Stories of divine beings with supernatural powers, and of epic clashes between good and evil forces have been a source of entertainment for generations. Rooted in religion and mythology, these tales were often narrated by doting grandmother to their grandchildren over multiple cups of afternoon tea. Today, these folk tales and lores have donned new avatars with modern twists and an international flavour.
Welcome to mythopoeia. It is a world ruled by mighty Greek gods, fierce Viking warriors, and brave witches and wizards. Mythopoeia is a genre in which a fictional mythology is created by the author. If you like reading stories about fantastical creatures and imaginary worlds, you will love it here.
New universes
Books written under this genre contains entirely unique fictional universes, which may have elements of existing mythology. Writers create complex worlds with well-detailed histories chronicling the past and intricate geographies along with the unique laws of nature that govern their fictional worlds.
Who coined the term?
The term is derived from Greek words ‘muthos and ‘poein’, which means “myth making.” R. R. Tolkien was the first to use the word as the title of a poem dedicated to C.S. Lewis. It was published in 1931.
Books and films
- J. R. R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Silmarillion” series.
- C. S. Lewis “The Chronicles of Narnia”
- Rick Riordan’s “Percy Jackson” series, “Trials of the Apollo” and “The Kane Chronicles”.
- J. K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter’ series and “The Ickabog”
- Terry Pratchett’s “Discworld” series,
- Philip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” series and “The Book of Dust” trilogy.
- Cornelia Funke “Inkheart” trilogy.
- Christopher Paolini “The Inheritance Cycle”.
- Marvel’s comics and films – “Thor”, “Avengers” and “Doctor Strange”.
Picture Credit : Google