Fantasy Technology: OSHA Violations Unknown to God
/When we think of fantasy, the first thing many people think of is the swords and shields of old: Massive castles, dragons stronger than entire countries, all the glories of the medieval era. It’s all very rustic and old-fashioned, to communicate that this world is unlike our own. The most modern piece of technology you can find is the printing press, and in some cases, smoothbore flintlock weapons.
But what if you wanted to give your medieval peasants a magical microwave?
Now of course that may sound ridiculous and unrealistic, but in fantasy it doesn’t have to be realistic. It just has to be consistent with its own rules and explained in such a way that it feels natural for the world. Now, you may think this is mainly limited to modern day technological equivalents, such as a magical fridge or car. However, the idea of OSHA compliance hadn’t been invented in the Middle Ages, so authors can basically make whatever magical machines that they can think of.
An example of a Soft Magic Automaton. Art by James J. Krause
“Why would they do this?” you may ask. Well, the reason varies depending on the creator. Some want a specific technology to be replicated because it's the crux of their story, and makes for a good storytelling angle. Others may want their setting to feel more “modern”, while still being recognizably fantasy. And then some do it because they think it would be cool, and that’s a perfectly valid reason to me. Of course, there's many other reasons, almost too many to really list.
The way magical technology is depicted relates heavily to the magic system present in the work, especially depending on if the system based on Hard or Soft Magic. For those that don’t know what that is, I can summarize them. A Hard Magic system is a system of magic with clearly defined rules and logic, feeling more like a branch of science than anything. Soft Magic meanwhile is wild and chaotic, with very little core rules and structure which allows for a lot of random elements. While a Hard magic system would create something similar to modern electronics, Soft magic systems are where things can get wild.
Example of a Hard Magic Automaton. Art by Grady P. Brown
But it’s not really enough to just tell you that, so let's get an example for you. A common technological element in fantasy writing is an Automaton, which is an artificial mechanical being similar to a robot. Hard magic might make them a commodity built by mortals, which require manufactured oil, refined power source, and are overall reminiscent of modern day robotics. They may be more “boring” in design, but they operate under the strict internal logic of their magic systems, and are treated in a way that makes sense. Soft Magic machines might all be built for a common purpose, but with little internal logic to rely on they all will look and operate wildly different from the others. This allows for more freedom for creators, as the less oppressive rules of their system allows for their imagination to flourish, at the potential cost of the suspension of disbelief should they do it poorly.
When it comes to the wielders and creators of this magical technology, writers usually put it into the hands of Dwarves, Gnomes, Kobolds, and Hobgoblins. This is probably due to tropes related to how these three fictional races are seen, born from media such as Dungeons and Dragons and the works of J.R.R Tolkien. Dwarves usually make very logical and refined creations. Gnomes and Kobolds both make odd contraptions, however Gnomes make theirs with whimsy and curiosity, while Kobolds mainly try to stab more things. Hobgoblins are usually the masters of war, making grand war-machines for their campaigns.
Of course, there isn’t really a “right” or “wrong” way to do technology in fantasy, it's all subjective and one way is not strictly better or worse than the other. It all boils down to personal preference, and what kind of story the author wants to make.
NOAH BRENTON - Clown by day, writer by night. I have no goddamn idea what it is I’m doing, but I’ve gotten this far so it must be at least partially right.
I love writing. It’s my hope that one day I’ll actually see a project to fruition instead of it sitting in purgatory with all the others.
You can sometimes see me on campus, but I’d really rather you didn’t. Your cooperation is appreciated.
