medieval fantasy
Castles and sorcery
Medieval fantasy is a genre of fiction set in worlds resembling Europe's Middle Ages—typically featuring castles, knights, monarchy, and pre-industrial technology alongside magical elements like dragons, wizards, and mythical creatures.
The setting may be historically inspired or entirely invented: Tolkien's work defined medieval fantasy, another medieval fantasy RPG with elves and orcs.
The genre dominates fantasy literature, film, and video games.
- castlesFortified royal residences
- dragonsMythical fire-breathing reptiles
- dragon slayerOne who kills legendary reptiles
- dwarvesMythical small beings
- knightsTitled warriors on horseback
prophecy · hidden heir · royal bloodline · armor · quests · sorcery · elves · spell · kingdoms · dungeons · feudalism · serfs · heraldry · chivalry · epic battles · royal courts · LARP · necromancy
- genre fictiondetective fiction, spy fiction, military fiction, sword and sorcery, medical thriller
- setting fictionhistorical fiction, western fiction, dystopian fiction, Victorian fiction, westerns
- medievalknights, castles, cathedral, kings, queens
- RPGsDungeons and Dragons, Skyrim, GM, Baldur's Gate, DM
- Historical GamesAge of Empires, Civilization, Caesar, Pharaoh, Oregon Trail
- medieval romancechivalric romance, courtly love, Arthurian legends, Arthurian legend, knightly quests
medieval fantasyscience fiction
Speculative fiction with technological themes
hard science fiction · space opera · cyberpunk · steampunk · dieselpunk
medieval fantasyhistorical fiction
Novels set in actual pasts
literary realism · documentary · social realism · naturalism · journalism