Using Folklore to Develop Paranormal Characters

This blog is the second in a series about fantasy world-building and focuses on using folklore to develop paranormal characters.

How do we create our paranormal characters? We draw from existing folklore but add a unique twist.

Ms. Melissa and I are writing a contemporary fantasy in which our magical beings coexist with ordinary reality. Our story features shifters who turn into woodland animals: foxes and bears, wolves and deer.

People have been creating stories about shifters for thousands of years, which means readers will likely arrive at our narrative with entrenched preconceptions. While it’s true that relying exclusively on long-established tropes can make paranormal fantasy feel stale, ignoring preconceptions can confuse readers. The trick is to balance the existing with the innovative.

Below is a four-step pathway Ms. Melissa and I use to create magical beings that feel both familiar and unique.

Step 1: Research the folklore that already exists.

We spent a lot of pre-writing time researching how paranormal creatures manifest across cultures and time periods. When doing so, we asked ourselves the following questions:

• What are the character traits of the magical creatures?

• Where do they live?

• Do they possess magical powers?

• What are the limits of those powers?

• Has the concept of the paranormal creature changed over time?

• How does the creature differ across cultures?

• How do you kill it?

Although we recognize that folklore evolves and some readers are partial to less common tropes or newer trends, we focused our attention on the characteristics, abilities, and limits that were most universal and enduring.

Then we made a list and a summary for gist. We did this for each of our animal shifters. Although neither of our main characters is a werewolf, here’s an example of what the process might look like if we used some classic werewolf tropes.

Sample summary of werewolf folklore:

Werewolves are savage creatures who painfully and involuntarily shift when the moon is full. Their magical transformation is often a curse–the undesired result of a bite or scratch from another werewolf–and they are typically killed by a silver blade or bullet.

Step 2: Decide which folkloric tropes to adopt, adapt, or abandon.

Next, we reviewed our lists and summaries and decided which aspects of existing folklore we liked the best. The tropes we liked, we kept for our own story.

And that’s okay. We don’t have to reinvent everything. Ms. Melissa and I know that we’re participating in a rich and enduring cannon. We’re adding our narrative to the collection of centuries-old monster tales that have gone before us.

That said, there were some aspects of shifter lore that we wished were different. As we went through our list of existing folklore tropes, we questioned: “What if?”

To use the werewolf example:

Perhaps we like the idea of death by silver sword, but want to extend it. What if there is something else that could kill a werewolf? An infection or disease?

Maybe we also like the idea of alteration under the full moon, but we don’t want every shift to be involuntary. We want our wolves to have opportunities to exercise free will.

Going through this exercise for every paranormal character in your book can help develop a rich and nuanced interpretation of supernatural creatures. It can even hint at plot.

Step 3: Define your unique perspective and create new rules.

After Ms. Melissa and I decided which established folklore traits to keep and which to change or eliminate, we clarified the rules and limits for our interpretation.

We made our own list of traits and created a new summary.

To continue with the werewolf example:

Werewolves are an endangered species, killed off by secret societies of monster-hunting enthusiasts. Their shifting ability is hereditary, and they maintain their humanity after they shift. Most of the time, the shift isn’t painful. It’s deliberate and controllable. The only time the shift is involuntary is when the moon is full. Then werewolves do become mindless and vicious. Werewolves can be killed by silver, but there is a new threat to the wolves–a virus that attacks them only in animal form, stripping them of their humanity and turning them into permanent monsters.

This version of werewolves takes existing tropes and modifies them. It makes the magical ability both an asset and a curse. Clarifying the rules around shifting provides a sense of logic. It incorporates existing expectations while pointing out what’s unique.

Step 4: Clearly explain the reasoning behind altered and abandoned tropes.

As we write, Ms. Melissa and I make an effort to acknowledge the centuries-old lore that exists beyond our narrative. Using familiar folktale elements places our paranormal story firmly within genre and fulfills reader expectations.

When we do make changes to existing lore, we do so thoughtfully and deliberately. We mark those changes in our narrative and take the time to explain how and why the rules in our story differ from traditional expectations. Providing this level of clarity allows readers to feel like experts of our world.

Explaining these distinctions doesn’t require an info-dump. We can show deviations from the norm by creating action scenes that exemplify changes in lore–having a sage train a novice or allowing a human character to express surprise when a magical one transcends stereotypes.

Making conscious, creative changes to expected folklore is often enough to make your paranormal fantasy feel original and fresh. Even if your story is entirely fantastic, using this four-step approach is a fun pre-writing exercise. Whether you’re writing about sorcerers or vampires, elves or dragons, acknowledging and altering the folklore beyond your book will make your characters feel familiar and extraordinary.

What strategies do you use to create paranormal characters?

Photo credit: kafemik on pixabay.com