Afantasy trope is a specific type ofliterary trope (recurring theme) that occurs infantasy fiction.Worldbuilding, plot, and characterization have many common conventions, many of them having ultimately originated inmyth andfolklore.J. R. R. Tolkien'slegendarium (and in particular,The Lord of the Rings) for example, was inspired from avariety of different sources including Germanic, Finnish, Greek, Celtic and Slavic myths.Literary fantasy works operate using these tropes, while others use them in arevisionist manner, making the tropes over for various reasons such as for comic effect, and to create something fresh (a method that often generates newclichés).[1]
The conflict ofgood against evil is a theme in the many popular forms of fantasy; normally, evil characters invade and disrupt the good characters' lands.[2]J. R. R. Tolkien delved into the nature of good and evil inThe Lord of the Rings, but many of those who followed him use the conflict as aplot device, and often do not distinguish the sides by their behavior.[3] In some works, most notably insword and sorcery, evil is not opposed by the unambiguously good but by the morally unreliable.[4]
Heroic characters are a mainstay of fantasy, particularlyhigh fantasy andsword and sorcery.[citation needed] Such characters are capable of more than ordinary behavior, physically, morally, or both.[5] Sometimes they might have to grow into the role ordained for them.[6] This may take the form of maturation,[7] which is often throughComing of Age.
Manyprotagonists are, unknown to themselves, ofroyal blood.[citation needed] Even in so fanciful a tale asThrough the Looking-Glass, Alice is made a queen in the end; this can serve as a symbolic recognition of the hero's inner worth.[8] Commonly, these tales revolve around the maltreated hero coming into his or her own. This can reflect a wish-fulfillment dream, or symbolically embody a profound transformation.[9]
The forces of evil are often personified in a "Dark Lord". Besides possessing vast magical abilities, a Dark Lord often controls great armies and can be portrayed as possessing devil-like qualities.[10] A Dark Lord is usually depicted as the ultimate personification of evil.[citation needed]
The villain of theDemon Sword video game is also literally called Dark Lord.
In theLone Wolfgamebooks, the Dark Lords are a race of powerful evil beings.[11] The protagonists of theOverlord video game franchise are classic Dark Lords in the vein of Sauron. The Dark Lord is usually seen as unmarried, though there has been the occasion when one has attempted to claim a bride.
Quests, an immemorial trope in literature, are common in fantasy. They can be anything from a quest to locate theMacGuffins necessary to save the world, to an internal quest ofself-realization.[12]
In fantasy, magic often has an overwhelming presence, although its precise nature is delineated in the book in which it appears. It can appear in afantasy world (as inThe Lord of the Rings orShannara), or in a fantasy land that is part of reality but insulated from the mundane lands (as inXanth), or as a hidden element in real life (as inThe Dresden Files).[13]
A common trope is that magical ability is innate and rare. As such, magic-wielding people are common figures in fantasy.[14] Another feature is themagic item, which can endow characters with magical abilities or enhance the abilities of the innately powerful. Among the most common aremagic swords andmagic rings.
Self-fulfilling prophecies are amongst the most common forms of magic because they are an often usedplot device. Often the effort undertaken to avert them brings them about, thus driving the story. It is very rare for a prophecy in a fantasy to be false, although usually, their significance is only clear with hindsight.Quibbles can undermine the clearest appearing prophecies.[15]
InThe Lord of the Rings, J. R. R. Tolkien minimized the use of the word 'magic'; beings who use such abilities tend to be confused when they are described this way by others.
Science fantasy stories often make use of scientifically implausible powers similar to magic, such aspsychics.[16] However, unlike truescience fiction works, these powers are used in apulp manner with no examination of their effects on society, only to create more spectacular effects than science fiction alone can provide.[16] An example of this is the use ofthe Force by theJedi in theStar Wars franchise.[17]
Many fantasy creatures are inspired by European folklore and theromances of medieval Europe.Dragons andunicorns are among the most popular creatures. Other monsters, such asgriffins,giants, andgoblins also appear. Races of intelligent beings such aselves,dwarves, andgnomes often draw their history from medieval or pre-Christian roots. Characteristics of the hero and heroine also frequently draw on these sources as well.
This trope is also very important in the setting of many of these fantasies. Writers from the beginnings of the fantasy genre, such asWilliam Morris inThe Well at the World's End andLord Dunsany inThe King of Elfland's Daughter, set their tales infantasy worlds clearly derived from medieval sources; though often filtered throughlater views.J. R. R. Tolkien set the type even more clearly forhigh fantasy, which is normally based in such a "pseudo-medieval" setting. Other fantasy writers have emulated him, androle-playing andcomputer games have also taken up this tradition.
The full width of the medieval era is seldom drawn upon. Governments, for instance, tend to be feudalistic, corrupt empires despite the greater variety of the actual Middle Ages.[18] Settings also tend to be medieval in economy, with many fantasy worlds disproportionatelypastoral.[19]
These settings are typical ofepic fantasy and, to a lesser extent, ofsword and sorcery — which contains more urban settings — than of fantasy in general; the preponderance of epic fantasy in the genre has made them fantasy commonplaces. They are less typical ofcontemporary fantasy, especiallyurban fantasy.
A less common inspiration is theancient world. A famous example is theHyborian Age (the fictional world ofConan the Barbarian), which features analogues ofAncient Egypt,Mesopotamia, and theRoman Empire, among others. Three notable recent series with such settings are:Bartimaeus byJonathan Stroud,Percy Jackson & the Olympians andThe Heroes of Olympus byRick Riordan.
Many fantasy stories and worlds refer to their mainsapienthumanoid creatures as races, rather thanspecies, in order to distinguish them from non-sapient creatures.[20] J. R. R. Tolkien popularized the usage of the term in this context, in hislegendarium (and particularly inThe Lord of the Rings), and the use ofraces in theDungeons & Dragonsrole-playing games further spread the label.[21] Many fantasy and science fiction settings now use the terms race and species interchangeably, such as theWorld of Warcraft computer game.
In role-playing games, "race" typically refers to any sapient species usable as aplayer character. Older editions ofDungeons & Dragons called the primary non-human player races (dwarf,elf,gnome,halfling, andhalf-elf, half-orc) "demi-humans." Later games such asShadowrun use the term "metahuman," and define these humanoid races as subdivisions ofHomo sapiens.
Media related toFantasy tropes at Wikimedia Commons
