This page explains the method behind every article on Vellum Lore, so you can see exactly how we reach our conclusions.

The spine of an article

Most of our investigations follow the same honest structure:

• The popular claim. We state the widely believed story plainly and fairly.
• What the evidence shows. We go to the earliest sources and reputable scholarship and lay out what can actually be documented.
• The real story. We give the best-supported account — which is sometimes a confirmation of the dark origin, sometimes a debunking, and sometimes an honest “uncertain.”
• Sources. Every article ends with the references behind it.

What counts as evidence

We weight primary sources — original tales, documents, and contemporary records — most heavily, supported by recognised scholarship and standard reference works. We are wary of claims that appear only recently, that rely on a single unverifiable anecdote, or that cannot be dated. A vivid story is not evidence; a citation is.

Why this matters

The “dark origins” genre is full of confident, unsourced claims. Our value is in doing the checking — and in being just as willing to say “this myth is true” as “this one is invented.” See our fact-checking and corrections policies for how we keep ourselves honest.