Worldbuilding: Religions

One of my favorite subjects, besides military history, is theology. I currently have a work-in-progress that takes place in a unique world, and hence I've been engaging in much worldbuilding. Part of this has, of course, involved the religions of this world. 

This led me to ponder a bit on worldbuilding and religion. I decided to write a short post on the subject, to give some advice and suggestions to fellow authors.

Do Research!

Oh no, more work, I can hear some people thinking. Yes, I know it stinks sometimes when you're really eager to get to writing and making the rubber hit the road as far as your storytelling is concern. Nonetheless, if faith or religion is going to have any part in your story, it might be helpful to research the topic a little bit.

I would also highly suggest researching from original sources. I imagine nobody reading this post would learn about Judaism from National Socialist websites - well, treat other faiths with as much respect. Don't research Christianity from New Atheist websites. Don't research Islam from right-wing blogs. If you can find works in English that translate what a certain religion's documents or leaders say or have said, try to rely on that for the most part. If you can find balanced, scholarly works on the subject, and those subjects quote from original sources, by all means rely on that too.

Another good tip: if you have friends or acquaintances that belong to certain faiths, it might help asking them what they suggest. For example, I have a book at home on Shia Islam; I got it because I knew a well-read Shia Muslim, and I actually went and asked him what the best book on the subject of his faith was.

Obviously, everybody's time is limited, and I don't expect anyone reading this blog to go out and get a Theology Doctorate. Nonetheless, just as you would do a little bit of research into other topics related to your work, so too should you consider researching into this topic as well. Who knows - it may not influence your world's religions, but it might also influence other aspects of it.

Be Creative!

A lot of times, I think the default state many will go to is a "copypasta" of Roman Catholicism or Greek mythology. You either have the hierarchical priest church, or you have the plethora of gods for every task or natural occurrence under the sun. Obviously this isn't always a bad thing (I mean let's face it, George R.R. Martin's Faith of the Seven is basically Roman Catholicism revamped, and nobody complains); nonetheless, I think a lot of writers are missing out when they don't attempt to think outside the box.

Contrary to popular belief among many, it's untrue that all religions are basically the same. Some are more philosophical in nature than spiritual (eg., many Eastern "religions"). Some are polytheistic. Some are henotheistic (that is, there are many gods, but only one is worth worshiping). Some are monontheistic. 

Within all these groups, there can be varieties, some major and some minor. For example, Islam is a monotheistic religion, but within Islam you have Sunni, Shia, Ahmadi, etc. Then among the Shia you have Sixers and Twelvers. Within those groups you have even more variety. Keep in mind this doesn't necessarily need to be divisive variety, but individual groups within a larger faith that can be in slight opposition to one another (eg., the Dominicans, Franciscans, Augustinians, etc.). Just as it happens in the real world, so too can you can do the same in your world.

Be Detailed!

For a lot of writers, faith and religion seems to take a back seat. This is unfortunate because even tiny details regarding a character's faith can be helpful in influencing their motivations and aspirations. 

One big example of this is eschatology, which is commonly associated with end-times beliefs. The reason for the growth of revival in the 18th and 19th centuries was because many in the early parts of the movement were Postmillennials, who believed there would be a massive revival before the return of Christ. The reason some Founding Fathers opposed war with Britain was because they came from Quaker-based beliefs, which opposed any conflict or violence at all. Within some parts of Islam, there's such a high view of fatalism that something like the car breaking down is shrugged off with "Allah wills it - no need to fix it."

Again, little details like this can help shape your character. Even if it's a subtle nuance, it can still influence and affect your characters.

Be Original!

I can't help but notice, as far as character writing goes, that many times you end up with two cliches, both of them opposite extremes:

The Inquisitor: This is the follower of a religion (whether a cleric or a layman) who thinks everyone who doesn't agree with him is evil and deserves to die. We've probably most seen this character in movies, whether it be the oppressive mother who quotes Bible verses every other second, or the priest who goes insane as zombies attack. Most of the time they just end up being a terrible straw man for organized religion.

The Hippie: This is the guy who may belong to a religion, but hey, who cares about what you believe? Sometimes it can get to the point where the MC could commit ethnic cleansing, and the Hippie would just shrug his shoulders and say, "Who am I to judge?" This person's beliefs amount to a superficial wonder as to why we can't all just get along? Flower power, maaaaaaan!

Believe it or not, it's possible to have a happy middle ground here. You can have a character who holds firmly to his faith, but doesn't want everyone who disagrees with him burned at the stake. You can have a character who seems welcoming and accepting, but is in fact a dangerous cult member, or close-minded in other, more significant ways. Just as it's better to come up with a multilayered, try to come up with a character that's a little more than a caricature of either intolerance or tolerance.

I can give an example from my own work. Edmund, the Magi from Gods on the Mountain, is firmly established in his faith in the Almighty, the monotheistic god for much of Calambria; he believes there is no other correct religion, except the worship of the Almighty. At the same time, when he hangs out with dwarfs who worship the dragons of old, he doesn't contradict everything they say or do, or start foaming at the mouth and ranting against them Westboro Baptist Church-style. I had beta readers tell me that they appreciated that fact about him.

Don't be afraid of truth!

What is the truth in your world? Is there a right religion? Is there a wrong religion? Is one religion based on nonsense, but another is based on fact? I think many times when people are worldbuilding, they don't think about this, or consider it firmly enough. A lot of times there almost seem to be a plethora of pantheons in a world, each one vying for each other. Other times things are just left vague. Vagueness can be okay, but don't be afraid to have a "true" faith that maybe truly does have power over others, or can assist its members better. It can certainly add credibility to someone's quest or motivation.

With the rise of postmodern thought, it's easy to trigger people by saying one thing's right and one thing's wrong. This is the glorious thing about worldbuilding: this is your own world you are creating. You can say there's a right and wrong and not trigger people. (Well, within reason.) If you want to say one religion is right and all the others are wrong, have at it!

Rules of Magic in Calambria

Last month, I came across an article by Eve Jacob on how to write magical powers. It was a good read that basically emphasized having a system, limitations, rules that can be understood and broken, etc. I've had a lot of questions from the beta-readers for my upcoming book Gods on the Mountain, regarding specifically the use of magic. Because of this, I thought I would take a moment to explain what role magic plays in the book, and within Calambria (the continent on which my book takes place) at large.

The word "magic" is rarely used in regards to special powers, and when it is, it is almost treated by other characters as a kind of slur. The powers themselves involve a manipulation and utilization of natural elements found within the world. This can include the dirt in the ground, or the flame from a fire, but it can also include clothing or metal armor. This is done by either manipulating the elements from their current state, or channeling those elements through your body. The important part here is that elements cannot be created ex nihilo from the caster themselves - it must already exist. Hence, an adapt user of "magic" must be ready to use whatever is available to them at that moment.

Two things should be kept in mind in regards to this: skill level and physical endurance. A magic user cannot simply do whatever he wants, but rather must harness and focus his skill, in the same manner that a juggler needs to practice to keep up (and advance) his abilities. Likewise, a weak magic user is not going to have enough endurance for what he needs to do, whereas a stronger magic user will be able to cast for long periods of time (and as a result, most magic users tend to be physically fit).

One final, and very important, factor to consider is that, in Calambria, magic and spirituality are connected. Magic is not earned through bloodline, nor through simple training (though training to lower levels is possible); rather, the Almighty (Calambria's monotheistic deity) grants "magic" to whom he wills. It is not inherited, but gifted. The major school of magic in the book, the Order of Magi, recruits by seeking out those who have shown, either at an early age or as a young adult, those who exhibit these powers. Of course, what a person chooses to do with these powers is up to them, and can ostracize them from the magic-using community at large, or grant them greater renown. Those outside the Magi who have exhibited powers for good tend to be seen as saints or holy people, while those who exhibited them for evil were seen as morally corrupt. All of this plays an important factor in the main plot for Gods on the Mountain.

World Building: Uniqueness in Mind

As some who follow me on Twitter know, I've been working on a fantasy novel for the past two months. (It is currently without a title - a slight source of frustration for me.) Part of planning the story is, of course, constructing the world around the characters and its history. I've begun taking notes in my journal and organizing religions, cultures, ways of keeping time, important historical events, and many other aspects of a fully functioning world. The best fantasy books I've come across were the ones which could make it feel like you were diving headfirst into a world which operated as such a world would. That is what I am hoping to capture in my WIP.

One thing constantly on my mind as I slowly form this world bit by bit is that I want to break from the usual mold of fantasy tropes. We've all seen the same formulas over and over again in mainstream presentations: humans live in generic medieval settings; elves are magical and in tune with nature; dwarfs are rough and tumble; etc. Obviously you don't want to go so far from the accepted canon that you might as well invent a whole new race (ie., writing about vampires that glitter in the sun), but you also want to avoid another Tolkien clone, or another D&D clone.

When I was in college, I was introduced to the computer game Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura (which is available on GOG.com). It was set in a world with fantasy staples such as humans, elves, orcs, dwarfs, halflings, etc. At the same time, it had some differences...namely, it mixed fantasy with elements of steampunk. You could choose to be an advanced magic user, but you could also learn how to combine various parts to form a machine or contraption to assist you. Your decision often led to in-game results, most notably the fact that if you became too high a magic user, you couldn't use the train, least the magic interfere with the gears. Likewise, the game introduced elements such as societal prejudice (half-orcs are looked down upon in the same way many minorities have been in various situations) or class warfare (ogres and orcs are used in poor working conditions akin to Victorian England, and in one scenario you can convince them to rise up in revolt). Yes, other worlds like Azeroth had goblins with their machines and gadgets, but Arcanum went a step further, and gave us a world that might exist in any fantasy setting, should technological and civil advancements be considered.

Point is, what I loved about Arcanum is that it took various fantasy tropes and reinterpreted them with a twist, and it did so quite successfully. For me, it's an inspiration on how to work with what people are used to and tweaking it into something new. It's an example of how that can work. Whether you end up loving the game or not (I happened to end up loving it), just the concept alone makes one stop and think, "Huh...OK, I might have to check that out." And when you see the opening cinematic with orcs and goblins flying aircraft around and shooting down zeppelins, you know you're in for something different the rest of the game.

The great thing about world building is that you don't need to play by a set of rules made up by some random person on the internet: you can design it the way you want. You can be creative. You're the creator of this world - just have fun creating it!