How Epic Fantasy is Applicable in Today’s World - The beast has changed but the teeth remain the same
December 22nd, 2006Epic Fantasy is often slighted and categorized as escapist literature to be read strictly for fun. But this is not a true characterization of what the genre is really about. Epic Fantasy is a metaphor for the human condition and very applicable to the every day world we live in today.
True there are no real dragons to slay but in our own lives, exactly like in the life of the main character in an epic fantasy novel, we still have obstacles to overcome and things to learn both about the external world and the world within ourselves. The beast has changed but the teeth remain the same and there is real value in this metaphor that epic fantasy gives us.
Here is what happens in an Epic Fantasy novel
The main character is thrust into a situation or a quest that he or she does not understand, cannot undertake, or doesn’t even want. It may even seem impossible, but forces are brought to play which impel him to undertake a quest. And at first it seems to be an external quest such as to rescue someone or to find something. But along the way the main character comes across many obstacles that cannot be overcome until he grows within himself first. He finds wisdom and strength and he learns many lessons like persistence, perseverance, and courage. And it is in this internal growth that we find the metaphor for the human condition.
The Message of Epic Fantasy
The message for you is that you can never change the external world until you change the world inside yourself. Slaying a dragon is never a matter of a muscle or a sword. It is always a matter of courage, persistence, intelligence, friendship or some other internal factor. And our hero is never ready for the challenge of a dragon early in the story. But by the end of the story he has learned the lessons needed and has changed his internal world thereby obtaining the ability to achieve his goals in the external world.
And this is the lesson that epic fantasy brings to us all. We are all on an epic fantasy journey that we have been thrust into, don’t fully understand, and don’t really know how to go about doing. But the way to success on this journey is to develop ourselves internally first then we can achieve and realize the goals of our external lives.
So the next time you read an epic fantasy novel pay close attention to the lessons the main character learns and the ways he goes about solving the riddles that confront him. Because these are lessons that you too will need to learn in the epic fantasy adventure called your life.
Will Kalif is the author of two self-published epic fantasy novels. If you would like to learn more about the genre of epic fantasy visit his website at:
Or you can visit his site devoted to fantasy on the web at:
Epic-fantasy.com – The webs only epic fantasy site
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