If you’re creating a fictional world, the one thing you need to get right is the foundation. You might have great characters, vivid location descriptions, and exciting plots, but if they take place in a world that’s not fully developed, everything will collapse.

This is why you need to know everything about the world you’ve created. There must be something backing up the cultures, societies, events, religions, and traditions you put in your story. A good way of doing this is by creating myths that all things can be traced back to.

What Is a Myth?

Myths are stories that play fundamental roles in ancient and modern societies. Specifically, they are tales that explain the world and the human experience.

These are stories that have endured through time and space, influencing much of a society’s culture and traditions. Despite being separated by numerous barriers such as geography, language, and beliefs, most world myths often concern mankind’s universal concerns. These can include birth and death, the origin of man and the world, the afterlife, and good versus evil.

It makes sense that, since mythology is ubiquitous in the real world, it should play an important part in worldbuilding as well. Fictional worlds with mythologies are more believable and realistic.

Creating a Myth for Your Story

Like any part of worldbuilding, creating a myth is a tough task. It has to tie in with every other element of your story’s world. When it doesn’t, it creates holes in the narrative that can potentially be destructive.

Writers go about creating their world’s background in different ways. A method that works for some will not necessarily work for you, but here are a few useful steps you can follow if you plan to create your own myths.

These tips are probably most useful in a fantasy setting, as the majority of fictional myths can be found in that genre. Still, you can adapt them to better suit your story, whatever genre it may be.

1. Give your myth distant origins.

Myths are myths because they’re old, unverifiable, and ingrained in almost every bit of culture. There’s a sense of thousands of years of history behind them.

Placing them in the distant past gives your world depth. It implies that your world has been around for a long time and that a ton of events have happened in between then and now.

Myths begin to have a deepening effect on your world’s history as the years go by. After all, you can’t say a myth originated just yesterday and expect it to already have effects on the world today.

And because they’re from so long ago, myths are practically shrouded in mystery. None of your characters will know the truth behind these myths—they could easily be fabrications made by someone in the past, or they could have been distorted over time.

In short, setting your myths in the distant past gives you the narrative space to play around with the story.

2. Start with your creation myths.

Some kinds of myths are almost obligatory in a fictional world. From where it all started to how the world became populated, there’s an interest in how things came to be.

Most creation myths are tied to the theme of birth. By some event, a god comes into being. Finding their existence lonely, they decide to create a world and populate it with living creatures.

Creation myths take place in the primordial stage where the world is yet to fully develop. As such, they form the nucleus of your mythology. Starting here makes it easier for you to expand outward as you form other myths.

3. Explain the unexplainable.

Myths are often created to help us make sense of the world. Maybe the first people in the world saw something they couldn’t comprehend and tried to explain it through a story.

Many myths describe how a society’s customs, taboos, rituals, and other social institutions were established.

We know now that a solar eclipse happens when a part of the Earth falls under the moon’s shadow, blocking out the sun. Ancient people didn’t know this though, and so they created stories that explained the phenomenon.

So whenever you’re creating a myth, ask yourself what it explains. But keep in mind that it must be relevant to the culture you’re building—it doesn’t make sense to write a myth about why the sea rises and falls if your setting is in the middle of a desert.

4. Build your gods.

The “characters” in myths are often non-human, such as gods, demigods, demons, and others of supernatural origin.

In creating a myth, it’s almost inevitable for you to set up one or several religions, which are an important element of society. This gives people a basis for their moral compass and the reassurance that there’s a higher power watching over them.

You can either go for one supreme being or an entire pantheon of gods who govern a specific element of your world. Whatever route you choose, you need to decide how and to what extent they interact with the world and its inhabitants.

5. Explain mythology’s relationship to the present.

Because they’re part of your world’s foundation, myths are part of different facets of your fictional societies and cultures. They permeate much of a people’s way of living, from everyday customs to important rituals.

For example, a lot of real-world societies consider their myths and history as one. This is especially true for many religions, which view their sacred stories as true accounts of the past.

Also, consider how these myths affect your characters. The stories they hear during their childhood may well affect their current values, behaviors, and perspectives.

By understanding how your myths affect society, you create a more tightly knit story. Your world’s lore and development won’t feel hollow as readers see the origins of the things that interest them most in your creation.

6. Borrow from what’s already there.

Myths are perfect because they’re not copyrighted. You can use them as a basis or rewrite them to fit your own story. What you do with them is only limited by your imagination.

These myths have proven themselves effective because they’ve withstood the test of time. As you read more about them, take note of the elements they use and the similarities they share. See what works best with the story you’re creating.

The concepts within them are likely already ingrained in your readers. They’ve seen them time and again, and immediately know what they mean. This makes the reading experience easier, and the immersion more fun.

7. Base your myth on an obscure mythology.

Many mythologies—such as those of the Greeks, Romans, Norse, and Egyptians—have been explored too many times. Looking at lesser-known mythologies can lead you to fresh ideas and different writing styles.

A myth’s obscurity lends an element of surprise and unfamiliarity to your readers, which feeds their curiosity. Through these mythologies, they can explore unknown cultures and societies. Your story then becomes unique to their eyes.

Myth vs. Legend

Myths and legends are both stories that have been passed down for generations. Some are so old that they’ve been passed through oral traditions before eventually being written down.

The difference lies in what kind of story they tell. Myths have no historical basis and are almost exclusively about non-human characters, particularly the gods. Some examples are: the Trojan War being started by feuding goddesses; Odin sacrificing his eye to gain spiritual wisdom; and Anansi trying to capture all of the world’s wisdom.

On the other hand, legends are stories that have some sort of historical basis. They focus on human characters and their inspiring exploits. And while myths are closely linked with religion or spirituality, legends are not. Some examples are: Faust’s deal with the devil; King Arthur and the sword in the stone; and the curse of the Flying Dutchman.

There are times when the two overlap, as both essentially pass on teachings from an older generation to a younger one.

Incorporating Myths into Your Story

It’s in our nature to wonder and seek answers about the unknown. This curiosity lends itself well to storytelling. Readers just want to know more about the world they’re reading about.

Myths are a way to satisfy this curiosity. They provide insight into how societies and cultures develop over time. By bringing them into your story, you’re connecting the truths of the past to those of the future.

Creating your myths will be difficult, especially when you’re also putting effort and time into your main story; but it’s also one of the most valuable pieces in your storytelling. Leaving them out might create a world that feels empty.

This doesn’t mean that you need to devote most of your writing to myths. You don’t need to give your readers a complete view of your mythology from the start; the key is expositing these myths only when they’re needed, and being careful to not go overboard. Otherwise, you risk creating info dumps that stall the narrative.

As the main story unfolds, you slowly reveal more about the world your characters live in. In the end, you’ll be left with a world that feels more rich, functional, and realistic.

Did you find this post useful? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

 

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