Comments on: Religion in fantasy fiction http://www.pensandswords.com/2008/05/21/religion-in-fantasy-fiction/ Talking shop with fantasy fiction author Kameron M. Franklin Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:28:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Building a fantasy fiction world: cultures - Pens and Swords - Talking shop with fantasy fiction author Kameron M. Franklin http://www.pensandswords.com/2008/05/21/religion-in-fantasy-fiction/comment-page-1/#comment-51970 Building a fantasy fiction world: cultures - Pens and Swords - Talking shop with fantasy fiction author Kameron M. Franklin Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:53:40 +0000 http://www.pensandswords.com/?p=441#comment-51970 [...] I touched a little upon this subject in my post on religion in fantasy fiction. Religion is one of those pillar institutions in any culture, and your world will be that much [...] [...] I touched a little upon this subject in my post on religion in fantasy fiction. Religion is one of those pillar institutions in any culture, and your world will be that much [...]

]]> By: Kameron http://www.pensandswords.com/2008/05/21/religion-in-fantasy-fiction/comment-page-1/#comment-15313 Kameron Wed, 21 May 2008 20:00:25 +0000 http://www.pensandswords.com/?p=441#comment-15313 Lord of the Rings did not, though Tolkien hinted at Middle-Earth spirituality in Silmarilion. I don't remember any sort of organized religion in Narnia, but there was obvious allegory to Christianity sprinkled throughout the series. Lord of the Rings did not, though Tolkien hinted at Middle-Earth spirituality in Silmarilion. I don’t remember any sort of organized religion in Narnia, but there was obvious allegory to Christianity sprinkled throughout the series.

]]> By: Rebecca LuElla Miller http://www.pensandswords.com/2008/05/21/religion-in-fantasy-fiction/comment-page-1/#comment-15307 Rebecca LuElla Miller Wed, 21 May 2008 19:11:43 +0000 http://www.pensandswords.com/?p=441#comment-15307 Great post, Kameron. I don't know if I've read a lot of stories that have unique religious trappings. Karen Hancock's Guardian-King series comes to mind, but I know some readers thought her religions were too closely married to forms of Christianity. It may be one of those impossible to please everyone issues. If they are identifiable, then some will cry "thin allegory," but if they are vastly different, others will cry "not Christian." Did Lord of the Rings include religion? How about Narnia? Becky Rebecca LuElla Miller's last blog post was <a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/2008/05/21/csff-tour-mindflights-3/" rel="nofollow">CSFF Tour-Mindflights, 3</a> Great post, Kameron. I don’t know if I’ve read a lot of stories that have unique religious trappings. Karen Hancock’s Guardian-King series comes to mind, but I know some readers thought her religions were too closely married to forms of Christianity.

It may be one of those impossible to please everyone issues. If they are identifiable, then some will cry “thin allegory,” but if they are vastly different, others will cry “not Christian.”

Did Lord of the Rings include religion? How about Narnia?

Becky

Rebecca LuElla Miller’s last blog post was CSFF Tour-Mindflights, 3

]]> By: Kameron http://www.pensandswords.com/2008/05/21/religion-in-fantasy-fiction/comment-page-1/#comment-15306 Kameron Wed, 21 May 2008 18:49:42 +0000 http://www.pensandswords.com/?p=441#comment-15306 Well, we are talking about a fantasy world. They're supposed to be different than our world, filled with races human and non-, and who's to say the humans there have the same spiritual needs as we do. That said, there needs to be some commonality for the reader to identify with. Therefore, it's inevitable that religions will share trappings. Good thoughts, Jeff. Well, we are talking about a fantasy world. They’re supposed to be different than our world, filled with races human and non-, and who’s to say the humans there have the same spiritual needs as we do. That said, there needs to be some commonality for the reader to identify with. Therefore, it’s inevitable that religions will share trappings. Good thoughts, Jeff.

]]> By: H http://www.pensandswords.com/2008/05/21/religion-in-fantasy-fiction/comment-page-1/#comment-15304 H Wed, 21 May 2008 17:59:55 +0000 http://www.pensandswords.com/?p=441#comment-15304 Hm. That's an interesting point, Jeff. Esp. the reverse engineering. That'd make a great writing assignment: Here's a faith, now tell me about the people who created it. //H H's last blog post was <a href="http://choosedeath.blogspot.com/2008/05/big-willy-style-join-with-skeletor-and.html" rel="nofollow">Big Willy Style</a> Hm. That’s an interesting point, Jeff. Esp. the reverse engineering. That’d make a great writing assignment: Here’s a faith, now tell me about the people who created it.

//H

H’s last blog post was Big Willy Style

]]> By: Jeff http://www.pensandswords.com/2008/05/21/religion-in-fantasy-fiction/comment-page-1/#comment-15296 Jeff Wed, 21 May 2008 14:51:45 +0000 http://www.pensandswords.com/?p=441#comment-15296 A good subject. I'm not sure I agree that in a fantasy world you should necessarily try and make your fictional religions quite different from real world religions. Whether real or invented, the faiths of the real world represent the way humans think, or what they need, or how they've evolved (spiritually, physically, whatever). If you try to make it too different, then you're probably changing your fantasy's world race, too. A good subject. I’m not sure I agree that in a fantasy world you should necessarily try and make your fictional religions quite different from real world religions. Whether real or invented, the faiths of the real world represent the way humans think, or what they need, or how they’ve evolved (spiritually, physically, whatever). If you try to make it too different, then you’re probably changing your fantasy’s world race, too.

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