The Genre Explorers discussion

This discussion is for discussing the genre Mythic Fantasy itself.

So what exactly is mythic fantasy? When I think of mythic fantasy, I think of garygoles, gods and goddesses, two-headed or two-eyed creatures. But is that all it really consists of?

Some people consider mythic fantasy as fantasy that in some way or another incorporates mythology into the world (or the world created by the author). While others will also consider some sort of a higher power weaved into a fictional world as mythic fantasy. By higher power, it is often referred to prophecies and gods meddling into a hero’s journey.
According to Wikipedia, mythic fantasy is “literature that is rooted in, inspired by, or that in some way draws from the tropes, themes and symbolism of myth, legend, folklore, and fairy tales.”

In mythic fantasy, there could be characters that are part human and part god (which in some books is considered a demi-god) while other characters may be non-human having a magical, mystical or supernatural aspect.

Questions:

What comes to mind when you think of mythic fantasy?

Do you automatically think of gods like Zeus, or goddesses like, Athena?

If you read a mythic fantasy book before, did it change your original thoughts about mythic fantasy as a genre?

I believe that mythic fantasy is fantasy based on a myth from our ancient world, and that it should be a specific myth e.g. Jason and the Argonauts. This is an example that doesn't involve Gods and Goddesses. A fantasy book that contains Gods and Goddesses may not be based on a specific myth, and I therefore wouldn't consider it mythic fantasy.

Jason and the Argonauts is a good mythic story. But even in that myth there is a presence of gods and goddesses. Poseidon and Hera had their roles in the myth, even though it was mainly Jason's journey. I do think that mythic fantasy shouldn't shouldn't solely be about gods and goddesses, but there slight presence in the story makes it seem more realistic for me.

That's a good point, Brianna, but most novels dealing with Jason don't include gods probably because it's not dramatically necessary to do so in order to retell the myth. Some myths aren't about the gods or the relationship between humans and gods, but about the choices that humans make.

The gods really aren't that important to the myth, especially Poseidon. I never actually read a book that retold the myth of Jason and the Argonauts. I just remember it from a mythology class I took in college. I think it would be interesting to see the myth retold without gods being in it. I'll have to find a novel that does that.