Top 10 Stereotypes in Fantasy?

[shangrila]

1. The young hero who starts out as a whiny inexperienced bumpkin, and ends up a powerful wielder of some power he never knew he possessed.
2. The old eccentric mentor who sets the hero on his path.
3. The initially skeptical damsel, who has super skills, but for some reason will still need to be rescued at some point.
4. The epic bad guy whose name is super scary sounding.
5. The surprise relation. “Luke... I AM your father.”
6. The ancient prophecy that singles out our hero as the only person who can take down epic bad guy.
7. The scary witch/voodoo/swamp lady who scares everyone else but for some reason helps the hero.
8. The somewhat ridiculous bard who is there so the author can slip in some “poetry.”
9. The elf/human romance.
10. The item that the hero thinks is useless, but carries around anyway for 967 pages until he realizes that it’s what he needed all along to save the world! Lucky, that.

I'll see how mine goes;
1. My MC has been a soldier all his life and is middle aged
2. Uh...a bunch of old dudes exile him from his home. Would that count?
3. The damsel is smart but physically weak. She has no special skills, though she does this one thing, at night...*ahem*.
4. The bad guy's name is the Red Scarf. Doesn't sound scary to me.
5. His love interest is the bad guy's sister.
6. No prophecy, he just likes killing people.
7. Nope.
8. God no. I suck at writing poetry, I'll do anything to avoid it.
9. Nope. I don't even have elves.
10. Nope. He has a sword, shield and that's enough to get him through most problems.

 

[Jess A]

Hmm I've picked a couple to test my story against. let's see how I fare (I'm very conscious and wary of stereotypes, but I deliberately use them if I think it serves the story or my audience...or me...).

Well, nothing official but here is my list:

1. That there are exclusively evil races (orcs, troll, etc)
2. That the "good" side suffer emotional setbacks but are generally immortal.
3. That evil manifests itself physically (ie bent back of a warlock, the blind eye of an evil priest, etc)
4. That the good side seem to lack such deformities.
5. That evil is bent on destroying the world (really? Why? So it can have power over nothing?)
6. That an object is the key to overcoming the great evil (think of King Arthur or Rand)
7. That good characters are free of moral flaws
8. The "Haven." Every protaginist flees to some haven to either heal or increase their strength before the vanquish evil.
9. That the guards who stand in front of any room are really just scarecrows dressed in armor (Why do guards die so fast? Why do they never seem to suspect their eminent death?)
10. That the hero has modest roots, usually as a farmer or shepherd.

That there are exclusively evil races (orcs, troll, etc)
No evil races in mine. At this point in my plotting/writing, there are only humans (some with quirks). There are other races to be introduced later, but I don't know what yet and they will not be aligned to good or evil any more than humans are.
That the "good" side suffer emotional setbacks but are generally immortal.
Do you mean main characters? No immortality there.
That evil manifests itself physically (ie bent back of a warlock, the blind eye of an evil priest, etc)
Oh I love a tall, gaunt, scary man. But remembering that these traits are enhanced through the eyes of those who are afraid of them, and not necessarily through the eyes of people who know nothing about the 'evil' person. Most of the baddies just look like normal people, but I confess to a tall gaunt creep with bony fingers.
That the good side seem to lack such deformities.
I try to keep it level on both sides if there are any deformities
That evil is bent on destroying the world (really? Why? So it can have power over nothing?)
Not destroy the world, change it to what they feel comfortable in
That an object is the key to overcoming the great evil (think of King Arthur or Rand)
No object
That good characters are free of moral flaws
There are moral flaws. Nobody is friggin perfect.
The "Haven." Every protaginist flees to some haven to either heal or increase their strength before the vanquish evil.
No haven.
That the guards who stand in front of any room are really just scarecrows dressed in armor (Why do guards die so fast? Why do they never seem to suspect their eminent death?)
Ah, the poor cannon-fodder guards. I try to avoid that, but I have to work on giving them more personality.
That the hero has modest roots, usually as a farmer or shepherd.
The main protagonists so far are all of noble households, though I haven't finished with characters (there are others in different parts of the storyline) and have some commoners/merchants too. I think it's obvious I haven't gotten that far into my book...

1. The young hero who starts out as a whiny inexperienced bumpkin, and ends up a powerful wielder of some power he never knew he possessed.
2. The old eccentric mentor who sets the hero on his path.
3. The initially skeptical damsel, who has super skills, but for some reason will still need to be rescued at some point.
4. The epic bad guy whose name is super scary sounding.
5. The surprise relation. “Luke... I AM your father.”
6. The ancient prophecy that singles out our hero as the only person who can take down epic bad guy.
7. The scary witch/voodoo/swamp lady who scares everyone else but for some reason helps the hero.
8. The somewhat ridiculous bard who is there so the author can slip in some “poetry.”
9. The elf/human romance.
10. The item that the hero thinks is useless, but carries around anyway for 967 pages until he realizes that it’s what he needed all along to save the world! Lucky, that.

1. Both protagonists are trained in what they do and while both have (a form of) magic, one of them was always bettering herself through training and the other guy's magic isn't that exciting. In later books, the protagonists are probably in their 30s, but they start younger (some of them...others are older).
2. No mentor for my heroes other than perhaps their parents at a stage in their lives. Some are somewhat young and improvising.
3. There is a touching scene where the male hero rescues the female...and she points out that she didn't even need rescuing. I think she is more likely to rescue people.
4. There are few baddies, but I don't know if their names are that scary or even special.
5. Definitely some revelations - I love reading those, and I love writing them as long as they aren't too lame.
6. No prophesy and there are lots of people involved in the conflict. Peasants to royalty to mages to ordinary people.
7. No witch/swamp lady as far as I've written, but I don't mind one if it's sort of made fun of...
8. No bard. Just a sort of scribe girl, but she isn't a poet or a musician.
9. No elves. I am so goddamned sick of reading about elves. No interspecies relationships, either.
10. No special Legend of Zelda item.

 

[Ireth]

Well, nothing official but here is my list:

1. That there are exclusively evil races (orcs, troll, etc)
2. That the "good" side suffer emotional setbacks but are generally immortal.
3. That evil manifests itself physically (ie bent back of a warlock, the blind eye of an evil priest, etc)
4. That the good side seem to lack such deformities.
5. That evil is bent on destroying the world (really? Why? So it can have power over nothing?)
6. That an object is the key to overcoming the great evil (think of King Arthur or Rand)
7. That good characters are free of moral flaws
8. The "Haven." Every protaginist flees to some haven to either heal or increase their strength before the vanquish evil.
9. That the guards who stand in front of any room are really just scarecrows dressed in armor (Why do guards die so fast? Why do they never seem to suspect their eminent death?)
10. That the hero has modest roots, usually as a farmer or shepherd.

Testing mine again:

Winter's Queen and Summer's Blood:

1. Doing my best to subvert this with my Fae, esp. the Unseelie. There is at least one who is actually decent, though he has his flaws.
2. Subverting that in Summer's Blood, hopefully.
3. Nope. All the Fae are beautiful, whether good or bad.
4. *shrug* My protagonists are all pretty average-looking, and some of them gain scars along the way.
5. Nope. My villain wants his father's throne and kingdom, but there's no destruction of the world involved.
6. Nope.
7. Nope again. My protagonists are all flawed.
8. Nope.
9. Not really.
10. My heroine and heroes are from modern-day, middle class England, so not as modest as the typical fantasy hero/ine.

Low Road:

1. Nope. My vampires are a mixed bag of good and evil.
2. Hopefully subverting this too. Though my hero is literally immortal, being a vampire.
3. Guilty of this one, and it's a major part of the story.
4. My protagonist has a physical deformity, as do his mother and sister. He may also gain some level of ugliness later on in the story.
5. No destruction motive here, just control.
6. Not quite guilty of this one. The hero's MacGuffin isn't used in the final battle, but the villain's is.
7. Doing my best to subvert this one.
8. Kinda guilty here.
9. Er, possibly.
10. Yup, my hero is the son of shepherds. He later becomes a beekeeper as well.

 

[ArielFingolfin]

And then there's the anti-royal cliche of the character coming out of nowhere and being a nobody and kicking all the royals' butts (example A: A Knight's Tale). Seems like there's no way to win that one.

 

[Hans]

An other game of happy comparing your settings? Well, let me join in.

1. The young hero who starts out as a whiny inexperienced bumpkin, and ends up a powerful wielder of some power he never knew he possessed.
2. The old eccentric mentor who sets the hero on his path.
3. The initially skeptical damsel, who has super skills, but for some reason will still need to be rescued at some point.
4. The epic bad guy whose name is super scary sounding.
5. The surprise relation. “Luke... I AM your father.”
6. The ancient prophecy that singles out our hero as the only person who can take down epic bad guy.
7. The scary witch/voodoo/swamp lady who scares everyone else but for some reason helps the hero.
8. The somewhat ridiculous bard who is there so the author can slip in some “poetry.”
9. The elf/human romance.
10. The item that the hero thinks is useless, but carries around anyway for 967 pages until he realizes that it’s what he needed all along to save the world! Lucky, that.

1) Inexperienced maybe. But definitely not whiny. Her search for more knowledge and power drives the whole story.
2) I could take her selected teacher for that.
3) My main character always rescues herself, so I have to take someone else. Does Ms. "I am a genius. I am much above the ones like you. I am much to arrogant to notice any signs of danger." count?
4) No epic bad guy.No scary sounds for native speakers of the relevant language.
5) More like "I will be the father of your children". But maybe more surprising is her reaction "you got a deal".
6) Nope.
7) Yes. She is my main character. And she does help herself.
8) Nope.
9) I would have to redefine the word "Elf" for that.
10) Most of the time the only thing in her possession is her clothes. These do not help her save the world. Also the world as such is not endangered.

 

[ArielFingolfin]

1. The young hero who starts out as a whiny inexperienced bumpkin, and ends up a powerful wielder of some power he never knew he possessed.
2. The old eccentric mentor who sets the hero on his path.
3. The initially skeptical damsel, who has super skills, but for some reason will still need to be rescued at some point.
4. The epic bad guy whose name is super scary sounding.
5. The surprise relation. “Luke... I AM your father.”
6. The ancient prophecy that singles out our hero as the only person who can take down epic bad guy.
7. The scary witch/voodoo/swamp lady who scares everyone else but for some reason helps the hero.
8. The somewhat ridiculous bard who is there so the author can slip in some “poetry.”
9. The elf/human romance.
10. The item that the hero thinks is useless, but carries around anyway for 967 pages until he realizes that it’s what he needed all along to save the world! Lucky, that.

Well, let's see how I stand up:

1. Not whiny, but defensive and arrogant. And that doesn't really change.
2. No mentor. I avoided that one on purpose
3. His brother...? Nah.
4. Not really a set villian; everyone's just trying to do their own thing and fighting each other.
5. Aw crud.
6. Only if the prophecy states that the bad guys win and the heroes will be lucky to escape with all their limbs.
7. Does a blind fire witch count?
8. The soldier there to use colorful phrases that I typically avoid.
9. Well there may be a pending bromance...
10. No, he knows all along his sword is freaking awesome.

 

[Aravelle]

Because women are harder to write. And before you shoot me, twas a female writer who told me that.

To get into the mind of a woman, it's best to consult a few. I have a female hero- but then again, I am female. I also have a male, and they end up meeting since they discover they're fighting for the same cause. They don't end up together though. No way Jose.

 

[Aravelle]

1. The young hero who starts out as a whiny inexperienced bumpkin, and ends up a powerful wielder of some power he never knew he possessed.
2. The old eccentric mentor who sets the hero on his path.
3. The initially skeptical damsel, who has super skills, but for some reason will still need to be rescued at some point.
4. The epic bad guy whose name is super scary sounding.
5. The surprise relation. “Luke... I AM your father.”
6. The ancient prophecy that singles out our hero as the only person who can take down epic bad guy.
7. The scary witch/voodoo/swamp lady who scares everyone else but for some reason helps the hero.
8. The somewhat ridiculous bard who is there so the author can slip in some “poetry.”
9. The elf/human romance.
10. The item that the hero thinks is useless, but carries around anyway for 967 pages until he realizes that it’s what he needed all along to save the world! Lucky, that.

1. My male hero is a shaman. He was learning magic before there's ever a sign of danger. Even then he's average at it.
2. None.
3. My female hero needs rescuing... but she's no damsel, and in a craaazy situation not even men can escape. My other major female is never taken.
4. Actually, it's arguable my villian has the most benevolent name of all my characters.
5. There's a bit of a parentage one [as well as a "I SLEPT WITH WHO?!" one] but its not that the people who raised him aren't his biological parents. Because they are. :B
6. None.
7. My witch is actually hot and has quite the social life. xD
8. He's young and flamboyant, but not ridiculous. Like a puppy.
9. No elves in my story. No dwarves either...except a band of midgets who think they are.
10. Nope. I have no real magical items. A few small charms, but not the "sword of destiny" or "jewelry piece of power".

 

[Aravelle]

Well, nothing official but here is my list:

1. That there are exclusively evil races (orcs, troll, etc)
2. That the "good" side suffer emotional setbacks but are generally immortal.
3. That evil manifests itself physically (ie bent back of a warlock, the blind eye of an evil priest, etc)
4. That the good side seem to lack such deformities.
5. That evil is bent on destroying the world (really? Why? So it can have power over nothing?)
6. That an object is the key to overcoming the great evil (think of King Arthur or Rand)
7. That good characters are free of moral flaws
8. The "Haven." Every protaginist flees to some haven to either heal or increase their strength before the vanquish evil.
9. That the guards who stand in front of any room are really just scarecrows dressed in armor (Why do guards die so fast? Why do they never seem to suspect their eminent death?)
10. That the hero has modest roots, usually as a farmer or shepherd.

1. Nope.
2. Nope.
3. Noooo. My villians are generally more attractive than my heroes.
4. Nope. My female hero is handicapped in a way.
5. Nope.
6. Nope.
7. Nope. Defineeetly not.
8. Pfffft. Both good and bad could happen in anyplace like that in my world.
9. Can't say I've thought of any guards... hmm.. I'll probably try to demolish that cliche intentionally. xD
10. The female hero has respected parents, the male is also respected but neither are necessarily wealthy due to it.

 

[Devor]

1. Humans are the most destructive race.
2. The epic bad guy whose name is super scary sounding.
3. Good vs Evil.
4. Dark Lord that wants to take over the world.
5. Friends of the hero.
6. Old guy with loads of wisdom to help the hero.
7. Powerful objects of some kind that are important for the story.
8. 3 vs. 300. The 3 win.
9. The villain monologues, saying what he will do but never does it.
10. The villain always loses.
11. That evil manifests itself physically (ie bent back of a warlock, the blind eye of an evil priest, etc)
12. That evil is bent on destroying the world (really? Why? So it can have power over nothing?)
13. The "Haven." Every protaginist flees to some haven to either heal or increase their strength before the vanquish evil.
14. That the hero has modest roots, usually as a farmer or shepherd.

I'm guilty of these in my WIP.

1. Humans are the only race I'm using. Well, some spirits might be more destructive, if they count.
2. I haven't settled on the bad guy's name. It will be impressive, but not "Dark Lord."
3. It would be hard to deny that my story is Good v. Evil, but the bad guy has his reasons.
4. He's not a Dark Lord, but he does want to take over this part of the world.
5. My hero has friends. Yes.
6. The martial arts teacher has a clear philosophy, but doesn't play the know-it-all of a Dumbledore or Gandolf.
7. Powerful items make their appearances, but that's how magic works in this world. There's no one all-consuming item. Rather, the great threat comes from the way that different magics are being combined.
8. My three can kill your 300. But I can make you believe it, so it's okay.
9. I've got notes on a monologue of what the bad guy wants to do. Timing is everything, though, so I don't know yet how monologue-ey it will play out.
10. Is it alright if everyone loses?
11. In real life, your habits do sometimes manifest themselves physically. That's what happens here. But it's not a mere scar or missing eye. The guy is totally nuts and it shows. (He's not the main guy, though.)
12. Destroying the world is COOL! Well, actually what he's up to is literally the opposite. World's already broken. But the effect is similar.
13. Is the Haven something you can avoid?
14. Hero was raised on a farm, but he was taught martial arts from an early age. Don't know how that counts.

 

[Steerpike]

Exclusively evil race doesn't bother me. Bring 'em on.

Some of these things are part of the hero's journey, right? The wise mentor, for example. Supernatural aid (like maybe a powerful object).

 

[ArielFingolfin]

I don't think a cliche is an unforgiveable thing as long as the entire story doesn't revolve around it and there's plenty of solid writing and original plot devices to support it. Like I'm not too worried about the one cliche I nailed on the head because I went into the story knowing it was a cliche and fully intending to make it only one of the many threads that make up the story.

 

[Sheilawisz]

Now let's play with my own list of Fantasy stereotypes =)

1- Good vs Evil.
2- Dark Lord that wants to take over the world.
3- Hero that comes from a low birth and rises to power and legend.
4- Friends of the hero.
5- Old guy with loads of wisdom to help the hero.
6- Elves.
7- Dwarves.
8- The prophecy about the hero that would vanquish all evil.
9- Powerful objects of some kind that are important for the story.
10- Damsels in distress.
11- Tragic love stories.
12- Medieval Setting.
13- Evil Mages that start wars about candles and nuke cities just because they can.

1- No good vs Evil in my stories, at all!!
2- She does not care to take over anything, why would she want to?
3- My Heroine is a Mage Princess when the story starts.
4- She has indeed a group of friends that help her out =)
5- Her dead mother's best friend acts like a mentor sometimes.
6- No elves in my worlds.
7- No Dwarves either.
8- Sorry, no prophecy about her and she vanquishes no evil.
9- Her favourite flute.
10- My damsels cause the distress themselves =)
11- I do have those, but they have good ends.
12- My worlds have a higher level of technology than a Medieval setting.
13- Absolutely! XD!!

 

[shangrila]

Exclusively evil race doesn't bother me. Bring 'em on.

I'm fine with it as long as there's a reason. The Forkrul Assail in the Malazan series, for example, are typically evil because their sense of justice means killing off the war like races (humans) to let the world heal and begin again.

Whereas, on the flip side, you've got the Orcs and Goblins of Tolkien, which seem to be evil just because they're ugly. That to me is just lame.

 

[Steerpike]

Whereas, on the flip side, you've got the Orcs and Goblins of Tolkien, which seem to be evil just because they're ugly.

I don't know that this is an accurate reading of Tolkien. Depending on which idea you like about the origin of Orcs, for example, they were either created by dark sorcery or stemmed from beings corrupted by it. They are a product of evil, and thus evil. It's not like they're a naturally-occurring race that just happens to be evil for some reason. There are other people here who will know a lot more about this than me, though.

 

[Ireth]

You've pretty much summed it up, Steerpike.

 

[Jess A]

A lot of people seem to use 'dark elves'. Feist did, but he had this big historical reason for it - I forget the specifics.

I've never been a big fan of races which are evil - unless there is a good reason. Even then, I don't like it to be 'black and white'. I grew up reading Redwall books, and my favourite books were always those where a 'vermin' (rats, weasels, stoats, sometimes cats, foxes etc) would become kindhearted. What I sap I can be!

 

[shangrila]

I don't know that this is an accurate reading of Tolkien. Depending on which idea you like about the origin of Orcs, for example, they were either created by dark sorcery or stemmed from beings corrupted by it. They are a product of evil, and thus evil. It's not like they're a naturally-occurring race that just happens to be evil for some reason. There are other people here who will know a lot more about this than me, though.

Yeah, I'd heard they were tortured elves or something. But, IIRC, it's kind of a hand wave explanation in LOTR. As in someone asks why they're evil and someone else (probably Gandalf) says something like "oh they were created with evil so they're all evil".

I don't know, maybe it's just me, but that seems like a weak reason. Maybe that just has to do with how fantasy as a genre has evolved though.

 

[Steerpike]

Yeah, I'd heard they were tortured elves or something. But, IIRC, it's kind of a hand wave explanation in LOTR. As in someone asks why they're evil and someone else (probably Gandalf) says something like "oh they were created with evil so they're all evil".

I don't know, maybe it's just me, but that seems like a weak reason. Maybe that just has to do with how fantasy as a genre has evolved though.

Again this is an incorrect view of Tolkien. Far from being a hand wave, Tolkien spent a lot of time on this issue, and it shows up in his letters and other works. Tolkien didn't hand wave anything about his world. You may not like how he implemented some of it but it wasn't through lack of thinking out the various issues. Perhaps you are familiar only with the movies?

I'm not a Tolkien scholar like a few people here, but from what I do know of him and his work on The Lord of the Rings, I'm guessing he never hand-waved anything. Even something like the personality and characteristics of his dwarves (which also get labeled as cliche now, because so many have copied it) has a basis in the mythology of Middle-Earth, where they were created in one time, when a great evil (Melkor?) walked on and under Middle Earth. The dwarves were given personality traits and character that it was thought they would need given the evil that was on the land. But they were created too early, and in secret, and when it was found out they were put to sleep until such a time as it was deemed appropriate for them to be released. If you can read some of Tolkien's letters, and read the Silmarillion, I think you'll find the deepest, most thought-out fantasy world out there. There may well be aspects of it that you don't like, and don't agree with the direction Tolkien went. But hand-waved? I don't think so.

 

[Ireth]

Indeed. Even Tolkien didn't like the idea of a race being Always Chaotic Evil, since it clashed with his Christian ideology. He struggled for a long time with his orcs and various questions -- do they have souls? Where do they go when they die? I think there may have been some orcs out there who were at least halfway decent, tired of serving a master who ruled through fear and pain. Shame none of them ever showed up in the books.