List of fantasy Clichés

List of fantasy Clichés This is a list of themes etc. all too familiar in fantasy stories, and a sampling of those stories be it a book, a movie or other media that uses listed Clichés as primary plot devices.

This list tries to be alphabetical and keep redundancy to a minimal.

Persons

• Damsel in distress, (typically a princess).

The princess bride, Super Mario Bros., Krull (film), Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Clash of the Titans (1981 film)

• Dragons needing vanquishing.

Beowulf, Dragonslayer

• Evil stepmother.

Cinderella, Snow white other Grimm's Fairy Tales

• Magical beings or monsters such as Elves, Gnomes, Fairies, Giants and Ogres.

Troll (film), Willow (film) (...) Folklore Fairy tales.

• Metamorphed human, (usually a punitive curse).

Odyssey and other Greek Myth, The Frog Prince (story), Beauty and the beast

• Pirates of the peg-legged, eye-patched, hooked-handed "argg" variety.

Treasure Island, pirates of the Caribbean, Peter Pan

• Pirates parrot companion, (usually talkative and "polly doesn't want a cracker").

Treasure Island, Aladdin (1992 film)

• Wizards with long beards and wizened appearance, (Gandalf the Grey as the modern archetype).

The Hobbit

Character Archetypes

Dungeons and Dragons

• Barbarian, (Hard drinking, hard fighting, hard headed and hard bodied in a sexy pelt based outfit).

Thundarr the Barbarian, Dave the Barbarian both cartoons.

• Boy Hero, (Naive, innocent and coming of age; usually with a sheltered childhood until!... "Guess what!, You are the chosen one, fated child of destiny!").

Legend of the seeker, He Man, The Dark Crystal

• Knight, (Shiney plate armor, long sword or lance and a trusty steed).
• Ranger, (Bow, Short-sword, tunic and only light armor if any).
• Rogue, (lives as an outlaw but has a moral code and bad-boy appeal with the ladies).
• Thief, (seen with his dagger and sticky fingers ready to pilfer gems).

Conan the Destroyer

• Villain of the story, (Evil army and dark sorcerous powers at his command).

Time Bandits, The Beastmaster (film), Labyrinth (film), The Chronicles of Narnia

Places

• Cave hidden by waterfall

Dragonheart, Merlin's Apprentice, (...) Video games The Legend of Zelda as an early example.

• Castle's dungeon (equipped with barred cells, torture devices and inept guards

(...) Every fantasy story needing a place to escape from.

• Fountain of youth (and other restorative springs/pools) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Things

• Special apples such as; Golden apple, Garden of Eden or Poison apple.

(...) Myths the world over.

• Magical items such as; Magic ring, Magic Cauldron or Potions.

The Black Cauldron (film)

• Magic sword (given to the protagonist).
• Secret hordes of treasure and wondrous items.

Ali Baba

• Sword stuck in something only to relinquish its grip to the chosen one.

Arthurian legends, Völsunga saga, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

• Treasure chests.

Events

• Evil lords' stronghold collapses at cusp of his/her defeat (usually by violent implosion/explosion).

Red Sonja, Starwars episode IV & VI, Zelda ocarina of time, Ultima (series) End of the 1st game, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Krull (film)

• Magic kisses (a favorite of Disney films).

Sleeping beauty, Snow white (in some versions.), Shrek, The Princess and the Frog, The Little Mermaid (1989 film)

• Young maiden locked in a tower.

Repunzel, London Bridge Is Falling Down, Sleeping beauty

Themes

Pretty much universal (...)

• Child of destiny born with a mark or marked at birth.
• Evil shall turn on itself.
• Good shall overcome Evil in the end.
• Protagonist must put together a rag-tag band of misfits each with a special ability/skillset.
• Protagonist/s must seek a magical talisman of great power.
• Protagonist/s must destroy a magical talisman of great power.
• Protagonist/s is equipped with a magical talisman of great power.
• Quest to save the world from pending doom.
• Quest to restore the world from doom that has already occurred.
• The evil lord tries to thwart a prophecy and thus set in motion the events leading to its occurrence.