Fantasy Mounts

[RK-Summers]

One of my characters is an immensely powerful queen. She's the Heart of Magic Itself, part of a pantheon of pagan gods, and Queen of the Faeries.

I want to give her a mount that isn't a horse, and had my heart set on a giving her a large hart or stag, but I fear it would end up being like a Megaloceros and be too... Thranduil-y.

Thoughts?

EDIT: She has an affinity with wolves. However, they're more like her spies and guardians rather than mounts.

 

[CupofJoe]

There is nothing wrong with an Irish Elk! If you want the horns though it has to be the stag Elk...
Personally unless you are in all out attack mode I don't like the idea of carnivores as ride-able animals... It's great in battle to have your mount rip the throat out of someone and then eat their [insert organs of choice], but back in camp at the end of the day, that sort of thing is going to make the Grooms and Squires a little nervous come bedding down...
Dragons are a notable and honourable exclusion from this as I have no idea what most of them really eat...
That said, I've always wanted to mount a hero [or villain] on a Griffin...

 

[Hainted]

Snawfus It's like an elk or hart, but it's antlers are wood, and forever covered in blooming flowers. It's breath comes out as mist and herds of them are responsible for the fog that hangs around the Appalachian Mountains in the early mornings.

 

[2WayParadox]

just throwing this out there: how about a tiny animal that grows immensely in size when she needs to ride it?

for example, imagine a giant squirrel to ride. Or even a stag beetle. Very easy to feed in their small sizes.

 

[Deleted member 2173]

In my novels, I created kenephin. They are in essence Afghan Hounds the size of horses.

 

[K.S. Crooks]

It depends on the size of your character. If the are regular human size then I like the gryphon idea that CupofJoe mentioned or a dragon. If the character can fly then they would probably want a mount that can fly also, unless for strategic reasons they want to stay on the ground.
Also consider what you want the animal to be able to do with or without a rider. Do you want the animal to be able to find its own way home or be able to fight in a battle even if the rider is knocked off. Is the queen going to b the only one with this type of animal or will hers be the best of the bunch?
You can try either of these websites Mythical Archive, Mythical Creatures, read about and see your favorite mystic creature. and making your own creature is always an option. Hope this sparks a few ideas.

 

[Logos&Eidos]

Going from your idea off that the queen has a wolf affinity the best mount would be a giant wolf. To really put the fear of the queen and her gods into to people this beast shouldn't just be a dire wolf, it needs to be something on the order of the wolves fom Princess Mononoke.

If your not going to do that then I'd have advise you either look through list of mythic beast or prehistoric animals to find a suitable mount, or create your own creature; The Final Fantasy series has it's Chocobo.

 

[BronzeOracle]

Cat lover pounces into the fray!

Does the animal need to be the Queen's steed or can it be a guardian, companion, adviser? This opens up things.

In my novel the characters live in a society that has social ties with a race of telepathic sabre tooth cats. The cats, while not steeds, are companions and members of military/hunting units. One of the cats plays the role of a stealthy wisecrack in the protagonist's quest party.

If you need a steed then one thing to consider is whether the animals running style supports a rider - do they have a stout back and are long distance runners? Cats and dogs may not be good mounts if they arch their back and are better at charging that long distance running. Animal specialists may be able to comment on this.

What about gazelles or antelope? Miyazaki has an antelope creature ridden by the protagonist in the film Princess Mononoke. Not quite as grand as an elk though - that looked way cool in Battle of the Five Armies.

 

[2WayParadox]

If you really want something grand, consider an Olifaunt (LOTR).

 

[Saigonnus]

Small land-bound dragons might be the trick. I have a race similar to elves that ride them and use them for combat. They cannot fly, but can climb like no one's business. The people have special saddles on them so the can even hang upside down if they want to.

 

[BronzeOracle]

Whatever mount it should be consistent with her energy, her divine aspect as one member of a godly pantheon.

I agree with Logos&Eidos, remembering Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke the mounted wolves worked just fine and the huge wolf god was majestic. I think a species of wolf that is mythical, intelligent, its race long extinct would be suitable - its consistent with the connection to the lost, wild world that faeries represent.

 

[arbiter117]

Her mount should be symbolic of who she is. If she's all about showing off her power, put her on something powerful, if it's majesty she prefers, then a stag comes to my mind. If she were all powerful and all important but exceptionally humble (I don't know the character's background) she should ride something simpler.

She could ride in a chariot pulled by wolves, you know Yukon-style without the snow

 

[Mythopoet]

If your not going to do that then I'd have advise you either look through list of mythic beast or prehistoric animals to find a suitable mount, or create your own creature; The Final Fantasy series has it's Chocobo.

Interestingly, FF's chocobos are almost certainly based on the Horseclaws from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (another film by Miyazaki) which are in turn based on the extinct flightless bird of the Gastornis genus.

So don't be afraid to get creative and come up with something unique. You never know when it might become an ubiquitous part of pop culture.