Unusual Governments to Take Inspiration From
History is a gold mine of worldbuilding ideas for sociopolitical systems that stretch beyond the mainstream.
Tagged: religion
Ancient Priests: Practical Impacts of Early Experts
Religious institutions throughout history have served functional purposes. Priests heal, advise, judge, keep records, and perform important functions for the redistribution of wealth. It’s not all myths & silly rituals.
Ancient Princesses: Diplomatic Agents & Religious Leaders
Ancient Princesses from the Levant region served as advisors, diplomats, and independent religious leaders — unlike their Egyptian counterparts.
Five SFF Stories That Shed Light on Obscure History
Echoes of history reverberate through SFF, parallels that can be hard to pick up on, but which still inform how we think about the world. (published at tor.com)
Modern Folklore: Gremlins & Road Gators
Humanity has created a huge volume of stories over the last few millennia… some truer than others. We pass down these tales through the generations, for a variety of reasons:...
Exaggeration: History Becomes Myth
It was the Black Company series by Glen Cook that made me realize how often history becomes myth, exaggerated beyond meaningful belief. The Books of Glittering Stone detail a religion...
Fictional History: An Exercise in Loglines
I believe that the history of a fictional world should be compelling in its own right. Our history is frequently made into stories, be they wildly exaggerated ancient epics like...
