-
Welcome to the Fantasy Writing Forums. Register Now to join us!
difference between fantasy and mythology
- Thread starter zazeron
- Start date
Basically, mythology has its roots in religion. Mythology and theology are rhetorical twins, the only defining difference being the perspective of the speaker. Mythology is not a genre.
Fantasy IS a genre, which can and often does incorporate not only living mythologies but also creates fictional mythologies. Fantasy can itself become part of a modern mythos - another term for this is "pop-culture."
And, yes, it's possible to create new genres.
Fantasy IS a genre, which can and often does incorporate not only living mythologies but also creates fictional mythologies. Fantasy can itself become part of a modern mythos - another term for this is "pop-culture."
And, yes, it's possible to create new genres.
- Thread starter
- #3
The best thing you can do if this is what you are going for is to study the mythologies you want to emulate and look for those elements that speak to you, that will work for your fantasy world, and that will serve your story.
Malik
Auror
^^ This.
Fantasy writing is research, and then writing down what you find as it applies to your story. That's the job description. A fantasy writer does homework professionally.
If you're writing a fantasy based on mythology with a Biblical feel, your only option is to learn about the Bible and study enough mythology that you can make up your own pantheon that makes sense. No one can learn your research for you.
Fantasy writing is research, and then writing down what you find as it applies to your story. That's the job description. A fantasy writer does homework professionally.
If you're writing a fantasy based on mythology with a Biblical feel, your only option is to learn about the Bible and study enough mythology that you can make up your own pantheon that makes sense. No one can learn your research for you.
DreamerThere are maybe as many ways of defining mythology as there are critics who write about it. My stance is that mythology is a set of interconnected stories that provide the listener with a cultural framework for understanding the world. What are the conflicts of a society, what is the role of the individual, what are the principles that govern nature, what are the great mysteries - these are the sort of questions mythology answers. So mythology requires a culture and a people from whose perspective the stories are told.
I don't think this is necessarily true of fantasy. Being shaped by a single author, good fantasy stories can be understood in a cultural vacuum, independent of time and place (to the degree that language even allows that sort of nonsense).
On writing fantasy-informed-by-mythology, I would stress understanding the people who told the original stories. What were their daily struggles? What was their relationship with nature? What problems did they think were inevitable, unsolvable?
I don't think this is necessarily true of fantasy. Being shaped by a single author, good fantasy stories can be understood in a cultural vacuum, independent of time and place (to the degree that language even allows that sort of nonsense).
On writing fantasy-informed-by-mythology, I would stress understanding the people who told the original stories. What were their daily struggles? What was their relationship with nature? What problems did they think were inevitable, unsolvable?
kayd_mon
Sage
If you want a Biblical feel, then add almost no detail to your story. Biblical writing is characterized (for one thing) by its lack of real detail in any of the narratives. That in itself might make it a tough sell for a modern audience, who is used to reading the thoughts of the POV character, knowing minute details about the scene, and learning about backstory and worldbuilding. But don't let that deter you, if it's something you're dedicated to - just keep it in mind going in.
Another thing to thnk about is the suspension of disbelief. If you study Judeo-Christian, Greek, Norse, Egyptian, etc. myth and religious stories, you'll find things that really just don't make sense. The birth of Athena is one example. If you're going for a Biblical or ancient feel, lots of those stories have bits that completely defy logic, and it's not quite the same as our modern fantasy, what with all the rules writers put in their magic systems to make it feel right.
So yes, study those writings in depth. Read the Iliad and Odyssey, a good chunk of the Bible (if you're not from a religious background and want the best bits to read to research your project, I can help there), the Egyptian Book of the Dead, and any good Norse stuff you can track down (I haven't studied that myself, so I can't help there). Mythology from India is great, too. I studied that briefly in college.
Another thing to thnk about is the suspension of disbelief. If you study Judeo-Christian, Greek, Norse, Egyptian, etc. myth and religious stories, you'll find things that really just don't make sense. The birth of Athena is one example. If you're going for a Biblical or ancient feel, lots of those stories have bits that completely defy logic, and it's not quite the same as our modern fantasy, what with all the rules writers put in their magic systems to make it feel right.
So yes, study those writings in depth. Read the Iliad and Odyssey, a good chunk of the Bible (if you're not from a religious background and want the best bits to read to research your project, I can help there), the Egyptian Book of the Dead, and any good Norse stuff you can track down (I haven't studied that myself, so I can't help there). Mythology from India is great, too. I studied that briefly in college.
kayd_mon
Sage
Oh - I forgot, native American mythology is awesome. You should read the stories from as many nations as you can.
Mythopoet
Auror
The difference between fantasy and mythology is that fantasy is a genre of modern literature which is written and therefore owned by individuals while mythology is a body of storytelling that is created over hundreds of years by countless contributors throughout a given culture and therefore belongs to no one.
A merging of the two concepts, the work of a single modern author to create a world with its own body of storytelling purportedly developed over hundreds of years by countless contributors within an imaginary culture, and which is therefore owned by the author, was defined by its foremost proponent and practitioner, J.R.R. Tolkien, as Mythopoesis, or "myth-making".
A merging of the two concepts, the work of a single modern author to create a world with its own body of storytelling purportedly developed over hundreds of years by countless contributors within an imaginary culture, and which is therefore owned by the author, was defined by its foremost proponent and practitioner, J.R.R. Tolkien, as Mythopoesis, or "myth-making".
Last edited:
Similar threads
