The Art of Authority: Techniques for Establishing Legitimate Rule in Fantasy Narratives

The fantasy genre is one of my favorite genres to write, simply because as the writer, you are not limited to real-life events, or limited to the structure of our world. While crafting a world for your fantasy story you can include whatever you want! However, this absence of any limits can also be quite overwhelming. What should you include? How does a society even function/ act? What concepts can you include so that your fantasy world seems more interesting and realistic?

This is why I created this blog series in which I want to present to you things you can consider while world-building.

Are you worried these ideas might sound unrealistic? Don't worry: all of these things I want to present can be observed when reading about real-life history (because I am a history student, and too many times I was inspired by some real-life historical events, so I am sure these will fuel your imagination!)

Today I want to talk about what can be used as a basis for the establishment of a legitimate ruler in your fantasy settings. Here are three ways to legitimize your fantasy rulers: 

God’s Mercy

I think this is the basis for establishing a legitimate rule, and is probably used most often (in fiction and real-life history): a king and his family were chosen by god(s) to rule over a certain area. No one can question their status, because then you would also question god's will and his plans.

If your fantasy society is pretty religious, this approach can be a good way to establish a rulership, because people feel the need to respect “god's decision/ the gods' decision“.

The Ruler as a God

This approach is rather similar to the first one, but instead of being simply chosen by god, your ruler is viewed as a god, or at leastgod-like. A good example are the Pharaos of ancient Egypt.

You can decide whether you want your ruler to portray themselves as a god, or if you want them to only compare their skills with a well-established god:

E.g. Does your ruler want to portray themselves as wise as a god(dess) of wisdom that you have established? How would they do that? Are they saying they were gifted by these gods with these powers? Or maybe they somehow earned these skills from the gods (e.g. they challenged this particular god, and they were so impressed that they then gifted them these skills?). Maybe the ruler doesn't initiate this at first, but when the people start comparing them to these gods, they encourage them to continue?  

A few more questions you could consider if you decide on this approach:

• If your ruler is viewed as a god, are their family members automatically seen as gods themselves, or do they have a different role? E.g.: Is the ruler's wife/partner automatically a god as well, or do they somehow have to prove themselves before they “turn into gods“? Is their partner ever seen as a god, or do they rather play the role of an obedient servant, who just make sure the “god“ has a pleasant stay in this world? Are your ruler's children automatically gods as well? What about extended family members?

• Can your ruler, for some reason and under specific circumstances, lose their status as a god? Who denounces them in that case? Would this have an influence on how your ruler's children are seen? Are they still gods, or do they lose their status as well? What about other family members?

• How are people worshipping this ruler that is seen as a god? Do they have festivals for them? Do they have sacrifices for them?

• Does anyone have the authority to question their decisions, or are they untouchable because they are seen as gods?

• If your ruler has power over an area that consists of people with different cultures and different believes, there can be some issues. Do they have different believes on what the “gods“ should act like? Can certain actions from your ruler - which are perceived as positive by most people from your fantasy society - also be interpreted as negative traits by others? How could your ruler try to minimalize this problem without accidentally risking people to question their status as a god?

• Is your ruler convinced they are a god? Or do they only play the role?

Keep in mind that the first mentioned tactics for establishing a legitimate rulership work better in a society where most people are religious and the religion isn't separated from the political institutions. But now consider a fantasy society where most people aren't really religious, or a fantasy society that is unfamiliar to the concept of any religion that influences everyday life: do you think this would work? Or could there be more effective ways to convince people that only your ruler is destined to be on the throne?

Let's look at another real-life history example:

The Charismatic King

This one is an interesting one! It can be found in ancient Macedonian kings, and basically means that in order to gain some “charisma“, one has to prove their skills in battle and warfare. The problem is also, the potential ruler is never really secure in their position. They constantly have to prove themselves again, because otherwise someone else with more “charisma“ can overthrow them (or they die in battle…either way, their lives are not really peaceful).

They also had the concept of “hereditary charisma“, in which you could inherit some of your ancestors charisma, but the bloodline wasn't enough to actually establish a save position as a ruler.

If you decide to use this approach, you should keep in mind that these will have some consequences not only for your ruler and their family, but also the realm they live in:

• If a ruler has to constantly prove themselves in battles and wars, it is highly likely that they will also start wars that aren't necessary. Maybe they also prefer to attack smaller and weaker realms (because a victory is pretty secure in that case) which then suffer a lot?

• If you want to put a little more focus on the ruler themselves: if they have the feeling that they are never secure in their position, and if they don't comply with the people's expectations anymore they will be disposed of, how do you think this will affect a person's psyche? (welcome anxiety…)

• Does a ruler accidentally destabilize their realm because of the many wars and battles they pick? Does this maybe change the attitude about this kind of basis for a legitimate ruler?

• In a fantasy society in which there is so much emphasis on war and battles, is there anyone who promotes peace? How are they treated?

• Can you observe any vicious cycle with this behavior? E.g.: other kingdoms/ countries/ realms are actively avoiding this realm. There is no trading with them, and no one wants to establish any treaties with them. Does this maybe force them to go on more campaigns in order to feed their people?

Mixture 

You can also always mix these approaches if you feel this will fit your fantasy story better.

Maybe your fantasy society sees your ruler as a god, but as a god they have to constantly prove themselves (it can also be something else than only proving oneself in battle), and if they don't one day, or there is someone else coming along who is better at these things, your society believes another god - a more powerful god - has arrived to rule their realm, and your first ruler will be disposed of.

Techniques for Establishing Legitimate Rule in Fantasy Narratives

Whatever you decide on make sure that your choice will have some consequences for how your society has to work: 

E.g.: ruler chosen by god? => in order for this to work, your society has to be religious, etc.

You can also derive conflict from this:

E.g.: a charismatic ruler who slowly destabilize their own realm because of all the wars they have to pick in order to stabilize their own position, will ultimately destroy themselves

 I hope this blog post inspired you for your own fantasy story. Follow me on Pinterest to not miss any updates on writing tips and advice, and check out my other posts! Also check out my Benable profile for more recommendations concerning writing and reading.

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