CLARA: WEEK 3

5) What are some of the archetypes of fantasy fiction?

The most common types of characters which can be found across various fantasy fictions are many, whether they are representations of heroes for good or those anti-heroes for evil. Firstly, there cannot be an adventurous fantasy story without a power struggle of some sort, in which there is an oppressed group by a form of dictatorship. The group of heroes are typically led by a fairly simple character with a seemingly normal background. The protagonist is usually portrayed as a weak, lonely and underrated person shunned by their social disadvantage to blend in with their community. A common aspect about this underdog is their lack of a solid form of belonging, such as being orphaned from a young age or not being from a nuclear family. Such an environment is a determinant of what enables this character to break away from their comfortable life to search the world for their identity – to find satisfaction in not being seen as the invisible factor. These can be seen through the adventures of Frodo Baggins from Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter from the series and Ged from Earthsea as all their personalities are formed from their humble beginnings.

Secondly, no hero can travel without a companion to guide their skills and help them control their potential gifts. These characters are basically the adult supervision to the young naïve heroes and can also be a father figure of wise counsel. More examples of such a person are those like Dumbledore in Harry Potter, Gandalf the Gray in Lord of the Rings and the mage, Ogion of Earthsea as they are all influential in shaping their young charges.

Thirdly, a hero cannot lead without brave companions such as the loyal sidekick, the rescued damsel who turns heroine, strong allies and the unexpected friend – there is usually an unpredictable character playing both sides.

Fourthly, the opposition is led by a typical power hungry character that represents evil by their immoral intentions. The antagonist is driven by greed, narcissism and paranoia of potential threats to their position and at times, never finds satisfaction in their achievements. Lastly, the bad guy cannot do all the work themselves without the enlistment of their henchmen. These are always expendable help such as minions with brute force rather than brains and sometimes, there is an unexpected foe among the enemy bunch. In other words, there is sometimes an unpredictable character who becomes a traitor to their evil cause. Therefore, both good and evil side lines are made up of very common characters that are often found in fantasy fiction adventures.