Epic Fantasy Is Really About the Meaning of Life

Epic fantasy has long been considered escapistby the code of the knight.
literature and something that adolescent's read toThere are no dragons to slay, there are no more
pass the time. It brings to mind muscle-bound heroesknights, and there are no princesses to rescue. How
who fight dragons and rescue princesses. But Epicdo these stories of heroic quests apply to you
fantasy is really much more than that. It is about thetoday?
search to find meaning in our lives.Each character in these stories is given a task of a
Since the beginning of time mankind has made upseemingly impossible nature. And each character has
epic fantasy stories in the form of myths to reflectto find his way through a world wrought with
his role in the universe. The oldest piece of writtendangers, difficulties and obstacles. The parallel here is
work is the Epic of Gilgamesh. It was inscribed onobvious and we all travel a similar road to that of
stone tablets a thousand years before the Iliad wasGilgamesh and Jason but this isn't the real reason
written and it is in the genre of epic fantasy. Sincewhy epic fantasy is so relevant to our lives. This kind
this piece was written many more have followed.of conflict and searching is found in just about every
We are all familiar with the story of Jason and thepiece of fiction and in every medium. The secret to
Golden Fleece, or the story of King Arthur and thewhy epic fantasy rises above all the others is hidden
Holy Grail. We are also all familiar with the quest ofwithin each story itself.
Bilbo Baggins. Why have these stories and others likeJoseph Campbell, in his book The Hero With a
them survived for so long? Why are they so fullyThousand Faces, outlined the twelve steps that each
engraved in our psyche as a race? Is it because theyhero must take on his personal journey to realizing his
are fun stories? It is true that they are good storiesquest. One critical early step that must be made is
and grand adventures but they also convey a deeperthe meeting with the mentor. The mentor himself
meaning about what it is to be human. And thishas traveled his own personal journey, learned many
search for a deeper meaning has been with humanslessons along the way and he imparts this wisdom on
since the beginning of time.our hero. Our hero learns some valuable lessons from
The ancient Greeks created myths that revolvedsomeone who has been there and done that. This is
around heroes facing the wrath of a variety of gods.exactly what epic fantasy does for you. It works as
This helped them to understand their place in thea mentor.
world and it applied meaning to their lives relative toIn a beautiful sense of folding in on itself the hero of
the world they lived in. In medieval times humanityan epic fantasy story becomes a mentor to you. You
changed. The Renaissance brought with it a newtravel along with the hero and you learn the lessons
understanding of the world we live in. And that newthat he learns. You learn the value of trust or the
understanding brought new questions. No longer weredanger of greed. And most importantly you learn the
we subject to the whims of a variety of gods. We,value of persisting in your personal quest and
as people, gained a new control of our own lives andfollowing your heart because in the end you see the
we came to the realization that it wasn't gods thatreward.
controlled us but it was us who controlled ourselves.Read the stories of the epic fantasy hero and listen
This made us look inward. It caused us to seek outto the lessons that he can teach you. Maybe there
the things within ourselves that made us like the oldare no more Dragons and no more damsels in
gods. This new outlook was reflected in the epicdistress but you are in the middle of an epic quest
fantasy myths of the times. Heroes looked insidecalled your life and you must follow this quest to the
themselves. They took great strides in makingend. This quest is the search to find the meaning in
themselves better people. They believed that thereyour life and epic fantasy is the mentor that will help
was a right way to be and this belief is epitomizedyou find it.