Mythology, Epics, and Mystical Worlds

Fantasy - A genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary plot element, theme, or setting. Most of the time, we place stories into the fantasy genre because they involve magic or are set in a sort of fairy-tale land What do you associate with the fantasy genre?

Fantasy allows us the opportunity to examine a more magical version of the world we live in or, in some cases, a whole new world that is similar to our own. We can learn a lot about cultures by the fantastic literature associated with it. But what is the earliest form of fantasy?

Cultures have created myths since the dawn of storytelling Myths are commonly used to describe the works of a particular hero or to explain some kind of natural phenomenon (i.e. why the sun rises, why there is gold in a river, etc.) The most popular and well known mythology originates in Ancient Greece and Rome and describes the constant conflict between mankind and the pantheon of Greek & Roman gods

The Hero’s Journey is something that is present in most forms of mythology and fantastic literature. It is a cycle of events that takes a character from unusual beginnings through a great ordeal in which an ultimate goal is achieved and the hero returns home