, an ox, and a horse. Known in Chinese as Qilin, and in Japanese as Kirin.

 

Traditionally, a Korean female entertainer. A woman at a banquet or drinking party whose job it was to pour drinks for guests and entertain them with songs and dances.

Roofing tiles made with fired clay employed in traditional Korean architecture.

Mythical creatures described as a mix between a unicorn and a lion; a lion with one or more horns on its head. In the Joseon dynasty, it was believed to ward off fire disasters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also known as the slash-and-burn technique, it is a farming method in which mountains and forests, locations with few nutrients in the soil, are first burned, and then usually grains are planted in their place. The ash obtained is employed as the only fertilizer.
Due to being a primitive predatory economy technique where the land employed is exploited for quick gain and then abandoned, those who do slash-and-burn cultivation have to move endlessly to cultivate new land.

The Yellow Sea; the sea to the west of Korea.
Used in Black Desert as the name of the western province of Land of the Morning Light.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The head of the smallest administrative districts during the Joseon dynasty. A local governor.
For example, the hyungam of Dalbeol Village.

A dok, a traditional Korean earthenware crock or jar, used for making or keeping jang, any jam-like or paste-like food: sauce, marmalade, jam, preserved vegetables, preserved fruit, etc.

A type of drum used in traditional Korean music.

 

 

 

Totem poles usually made of wood. Traditionally placed on the outskirts of villages to mark a village’s borders and frighten away demons. They were also worshipped as village tutelary deities.

A shuttlecock-like object (akin to the one used in badminton) made of paper wrapped around a small coin, employed in the game of jegichagi, which consists of players kicking a paper jegi into the air and attempting to keep it aloft.

Shouting expression used when singing, dancing, or toasting. Akin to “Cheers!”

 

 

 

 

A large brass gong used in traditional Korean music and played with a stick covered in cloth to soften the texture of the sound produced.

 

 

A small flat gong made of brass and played with a stick used in traditional Korean music.

 

 

 

The most common surname in Korea.
The dokkebi of the Land of the Morning Light saw how many humans presented themselves to them as Kim, due to how common the surname is, and ended up calling all humans Mr. Kim.

 

A shaman; an exorcist. A person whose job it is to tell fortunes and hold gut (traditional Korean shaman rites), exorcisms, and serve a spirit or spirits.

Also known abroad as hibiscus syriacus, rose of Sharon, rose mallow, and althea, it is the national flower of South Korea.

 

 

A monster that appears in Korean folktales. It symbolizes darkness, and it gets bigger the more time people watch it. It can be considered the concept of the dark and of the fear of darkness itself.
In Black Desert, it is how the black spirits are known as in Land of the Morning Light.

 

Title used by the common people when referring to the top local government official.
For example, used to refer to both the hyungam of Dalbeol and the yeongam of the east.

Used to refer to educated, well-mannered scholars who did not hold a government position but served the public nonetheless, teaching and leading people in the countryside without covering wealth or power.

One of the terms used to refer to the often vengeful spirit of an unmarried woman in Korean folklore. They’re usually depicted as wearing white hanbok, traditional clothing.

 

Name given to a mountain range that stretches the entirety of the eastern edge of the Korean peninsula.
In Black Desert, used as the name of Taebaek Mountain, which presides over Donghae.

A traditional game of Chinese origin in which players throw arrows or sticks from a set distance into a large canister.

 

 

 

 

A sympathetic response often used in Korean folk performances to express joy and to encourage the performer.

 

 

A pair of exclamations used when one is happy or joyful while beating time lightly. Akin to “yippee!” and “hurray!”
“Jeolssigoo!” is always said after “ulssigoo!”

 

Part of the traditional ruling class of Korea; the nobility.
The yangban were mainly composed of highly educated civil servants and military officers.
On paper not hereditary, it was a position granted by law to those who passed state-sponsored exams. In practice, only those who already came from yangban families (those with enough money and time to study) were able to pass the exams.
Likewise, on paper the earned status could be lost if the family did not produce government officials in a few generations, but in practice this rarely ever happened.

 

Honorific employed in the Joseon era for 2nd and 3rd-level civil servants. Akin to a minister-level position, the first three ranked levels in the Joseon period administration took part in deciding government policies by attending cabinet meetings.

 

In the Land of the Morning Light, the Yeongam of the East is the highest authority in the Donghae province, being its warden and governor, and holding the military position of Lieutenant General.

 

 

 

Traditionally, the head of one of the six departments of local governments in the Joseon dynasty.
They were in charge of administrative tasks, such as written procedures, account management, staff discipline, and the inspection of villages and the condition of their paddy fields.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fictional creatures that appear in legends and folktales. Equivalent to the Japanese term yōkai.
For example, Gumiho and Imoogi are considered yogwe.

Alternative romanization of the term yeongam. See the Yeongam entry above.