Some Thoughts On Developing Fantasy Cultures

Like anything in world building there are probably as many different approaches to this as there are world builders. But the most fundamental first step is to acquaint yourself intimately with the widest range of human cultures possible. If nothing else, you want to learn as much as possible about the culture/s you are basing your fantasy culture/s on as possible. If you want to create a fantasy version of feudal Japan, treat it like historical fiction. Learn anything and everything you can about feudal Japan. Whatever you do, don’t just base yours off preexisting fantasy cultures. Instead try to reverse engineer the other writer’s work and find out what their sources were and build up from there. The last thing you want to do is either blatantly plagiarise someone else’s work, or inadvertently repeat their mistakes. Watch all the movies and documentaries that you can about your chosen culture/s, read widely (preferably scholarly literature), and be critical of the information you are receiving. Obviously pop culture versions of other cultures is likely to be full of inaccuracies, but may help you get more of a feel for that culture, at least artistically.

The cultures that populate the world I am creating are all unique to it. No two cultures are ever the same, and cultures that develop in isolation form one another are usually radically different from each other. This is why is is so important to study a variety of cultures to better appreciate the differences. On a world that developed in isolation from our own, the cultures would very likely be fundamentally different from anything that developed on earth. But whatever you create also has to be relatable. If you create something too alien, you are going to end up stalling the plot as you spend a lot time explaining strange costumes and unfamiliar concepts to your readers. Fortunately for me that is part of what I want to do with my current draft. But it’s something you want to keep in mind when you are designing fantasy cultures: how much is this going to impact the plot and the pacing of your novel? If you just have a story you want to tell, you may want to make the culture/s it happens in as relatable as possible (even falling back on the medieval Western Europe-style  fantasy setting… but personally that is getting boring).

In order to make my cultures feel unique I like to blend elements of different cultures that I am familiar with and then from that base let them evolve naturally. Thus the Clarndor blend elements of hunter gather peoples and feudal Japan. But as I developed their culture, more unique ideas began to evolve: such as their holy city of Falahrru. In its early development (within my world) Falahrru was little more than a sacred gathering place. But over time it grew into a city of temples and universities. In many ways it has become my world’s equivalent of the Library of Alexandra mixed with the idea of a sacred gathering place.

As you can see from an initial vague blending of cultures you can quickly develop something quite unique.

I hope this helps to get you thinking. If you are looking for more ideas you should check out Holly Lisle’s Create a Culture Clinic for a more in depth, step-by-step guide to culture design.