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