Questions tagged [fantasy-genre]
Used for questions on the fantasy genre itself, including its tropes and conventions. Should **not** be used to categorize questions about specific works of fantasy.
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Doc Savage’s fighting style
What martial arts did Doc Savage use in the novels? He was portrayed as a martial artist for a pulp character created in 1933. What martial arts could he be using and how many he could have known? Did ...
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When was the term "fantasy" first used to describe the genre?
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction was first published in 1949 (under the title The Magazine of Fantasy no less). Does it mean that the fantasy was recognized as a distinct genre at the ...
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First example of mind control changing eyes?
I've noticed a common trope in SciFi/Fantasy: mind control changes the subject's eye color or, usually in more cartoonish works, gives the subject "spinning eyes". What is the original ...
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Is there common fantasy term for a group of people composed of various species that the speaker is not a member of?
In our own language we have the term alien, which we also use in sci-fi settings. In Warhammer 40K humans use the term Xenos to describe a group of intelligent beings that contain none of our own ...
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What's the earliest citation for "you can hear the dice rolling in the background" about a piece of fantasy fiction?
The earliest I remember hearing this comment was about Dragonlance, which began to be published in 1984. There was earlier RPG-influenced fiction, though, as far back as Norton's Quag Keep (1978). ...
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In terms of word count, what is the longest published SFF universe?
I know this is an arbitrary metric, but if we count all books or stories officially published as part of an SFF universe, (even one with multiple authors and/or subseries), which would result in the ...
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Is there any fantasy backing to a viper turning into a magical horse, as shown in King's Quest II?
In the original version of King's Quest II, there's a puzzle that involves throwing a leather bridle onto a viper and turning it into a magical horse, which King Graham then gets a poison-neutralizing ...
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What is the genre of fantasy novels that don't feature any major conflict? [closed]
When reading a fantasy novel I enjoy the chapters focusing on "normal" life in the fantastical world much more than chapters focusing on a quest to defeat some existential threat. For ...
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Who was the first Fantasy heroine named Alice?
Lewis Carroll’s Alice, From Alice’s adventures in Wonderland, seems to be a good candidate as the “first” Alice in a Fantasy story, but is this the case or were there other fictional heroine Alices ...
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Why are the Elves always shown as having thoughts about leaving this world for some utopia rather than reveling in their life on Earth? [closed]
Is this trope there to reinforce the belief that Elves are a superior race, come from somewhere else and they don't have the vigour and childish imagination of the more mundane races to find peace in ...
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First Chinese story with a flying sword
So, in the Chinese high fantasy "xianxia" genre, a common armament used by characters is magical, flying swords. Sometimes they ride around on them like flying surfboards, sometimes they use ...
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Which author first referred to their own work as Grimdark?
This question does not apply to writers who have called their work grimdark in retrospect. Meaning, after the book had already come out. There are books that came out decades ago, before the term '...
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When did an overlap in readership of both Sci-Fi and Fantasy first become recognized by publishers?
In the early 20th century magazines of speculative fiction began to acquire both science fiction and fantasy works. Prior to this fantasy seems to have been mostly romantic sagas or fairy tales, and ...
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What is the earliest instance of "Dark Elves" in modern Fantasy?
In many different modern fantasy settings, Dark Elves as a race share some common traits, and can be considered to be an archetype of sorts from which each setting adapt some features to better fit in ...
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What is the origin of the “clerics can create water” trope?
All Dungeons and Dragons edition I'm familiar with have its Cleric character class. Apparently, D&D Cleric is a trope of its own.
Many D&D "clerical" spells were still inspired by popular ...
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Little known late 80s fantasy show, Vytor the Star Fire Champion; any details?
I was 8 or so when this show came out. I was lucky enough to record the first episode, and have held onto it for decades. Vytor: The Star Fire Champion tells the story of a teenage warrior from a ...
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What work contained the first mushroom trees?
Mushroom trees are a familiar component of exotic locales, like Draenor (Warcraft), Morrowind (The Elder Scrolls), and Felucia (Star Wars).
The first example I know of is the Mushroom Planet series ...
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What is the earliest example of enmity between dwarfs and elves? [duplicate]
Throughout fantasy literature there exists enmity between dwarfs and elves, depending on the author it can range from distrust, through to outright racial hatred and war.
Where have these historic ...
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Sources for The Tough Guide to Fantasyland stemming from judging an amateur fantasy contest?
Sources for The Tough Guide to Fantasyland stemming from judging an amateur fantasy contest?
TVTropes's page for the book, in their Dead Unicorn Trope entry, says that it was made after Diana Wynne ...
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What was the first story to feature the plot "the monsters were human all along"?
The plot/trope where some crime so violent or egregious has happened that some alien/monster is automatically suspected to be behind it, only for our human protagonists to investigate, and in the end ...
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Do the makers of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle consider the film to be science fiction or fantasy?
I've been in an argument with one of my teachers. I'd like to know if there has been any definitive statement from the makers of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle as to whether they consider the film to ...
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Why is decay a common theme in fantasy? [closed]
I'm not the best read, but I have consumed some big fantasy works, chief among them The Lord of the Rings, The Wheel of Time, Theogony/Odyssey/Iliad, and tangentially games like Diablo 1/2/3. The main ...
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Which fantasy work first showed dragons? [closed]
Dragons possibly have an origin in Chinese mythologies, but I am not looking for mythologies. Lots of modern fantasy works have borrowed the concept of fire-breathing flying creatures. e.g. Harry ...
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Spinning Silver: the first Jewish protagonist in fantasy?
Naomi Novik's recent novel Spinning Silver made me wonder: is it the first fantasy novel with a Jewish main character? Or were there others before it?
I am not looking for a shopping list here. ...
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What was the first fantasy world/universe without real-world ties?
There seems to be a fairly common world building method now of setting fantasy works in standalone universes, completely separate (at least explicitly) from our own world, e.g. A Song of Ice and Fire, ...
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What is the significance of the Red Lotus?
The theme of a Red Lotus seems to show up in various fantasy works. For instance:
In Ice Fantasy, where the Red Lotus seems to a magical flower of great power.
In The Legend of Korra, where it is an ...
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What is the genre of fantasy stories that take place in a science fiction universe?
There are some stories that superficially look like they belong squarely in the fantasy genre but contain hints (or even major revelations) that the world was a sci-fi setting all along.
The ...
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Why is science fiction and fantasy referred to as "genre fiction", but other genres are not? [closed]
An oddity I have noticed in mainstream media and criticism is that science fiction and fantasy are referred to as "genre fiction" but other genres (comedy, romance, drama, etc) are not. All the online ...
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Are psychic abilities more akin to fantasy or science fiction? why is this? [closed]
Psychic abilities like telekinesis, telepathy, mind-control, clairvoyance. Basically powers involving the mind.
Abilities that let you levitate objects with your thoughts or speak to another person ...
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When, Where and Why did the fashion to depict Fantasy Dark Lords Wearing Spiked Crowns Start?
I am asking when, where, and above all why, did the fashion to depict dark lords in fantasy stories wearing spiked crowns start? Why do some artists think that is a good idea?
Most high fantasy ...
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What is the first known work of fantasy to feature a sentient weapon?
Similar to this question asking for magic sword examples, I was curious as to the first depiction of a sentient (independent feelings/thoughts) weapon? It doesn't need to necessarily be able to speak, ...
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First instance of human/centaur romance
Throughout the TV shows Hercules and Xena, humans being romantically involved with centaurs is pretty common, despite it being so controversial.
What is the earliest example of this happening in ...
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What's the difference between "high fantasy" and "low fantasy"?
When attempting to classify works in the fantasy genre, you often hear the term "high fantasy" used. Less common, but still present, is the term "low fantasy".
As commonly understood, what's the main ...
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Is Narnia high or low fantasy? [closed]
I had a query about what genre of fantasy does Narnia belong to- high or low. Wikipedia says that
High fantasy is defined as fantasy set in an alternative, fictional ("secondary") world, rather ...
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When was the fantasy trope of psychological invisibility first used?
In the Enchanters’ End Game, the last book of the Belgariad series, the following exchange between Belgarath the sorcerer and Silk takes place, when they discuss how the Sword has been hidden:
“It’...
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When and why did orcs go green?
Tolkien popularized the orc as the generic fantasy bad guy. In his legendarium, orcs were corrupted elves and their limited descriptive text reflects this. They are described as "swart" and "sallow", ...
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Is there special symbolism of evil and undead in the north?
Is there a reason or special symbolism for evil to fester in the northern reaches of a world?
Three examples I can remember on the top of my head is Tolkien with Melkors/Morgoths stronghold of ...
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What is the earliest movie/TV show with a sex changing character
With all the excitement surrounding the first(ish?) female Doctor, there's lots of cries of misogyny for taking this long to have a female Doctor. This has me curious now. I can't think of too many ...
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Why is it that some fantasy stories have modern inventions and amenities? [closed]
I have noticed that some stories that are fantasy, set in a period where we still fight with swords, people wore dresses, and there are knights, there is a porcelain throne, and a running faucet. Is ...
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When did orcs being as big or bigger than humans become standard?
In J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, which popularized the orc as known today, orcs are described as almost human height, at most, with many being considerably shorter.
Despite this, many ...
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Which Sci-Fi or Fantasy work introduced the idea of "Infinite Time Loop"?
I have encountered "Infinite Time Loop" countless times. Some examples:
In Doctor Strange (2016) movie, Doctor Strange took the time dimension into the dark dimension to trap Dormammu into an ...
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Old Scifi novel where the earth is covered in jungle miles thick and the planet has become sentient
I read this novel back in the 80s, all I really remember was that it is set in the earth's very very distant future. The earth is covered with jungles and organic ooze many miles thick and it seems ...
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Is there a well-established iconic amphibious fantasy race?
In fantasy, there are several well-established races, nations and factions, that spread across multiple universes. They share identical or very similar characteristics in every universe and are ...
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Who introduced the term "the Northern Thing" for fantasy works inspired by Germanic mythology?
The works particularly of Tolkien and some other writers like Robert Howard and Poul Anderson are sometimes described as being influenced by "that Northern Thing", meaning mythology and medieval tales ...
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Purpose or historical precedent for Link's tunic laces?
In the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess rendition, Link's tunic appears to have laces on most, if not all, of its side seams below the sleeves, but only partially atop the sleeves, and not at all ...
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What is the first appearance of a dark alternate world in fiction?
In many works of fiction we have seen the presence of a dark, alternate, usually near mirrored version of a world. Examples of this would be in Zelda: A Link to the Past, and more recently
My ...
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Earliest example of a wizard protagonist named Harry?
A person known to me only as Unscrewed once noticed that the following description:
A young wizard named Harry finds himself an orphan because of the machinations of a would-be evil overlord. His ...
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Have there ever been a work of fiction in which a Unicorn is portrayed as Evil/bad etc.? [closed]
Unicorns are typically treated as pure, virtuous and innocent creatures...
So, are there any instances of a Unicorn behaving in a manner that is the complete opposite of that expected of it? I.e, if ...
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Did C.S. Lewis create the lamp-post in response to a comment by J.R.R. Tolkien?
J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis had a pretty legendary rivalry/friendship.
In particular, it's fairly well known that Tolkien aimed for "higher" fantasy, compared to Lewis.
I've heard some people ...
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Has the name Althus been used before in a Fantasy series? [closed]
Not sure if this question is ok here or not but...
I am writing a fantasy novel and I have named my main character Althus and I am just wanting to make sure that it has not been used before...
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