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Myth writing
- Thread starter coldblade
- Start date
Acolyte
Prince of Spires
Istar
I guess that's a bit of a definition question. I would personally lump all myth stories under fantasy as a sub-genre. Which makes all myth world building just a sub-set of fantasy world building.
I don't think it's all that different. Just that the main focus probably shifts. Mythical stories very much tend to focus on gods and ancient times etc. Which means you probably want to have your pantheon sorted out and know which gods have which powers. But other than that, it's just a world with rules and stuff happening in it.
I don't think it's all that different. Just that the main focus probably shifts. Mythical stories very much tend to focus on gods and ancient times etc. Which means you probably want to have your pantheon sorted out and know which gods have which powers. But other than that, it's just a world with rules and stuff happening in it.
It depends on what you’re going for. Old myths don’t read anything like a modern novel. They’re full of odd anecdotes, inconsistencies and variations, and extreme feats like moving the sun. But then you have modern stories where Zeus and Poseidon are the main characters, and the main worldbuilding challenge is to figure out what they’ve been doing for two thousand years.
What kind of myth story are you thinking of?
In my story, which is fantasy, there’s a group of deity-like immortals. There’s about fifty of them, but only a small handful have entered the human realm. And I’m planning to tell their backstory as a series of short personal tragedies to give them that mythical feel.
What kind of myth story are you thinking of?
In my story, which is fantasy, there’s a group of deity-like immortals. There’s about fifty of them, but only a small handful have entered the human realm. And I’m planning to tell their backstory as a series of short personal tragedies to give them that mythical feel.
pmmg
Myth Weaver
A very open ended question...
Myths are generally those things that happened so ago by beings of great power that have become the stories people and cultures pass on so as to explain natural occurrences or phenomenon.
I suppose the word myth, by today's standards, tends to mean fantasy in that they are not really true...but if they are true, as they can be in a fantasy story, they are not really fantasy.
So, I suppose the answer it, Fantasy building, and myth building may both look the same. Fantasy tends to involve magic and far away worlds, and Myth tend to involved Gods and magical beings as a way of explaining nature...both may come together and overlap, or both may stay far and apart from each other. But both involve a similar investment in time and effort. Both are worthwhile for one who writes fantasy fiction.
IMO.
Myths are generally those things that happened so ago by beings of great power that have become the stories people and cultures pass on so as to explain natural occurrences or phenomenon.
I suppose the word myth, by today's standards, tends to mean fantasy in that they are not really true...but if they are true, as they can be in a fantasy story, they are not really fantasy.
So, I suppose the answer it, Fantasy building, and myth building may both look the same. Fantasy tends to involve magic and far away worlds, and Myth tend to involved Gods and magical beings as a way of explaining nature...both may come together and overlap, or both may stay far and apart from each other. But both involve a similar investment in time and effort. Both are worthwhile for one who writes fantasy fiction.
IMO.
Prince of Spires
Istar
Knowing my Greek mythology, figuring out what Zeus has been doing should be fairly straightforward. The only question really is, how has he been hiding it from Hera...?
xena
Troubadour
Fantasy world building is mostly about creating your own rules and worlds from scratch, while myth-based world building leans on old myths and legends, reworking them or building new stories around them.
minta
Troubadour
Myth and fantasy overlap, but they’re not identical. Mythic worldbuilding is usually rooted in cultural or religious traditions and explains origins, natural phenomena, or moral values through symbolic stories, while fantasy is a world created for a story.
