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View Full Version : Local Traditions and Folklore of Fantasy Cultures



Mr. Mask
2015-03-12, 12:55 PM
I really like what's going on in this thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?401956-What-would-a-fantasy-campaign-based-on-your-local-traditions-and-folklore-be-like), so it got me thinking of what the fictional mythologies and folklores would be like for fictional mythologies and folklore (I think there's an internet joke which can apply here).


First thought. Eleven folklore is filled to the brim with talking animals, who must be reasoned with or coerced to make them behave themselves. Animals also frequently help the elven heroes with problems, telling them secrets they need to win, or travelling with the elves to perform some utility or fight beside them. Quests tend to involve protecting their homes, generally by killing anything that so much as trespasses into their forest. Sometimes a troll or dragon will beg for mercy, and the elves will let it leave--only to have it plot revenge against them and come back later. Avenging and rescuing kin are popular quests. It is generally rare for anyone to give you a quest, you tend to agree to it on your own when the problem arises, or because you're helping a friend/relative with their problem. A common trope is to find some wounded person or creature (usually an animal, but sometimes a monster or enemy), and it helps the elves after they treat its wounds. There is also a theme of humans being kind of slow and rude, and elves constantly have to help them and clean up after them out of politeness. And those are humans from friendly cultures. The less friendly ones tend to cause legal disputes and fights, with elves having to trick them to prevent them visiting their homes or forests.

That's a start. Feel free to expand, contradict, discuss, or start your own one on elves. Or start discussing the folklore of any other group. Dwarves getting drunk and causing problems, only to have to fix them when they become sober?

Kami2awa
2015-03-14, 12:41 PM
A lot of this is already written into the game world (legends of Corellon the elvish god for example) but if you are making your own world this is a good thing to consider.

Dwarven folklore: Maybe it often involves making stuff. So your dwarf hero is likely to be more like McGuyver than Hercules. Perhaps also a lot of feats of memory and wisdom rather than brute strength - King Solomon's judgements might be a good starting point. A former archbishop of Canterbury, St Dunstan, was a blacksmith who supposedly outwitted the devil multiple times, which sounds very dwarvish. (He is sometimes cited as the origin of the belief that hanging up horseshoes brings luck.)

Halfling folklore: Food will come up. Perhaps they have a lot of superstitions around food and cooking. Actually, given that food's really important to everyone IRL, an awful lot of real-world folklore is related to food (for example the belief that witches could sour milk, or that spilling salt is unlucky).

Orc folklore: Could be fun if it's a twisted mirror version of everyone else's, with orcish heroes setting out to avenge their village being burned to ash by vicious elves.

Kobold folklore: Dragons all over the place. That valley is where the great dragon Ancalagon once rested his tail. That mountain is where one of his teeth fell to earth and lodged in the ground.

Gnome folklore: Lots of trickster figures, I would guess. For inspiration have a look at Anansi, Brere Rabbit or even Bugs Bunny and Roadrunner. One thing people forget is that in many legends the lies of tricksters rebound back onto the trickster (for instance Loki getting pregnant while shapechanged to a mare).

M Placeholder
2015-03-14, 01:32 PM
Kender Folklore - Involves a god endlessly handling objects, trying to find out as much as possible. Perhaps out there is a land full of mountains that the god put away for later inspection, but forgot about. Also includes lots of exploration and adventure on behalf of a great hero.

Gnoll Folklore - Involves endless struggle against nature and the rise from Hyena to their current form, and the "Us vs Them" mindset. Involves a great matriarch figure.

Kobold Folklore - Lots of Legends about them mining the mountains and searching, industry and invention that made the Gnomes jealous, while the Gnomes just played tricks on each other.

Ogre folklore - Lots of legends about great heroes who fought all other beasts, in search of more to devour. Lots of legends about stewpots and smaller races.

Slipperychicken
2015-03-14, 03:26 PM
Kobold Folklore - Lots of Legends about them mining the mountains and searching, industry and invention that made the Gnomes jealous, while the Gnomes just played tricks on each other.

I'd imagine Kobolds would have at least one or two clever sling-wielding heroes who manage to outsmart and defeat larger enemies who threaten a clan.

Kami2awa
2015-03-14, 06:36 PM
The cloud giants have legends of the terrible, gold-greedy Jack, who hacks away the foundations of their homes.

Kul AlDun
2015-03-14, 07:22 PM
I always thought it would be interesting to switch up mythology and culture on the various races. Perhaps Orcs have a very complex mythology akin to the Vedic Brahmas and come from a very old and advanced culture where elves are nomads who worship a primordial sun god and have a warrior culture.

Mr. Mask
2015-03-14, 09:07 PM
I'd imagine Kobolds would have at least one or two clever sling-wielding heroes who manage to outsmart and defeat larger enemies who threaten a clan. Or, they may house other fantasies. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP19-ZoEhe4)

Slipperychicken
2015-03-14, 10:52 PM
Or, they may house other fantasies. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP19-ZoEhe4)

You know, you can actually link videos directly now. It's directly to the left of the quote button. Just paste the URL in to the popup, and you're set.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP19-ZoEhe4

Mr. Mask
2015-03-14, 11:15 PM
Well, I thought it'd be funnier if what I linked to was a surprise.