Hello everyone! This is Casimir with The Skald’s Circle again. Today we’ll be talking about folklore and mythological influences in games.
So, I am certain that you all have come to realize that Mynogan and I are nerds. (Mynogan’s note: It’s true. I can confirm.) If not, then you’re in for a surprise. We’re both huge fans of video games, tabletop games, etc. I bring this up because games like that are just another way of storytelling. Video games like the Elder Scrolls, Dragon Age, and Final Fantasy; tabletop games such as Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, and RuneQuest — all have deep delving lore, and it’s impossible to look at this lore without finding at least a few things from mythology and folklore. I will admit my favorite example of this is cheating a little bit because it started as a book — my favorite example being the Witcher. I mean one of their entire expansions is based on The Man of Glass, forget what anyone says about it being based on some other popular novel, they’re wrong. (mainly because I stubbornly decide that they’re wrong, rather than me having any actual proof.) They poke fun at the stereotypical story of the princess being locked away in [insert situation here] by having the princess actually be some kind of horrible monster (only not really). I should stop gushing, but it does come down to that finding mythological and folklore influences in video games and tabletop worlds is one of my favorite things. It’s great to see that these stories are still having influences on even some of our most popular cultural things.
If you wanted any further proof that these stories still have an influence on our modern day storytellers, you need look no further than the world of video games and tabletop games. Worlds filled with frost giants, dragons, vampires, and more — some even with special named characters like Baba Yaga and Koschei. I am curious though, what are your favorite examples of folklore and myths in modern day storytelling examples? They can be from anything from video and tabletop games to books and movies. I am curious to see the things that stand out most to all of you now! Let us know here and we’ll write a follow-up!
I hope you have enjoyed our discussion of mythology, folklore, and history with The Skald’s Circle. If you’d like to know more or perhaps discuss it with me I’m always more than willing. Also, if you have something you would like us to research, please let us know! If you learned something new, give us a like, and let us know, we really appreciate being noticed… Until then, I’ll be back next week with another fascinating topic. This is Casimir, signing off, and remember, always check your sources!
Related
