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Delving into the Secrets of Making a Myth and Mythology
Sunfire
CONTENTS
Overview
Before you begin writing on the first page of your story, you need to have the framework of your world set in place first. While you don’t necessarily need to have every aspect of your world figured out at this point — which is pretty common for many authors — you want to at least have the fundamentals down first. This is where making a myth comes in.
Myths are part and parcel of all fantasy worlds. They help form what is commonly known as the mythology, a series of legends that may or may not be true but people believe in them nevertheless. They’re stories that are said to have occurred in the early days of the world that people still talk about thousands of years later.
What goes into making a myth? Myths in fantasy have a basis from the real world but are modified to suit the worlds they’re in. There are tons of inspiration from the real world and they help make fantasy worlds feel real, which in turn makes it easier for your audience to immerse themselves into.
How do you make your own myths and integrate them into your story in a way that spurs your readers to want to learn more about your world? There are a variety of methods you can go with but a popular one is to weave vague hints in your tale as if you’re pulling back a curtain to show them something that’s part of the history of your world. In other words, make them want more!
Myths are a large part of a world’s mythology. The mythology of a world establishes and guides the main drama of the story and enhances its lore. In fact, all elements of a mythology are considered lore and it enriches your world by giving your audience a glimpse into a long-past era.
This is the sixteenth article in the writing a fantasy book series. On our blog page are plenty of articles that cover a wide range of topics so if you wind up enjoying this one, why not check out the others? Maybe you’ll find something you’re looking for!
Making a Myth: The Inspiration
Before you start making a myth, it’s important to know the ins-and-outs of a myth. Once you know and understand how it’s made, you can apply what you’ve learned into your world and take your story to greater heights. All the great stories of the fantasy genre have myths sprinkled through them and they help make them feel more real.
All myths in fantasy have inspiration from the real world. King Arthur, Merlin, and Excalibur is the source of many stories in fantasy. Indeed many worlds depict mighty, noble kings, wise wizards, and powerful swords capable of smiting evil and even feature them in the story!
Religion is another key source of making a myth. Since many settings in the genre take place in medieval times, religion takes center stage, taking ideas from major ones like Christianity or Buddhism. However, many authors put their own unique spin on them, customizing them to match the world they’re in.
One common folklore in fantasy focuses on legendary monsters who supposedly exist. Taking cues from creatures like the Loch Ness or Sasquatch, these fabled monsters are the source of many rumors in fantasy towns and cities where people claim they saw them in a remote area or fought them. While most people raise their eyes when hearing stories about them, they can’t help but listen to them.
People who did great deeds in their lifetime that are still talked about long after they passed and became part of history are a great source of inspiration for making a myth. One such person is George Washington who led the American Revolution against the British Empire. His steadfast determination to never give up even when the odds were is a testament to the human spirit, which is echoed in many tales where the protagonist chooses to keep fighting instead of accepting defeat.
Rare, legendary weapons capable of inflicting devastating damage are one of the most popular myths you come across in fantasy. Based on stories about Excalibur and Mjollnir that’s been passed down across many generations on Earth, these weapons are very difficult to find, often located in remote areas or places where nobody would think to look. They’re also meant to be wielded only by the one meant to save the world from ruin, which is almost always the protagonist of the story.
You can also use places as inspiration to make a myth. They could be castles or dungeons or any kind of building that plays an important role in the world since they’re filled with history and are usually the source for stories and myths.
Create Your Own Myths and Integrate Them in Your Story
Now that you see how myths are largely inspired by the real world, it’s time to bring them into your fantasy world. The objective here is to help make your world feel real for your audience and makes people want to learn more about it! Fortunately, there are a myriad of of ways to accomplish this.
The first method is to let your imagination run free. You can do some brainstorming sessions to think about what kind of myths you’d like to incorporate into the world in your story. Just be sure to go with ones that fit right in the world. You don’t want to use one that feels oddly out of place. If you happen to come up with one you really like but it’s still a bit rough around the edges, you’ll need to do some tweaking until you get it just right.
A great way is to take a look at your favorite myths and use them as inspiration. Lots of myths in fantasy are based off of Greek and Norse mythology, alongside many others. The ones you create can serve as a love letter or a nod to what inspired you in the first place. You’re making a myth of your own that’s unique to your world while paying homage to real-world mythology.
How you integrate them in the story matters a great deal. You don’t want to just show everything nor do you want to keep them too close to the vest. Rather, you want to just give a little piece of tantalizing info that makes your readers want to learn more about your world. Walking a fine line between the two is key to making it work.
Weaving them into the story strategically works since you’re only revealing the parts you want your readers to see. Dropping vague hints and there only catches their interest and they’ll be chomping at the bit, wanting more info.
Dedicating a separate section like the prologue or the appendices is a superb strategy for bringing myths into your world. The prologue works best for highlighting the bare essentials like the backstory of your world and you can expand upon it in the appendices by providing more in-depth information. Passionate readers will absorb every word on these pages whereas causal ones can simply ignore them and focus on the story instead.
Building Blocks of a Mythology
When constructing a fantasy world from scratch, don’t overlook the importance of its mythology. Did you know that each time you make a myth, you’re only building onto the mythology? If you play your cards right, you can create one that stands on par with the story and makes your readers want to come back to your world over and over again.
Thus, there are several vital building blocks that comprise a mythology. Myths are already an obvious one since they showcase legends that a great number of people believe in, whether they’re real or not.
One essential element of the mythology is the origin story. This type of story is set at the world’s beginning and establishes the general contours in which the world operates in. Think of it like setting the stage for the constant struggle between good and evil as well as the reason why. Origin stories typically feature powerful gods waging battles of unprecedented proportions onto each other on a primordial world.
Speaking of deities, they’re crucial building blocks of the mythology. Indeed, you could spend hours making a myth about each one. Besides giving them names that sound cool, you can explore their relationship with each other, what kinds of powers they wield as well as their personalities. The Valar in Tolkien’s “The Silmarillion” is the perfect example of how to do this right.
Fantasy readers love unexplained phenomenons and every world has their own. These things that defy logic is the source of many wild and fantastical rumors that only seem to grow each passing year. Unexplained phenomenons are an integral part of assembling a world’s mythology since they spur interest in unraveling the secrets of the world both for your characters and readers though some things are best left alone…
People and weapons can become part of the mythology of a world. However, it only applies to people — both good and evil — who performed great deeds during their lifetime. As for weapons, they’re customarily reserved for powerful ones who played important roles in the pivotal events of the world that fundamentally altered the course of history.
Be sure to include important buildings and locations in the mythology. They can be fortresses, dungeons, geographical areas, and terrain. They’re steeped in history, usually playing major roles in world-defining events. As such, what transpired usually becomes the stuff of legends.
Tying it all Together
Myths are a cornerstone of fantasy. They help make imaginary worlds feel real due to the mystique surrounding them. Some aren’t real while others are. When it comes to your own world, you don’t necessarily need to have them all figured out by the time you begin writing your book; you just need to have the basics established first.
You can have tons of fun making a myth! All you need is inspiration, which you can find from a number of places. You can even put your own spin on popular myths like the Loch Ness monster!
After you’ve settled on what myths to put in your world, you’ll need to find a way to put them in your story. You want to place them in places where they fit right in which means you’ll have to be strategic about the placement. Be sure to weave them in the story in a thoughtful way that makes your audience want to learn more about them.
Myths are part of a world’s mythology. They add to the lore of a fantasy world and gives your readers an opportunity to see your world from a different perspective. Furthermore, they show them a part of your world that doesn’t get much exposure, which is certain to fuel their desire to want to know more about your world!
Are you ready to start making a myth that your readers can’t get enough of?
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Thanks for reading this and until the next time,
Sunfire
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