5. Sacrifice

The turning point of many fantasy books is when the hero gives of their self for the cause. It might be to help the main character push through to the end or it might be to bring about an even better ending than there otherwise would be.

Brom.

Dumbledore.

Gandalf.

Aslan.

Some of these sacrifices deliberately point to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Others are more ambiguous. Tolkien himself said that Gandalf’s death and resurrection wasn’t intended to be symbolism, but when you look closely at it, there’s no denying Tolkien’s worldview showed through.

This foundational aspect of fantasy can’t but help point people to the ultimate sacrifice that Christ made for us. Again, a heart longing for fulfillment of a story element in real life.

6. Prophecy

Along with the chosen one, there is usually some kind of prophecy that guides the main characters through their fantasy story. Whether it’s a designation of the chosen one or a statement that helps the main characters unearth their quest objective, some form of prophecy exists in most fantasy stories.

How does this relate to Christianity and real life? It’s easy to see the correlation with the Bible. A book, written years in the past, guides our lives today. Or there are the literal prophecies that were given and then later came to pass—like in the book of Daniel.

Again, here’s an opportunity for believers to share their faith through fantasy stories.

7. Orphan

Eragon

The Elfstones of Shannara

The Horse and His Boy

Uprooted (Okay, I didn’t honestly plan on being part of such an ostentatious list, but it’s true.)

All of these have main characters who are orphans, or who become orphans thus setting them on their quest.

Christians may wonder how I’m placing this within roots of their faith, but we are all orphans.

The earliest vision their eyes beheld was not one another. Upon humanity’s awakening, they first saw the glad smile of God. ~Cara L. T. Murphy, The Inquisitive Christ

Back in Eden, we had family. God was our Father, but due to the fall, from the time of our birth until we die, we are now orphans—unless we look to Christ. Then he adopts us into His family. The Apostle Paul talks about us being adopted and crying out “Abba, Father.”

Adoption probably should go under found family, but it’s the idea that we had no family and now we are adopted into a family. Many fantasy heroes have a longing for connection with their lost parents or mentors.

And so we have the next three reasons Christians should read fantasy. As we delve into the genre, we find there are aspects that drive our hearts’ longing. May you fulfill your true purpose this week.

3. The Chosen One

Every fantasy lover knows this trope. The lowly stable boy, the orphan girl, the underdog who no one knows becomes the prophesied savior. I don’t know how many fantasy stories include this in some way. And yet, what if it had its beginnings at the beginning of time?

Genesis chapter three tells of the fall of man, but God doesn’t just punish Adam and Eve for doing what they weren’t supposed to do, he gives a promise! One day, there will come one who will crush the serpent’s head. A Savior would come from the woman.

How many women through the ages wondered if their child would be the chosen one? How many young boys dreamed of being the savior their people longed for?

Then one day, an angel spoke to a young woman betrothed to a righteous man and told her she would bear a child who would be the Savior.

But the chosen one trope doesn’t end with Jesus as the Savior of the world. It goes on. Jesus chose twelve men to travel with him, and many others followed.

Ephesians chapter one verses three and four state:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love (English Standard Version, emphasis mine)

Did you catch that? If we are believers in Christ, then we are chosen. The longing of every fantasy reader to be that chosen hero can be true.

4. Magic

I can just hear Christians ready to cry, “Heresy!” Doesn’t the Bible forbid magic? Put down your stones—okay, at least hold them for a moment and listen.

Magic by its very definition is a supernatural ability. There are two sources to supernatural abilities in this world—from God or from the Devil (Enemy, Satan.)

God gave his Old Testament servants the ability to perform miracles which would very much appear as magic. Moses turning his staff into a snake for instance. The Egyptian magicians did the same thing through their dark arts. There were several signs that Moses did that the Egyptians were able to duplicate, but eventually, they could no longer keep up with God’s power.

In the New Testament, again, God gave signs to help people come to a saving faith in Jesus.

But there is a definite dark magic that the Bible forbids and with good reason. Its source is from the enemy, and he only wants to entangle us in his grasp.

So, as believers we must be careful where our magic system comes from in a fantasy book. There are definite dark fantasy books out there that dig into magic on an evil front.

As you go about your week, remember the chosen one. Are you one of them? Do you know any? But even more importantly, are you living life as a chosen one?

Should Christians read fantasy? I grew up in a family that answered this in the negative. It wasn’t until I was in college that I read Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Let alone C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia. But as I grow in my faith and dig deeper into fantasy, the more I see that fantasy is an outworking of the longing of the heart for God.

How? Here’s ten themes within the fantasy genre that harken back to the roots of Christianity. We’ll look at 2 at a time.

1. Found Family

The number of stories in fantasy that have found family as a theme are beyond my counting. Even The Lord of the Rings have the hobbits coming together as a family, not to mention Gimli and Legolas.

But where is found family in Christianity?

Back in the Garden of Eden, God placed Adam and Eve and told them to multiply and fill the earth—in essence, become a family. Unfortunately, it didn’t take them long to break the perfect world God had created, including the family. Cain killed Abel!

When Jesus came to earth, he created the church. Paul uses the image of family for the church. Could it be that the church in its perfect form is to be one big found family?

2. Kingdom Fantasy

One of the subgenres of fantasy is Kingdom Fantasy where there isn’t any magic, just a medieval kingdom; while another trope of fantasy is to have it in a medieval setting.

Many who read fantasy wish to return to the medieval era. Why else would we have Renaissance Faires and the SCA? But what is the draw to this kingdom setting?

Especially in the United States of America, I believe the draw is to the monarchy. Even though our forefathers separated from it, we still are drawn to the idea of a king, queen, prince, and princess—hence the fascination with the British royal family.

The overarching concept of a monarch is that they have supreme control over the kingdom. There’s a bowing down in honor to them; a feeling of awe and reverence.

Wayne Thomas Batson does this well in his The Door Within series where the throne room is held in awe, and Aidan can’t even look at it in passing if the door is open.

Just as Gwenne covered Aidan’s eyes with her hands, a thunderous rumble sounded. The King’s enormous doors began to open. The entire hallway filled with searing light. The fierce brilliance streamed in through Gwenne’s fingers.

Aidan fell facedown, burying his head in his hands. Gwenne bent down to his side as the King’s chamber doors closed and the light withdrew.

“I warned you,” she said sympathetically. “Are you all right?”

“My eyes!” he complained, rubbing both vigorously with his knuckles. He blinked tears and opened his eyes. The only image he could see, eyes opened or eyes closed, was the vague outline of Gwenne’s fingers.

“The glory of the King… it is perilously pure,” she said.

Every believer knows that Jesus is given the name King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Could the fascination with fantasy kings be our desire to understand our own King?

Even better, could reading a fantasy book like The Door Within or others help bring a ‘welcome awakening’ to someone who is longing for a loving king who controls everything?

We’ll look at another 2 reasons next week.

But it’s more than mirroring our world, it’s more so our innate longing for what once was. And so there are ten ways fantasy reflects what our hearts long for. Because of this, I also describe them as ten reasons why Christians should read fantasy.

I know, that can be controversial. But I’ll line out those reasons later. Meanwhile, I posted the question of how fantasy mirrors the real world.

Genres that Mirror the Real World

As I look at fantasy genres, there’s at least one that mirrors our longing for another world. C. S. Lewis and many others, including me, write Portal Fantasy.

Portal fantasy is where the characters go from our world into a fantasy world. But how does this mirror our longing? Listen as this facebook creator explains Aslan.

Did you hear what he said? Find me in your world. Portal fantasy is a longing for the world we were originally created for. A world that can be ours again at the end.

The Door Within by Wayne Thomas Batson not only is portal fantasy, but shows the ending of what could be–adventures with God, not sitting on clouds playing harps.

Characters that Mirror our Longing

The hero is a longing for something more as well. Think about it. We want someone to come in and rescue us!

I once heard a speaker describe it as “Bog Theology.” It’s the time in your life when you’re in the middle of a bog–think mile long and wide where you’re sinking into it. Kind of like the Fire Swamp in The Princess Bride. There are dangers and you’re sinking wanting out.

Bog Theology says that instead of God sending you a helicopter to get you out, he comes alongside you and walks with you through it.

How many fantasy heroes do that. We walk with them through their journey, but in so doing, they walk beside us, helping us through our real-life struggles.

If this sounds like something you want to know more about, follow the series. Next up will be a series of posts with two reasons each of why Christians should read fantasy. It’s the same idea. This longing for a place to call your own that resonates within us with fantasy.

One of the tough topics that’s discussed in Four Stars over Ardatz: Journeys is sexual assault. This unfortunately is too often left undiscussed, especially among those who claim Christ. I think by taking a verse that says: “it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of [evildoers] in secret.” (Eph 5:12) We’ve given power to abusers and assailants. 

I know when I finally allowed my brain to unlock a sliver of a memory, I felt shame and guilt–not because it’d happened, but because I’d lied my whole life! Yet, by bringing it out into the open, by sitting with my mom and working through a secondary outcome, and by lots of prayer and Bible study, I was able to be freed of the shame and fear that assault had left in its wake.  

By having characters go through these horrific events (off the page) and walking through the healing process, I hope to bring about conversations, to provide a voice for those who feel as if they have no voice, and provide hope that there is a better outcome than what they’ve faced so far. 

How do you help those who’ve faced this? Remember last week’s post about how to talk about tough topics? The same applies here. The main thing you can do is provide a loving, nonjudgmental ear for them to share when they feel ready. If you’re a partner to a survivor of abuse, realize that things that had been fine earlier may now not be alright. Be patient with them and show love without touch.

A book, and even movies, make the process seem easy and/or quick. But that is as far from the truth as possible. Even if the healing comes relatively quickly (over the course of a year or so), years later triggers can arise that give fear a hold again. 

By speaking about this tough topic, we can free survivors of the shame that accompanies sexual assault and abuse. We provide them freedom and lift a burden that is too heavy for them to carry alone. 

If you’re a survivor and have no one to talk to, feel free to reach out. If you know a survivor, feel free to share either Kristjan’s Rise or Paskal’s Hope with them as books that may help them see that there is hope. Good resources for healing are The Wounded Heart by Dan Allender and Lord, Heal My Hurts by Kay Arthur. If you have troubles finding any of these resources, reach out to me, I can help you find them.

Speaking about hard topics can leave us feeling heavy and weighed down, but remember the goal is to shine light in the midst of darkness. To turn our scars into weapons of light.

But the real issue is how to go about it and still have friends at the end. It’s a matter of either holding our tongue and then creating a false sense that life is ‘normal’ without problems or speaking and creating a haven where people feel comfortable around you. 

There are eight pointers for speaking out on hard topics.

Don’t Glorify It

If we focus on the issue and make it seem as if it’s the good, then we’ve not done anyone any favors. It’s what makes much of modern fantasy dark.

Don’t Pull the Problem Out of Perspective

Perspective matters. If you focus on the problem then there can be no hope left. Instead, acknowledge the issue but then show the way through. When we make the problem the focus, then we forget a way out.

Show Hope

This is very similar to #2. Shine the light! There is a way out.

Focus on the People Not the Problem

I’d say this is what Rebecca P. Minor did in her newest book, The Rending Cauldron. The characters were the main focus not their terrible situations that they were in (slavery, sexual assault.) So, when you’re talking about tough issues, remember there are real people going through it. Love them!

Love Those Who’ve Been There

When we talk about tough issues, there are people who’ve been there. Honor their struggle by loving them and not minimizing their experiences. 

Don’t Forget There Are Consequences

This often gets overlooked. We say you can just move forward, but there are consequences for what happens. Those who’ve been through trauma will have to live with that memory. Those who’ve walked a hard path due to their own decisions will need to heal and then still have consequences.

This is where we come in as Hopebringers. We walk with them through life together with whatever those consequences may be. Let them know they deserve a “Happily Ever After” even if there are daily reminders of what has happened.

Talk About the Issues

As I started with, it’s easy to remain silent. But when we start talking about death, suicide, human trafficking, abuse, assault, and many more, we allow others to acknowledge that they’ve been there. It helps them not feel alone. (Remember the “Me, too” movement?)

The same reviewer that said Kristjan’s Rise is more than a book, also said that it reminded her of a time in her life when she’d gone through something similar.

Don’t Gloss Over It

And lastly, don’t gloss over the issues. This is what was done when I was growing up. By not speaking of things, it made them taboo. But glossing over them does the same. It minimizes what someone has experienced.

May you have the courage to speak up about things others avoid. May you shine love, light, and hope into people’s lives this week.

Epic Fantasy with Magic

All he wanted was to prove himself a man.

All she wanted was to learn to use her new-found magic.

Neither of them knew the price of their desires.

A rope bound his feet together, and another held his arms at his sides. Each of his fellow captives was secured in the same way. His arms itched where the hemp fibers dug into them. He wiggled trying to reposition, to somehow scratch it.

The slave beside him gave a warning shake of his head. Slave. He’d been taken captive—by a jiddee’adar slaver. Weren’t the jiddee’adar supposed to be Jeeah’s protectors—advisors to kings or chieftains, using their abilities to serve? He shook his head. He’d seen how Olechario used his power.

Fantasy that Questions Your Core Beliefs

What if being who you were meant to be, meant you’d be trafficked, sent half-way around the world, and sold into slavery? Would you be able to see meaning from the despair? Or would you be like Paskal?

As the young girl came to a stop, her eyes widened, and she walked toward Paskal, her hand extended. “You’re a slave?” She reached for his hand and pulled him down to her, then traced the mark on his arm.

He wanted to hide, to have the ground open up and swallow him. Instead of the hatred and disdain that he’d grown accustomed to, though, she placed both hands on his cheeks and turned him to her.

“Jeeah loves you.”

The words struck him harder than the physical blow he’d expected. What did she mean? Of course, he knew about Jeeah, but since he’d woken in Olechario’s care, his faith that the god was good had dwindled. How could Jeeah allow him to be treated like he had?

Like a good slave, he didn’t reply. There was nothing he could say anyway.

Fantasy that Brings Hope from Loss

Paskal only wants to prove himself a man, but when he’s captured by an evil mage and sold down the Inferno Trail, he loses more than he ever thought possible. And yet, through the fire and pain he finds hope.

What would you do if faced with immeasurable loss?

Cover for Paskal’s Hope

Where to Get Paskal’s Hope

Instead of a pre-order on Amazon or other outlets, Paskal’s Hope is being released as a Kickstarter project. It’s currently in pre-launch which means you follow it to get notifications of when it goes live. The more people who follow it, the more Kickstarter promotes it.

Kickstarter is a crowdfunding option that allows you–the reader–to get early access to special edition books. Paskal’s Hope will have four different chapter headers that will correspond to his place in the story. The hardcover outside will match Kristjan’s Rise so the duology will look great on your bookshelf.

If you haven’t already purchased Kristjan’s Rise, you’ll have the opportunity in the Kickstarter to get both books.

But…

Once we’re aware, we then have an option of how to handle it. Last week we talked about remembering the times we’ve made it through. Did it help you? I hope so.

One way to help you remember is journalling. You can write down the events that happen and then go back and read them. But there’s another form of journalling as well.

This is what a chat group called writing for yourself. It’s the writing to understand where you’re at right now. What you’re thinking about a topic, or how you’re feeling. 

This type of journalling can help the mind games by giving you a glimpse into your thoughts. You can see if you’re not thinking right. You can understand what’s going on.

This week, when you find yourself uptight, frustrated, or just plain out of sorts, sit down with some paper or your note app or even a word processor and journal what’s going on.

I’m reminded of how the Rittider put on their armor as they go about their day. Or how Carryl made sure the dragons and riders had armor to fight against the turquoise dragon rider.

Unfortunately, our armor isn’t as cool looking as a leather breastplate. It’s moreso a way of life, a decision each morning as we wake up to gird up our mind to be ready for the attacks that will come that day.

How can we do that? Our first step is remembering.

This week, I was given some shocking news. The position I thought I was going to move into was given to someone else. My current teaching position is up in the air as I wait on insurance to decide on long-term disability. I began to panic. For the past three years, my income has sustained the household. 

At the same time, I knew I’d heard the invitation to come risk with God and pivot in my work focus. But how was that possible?

As I tried to grapple with all of this, I reminded myself that God has always provided. Always! But it took a conscious effort to remind myself.

Mairead goes through this as well in Divided. As she’s taking the crown, she must swear in her cannonsea, or captain of the royal guard.

“Kyeth, Rittider of Muintir, do you pledge your life to Mairead, Queen of Muintir?”

“Aye.” Kyeth blinked back tears, the emotion almost undoing Mairead’s resolve not to cry. “My blade belongs to my queen. My will is hers to command, and my life will be spent in exchange for hers. This I vow with Jeeah as my witness.” He paused before his voice rang out clear and strong: “Chay la Jeeah.”

Mairead fought for control. How could she do this? Lugh squeezed her shoulder, and she remembered Jeeah. Taking a deep breath, she stated the words she’d memorized at the jiddee’adar’s prompting. 

Our daily battles might not be as big as facing an evil mage, but our enemy is just as determined. The mind games are real. Will you remember how you’ve come through hard times in the past? Remember that you did get through them. That bad times pass, even if it feels like they won’t.

What memory do you need to recall? I’d love to hear how you got through a bad time–if you feel comfortable sharing.

That’s not what I have in mind. I’m talking about the mind games we play with ourselves on a daily basis.

Mind Games We Play

These are the ways we convince ourselves:

• our life is great–or not.
• the pain’s not too bad–or it’s terrible.
• others have better friends than me–or not.
• other kids behave like angels while mine are hellions–or not.

Focus is the Key

I’m coming to understand Lysander from Divided more and more. I never wanted to relate to an antagonist–someone who’s willing to do anything to get his end goal, even if it means hurting others. But as I’m coming up on two years of living with nerve pain, it’s starting to make more and more sense.

Yet, even Lysander had a choice, as do you and I.

He sighed and closed his eyes. “You have no idea how wonderful it is to not feel a thing. No pain, no aches, not even discomfort.” He opened his eyes. “Thank you, Mairead. I don’t deserve this.”

“Aye, you do. No one should live in pain.”

“Tell that to Jeeah.” He twisted the name as if it left a sour taste.

Her power receded as if recoiling, pulling back into herself.

“Why do you say that?”

He snorted. “He’s the only one capable of providing relief, and look at me. Every step, all I know is pain. Either I did something terrible to deserve this, or he has no feelings, doesn’t care a wit about what happens to me.”

“Nay, that can’t be. Jeeah cares.”

“Then why?” He lifted his chin. “Why doesn’t he show me he cares?”

She had no answer for that, but the empty space where a reply should have been made it feel like she’d committed a betrayal. She’d felt Jeeah’s nearness, his comfort. Why hadn’t Lysander?

Lysander chose to focus on his pain instead of on the solace Mairead found in Jeeah.

Your Mind Games

Your mind games might not be pain. They may be about your life circumstances, your family, or even friends. Whatever it is, know it is possible to win these mind games. We’ll dive in more next week.