How to Tackle One of the Trickier Aspects of World Building...
I am going to step very carefully here, because this is a tricky topic. And of course it's right here in the middle-ish of our month-long exploration of world building, but it can be an important bit to consider:
Who or what are the deities, otherworldly powers/beings, planes of existence within your world? And what do the people who live in your world believe about these things?
Now, just like with everything we've talked about, this question may not come into play in the story you're writing. But if it does, it can be one of the most challenging parts of your world building.Remember how on Friday when we were talking about history and origin stories I told you that your own world view would most likely incorporate itself into these aspects of your story? Well, when we're dealing with cosmology, that's even more true.For myself, as a Christian, I always want to handle this part of my world building with care. If I'm going to imagine up a creator figure for my world, then I have to answer some questions: is this creator like the real one? Do I want this creator to reflect truths about my Creator? Do the characters believe in their creator? If not, then what do they believe in? My hope is that my stories would always point my readers in some way to my Savior, Jesus Christ. But that doesn't mean I am always writing an overt allegory or inserting Bible verses into my stories. I pray over my writing a lot. I find that when I write, asking God to be a part of the process is more important than trying to fit Him into my fictional world. If He wants to be in my story, He shines through whether I intend for that to happen or not.In the Minstrel's Song series, I wrote a series of countries that basically had forgotten about their creator. Throughout the stories, some of the characters are reminded of him and come to serve him, and by the final book it becomes clear that he had a plan all along and servants carrying out his plans and that the characters were never as alone as they felt... but I don't want to give away any spoilers!In Turrim Archive, I have six different countries and the people all believe fairly different things. Though there is an actual Creator of this world, most of the people in the world don't know about him. I even wrote up what the various people groups believe, even though none of this may ever play into the actual story... I like knowing where everyone is coming from. It helps me make sure they are acting and speaking in character.
The people of Dalma are hardworking and pragmatic. There is not much that is fanciful about them. They are farmers and shepherds. Custom and tradition is important to them, but not at the expense of common sense. Mostly agnostic.
A much flashier and superstitious culture, the Ondourans believe in several gods and have temples scattered throughout the city where the devout can leave gifts in attempt to garner favor. The inhabitants of the city range from mildly superstitious to extremely devout.
The Telsumans believe firmly in a creator, but they also believe that he is distant and uninterested in the affairs of his creation. Like a blacksmith who crafts fine weapons and tools and then sells them with no intent to stay informed of their path beyond his door. They do not wish to anger him, but mostly figure that it would take rather a lot to gain his attention.
The three countries of the Igyeum has been informed that the Ar’Mol is a god, or at least, the ruler placed over them by the creator, and that they should obey him as though he wielded the power of the heavens. Some truly believe that this is the case. However…
The Maleians also believe in a creator, but they perceive him as equal parts angry and passive… there is little kindness in their interpretation of him.
The nomadic tribes of Palla believe in spirits, both good and bad, who waft about in concert with the desert winds.
In secret, some of the older and more traditional Valleians believe heavily in spirits and three planes (heavenly, earthly, netherworld). Much of their belief system is linked to nature, and their holy places are found in nature (clearings, tops of hills, mouths of rivers) rather than built by human hands.
But religions and belief systems are only part of today's discussion. Another important aspect of figuring out the cosmology of your world has to do with the various planes of existence. Now, your world may only have a single plane of existence. Or it might have several. If you are writing a story with the fae or a portal fantasy, you'll have to figure out how these worlds intersect and where.
Let's take a look at Revelod for a second. My husband created this handy little "map" for me so that I could envision the worlds within worlds. Remembering that this started as a D&D world, it has quite a few different planes of existence to explore:
The map that I showed you the other day all exists in that blue circle in the center, the Middle Realm. Attached to that are the Morofell and the Wylderfell, homes of fae-like creatures both light and dark. Perhaps these are the dominions of the Seelie and Unseelie hosts... or something else... I haven't decided yet. But they cross over with the Middle Realm and are connected to each other.
Then there are the planes of Air, Water, Fire, and Earth... These are essentially the realms from which elemental power is drawn. They may be traversed, but only at great peril to the traveler as they are the natural realm of elemental beings not physical beings. Whether or not there are established dwellings, cultures, or creatures in these locations is not known as there have been no successful mapping efforts for these realms as no traveler has ever returned from these locations. (Sounds like a fun place to send my characters on a quest... no?)
The Astral and Ethereal Seas are sort of in-between places, separating the physical and elemental planes from the both Arimoth (the home of the Ari) and Vanimoth (the prison for the Vanimor). The notable exception to this sort of "nothingness" in these planes is Easamoth, a floating continent... I don't know what's on that continent or why it's there, but I'm sure there are plenty of stories that could be told about it!
Now, you may not need anything quite this complex. Believe me, most of my worlds don't! But again, it all depends on the story you're writing. Lots of books have worlds and planes of existence that intersect/overlap in unique and interesting ways. I've included a few examples below:
The Star Fae trilogy by Sarah Delena White is a great example of how this sort of "two worlds sitting next to each other and affecting each other" thing can be handled.
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis have multiple different worlds, and in The Magician's Nephew, we get a glimpse into a "wood between worlds" that sort of connects them all and allows for travel between them.
The Tales of Goldstone Wood by Anne Elisabeth Stengl is another great example of physical and fairy realms coexisting side by side with tenuous ties between them.
The Magic Kingdom of Landover by Terry Brooks is another example I love of a world-within-a-world/outside-a-world, where the MC, Ben Holiday, is able to find a magical entrance along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and steps through it into a kingdom full of magic and mystery... and problems! But while this world is solidly connected to ours... it is very much outside of it, as well.
What are some books you've read that involve hidden or unseen worlds in them? Do you have any favorite portal fantasies (books that start in our world and then end up in a magical land)?
Make sure to come back tomorrow, as we will have fantasy author J.L. Mbewe joining us to take us on an expedition around her realm of Nälu. It's an incredible world, and one I am excited to have her introduce you to!