It’s quite
difficult to find a fantasy novel that does not have some sort of character or
plot dealing with royalty. Even if the central focus of the story and its
characters have nothing to do with sovereigns, thrones or kingdoms, there still
tends to be someone or something in the plot that relates to things of royalty.
I believe this is mostly due to the setting of most fantasy worlds taking place
in a medieval-type era. The Middle Ages was a period of emperors, kings and
lords.
Another
look at this is that the utter most of us do not stem from royalty; therefore, experiencing
the royal lifestyle is the dream (or fantasy) of many people. I think that’s
why a lot of the western world is so fascinated with the royal family of
England—it’s like a fairytale—something so far from us, and unattainable, that
it’s like a fantasy.
So it has
been since the dawn of fantasy fiction that kings, queens, princes and princesses
have been the orbital point of stories. There are tales of dynasties holding
their thrones (or trying to take back their thrones); tales of regicide and
machinations; tales of usurpers. There are so many methods in the use of the
royal ingredient in fantasy; and it has almost…almost become as common as magic
(excluding urban fantasy).
Are there
any fantasy books where there is no ruler somewhere in the story? Is it
possible to have an epic fantasy without some element of the royal or imperial?
I’m sure such books exist, but they are few (and I’m sorry to say that I cannot
think of any at the moment).
I think the
royal element tends to bring the grandeur scope of things into fantasy worlds.
Palaces, castles, crowns, scepters, thrones, riches and servants, these are
cool things (apart from magic). I just feel like a good fantasy would be amiss
without some of these things in the mix.
The British
folklore of King Arthur may have had influence on the genre—a legendary king mentored
by a wizard (Merlin). Princesses and princes have been quite common in the fairytales
of old; as well as kings and queens. Early fantasy novels like The Well at the World’s End by William
Morris, published in 1896, and an influence to J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis,
contains characters of royalty; including Lord Dunsany’s novel, The King of Elfland’s Daughter.
I’ll leave
this thought with you… Imagine A Song of Ice and Fire without the royalty
ingredient. It would be more like the Hatfields and McCoys; which may be quite
good, but it would lack the grandeur scope—lacking that epic scale.
