This week: Animals in Fantasy Edited by: Annette  
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Animals in Fantasy
Many fantasy stories happen in alternate universes, alternate time lines, or alternate planets. No matter where or when your fantasy happens, the characters usually have a need to travel and possibly to have some animal companion. Some will encounter dangerous animals.
Travel:
Excluding all types of mechanical travel, a startling number of fantasy characters travel by horse. If they don't have a horse, then they have a version of a horse.
Harry Potter uses Thestrals, essentially leathery horse skeletons with glowing eyes.
John Carter of Mars rides eight-legged Thoats. Some draw it to look like a horse with eight legs. Others see it more like a really large hairless bull with eight legs.
You can give your story an element of familiarity by having your fantasy character ride a horse. Or you can make your fantasy world even more fantastical by letting your character ride some creature that you can then describe at length.
Companion animal:
A companion animal will often be a dog, a cat, or a bird. That bird is most likely a raven for dark fantasy and a parrot for fun, colorful fantasy. Those companion animals can provide a lot of content to your story.
They can work as comedy relief.
Animals can be smart and go get help.
Animals can die and make us cry our eyes out.
Harry Potter had to be special and get a white owl. Because a raven is just not fancy enough for a wizard.
John Carter of Mars, again, has a thing called a Calot that behaves like a dog. Its name is Woola. Woola looks something like a hippopotamus, but more limber and a touch smaller. Although Woola is pretty large for a pet. Woola provides company, protection, and even goes and gets help.
In fantasy, you can take a common animal and give it fantastical qualities, like those owls that work as a postal delivery system in the Harry Potter books. Or you can take a fantasy animal that you create and give it the qualities of a common animal.
Dangerous animal:
There is virtually no limit as to what could be a dangerous animal.
Something that starts out cute and cuddly can turn deadly if you get it wet and feed it after midnight. (Gremlins)
A three-headed dog with three slobbering maws will roll on his back and go to sleep if you play him classical music. (Fluffy from Harry Potter)
And, because there is just so much of it, one more from Harry Potter. The Monster Book. It will snap at you, even turn itself into confetti if you aggravate it. Just pet the spine and it turns into the sweetest Monster Book you will ever meet. (Oh come on, it's an animal. Obviously.)
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I received the following replies to my last Fantasy newsletter "Define Your Fantasy" :
brom21  wrote: I started an epic fantasy over three years ago. I'm still perfecting it. If I could compare it to another story it would be LOTR. This is because there lots of subplots and things going on all over Middle-Earth in LOTR. With my story, I fear it may all be overwhelming. I really admire Tolkien for successfully accomplishing this feat. I've submitted my first chapter in case it gets included in the next NL. "Invalid Item"
Samberine Everose  wrote: Hi, Thank you for including my story in your newsletter. Most Fantasy story also reflects moral, or a lesson.
Thank you again and good day!💓
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Fantasy: October 17, 2018 Issue [#9169]
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