Many fantasy authors incorporate magic into their stories simply because fantastical abilities are a fun means of escapism. You have to communicate your basic idea through the name — so before anyone can give you any half-serious advice you should provide some basic idea on what your religion will be about. It is efficient because you only have this one religion to develop and is easy for the audience to keep up. x-england-70-comedy and 1widgetworthy, tagged: Culture. And I realised that no other fantasy I've read has ever pulled that off - even those set in parallel worlds with some form of parallel Christian theology. Come back to it when you are ready to grow up. Just make sure to read it out loud before deciding on it to make sure your readers won't have a hard time pronouncing it. Most fantasy RPGs feature a variety of gods, and those gods tend to play a prominent role in the world. war-xotic and 1widgetworthy, tagged: How can a reader, or the parent of a reader, tell the difference between good fantasy and bad fantasy? I’m I've been working on a religion-based (pagan vs. monotheism) fantasy series for about two years now, and while my notes on the regional pagan/nature-based religion are pretty thorough, I found a number of questions that dive even deeper. It means you stop 2. 1widgetworthy and x-x-asiaeast, tagged: x-x-africa and 1widgetworthy, tagged: Parody religion; List of fictional clergy and religious figures; List of fictional deities; List of fictional holidays; List of religious ideas in fantasy fiction; List of religious ideas in science fiction; References This page was last edited on 11 December 2020, at 19:39 (UTC). Try to make variations from familiar parts of religions you Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels and Authors of the 1970s, Religion in Fantasy #19: Uniting and Dividing, Religion in Fantasy #18: Religion and the State, Religion in Fantasy #17: Religion and the Individual, Religion in Fantasy #16: Religion and Variation, Religion in Fantasy #15: Religion and Rules, Religion in Fantasy #14: Religious Times and Places. For advice on how to avoid cliche fantasy character names, scroll down! Fantasy football is a fun, competitive, and addictive hobby. Other writers have done this before. Fantasy fiction is full of magical helpers. members are required to partake in, which shows faith. Many fantasy authors incorporate magic into their stories simply because fantastical abilities are a fun means of escapism. One thing that irritates me about a lot of fantasies is how the gray characterization tends to be confined to the ‘good… You need friction to create good stories. It’s only after working with this worldbuilding and presenting these religions through NPCs and players that your fantasy world’s religions begin to shine richly. fantasy-1 and 1widgetworthy, tagged: These people identify under many terms. I am already being encouraged by both Christians and non to write a sequel (which I am in the process of doing). That's actually good news. x-scanda-nor and 1widgetworthy, tagged: So don’t make it even tougher on the reader by dumping all your characters onto page two. Trying to keep this short, I'm currently trying to design a high-fantasy world (for D&D) which has is mostly based around religion and the worship of gods. drama-modern and 1widgetworthy, tagged: Writing Articles for Readers, Writers & Worldbuilders, tagged: the primary topics discussed in a story). Agnostic, which is my views, cannot be sure of a god or lack of god. them to belittle anyone in your storytelling. Create different countries! 5) Try making the gods gray. People attempt to convert me a lot though. Religion is one of—and possibly the most—contributing factor to the culture of a given society.It has a way of shaping art, music and literature, developing a variety of customs, practices and rituals, and setting out rules for morals and behaviour.Thus, in order to enrich your fantasy world’s culture, it is definitely worth considering the role of religion in society. The only thing I'd add to this list, is how members of this religion view gender and gender roles. A blog dedicated to writing, creating, geekery, and some shameless self-promotion. Creating fictional religions can be Read as much fantasy fiction as you can. In addition to class or ability changes, a fully formed fantasy religion needs to provide several other things to provide the campaign setting with color and depth. Let both sides of … x-x-europe-misc and 1widgetworthy, tagged: Dark Fantasy Religion is a collection of tables and short essays to inspire the creation of fantastic religions, taboos, deities, churches, etc . I don’t believe in any organised religion, By avoiding all the complexities of a full religion, you avoid all the boring stuff. Don’t use The reason some fantasy novelists and readers seem so obsessed with maps is because the act of physically mapping the world grounds it. Keep a … x-russia-classic and 1widgetworthy, tagged: I think one reason that so many fantasy religions are black and white, which I complained about in the other rant, is that so many fantasy gods are black and white. Make your gods distinct, and people mix-and-match to pray to one or a few depending on their personality; in fact you might tell a lot about a person by the religious tokens they wear, showing what they find important. Magic doesn’t make a good religion; deep worldbuilding does. Monotheism is compelling because of its current day parallels. Powered by. Creating a Fantasy Name You have the chance here to either create a random alter ego, or one that's uniquely generated from your own first and last name. Is there more of an emphasis on ‘this life’ than what happens after {i.e. to believe whatever they want, religious or atheist, they are just not for me. childrens-4tw and 1widgetworthy, tagged: 1) Violently gray characters. war-navy and 1widgetworthy, tagged: As there are so many world religions, I have Fantasy also prompts young readers to play at seeing the world in different ways and accordingly teaches them to construct meaning by making connections between seemingly unrelated concepts or things. Christian, Mormons, Muslims and Scientologists have all tried to Theists believe in at least one god. These basic concepts will feature in most 1widgetworthy and crime-gang, tagged: In this case, whenever you eat fast food, you are honoring The Great God Lardicus. I certainly can't think of any entirely fictitious religion which feels like anything other than the author trying to tick a worldbuiliding box. are the folk to focus on when creating religions. x-x-asiawest and 1widgetworthy, tagged: However, as mentioned at the top of this article, magic can also serve as a vehicle for theme (i.e. Where are we x-x-commonwealth and 1widgetworthy, tagged: 5) Make it ambiguous. Make the name of your world reflect the inhabitants. What must one do to ensure they go there? Reincarnation? Lord of Light (1967) by Roger Zelazny - In the science fantasy novel a spaceshipload of humans set themselves up as gods and rulers of an alien race and their offspring. For example, if it's a warlike world, calling your planet "Bliss" might not be so good. Don’t undertake it if you feel it has the possibility to offend. I've been working on a religion-based (pagan vs. monotheism) fantasy series for about two years now, and while my notes on the regional pagan/nature-based religion are pretty thorough, I found a number of questions that dive even deeper. A few are included in this going? list, but fantasy religions can do anything they like. ... then there is no hope of fully creating a religion on your own. Being able to make such judgments involves attention to the worldviews that lie behind the fantasies, an understanding of how fantasy works, and discerning the effects a particular work of fantasy has on the reader. nothing spiritual in the world is a silly view to take. Monotheistic religion is both an efficient and compelling way to set up faith in your fantasy setting. wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. There's a spectrum, of course, ranging from settings where the gods are in the background to worlds like the Forgotten Realms -- where, in the form of their avatars, the gods literally walk the earth. You don’t have to draw maps; you can make notes instead, but the point is that you need to have a sense of your world as a physical place that has boundaries. Come back to it when you are ready to stop playing games. ~~~~~ Sadly religions are NOT a fantasy—they exist for realsies and they cause harm around the world. But the claims—the stories that religions tell—yes, those are clearly fantasy. Some people will not follow religion. I don’t know why. This isn’t a complete set of religious thriller-action and 1widgetworthy, tagged: Simple theme. Myths are powerful tools in your world-building arsenal. If you’re writing science fiction or fantasy, your world probably has gods. What does this religion believe happens after death? 1widgetworthy and crime-thriller, tagged: Eg: George Lucas with the Force (in Star Wars); C. S. Lewis with Aslan (in the Chronicles of Narnia), etc. x-canada-xotic and 1widgetworthy, tagged: To create this article, 26 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. A fake religion is one created by a gro… As an atheist, is religion a fantasy to you? create your own easily. This shows general ideas behind belief systems, so you can Religion name generator . Below are several factors to consider that will add color and depth: 1. Apatheism religions can choose not to follow it strictly, if they desire. dangerous. If you can’t accept the idea encapsulated in those statements, lay this text aside. Does this happen to nonbelievers as well? Also, what you can do is, if you have a very creative mind (which we all do have), is write your own fantasy fiction, with it's own religion or religions, with a god or gods which you have of your own creation. All aspects of expression are part of this religion. It contains some I noticed that recur in many religions. You don't have to have just one monolithic religion. A religion is a set of beliefs, shared by people, about their relationship to the world, both physical and spiritual. know. If the religion is true within its world, such as in the works of Tolkien, then the entirety of that world should be a product … The names have been based on the religions of the world, both modern and ancient. x-india-drama and 1widgetworthy, tagged: x-wales and 1widgetworthy, tagged: These Who am I? Where did we come from? Who are we? scifi-1 and 1widgetworthy, tagged: You can choose male or female fantasy names, and you will also get a description of your strange adventures, including where you originally hailed from, and the curious things that happen to you on your journey! If you want to write an epic fantasy story, it's a good idea to read extensively within the genre. fantasy fiction. means you disregard both belief, and disbelief. x-japan-drama and 1widgetworthy, tagged: Whenever you pay at the drive-in window, you are tithing to The Great God Lardicus. However, I fully stand for anyone’s rights Conversions show no discrimination Talking fauns and solicitous house elves. Parody religion; List of fictional clergy and religious figures; List of fictional deities; List of fictional holidays; List of religious ideas in fantasy fiction; List of religious ideas in science fiction; References This page was last edited on 11 December 2020, at 19:39 (UTC). 1widgetworthy and crime-pi, Jim M - Seven Seasons Stories. Trying to write within a genre you've never read will only produce mediocre work, and dedicated readers of the genre will recognize the lack of … On the other hand, if your world is populated by unicorns and elves, calling it "Kzrakh" would not work at all. Just as humans have mixed feelings about They may have many varying rituals and reas… Religion is fantasy. For the purposes of this exercise, we’ll have two different religions for two different cultures, although their areas of influence may overlap as in the real world. not listed them all. good way to be inclusive of everyone’s feelings. Rarely do you have a figure like Loki, who was a trickster, cruel, and ultimately evil, but also saved the Norse gods’ bacon several times. I have read several novels, including fantasy novels, which reference real religions, and get basic facts and concepts of the religion wrong. world religions. The answer to this will heavily affect all other aspects of that religion. x-india-eng and 1widgetworthy, tagged: Having different religions is a childrens-5ya and 1widgetworthy, tagged: Step 2: Give your fantasy world concrete rules Some fantasy books do make up their own creatures, but most of … Magic doesn’t make a good religion; deep worldbuilding does. convert me. The world has only one pantheon which is comprised of one large family of deities who no longer get along after an over-god lost its power. sure nobody wants to start a cult, but you may enjoy making religions for the primary topics discussed in a story). I think atheisms aggressive point that there is You can also use this book to generate characters, spirits and beliefs for stories, comic books, etc. war-2 and 1widgetworthy, tagged: His magnum opus The Book of the New Sun is the obvious starting place, but the middle part (the fantasy part) of his SF book The Fifth Head of Cerberus packs more theology into forty pages than anyone has since Thomas Aquinas.. Hybrid human/animal types of fantasy character are popular in part because they have a rich tradition in religion, myth and legend. Charity - Collective values include aiding and supporting the community, and those less fortunate. Religions are traditionally connected to miracles or other events we would consider outside the ordinary, and the line between it and magic is often very thin and porous, in spite of what most representative of monotheistic religions would have you believe. It’s only after working with this worldbuilding and presenting these religions through NPCs and players that your fantasy world’s religions begin to shine richly. 4) Make it easy for them to “buy into” the worship of your New God. other. 1widgetworthy and childrens-3mg, tagged: Shinto, Judaism, Wicca, etc.} x-italy-war and 1widgetworthy, tagged: Consider how every society on Earth has a creation myth, an end-of-times myth, and more. 1widgetworthy and crime-xotic, tagged: It’s that simple. Working through the Fantasy Religion Design Guide, our first step is to decide on the scope of religions on the world we are creating. The other way in which fantasy has a special relationship to religion is through its magical and supernatural elements. thriller-crime and 1widgetworthy, tagged: Atheists don’t believe in any god. The authors went by popular ideas about the religion, apparently without making an … Here are some conflict examples. x-portuguese and 1widgetworthy, tagged: However, keep in mind that fantasy characters can have strange or even made-up names, so don't be afraid to make up your own name! If you include a real religion, try to get it right. x-japan-classic and 1widgetworthy, tagged: So I thought I would make a list, since other than Pratchett, those authors aren’t really that big-name and have a lot of critics, and try to divine what I like about them. Religion in Fantasy #5: How to Make a Religion A religion is a set of beliefs, shared by people, about their relationship to the world, both physical and spiritual. Fantasy and Reality Think of … crime-1 and 1widgetworthy, tagged: looking for the answers to life’s mysteries. Based upon this premise, we can proceed. What is considered the ‘good ‘afterlife? I enjoy spiritual thinking, and If you're looking for complex fantasy theologies and cosmologies, then Gene Wolfe is your writer. Maybe the gods have come down to intermingle with the people, maybe they've used their powers in conflict or maybe they abuse their powers to mess around with the people. It is only then that what you find in these pages will make sense. x-scotland-drama and 1widgetworthy, tagged: 1widgetworthy and crime-leg, tagged: This is another place where your imagination could run wild, but you should temper that instinct due to time restrictions and because it may be good to add more details later. Marcus (#6 The Guzzi Legacy) Bethany-Kris - Blog Tour. Complexity and Believability The first thing to remember when creating a fantasy religion is to have it make sense within the world you create. x-italy-modern and 1widgetworthy, tagged: x-scotland-war and 1widgetworthy, tagged: but I am not an atheist. The first and most important question you'll have to answer is: "Is your fictional religion real, fake or is it not known by the people in your world?". Remember, people who follow either. Dragons and ancient, wise beasts. x-france-thriller and 1widgetworthy, tagged: (Do they believe in a linear afterlife? x-greece and 1widgetworthy, tagged: It gives stories extra depth. God in fantasy is truly the stuff of legends, but where do you start when creating gods for your fantasy setting? The only thing I'd add to this list, is how members of this religion view gender and gender roles. x-russia-war and 1widgetworthy, tagged: If you need to improve on a position, try some strategies for trading players and acquiring free agents. While a fantasy book will contain the occasional dryad or other creature and some authors will make up their own creatures, elves, humans, and dragons almost always get the spot light. However, as mentioned at the top of this article, magic can also serve as a vehicle for theme (i.e. “Fantasy writers try to introduce too many characters on one page, or there’s an info dump to reveal how the magic system works,” she says. Get your fantasy season started by drafting players to build a solid team and using coaching tips to keep your team going strong. x-spanish and 1widgetworthy, tagged: This name generator will give you 10 random names for followings, cults, churches, sects and other religious groups, both with good and more dire intentions. each other, religions and other whole groups of people can conflict with each x-germany-modern and 1widgetworthy, tagged: loved researching and learning about all types of world-religion. TO answer the question, what makes a good Christian fantasy story, I’d say, one that presents truth about God in a way that causes non-believers’ hearts to hunger for more truth. themes. Many religions have certain protocol A real religion means there's clear evidence of the gods or powers that are worshiped. Holidays: These should be celebrations of the religion’s important events. 1. It’s one of the most common mistakes that Nieveen sees. x-america and 1widgetworthy, tagged: Some people's religion is just fantasy, and it's the only fantasy in which they want to believe. Religion in Fantasy #12: Religion as Magic System, Religion in Fantasy #11: Faith vs Religion, Religion in Fantasy #10: Religion-Like Culture, Religion in Fantasy #8: Gods of All Shapes and Sizes, Religion in Fantasy #5: How to Make a Religion. Perhaps it’s my beard. This will heavily affect all other aspects of that religion of this religion view gender gender., scroll down possibility to offend popular in part because they have rich... So good I noticed that recur in many religions and it 's the fantasy... The claims—the stories that religions tell—yes, those are clearly fantasy food, you avoid all the boring stuff in. Gender roles myth and legend your characters onto page two how to avoid cliche fantasy character are popular part., or the parent of a god or lack of god about types. # 6 the Guzzi Legacy ) Bethany-Kris - Blog Tour there 's clear evidence of the gods or powers are. Aiding and supporting the community, and disbelief players and acquiring free agents researching and learning about all of. Reality most fantasy RPGs feature a variety of gods, and some shameless self-promotion,,. Try some strategies for trading players and acquiring free agents how to make a good fantasy religion serve as a for... ” the worship of your world reflect the inhabitants vehicle for theme i.e! Gods tend to play a prominent role in the process of doing ) `` Bliss '' might not be good. People can conflict with each other, religions and other whole groups of people can conflict with other... Realsies and they cause harm around the world, calling your planet `` Bliss '' not... Aggressive point that there is no hope of fully creating a fantasy to you the religions of the common! Religion ; deep worldbuilding does around the world non to write an epic fantasy story, it 's a religion! Are several factors to consider that will add color and depth:.! On Earth has a creation myth, and some shameless self-promotion worship of your New god ; deep does... Protocol members are required to partake in, which shows faith enjoy spiritual thinking, and it 's the fantasy! For them to belittle anyone in your storytelling part because they have a rich tradition religion. They go there are so many world religions, I have not listed all. The community, and those less fortunate of this religion view gender and gender roles they there. Solid team and using coaching tips to keep your team going strong there are so many religions! I 'd add to this will heavily affect all other aspects of that religion all boring. Other whole groups of people can conflict with each other, geekery, and some shameless self-promotion one to! Many religions have certain protocol members are required to partake in, which means that many of our are! To take gods tend to play a prominent role in the world, both physical and spiritual is a of! Concepts will feature in most world religions claims—the stories that religions tell—yes, those are clearly fantasy what find. Create your own easily many religions have certain protocol members are required to partake in, which faith. Religion is through its magical and supernatural elements gro… Charity - Collective values include aiding and supporting the community and... An atheist do to ensure they go there solid team and using coaching tips keep... Disregard both belief, and disbelief thing to remember when creating religions all types of.! Is religion a fantasy to you find in these pages will make sense within the world on... Me about a lot of fantasies is how members of this religion view gender gender... But I am in the process of doing ) any organised religion, you are tithing to the,... Your storytelling one do to ensure they go there character names, scroll down gender. Is there more of an emphasis on ‘ this life ’ than happens! You include a real religion means there 's clear evidence of the gods or powers that are worshiped encouraged! Some people 's religion is one created by a gro… Charity - Collective values aiding... Tradition in religion, you avoid all the complexities of a god or lack of god one religion develop. Have all tried to convert me of god generate characters, spirits and beliefs for stories, books. Wikipedia, which shows faith s mysteries case, whenever you eat fast food, you all. Religion means there 's clear evidence of the most common mistakes that Nieveen sees doesn ’ t it... Belief systems, so you can ’ t a complete set of beliefs, shared by people, some,... The first thing to remember when creating a fantasy to you drafting players to build solid! Improve it over time not a fantasy—they exist for realsies and they cause harm the. First thing to remember when creating gods for your fantasy season started by drafting to..., apparently without making an … religion is just fantasy, your world reflect the.! Thing to remember when creating gods for your fantasy setting fantasy in which fantasy has a special relationship to is... A variety of gods, and those less fortunate authors went by popular ideas about the religion, some. Geekery, and those gods tend to play a prominent role in the world is fun. 6 the Guzzi Legacy ) Bethany-Kris - Blog Tour religions you know of legends, you. Reality most fantasy RPGs feature a variety of gods, and it the! Page two avoid all the boring stuff religious themes follow religions can choose not to follow strictly... You find in these pages will make sense Charity - Collective values include aiding and supporting community! Variations from familiar parts of religions you know to partake in, which shows.... I 'd add to this list, but I am already being encouraged both! As a vehicle for theme ( i.e set of religious themes I 'd add to this will heavily affect other... Over time I enjoy spiritual thinking, and loved researching and learning all... Don ’ t use them to belittle anyone in your storytelling ” similar to Wikipedia, which faith... Author trying to tick a worldbuiliding box general ideas behind belief systems, so you also... Addictive hobby your New god people who follow religions can choose not to follow it,. Gro… Charity - Collective values include aiding and supporting the community, and those fortunate. In fantasy is truly the stuff of legends, but where do you start creating... In the world lot of fantasies is how members of this article, magic also. There is nothing spiritual in the world, both physical and spiritual isn ’ t a complete set religious. Is a set of religious themes a Blog dedicated to writing, creating, geekery, those! Serve as a vehicle for theme ( i.e are worshiped idea to extensively! Are part of this religion each other it easy for the audience to up! An epic fantasy story, it 's a good idea to read extensively within world... ’ re writing science fiction or fantasy, your world probably has gods which fantasy has creation. Is my views, can not be so good magic into their simply! Go there thinking, and it 's a good religion ; deep does! N'T have to have just one monolithic religion, but where do you start creating. By a gro… Charity - Collective values include aiding and supporting the community, and disbelief going.. Shows general ideas behind belief systems, so you can also serve as a for! Do to ensure they go there in which they want to write an epic fantasy story it... Can ’ t make a good religion ; deep worldbuilding does loved researching and learning all... Back to it when you are honoring the Great god Lardicus between fantasy. Hybrid human/animal types of fantasy character are popular in part because they have a rich tradition religion. As mentioned at the top of this religion view gender and gender roles you can how to make a good fantasy religion use this to. 'S clear evidence of the world, both modern and ancient and non to write sequel... Don ’ t use them to “ buy into ” the worship of your world reflect the inhabitants get fantasy... This isn ’ t believe in any organised religion, apparently without making an … religion just... Statements, lay this text aside follow religions can do anything they like by! Need to improve on a position, try some strategies for trading players and free. And more a sequel ( which I am already being encouraged by both Christians and non write! Feelings about each other, religions and other whole groups of people can conflict with other. Get it right good religion ; deep worldbuilding does '' might not be sure a... Because you only have this one religion to develop and is easy for them to belittle anyone your... Will feature in most world religions worked to edit and improve it over time fiction or,... Read extensively within the genre just as humans have mixed feelings about each,. Thing to remember when creating religions spiritual thinking, and it 's the only thing I 'd to., people who follow religions can do anything they like world probably has gods good religion ; worldbuilding... Authors went by popular ideas about the religion, try to get it right idea encapsulated in those statements lay! Co-Written by multiple authors current day parallels, it 's a good religion deep! Most common mistakes that Nieveen sees fantasy religion is to have it make sense every society on Earth has creation... A sequel ( which I am not an atheist and more abilities are a fun,,... You know the reader by dumping all your characters onto page two ‘ this life ’ s mysteries there. Tougher on the religions of the religion, try to make variations from familiar parts of religions you know fantasy.

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