Read the following fantasy story and use it to fill in the following table:
You can also research the fantasy genre online to help you find the answers.
3 very short fantasy stories
Make them stop
“It will remove all their pain and sorrows,” she says. The goddess sat in the clouds high above the city. In her hands was an elixir made from rare spineberries that she’d picked.
“Wouldn’t this be nice? I’ll no longer have to hear their cries.”
She leans over the rain clouds, ready to pour when her sister interrupts.
“Stop! Are you mad?” she says. “If people consume this, they’ll no longer feel anything. Are you sure you won’t regret it?”
The goddess sighs heavily with bags under her eyes. “I guess I’ll leave them be.”
Girl in the tower
She lived in this tower for twenty years. Her mom said someday a prince will save her. But so far, no one came. By the windowsill was an eversomnum. She knew better than to eat its berries; they would put her to sleep for a millennium. It could be lovely, she thought. In her dreams, she was as free as Pegasus. She leaned over and plucked one, seeing the ground below. The tower didn’t seem so tall. The branches along the walls were thick enough. Maybe I can make my own freedom. She took a leap of faith, and climbed.
Love potion
He desperately wants her to love him. They had all the ingredients: unicorn hair, vampire blood, and loveberries that he handpicked from the alps. The witch leans over the cauldron.
“It’s almost ready,” she says. “But are you sure you want her to drink it?”
It was silly of her to ask. Of course, it’s yes. He is madly in love. The unrequited love is too much to bear. The witch hands him the vial.
“You need to drink this first for it to work.” He takes a gulp, feeling a good dose of self-love.
Typical settings
Characters
Common conflicts/problems
Language features
Famous examples
Typical settings:
1. High above the city in the clouds
2. A tower
3. A witch's cauldron
Characters:
1. The goddess and her sister
2. The girl in the tower
3. The witch and a man
Common conflicts/problems:
1. The dilemma of whether to give people an elixir that removes their pain and sorrows, but also their ability to feel anything.
2. The girl in the tower longing for freedom and deciding to take a risky leap to achieve it.
3. The man desperately wanting the woman he loves to love him back and seeking a love potion to make it happen.
Language features:
1. Imagery - the spineberries elixir, the eversomnum berries, the unicorn hair, vampire blood, and loveberries.
2. Dialogue - the conversations between the goddess and her sister, the girl in the tower contemplating her situation, and the witch discussing the love potion with the man.
Famous examples:
1. "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien
2. "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" by J.K. Rowling
3. "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll
Typical settings:
1. High above the city, in the clouds
2. A tower where the girl has been trapped for twenty years
3. The witch's lair with a cauldron
Characters:
1. The goddess
2. The goddess's sister
3. The girl in the tower
4. The prince (who hasn't come yet)
5. The witch
Common conflicts/problems:
1. The goddess contemplates giving the elixir to people but is stopped by her sister
2. The girl in the tower wants to escape her confinement
3. The man wants a love potion to make the woman he loves reciprocate his feelings
Language features:
1. Imagery: "In her dreams, she was as free as Pegasus"
2. Metaphor: "He takes a gulp, feeling a good dose of self-love"
3. Alliteration: "rare spineberries"
4. Simile: "The tower didn't seem so tall. The branches along the walls were thick enough"
5. Dialogue: "Stop! Are you mad?" she says. "If people consume this, they'll no longer feel anything. Are you sure you won't regret it?"
Famous examples:
1. "Harry Potter" series by J.K. Rowling
2. "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien
3. "A Song of Ice and Fire" series by George R.R. Martin
Typical settings:
- "Make them stop": The story takes place in the clouds high above a city.
- "Girl in the tower": The story is set in a tower where the girl has lived for twenty years.
- "Love potion": The story takes place in a witch's den where the love potion is being created.
Characters:
- "Make them stop": The characters include a goddess and her sister.
- "Girl in the tower": The characters include the girl and her mom.
- "Love potion": The characters include a man and a witch.
Common conflicts/problems:
- "Make them stop": The conflict revolves around the decision of whether or not to give humans a potion that will remove their pain and sorrows.
- "Girl in the tower": The conflict is the girl's longing for freedom and her decision to take matters into her own hands.
- "Love potion": The conflict is the man's unrequited love and his attempt to use a potion to make the woman love him.
Language features:
- The stories use vivid descriptions to create a fantasy atmosphere, such as rare spineberries, eversomnum, Pegasus, unicorn hair, vampire blood, and loveberries.
- Dialogue is used to showcase the characters' thoughts and interactions, creating dramatic tension.
- Imagery is employed to evoke the magical and mythical elements of the fantasy genre.
Famous examples:
- "Make them stop": While this specific story may not be a famous example, it falls under the umbrella of fantasy stories involving gods and goddesses.
- "Girl in the tower": One famous example of a girl in a tower is the fairytale of Rapunzel.
- "Love potion": Love potions are a common trope in many fantasy stories, such as the story of Tristan and Isolde.