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{{trope}}
[[File:
▲[[File:Generic_high_fantasy_7664.jpg|link=Dungeons and Dragons (Tabletop Game)|right]]
The setting of the stereotypical High (or "epic") [[Fantasy]], a collection of tropes, often [[The Theme Park Version|boiled down]] from ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', [[Follow the Leader|which has been the foundation]] for many a series of [[
Basically, the [[Evil Overlord|Dark Lord]], [[Sealed Evil in
Most core elements of high fantasy can be found in [[Unbuilt Trope|seminal]] [[Ur Example|literature from the]] [[Nineteenth Century Literature|19th and early]] [[Fantasy Literature|20th century]], but it was Tolkien that [[Trope Codifier|codified the genre]].
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* Setting - A world other than ours. It may have a nominal connection with present day Earth, such as being our remote past or future, but this plays no role in the plot. [[Mythopoeia]] is often put into play to [[Magic A Is Magic A|define the very metaphysics of the world.]] Nevertheless it often resembles [[Medieval European Fantasy|medieval Europe]], and is often peopled by [[People of Hair Color]].
* Scale - Epic. Power politics, wars, the death of nations, gods walking the earth, and the real threat of [[The End of the World
* Great evil - An enemy which is near enough Evil incarnate or [[Eldritch Abomination|fundamentally abhorrent]]
* Methods - Victory is not achieved through force of arms, the main feature distinguishing High Fantasy from [[Heroic Fantasy]]. If Aragorn had killed Sauron in hand-to-hand combat, that would have been [[Heroic Fantasy]]. In short, a [[Supporting Leader]] or the [[Ignorant of the Call|Reluctant Hero]] will be offered up instead of the [[Sword and Sorcery|rough-hewn barbarian]] of, say, ''[[Conan]]'' or ''[[
Other common elements include:
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* [[The Quest]]
The boundary between
Novels which are unambiguously [[Low Fantasy]] include Eisenstein's ''Sorcerer's Son'', about a family quarrel among wizards devoid of wider implications, [[
The [[Sci Fi Counterpart|sci-fi version]] of
Contrast [[Heroic Fantasy]], a.k.a. [[Sword and Sorcery]].
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For other [[The Epic|"epic"]] genres, compare [[Sword and Sandals]] and [[Space Opera]].
== Anime & Manga ==▼
{{examples}}
* ''[[Naruto]]''
* ''[[One Piece]]''
* ''[[Rave Master]]''
* ''[[Record of Lodoss War]]'' and its sort-of [[Spin-Off]], ''[[Rune Soldier Louie]]''.
== [[Comic Books]] ==
* ''[[Bone]]'', though with a sense of humor throughout.
== [[Film]] ==
* ''[[The Dark Crystal]]'' is guilty of many of the above, as well as [[Genocide Backfire|Backfire]].
* ''[[Willow]]''
* ''[[Krull]]''
== [[Literature]] ==
* ''The [[Belgariad]]'' - takes every single trope in the genre, [[Lampshade Hanging|laughs]] at them, then builds around ten books (and two [[Doorstopper|epics]]) with them.
** ''[[The Elenium]]'' - by the same [[David Eddings|author]], and does pretty much the same thing. Only in six slightly longer (and darker) books. But still two epics.
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* ''The [[Chronicles of Thomas Covenant]]''
* ''[[The Dark Is Rising]]'' series by Susan Cooper is set in our world, in a setting [[Darker and Edgier|nominally similar]] to that of the later ''[[Harry Potter]]'' series, but tied into a distant, mythological and Celtic past, and otherwise fits the trope to a tee. {{spoiler|The hero's uncle is even suggested to be Merlin}}.
* ''[[The Dark Tower]]'' by Stephen King borders the line between
** ''[[The Stand]]'' has even more elements of
* ''[[Deltora Quest]]''
* Laurence Yep's ''[[
* ''[[Dragonlance]] Chronicles'' and ''Legends''
* ''[[The Duel of Sorcery Trilogy]]'' fits on some details, but is more [[Low Fantasy]] in other respects.
* ''[[Foundation]]'' by Isaac Asimov has some elements of high fantasy, like ''[[Star Wars]]''. Also [[
* ''[[
* ''[[The Inheritance Cycle]]''
* ''[[
* ''[[The Malazan Book of the Fallen]]''
* ''[[Memory,
* ''[[The Mirror of Her Dreams]]''
* ''Mistborn'' , and anything written by [[Brandon Sanderson]].
* ''[[Old Kingdom]]'' is somewhat unusual, as its premise revolves around necromancy and the undead.
* The ''[[Prydain Chronicles]]'' are
* ''[[The Riftwar Cycle]]''
* ''[[The Seventh Tower]]''
* ''[[Shannara]]''
* ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' began on the [[Low Fantasy]] side of the line, but enough elements of High Fantasy
* ''[[
* ''[[Sword of Truth]]'' possesses all the core elements, although [[Terry Goodkind|the author]] [[Sci Fi Ghetto|would rather not have his work lumped into the fantasy section, thank you very much]].
* ''[[Watership Down]]''
* ''[[The Wayfarer Redemption]]''
* ''[[The Wheel of Time]]''
* ''[[The Witcher]]''
* ''[[
* ''[[Bran Hambric]]'', which has the feeling of [[Urban Fantasy]] in a fictional world.
== [[Radio]] ==
* ''[[Elven Quest]]'' parodies the High Fantasy setting. The Chosen One (a dog in our world but a human in his) must band together with an Elf, Warrior Princess and Dwarf to find the mystical Sword of Asnagar and defeat the cunning and oddly genre-savvy Lord Darkness.
==
* The default setting of ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]''.
* Similarly, the original setting of ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'', although over the decades it's been mutating in various other directions.
== [[Video Games]] ==
* ''[[
* ''[[Fire Emblem]]'' is this mixed in with [[Low Fantasy]] elements (e.g the worlds are mostly populated by humans, most of the battles are fought between humans though Dragons may be involved somehow), several characters that can you recruit may even be [[Punch Clock Hero
* ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' is divided into many small worlds, mostly imaginary, or based on Disney films.
* ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'' mixes this with [[Heroic Fantasy]] (although it's been getting more [[Steampunk]] as of late).
* ''[[
* ''[[Overlord]]'' takes all the tropes of this genre and runs away with them.
** The first game [[Subverted Trope|subverts]] pretty much everything that gets in its grubby little paws. The [[The Hero|Heroes]] [[Designated Hero|aren't particularly heroic,]] the Minions don't exactly project [[Adorable Evil Minions|an intimidating facade]] and, depending on the player's decisions, the [[Evil Overlord]]...well, [[Noble Demon|isn't]].
** The second game even more so. Whatever trope it manages to play straight, [[Played for Laughs|it does so for parody's sake]].
==
* ''[[The Order of the Stick]]'' is an [[Affectionate Parody]] of the genre.
* ''[[
* ''[[Wayfarer's Moon]]''.
* ''[[
* ''[[Our Little Adventure]]'', if you factor all of its parts.
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'': An epic that involves the fate of the world, a young boy and his [[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits]] who are [[Walking the Earth]], politics that change the course of the world, gods (called spirits but who act as deities) that interact with the protagonists and, as a refreshing twist, takes place in a mythical world insipired by Eastern culture rather than Western. It would go in Wuxia save for the fact that it holds very little in common with the genre.▼
* ''[[Codename: Kids Next Door]]'': A rare [[Urban Fantasy]] version but fits nonetheless.▼
▲* ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'': An epic that involves the fate of the world, a young boy and his [[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits]] who are [[Walking the Earth]], politics that change the course of the world, gods (called spirits but act as deities) that interact with the protagonists and, as a refreshing twist, takes place in a mythical world insipired by Eastern culture rather than Western. It would go in Wuxia save for the fact that it holds very little in common with the genre.
▲* ''[[Codename Kids Next Door]]'': A rare [[Urban Fantasy]] version but fits nonetheless.
* ''[[The Pirates of Dark Water]]''
* The first two episodes of ''[[My Little Pony:
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Speculative Fiction]]
[[Category:Literature Genres]]
▲[[Category:High Fantasy]]
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