FANTASTIC REALMS

Alex Davis invites you to get to grips with the less-explored beings in secondary worlds

Every genre of fiction has its fair share of archetypes, and fantasy fiction is no different – after all, archetypes can be part of what makes a particular flavour of story successful. As well as our often-seen human characters – the reluctant hero, the wizard, the assassin etc – fantasy is replete with non-human creations, often with their roots in myths and legends. I’m sure many wouldn’t be too hard to conjure to mind – brutish orcs, effete elves, mischievous goblins, fearsome dragons and more besides.

But while archetypes do have a place, it’s important not to see them as a limit or a boundary. There’s plenty of room to explore beyond them, and in this article we’re going to take a look at some of fantasy fiction’s lesser-seen creatures – and how you might be able to use them in your fiction.

My kingdom for a horse

With so much fantasy calling upon historical timeframes, to travel by horse or in a horse-drawn carriage is fairly common. But what if you could travel in style with a mythical horse – a unicorn, perhaps, or a Pegasus? The winged horses of myth could easily be seen as the ultimate method of getting around in a fantasy story, and might well be viewed as high status symbols, rare and coveted by the wealthy and the powerful. Or if you wanted to make the creatures a little more common in your setting, imagine the military possibilities of a Pegasus battalion, able to rain down destruction from above in a position of absolute safety? It would have the scope to change the balance of power across any fantasy world.