Dipping into my occasional A-Z of fantasy series... We are up to K. It's another letter that, owing to its aesthetic properties, is rather popular for naming things in fantasy. (Yes, letters can certainly have aesthetic properties!) But not all that much else it seems. And so we have KING. King - the male ruler … Continue reading A-Z of fantasy: K is for King
One of the things I've always loved about fantasy is the JOURNEY. Journey: an act of travelling from one place to another. This can be literal -- epic fantasy is full of tremendous and inspiring journeys from A to B. None is more iconic of course than the journey of Frodo and his companions in … Continue reading A-Z of fantasy: J is for Journey
I haven't come up with many 'I' words to do with fantasy, but IMAGINATION must be one of the big ones. Imagination -- the faculty or action of forming new ideas, or images or concepts of external objects not present to the senses. Fantasy comes in many guises -- but no matter whether you're talking … Continue reading A-Z of fantasy: I is for Imagination
Seems I dropped the ball on my A-Z of Fantasy series... I made it to G and then got distracted. But I think I'll continue with it at a leisurely pace, because it seems such a shame to leave it there. So. We're up to H. Today... H is for HORSE. HORSE: A solid-hoofed plant-eating domesticated … Continue reading A-Z of fantasy: H is for Horse
Ambling through my A-Z of fantasy series, we come now to the letter 'G'... which stands for several key fantasy elements -- especially GRASSLAND. Grassland - A large open area of country covered with grass, especially one used for grazing. meadow - pasture - grass - pasturage - mead - prairie Lots of fantasy novels … Continue reading A-Z of fantasy: G is for Grassland
It's been a long time coming, but here finally is the next in my A-Z of FANTASY series... And it's been rather tricky to decide which of the many 'F' fantasy words should get top billing. Should it be Forest -- A large area covered chiefly with trees and undergrowth ... in which many fantasy adventures … Continue reading F is for Faerie
One of the key tropes of epic, heroic and most other kinds of fantasy is the presence of the 'big bad' (in Buffy speak) -- otherwise known as the ENEMY. Enemy: A person who is actively opposed or hostile to someone or something; A hostile nation or its armed forces or citizens, esp. in time … Continue reading E is for Enemy
Is there any creature more synonymous with fantasy than the DRAGON? I don't think so. I cannot count the number of novels and movies featuring dragons. They appear in many different guises -- they may be ferocious and evil, gentle and benevolent, or else plain disinterested in man. They may or may not speak or possess … Continue reading D is for Dragon
Some might think them a cliche, but for me castles are one of the quintessential hallmarks of classical fantasy. I love them -- soaring towers and turrets, imposing battlements, mazes of halls and corridors and bedchambers, walls so thick the characters can hold parties upon them . . . and so often overlooking a majestic landscape or … Continue reading C is for castle
It's time for the second installment of my A-Z of Fantasy series, inspired by the letter B (what else?)! Although several fantasy B words resonate with me, that which calls strongest to me today is BARD. Perhaps it's the siren call of song winding through my senses after an evening singing with the Soulsongsters. Or … Continue reading B is for Bard
E V Gregory 