Lots of fantasy stories revolve around
characters going on a quest. In 'Lord of the Rings', Frodo and the
Fellowship were charged with returning the One Ring to its original
location and destroy it. They were trying to stop a force of evil
larger than anyone could have imagined. And Aragorn needed to be
returned to his rightful place as the King of Men.
Most quests involve a magical item or
the return of something the world thought was lost. Like the
unassuming farm boy who is actually the rightful heir to a long lost
throne. Perhaps it is a quest to slay a dragon and return to a city
that was lost.
When starting out on a quest, there has
to be some questions answered. Who is going? How will you get there?
And where did you find that magical map/weapon/thing? Artifacts in
fantasy quests are just as important as anything else. Some trinket
is always turning up in the most unexpected places. Perhaps the key
to the city of gold was tucked away in a strongbox down in some wine
cellar of a farmer who retired from the military after the last
battle of some now forgotten city. The only way it was found was
because of the man's passing and his handing his small fortune down
to a son who had to fight off greedy relatives who thought the man
had other treasures hidden.
Well, they'd be right, but they
certainly wouldn't know it. Not until someone else came along with a
map to said city and a picture of what the key looks like.
But quests don't have to be about items
or lost kings all the time. Quests can be simply finding answers to
questions that have plagued a person their entire life and they
finally decide to go looking for answers. Maybe the quest is to
regain a freedom from a centuries old oppression. Or perhaps the
person beginning the quest just wants to find out who they really are
and what the fates have in store for them.
9 comments:
Sometimes personal quests are best. I guess I used that one for my first book.
I like personal quests the best I think. Though I don't mind reading an epic fantasy.
I like any kind of quest. Obviously, lol! There's lots of them in my book.
I like the quests that have an exclamation point over the head and result in a "DING!"
I can relate to "find out who they really are"
If I knew what direction to take I would go on that quest.
Gotta have a quest, but many times, it is the personal journey that is the most moving.
A quest gives us something to write about! :)
#atozchallenge, Kristen's blog: kristenhead.blogspot.com
Quests, hero's journey...whatever you call them, they are always an adventure!
I think that most stories can be boiled down to a quest, whether it's an actual object, or self realisation, it's all a journey to discover something - it's that spirit of adventure that makes it a great read.
Jamie @ Mithril Wisdom
Post a Comment