Fantasy stories are packed with all types of outlandish elements like dragons, magic, and ogres. To help ground these tales, authors often build their worlds utilizing elements that reflect real life. One perfect example of this is that authors create religions for their fantasy peoples to follow. Over the years, there have been some truly thorough religions crafted for some of the most popular and renowned fantasy series. Take a look at these examples to learn a bit more about how religion influences works of fiction.
Game of Thrones
In George R R Martin’s immensely popular book series “A Song of Ice and Fire,” which was used as the source material for HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” religion plays a huge part in the daily lives of both nobles and commoners. Characters typically worship the Old Gods, figures said to inhabit old trees, or the “newer” gods referred to as “The Seven.” In one storyline, zealots of “The Seven” take over a huge city and spread virulent religious dogma, meant to symbolize the extremism often found in many real-life religious groups.
Though there are many gods in the series, most fans are familiar with a single line from the book and the show. The quote goes, “There is only one god and his name is death. And there is only one thing we say to death: not today.”
The Elder Scrolls
The video game series known as “The Elder Scrolls” sends players to a high-fantasy world called Tamriel where they can explore, create, and fight in a sprawling landscape. Along with rich cultures and vibrant locales, the series also features a number of religious groups that players can encounter. The gods and goddesses of these religions are quite active in this series, with the deities often appearing in corporeal forms to help or harm the player along his or her quests.
The series offers players a chance to experience life as if they were actually a part of the world, including paying tribute to their gods via different actions. After the popularity of “Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” in 2011 and the recent announcement of “Elder Scrolls VI” slated for the future, fans can only speculate how these gods will influence their future adventures.
Lord of the Rings
The characters in Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” series come in all shapes and sizes. They also have their own religions which feature different pantheons of gods. However, what is most interesting about this series is how Tolkien wrote it. As a devout Roman Catholic, Tolkien found that he was including symbolic references to Christianity in his stories without consciously realizing it. After his first draft of “Lord of the Rings,” Tolkien went back into the manuscript and made edits to include more conscious allusions to his Catholic background and upbringing.
The Kingkiller Chronicles
“The Kingkiller Chronicles” by Patrick Rothfuss is a beautiful modern fantasy tale that keeps readers on the edge of their seats throughout the 1000+ pages of each book in the series. The main character encounters an array of trials and tribulations over the course of his life, though he finds that music keeps him centered through it all. Religion also plays a part in the character’s life, especially when it comes to the worship of the figure Tehlu. Both magic and religion are grounded in real-world ideas in this bizarre and inspiring story.
The Name of the Future
Worldbuilding is all about crafting a setting that readers will be entranced by while also finding everything somewhat believable. By adding elements like religion to their stories, authors are able to create more dimension to their worlds. In turn, it also helps readers gain more insight into how religion works in the real world.
