Line #142 Main/HighFantasy


1	%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1306821673015300100
2	%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.
3	%%
4	[[quoteright:350:[[Literature/{{Dragonlance}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Generic_high_fantasy_7664.jpg]]]]
5
6	The setting of the stereotypical High (or "epic") {{Fantasy}}, a collection of tropes, often [[TheThemeParkVersion boiled down]] from ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' (and Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium in general) [[FollowTheLeader which has been the foundation]] for many a series of {{doorstopper}}s.
7
8	Basically, the [[EvilOverlord Dark Lord]], [[SealedEvilInACan thought defeated millennia past]], [[TroubleFromThePast has returned]] to his [[EvilTowerOfOminousness Dark Tower]] in the [[{{Mordor}} Dark Land]], gathering around him [[{{Mooks}} Dark Forces]]. The free lands have only one hope, [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits a small band of lost heirs, princes, and simple village folk]] gathered together by a mysterious wandering grey-bearded [[WizardClassic wizard]]. They will have to brave a long quest for the MacGuffin through strange, dangerous lands inhabited by monsters and peculiar and hostile peoples in order to save the world.
9
10	In former times, High Fantasy did not follow this formula. Creator/WilliamMorris' ''Literature/TheWellAtTheWorldsEnd'' doesn't have this, nor do the dreamers' tales of Creator/LordDunsany, or his ''Literature/TheKingOfElflandsDaughter'', which are very High Fantasy indeed. Neither Creator/GeorgeMacDonald nor Creator/HPLovecraft in his Dreamland cycle have such a storyline. Some more modern works usually classed as High Fantasy, like Hope Mirrlees' ''Literature/LudInTheMist'' and Creator/UrsulaKLeGuin's ''Literature/{{Earthsea}}'', still don't. Also, there's sometimes a very fine line between what is defined as High Fantasy and HeroicFantasy, with some works kind of in the middle, like E.R. Eddison's ''Literature/TheWormOuroboros'' or ''Literature/TheElricSaga'' by Creator/MichaelMoorcock. And it's still not essential to stick so closely to the model, but many of today's fantasy writers still use many or most of the above elements, perhaps feeling that you don't mess with what works. Tolkien scholar Thomas Shippey talks about this in a chapter of his book ''J.R.R. Tolkien, Author of the Century''.
11
12	Many core elements of this type of high fantasy can be found in [[UnbuiltTrope seminal]] [[UrExample literature from the]] [[NineteenthCenturyLiterature 19th and early]] [[FantasyLiterature 20th century]], but it was Tolkien that [[TropeCodifier codified the genre]], although he called ''The Lord of the Rings'' "heroic romance".
13
14	The core elements of High Fantasy are:
15
16	* Setting: A world other than ours. It may have a nominal connection with present day Earth, such as being our remote past or future (Tolkien specified that Middle-earth is our Earth), but this plays no role in the plot. {{Mythopoeia}} is often put into play to [[MagicAIsMagicA define the very metaphysics of the world.]] Nevertheless it often resembles [[MedievalEuropeanFantasy medieval Europe]], and is often peopled by PeopleOfHairColor.
17	* Magic: Magic, [[WizardClassic wizards]] and fantastical elements (dragons, spells, etc) are often in the forefront in High Fantasy, and tend to play major roles in stories, worldbuilding and conflicts. While this isn't a strictly a crucial element -- you can and do get High Fantasy works with subdued or minimal magic and Low Fantasy works with quite a lot of it -- High Fantasy is distinguished by typically portraying its fantastical elements in a more positive and glamorous light, quite unlike the bestial monsters, shifty sorcerers and PowerAtAPrice style of magic found in Low and Heroic Fantasy.
18	* Scale: Epic scale in terms of geographic and historical impact. Power politics, wars, the birth and death of nations, gods walking the earth, and the real threat of TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. This is what distinguishes High Fantasy from HeroicFantasy.
19	* Morality: [[BlackAndWhiteMorality The good guys are strictly good and the bad guys are strictly evil, with fairly minimal overlap]]. Even in cases where moral ambiguity or flexibility exists, there's still a fairly clear divide between good and evil -- generally speaking, antiheroes and villains still tend to fall mainly on one side or the other -- as opposed to the GreyAndGrayMorality more common in LowFantasy.
20	* Great evil: An enemy which is near enough Evil incarnate or [[EldritchAbomination fundamentally abhorrent]], whose machinations and plots serve as the main push of the conflict. Their victory would be, in no ambiguous terms, a terrible thing for everybody else. This is in contrast to Low Fantasy, which tends to favor human-versus-human conflicts, and HeroicFantasy, which favors pitting the heroes against successions of mostly unconnected human and bestial foes.
21	* Methods: Victory is not achieved through force of arms, the main feature distinguishing High Fantasy from Heroic Fantasy. It is also not achieved through wide-ranging strategy, logistics and political and military conflicts, which is generally the case in Low Fantasy. Victory will also be complete and with few loose ends or sour notes; this is shared with Heroic Fantasy, but Low Fantasy tends to favor more ambiguous and incomplete endings. Essentially, if Aragorn had killed Sauron in hand-to-hand combat, that would have been Heroic Fantasy, and if Gondor had beaten Mordor by having more allies, better strategy, innovative tactics and a better-trained army, that would have been Low Fantasy. Instead, victory is achieved through the efforts of a small number of characters acting against great odds, and a SupportingLeader or the [[IgnorantOfTheCall Reluctant Hero]] will be offered up instead of the [[BarbarianHero rough-hewn barbarian]] of, say, ''Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian'' or ''Literature/{{Beowulf}}''.
22
23	Other common elements include:
24
25	* [[ArtifactOfDoom Artifacts of Doom]]
26	* TheChosenOne
27	* CoolHorse
28	* CoolSword
29	* EmergingFromTheShadows
30	* FunctionalMagic
31	* {{Hobbits}}, [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame dwarves]], [[OurElvesAreDifferent elves]], [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragons]] and other [[StandardFantasyRaces fantasy races]].
32	* [[RightfulKingReturns Lost heirs]] to [[RoyalBlood kings]]
33	* MedievalStasis
34	* {{Mordor}}
35	* [[FateAndProphecyTropes Prophecies]]
36	* TheQuest
37
38	The boundary between High Fantasy and LowFantasy is probably impossible to pin down, but the ''Literature/{{Deverry}}'' and ''Literature/{{Deryni}}'' series are near the borderline, and may straddle it. In both, the protagonists are involved in high-level power politics, with the fate of their nation in the balance, but Deverry has superhuman evils which the Deryni series lacks. Another borderline series would be the violent, low-magic ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', which is on an epic scale, in a pseudo-medieval setting, with the looming menace of the [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Others]], but lacks a Dark Lord (so far). The ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novels as a whole are another problematic case; they are generally considered Low Fantasy, but several of them tick all the boxes on the core elements noted above and epic-level plots (like ''Literature/ThiefOfTime'') happen just as frequently as street-level ones (like ''Literature/TheTruth'').
39
40	Novels that are unambiguously Low Fantasy include Eisenstein's ''Literature/TheBookOfElementals'', about a family quarrel among wizards devoid of wider implications, Creator/BarbaraHambly's ''Literature/StrangerAtTheWedding'', where the threat is confined to a single merchant family, and ''Literature/{{Maskerade}}'', whose villain, a normal human, has no greater ambition than to run an opera house. Not to be confused with {{Demythification}}, which is a [[{{Mythology}} myth or legend]] reimagined as HistoricalFiction.
41
42	The [[JustForFun/SciFiCounterpart sci-fi version]] of High Fantasy is SpaceOpera, but not vice versa. The quintessential Space Opera doesn't necessarily include a Dark Lord equivalent, but if a Space Opera ''does'', as with Franchise/StarWars or Creator/VernorVinge's ''Literature/AFireUponTheDeep'', it is High Fantasy [[JustforFun/RecycledInSpace in space]].
43
44	Heroic or High Fantasy of Chinese cultural origin is known as {{Wuxia}} or [[SpiritCultivationGenre Xianxia]].
45
46	High fantasy starring animal protagonists may overlap with {{Xenofiction}}.
47
48	For the DarkerAndEdgier version, check out DarkFantasy.
49
50	Compare and contrast with SwordAndSorcery, SwordAndSandal, HistoricalFantasy and TheEpic.
51	----
52	!!Examples include:
53
54	[[foldercontrol]]
55
56	[[index]]
57	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
58	* ''Manga/BlackClover''
59	* ''Anime/DoraemonNobitasThreeVisionarySwordsmen'' - Nobita and friends enters the DreamWorld and ends up in Yumemiru, a land inspired by Medieval European fantasy where Nobita and gang are knights, and Doraemon is their wizard.
60	* ''Manga/DragonKnights''
61	* ''Manga/FairyTail''
62	* ''Manga/MagiTheLabyrinthOfMagic''
63	* ''Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind'' has some of the features above, such as the world-spanning epic scale and the [[WorldBuilding detailed]] [[FantasyWorldMap fantasy world]], but doesn't have [[BlackAndWhiteMorality purely evil]] villains and the AfterTheEnd setting is very important to the plot.
64	* ''Manga/OnePiece''
65	* ''Manga/RaveMaster''
66	* ''Manga/TheSevenDeadlySins'' which mixes a MedievalEuropeanFantasy and Myth/{{Arthurian\|Legend}} inspired setting with various high fantasy tropes.
67	* ''Manga/{{Superior}}'' and its sequel ''Superior Cross''
68	* ''Anime/TweenyWitches''
69	[[/folder]]
70
71	[[folder:Comic Books]]
72	* ''ComicBook/{{Bone}}'', though with a sense of humor throughout.
73	[[/index]]
74	* Many FrancoBelgianComics belong to High Fantasy, with a twist: [[spoiler:the plot seems classical at the beginning, but at the end, the BigBad is never the one we believed]]: ''Légendes des Contrées Oubliées'', ''ComicBook/TheQuestForTheTimeBird'', ''L'épée de cristal'', ''Les brumes d'Asceltis''. Others are LowFantasy or HeroicFantasy with some elements of High Fantasy: ''ComicBook/{{Thorgal}}'', ''ComicBook/LeRoiCyclope'', ''ComicBook/{{Lanfeust}}'', ''ComicBook/LesLumieresDeLAmalou'', ''ComicBook/BlackMoonChronicles'', ''ComicBook/LamentOfTheLostMoors'', ...
75	[[index]]
76	* ''ComicBook/LandsOfArran''
77	* ''ComicBook/TheLordOfTheRings''
78	* ''ComicBook/TheQuestForTheTimeBird''
79	* ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor''
80	** ''ComicBook/{{Loki}}''
81	** ''ComicBook/KingThor''
82	* ''ComicBook/{{Smite}}''
83	[[/folder]]
84
85	[[folder:Fan Works]]
86	* ''Fanfic/ThePrincessAndTheKnight'': Reimagines ''Series/{{Victorious}}'' as a fantasy adventure with wizards and dragons.
87	[[/folder]]
88
89	[[folder:Films — Animation]]
90	* ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'': A loose adaptation of ''The Chronicles of Prydain''
91	* ''WesternAnimation/QuestForCamelot''
92	* ''WesternAnimation/RayaAndTheLastDragon'': Inspired by Southeast Asian mythology, the film follows a princess on a quest to find the last dragon and restore a magical gem to defeat demons called Druun ravaging her world; restoring the gem is the ''only'' way to defeat the Druun.
93	* ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'' features a villain who is extremely powerful and more fearsome than the typical Disney fare. The heroes have to confront and defeat her directly - when she [[OneWingedAngel turns into a dragon]] in the climax.
94	[[/folder]]
95
96	[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]
97	* ''Film/{{Baahubali}}''
98	* ''Film/TheBeastmaster''
99	* ''Film/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'': Based upon the books by C.S Lewis.
100	** ''Film/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe''
101	** ''Film/PrinceCaspian'': An unusual example where the main threat is actually an evil yet mundane human faction.
102	** ''Film/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader''
103	* ''Film/TheDarkCrystal'' is set in an alien version of medieval Europe. The plot revolves around a young Gelfling trying to repair the eponymous crystal to stop the evil Skeksis from ruling the world forever.
104	* ''Film/{{Eragon}}'', the film adaptation of the ''Inheritance Cycle''.
105	* ''Film/InTheNameOfTheKing'' features a [[RightfulKingReturns lost heir]], [[OurOrcsAreDifferent orc knock-offs]], an evil wizard, and other conventional high fantasy tropes.
106	** ''Film/InTheNameOfTheKing2TwoWorlds'' transports a special forces soldier into a high fantasy world, or at least as high fantasy as the budget will allow.
107	** ''Film/InTheNameOfTheKing3LastMission'' transports an assassin into a high fantasy world that's really just a few castles around Bulgaria.
108	* ''Film/{{Krull}}''
109	* The [[TheFilmOfTheBook live-action adaptation]] of ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'', [[TropeMaker unsurprisingly]]. It helped popularise high fantasy film adaptations in the early 2000s.
110	* ''Film/{{Mythica}}:'' A series of five films in which a young wizard and her companions try to prevent an EvilWizard from re-assembling an ArtefactOfDoom with which he intends to TakeOverTheWorld.
111	** ''Mythica: A Quest for Heroes'' (2014)
112	** ''Mythica: The Darkspore'' (2015)
113	** ''Mythica: The Necromancer'' (2015)
114	** ''Mythica: The Iron Crown'' (2016)
115	** ''Mythica: The Godslayer'' (2016)
116	* ''Film/SuckerPunch'' has one fantasy sequence set in a world inspired by High Fantasy. The girls have to raid a castle that's full of an Orc-like army and take fire from a dragon. The film is set in the 1960s when ''Lord of the Rings'' first became popular in the United States. Presumably the girls were fans.
117	* ''Film/{{Willow}}'' was the most notable High Fantasy film before the boom in the early 2000s. A dwarf farmer has to protect a special baby from an evil queen who's trying to take over the world.
118	* ''Film/YourHighness'' is set in a parody High Fantasy world.
119	[[/folder]]
120
121	[[folder:Gamebooks]]
122	* ''Literature/FightingFantasy''
123	* ''Literature/LoneWolf''
124	[[/folder]]
125
126	[[folder:Literature]]
127	* ''Literature/TheAfterward'' by E. K. Johnston, with the High Fantasy themes being {{downplayed}} given they take place largely in the past (hence the book title) with the focus mostly on more prosaic things.
128	* ''Literature/TheArtsOfDarkAndLight'' by Creator/VoxDay
129	* ''Literature/TheAscendantKingdomsSaga'' by Creator/GailZMartin merges the genre with [[AfterTheEnd post-apocalyptic fiction]]: TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt isn't a mere ''threat'' and the adventure revolves around restoring the world to something resembling its original state.
130	* ''Literature/AvestaOfBlackAndWhite''
131	* ''Literature/TheBelgariad'' by Creator/DavidEddings takes every single trope in the genre, [[LampshadeHanging laughs]] at them, then builds around ten books (and two [[{{Doorstopper}} epics]]) with them.
132	* ''Literature/TheBloodWarTrilogy'' by Creator/TimMarquitz is about a series of kingdoms under siege by no less than ''three'' examples of TheHorde, one of which is a race of orc-werewolves.
133	* ''Literature/BooksOfPellinor'' features two lost and separated heirs to a magical tradition, a wise mentor, a world-threatening BigBad, much epic journeying, and TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. And many shout-outs to Tolkien.
134	* ''Literature/BranHambric'', which has the feeling of UrbanFantasy in a fictional world.
135	* ''Literature/TheBrightestShadow'' is inspired by both wuxia and high fantasy.
136	* ''Literature/TheCreaturesOfTheSupernatural'', a world literally set in a fantasy world with a lack of human beings.
137	* ''Literature/AChorusOfDragons''
138	* ''Literature/ChronicleOfTheUnhewnThrone'' by Brian Staveley
139	* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfDorsa'': Though it isn't obviously one at first, by book three the story has become this, as the deathless king is revealed to want world domination, which the heroes fight to stop.
140	* ''Literature/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath'' fits most of the elements, though it's very tightly focused on the heroine and her immediate friends and family despite the world-shaking events going on, and at least as far as supernatural forces are concerned it's more BlackAndGreyMorality than BlackAndWhiteMorality.
141	* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' by Creator/CSLewis. He and Tolkien were good friends and their stories share many similarities. The books drift in and out of the epic scale - the first one featuring an evil sorceress who needs to be defeated to save the world. Besides ''Literature/TheSilverChair'' and ''Literature/TheLastBattle'' the scale is much smaller in other books.
142	* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfPrydain'' are High Fantasy for children, largely inspired by Welsh mythology.
143	* ''The Literature/ChroniclesOfThomasCovenant'' takes an incredibly flawed AntiHero and throws him into another world that may or may not be a dream, with everyone expecting him to save it.
144	* ''Literature/TheCosmere'' tends towards this genre for its longer entries. In particular, ''Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy'' is a GenreDeconstruction [[spoiler: or possibly more of a DeconReconSwitch taking the last volume into account]], while ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'' is a {{Reconstruction}} described by [[Creator/BrandonSanderson the author]] as his love letter to the genre.
145	* The ''Literature/ACourtOfThornsAndRoses'' series, mostly from the second book onwards; the first book falls more under HeroicFantasy. The series is set in a pseudo-medieval world where fae and humans live side-by-side, magic is reasonably commonplace amongst fae, and the main villain is a SorcerousOverlord who is trying to reinvade Prythian after being foiled centuries ago.
146	* ''Literature/TheDarkIsRising'' series by Susan Cooper is set in our world, but tied into a distant, mythological and Celtic past, and otherwise fits the trope to a tee. [[spoiler:The hero's mentor is even suggested to be Merlin]].
147	* ''Literature/TheDarkTower'' by Stephen King borders the line between High Fantasy and UrbanFantasy in a {{Western}} setting.
148	* ''Literature/ADayOfFallenNight'' is a prequel to ''Literature/ThePrioryOfTheOrangeTree'', covering a historical period mentioned within that book known as "the Grief of Ages."
149	* ''Literature/DeltoraQuest''
150	* ''Literature/TheDragonScalesTrilogy''
151	* Laurence Yep's ''Literature/DragonSeries'', which has an eastern dragon as the protagonist, trying to restore her former home.
152	* ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' has several like ''Literature/DragonlanceChronicles'', ''Literature/DragonlanceLegends'', and ''Literature/DragonsOfSummerFlame.''
153	* The ''Literature/DragonsOfRequiem'' series revolves around a race of humans who use magic to turn into dragons. The same series also involves artifacts that can reanimate corpses, demons rising from the "Abyss," humans who can turn into phoenixes, potions that can turn people into sphinxes, reanimated skeletons, villains who try to kill hundreds of thousands, and more.
154	* ''Literature/TheDuelOfSorceryTrilogy'' fits on some details, but is more LowFantasy in other respects.
155	* The ''Literature/{{Earthsea}}'' cycle by Creator/UrsulaKLeGuin is considered a classic of the subgenre, though it famously avoids many of the associated cliches. Earthsea is a sprawling chain of islands populated mostly by brown-skinned peoples as opposed to the usual Medieval European-eqsue setting, war is essentially nonexistent, and magic is a fine art, studied intensely and used sparingly, rather than a solution to all of life's problems. The series hits full High Fantasy status during the third book, ''The Farthest Shore'', which introduces a villain whose plan threatens to destroy the world, and a suitably epic quest by a young [[RightfulKingReturns heir]] and his aging wizard [[TheMentor mentor]] to prevent this.
156	* ''Literature/TheElenium'' is by Creator/DavidEddings again, and does pretty much the same thing as ''Literature/TheBelgariad''. Only in six slightly longer (and darker) books. But still two epics.
157	* ''Literature/TheEmpiriumTrilogy''
158	* The Essalieyan Saga by Michelle West firmly fit here, forming an intricate MythArc dealing with returning gods, the fate of nations, and humanity's final stand against [[GodOfEvil Allasakar]], consisting of in order ''The Sacred Hunt'' duology, ''Literature/TheSunSword'' sextet, ''The House War'' septology, and to be concluded in the forthcoming ''Burning Crown'' arc.
159	* ''Literature/FamiliarAndTheMage''
160	* ''Literature/TheFallingKingdomsSeries''
161	* ''Literature/TheFifthVertex'' involves [[MagicAIsMagicA the vertices and blood magic]] although the setting is [[{{Xenofiction}} multicultural and unique]].
162	* ''Literature/ForgingDivinity''.
163	* Creator/CJCherryh's ''Literature/MorgaineCycle''
164	* Creator/AnneMcCaffrey's ''Literature/DragonridersOfPern''
165	* Creator/CatherineAsaro's ''Literature/SkolianSaga''
166	* ''Literature/{{Greenwater}}'' and the world setting for Literature/{{Zodiacs}} by Tropers/{{Thrythlind}} are aimed at this.
167	* ''Literature/GnomeSaga'' by Kenny Soward and published by Creator/RagnarokPublications is a Dungeons and Dragons-esque trilogy highlighting that often-overlooked race of mad inventors.
168	* ''Literature/{{Hagwood}}''
169	* There have been debates over whether ''Literature/HarryPotter'' would be considered an example.
170	** The overarching plot revolves around the hero (who is later revealed to be the subject of a prophecy) thwarting the attempts of an evil wizard to return to power, with magic being extremely commonplace in the setting. This sounds very high fantasy-ish. However, the series isn't set in a secondary world but in [[WainscotSociety a magical society hidden in the normal world]]; most of the novels are also confined to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where the protagonists' day-to-day concerns tend to things like learning new spells, playing Quidditch, conflict with teachers and other students, and so forth (in other words, typical school-aged drama with fantasy trappings). Although there's increasing focus on wizard politics, Voldemort and his followers usually only become prominent in the last third.
171	** That being said, the final book, ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'', more closely fits the high fantasy formula: Voldemort and his followers are a near-constant threat from page one [[spoiler:having taken over the Ministry of Magic]] and the main trio embark on a perilous journey across the British Isles to find and destroy magical artifacts to defeat Voldemort, culminating in a huge battle between the heroes against Voldemort’s army. [[spoiler:Harry also defeats the villain less through brute force and more by exploiting the magic system surrounding wand ownership and ThePowerOfLove]].
172	* ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials'' involves a final battle for not just control of the world, but of the entire multiverse.
173	* ''Literature/HowToBuildADungeonBookOfTheDemonKing''
174	* ''Literature/InheritanceCycle''.
175	* ''Literature/TheKharkanasTrilogy''.
176	* ''Literature/KingOfTheWaterRoads''.
177	* ''Literature/TheLastGuardian2001''.
178	* ''Literature/LegendsOfPanthera'' is set in the semi-medieval world of Panthera and follows the adventures of a group of champions who battle against gods.
179	* ''Literature/TheLightlarkSaga''
180	* ''Literature/TheLineageOfTellus'' is a more modern example in tone, language, and overall views on sexuality and gender.
181	* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'': Inspired a [[FollowTheLeader slew of imitators]] and [[TropeMaker created the genre as we know it.]] It's something of an UnbuiltTrope in ''Lord of the Rings'' itself, which can best be described as "high fantasy but low magic." Magic is extremely rare, viewed with awe and ignorance by most people, and quite restrained whenever it does show up. There are perhaps a few dozen "mages" on the entire planet (''i.e.'' the five wizards, the nine Nazgul, Beorn, Galadriel, the ''one'' remaining dragon), and other than them the only magic is minor charms embedded into a handful of items, usually those made by elves (like a piece of bread that can fill you up for a day or a sword that can glow and pierce things slightly better than a normal one). Some of the more impressive showings by said magicians include "shining lights to blind someone", "making someone scared, but not enough to override HeroicWillpower", "showing someone hallucinations", "poisoning or setting alight one person at a time", and "turning into a large and intelligent but otherwise completely ordinary bear or wolf." Even the titular Rings never ''do'' anything on-screen other than the One Ring making the wearer invisible (though it's implied they could do much more in the hands of a powerful being, the villain's plan was still mostly just to use their powers to build and control mundane armies). Furthermore the story's actual protagonists (as opposed to the SupportingLeader) are [[TheEveryman much more down to earth]] (both figuratively and literally) than typical fantasy fare. The lands and events aren't really larger-than-life either - the largest military engagement in the books had fewer soldiers involved than were present at Cannae, (and most of those were Orcs who are explicitly inferior to human troops), the state of the world outside of the [[https://external-preview.redd.it/LiF3406hmIV-GEqpjQ46P-lpiUyvb4vLtXtj1TvX38s.jpg?auto=webp&s=185233b0f783602dba93f191eadacb9c2a9351f4 relatively compact story area]] goes almost completely unmentioned, and as far as we know Third Age Middle-earth is very thinly populated and only has one city of any note (that is, Minas Tirith; even Edoras, the capital of Rohan, is referred to as a mere town). The books certainly ''feel'' big, though.
182	* ''Literature/TheLostRedeemer'' by David Musk features a world in a post-medieval fantasy setting with unique races and a dream-based magic system.
183	* ''Literature/TheMalazanBookOfTheFallen''
184	* ''Literature/MemorySorrowAndThorn''
185	* ''Literature/TheMirrorOfHerDreams''
186	* ''Literature/{{Mithgar}}'': The early books take heavy inspiration from ''The Lord of the Rings'' (which makes sense given it's said the author originally envisoned ''The Silver Call'' duology as a sequel to LOTR), though it later becomes more of its own thing.
187	** ''Literature/TheIronTower''
188	* ''Literature/{{Moribito}}''
189	* ''Literature/TheNicciChronicles'': a spin-off/continuation of the ''Literature/SwordOfTruth'' series, following side characters Nicci and Nathan.
190	* ''Literature/{{Nightrunner}}''
191	* The ''Literature/OldKingdom'' series is somewhat unusual, as its premise revolves around necromancy and the undead. The first book also starts out more in HeroicFantasy territory but moves into High by the end[[note]]as Sabriel's goals shift from "save Dad" to "save the world"[[/note]], while books two and three are firmly HighFantasy from the get go. The prequel ''Clariel'', however, tends more towards the LowFantasy end of the scale.
192	* ''Literature/AnOutcastInAnotherWorld'' by Creator/KamikazePotato checks many of the boxes for this genre. Has a non-Earth setting, standard fantasy races, magic, an epic scope, and a great evil.
193	* ''Literature/ThePrioryOfTheOrangeTree'' is a retelling of "Saint George and the Dragon" that begins with personal conflicts of four characters in the West and East but quickly become bigger due to the imminent return of the Nameless One (the Dragon). The setting is populated by humans, evil European-style dragons, and benevolent Asian-style dragons; the distinction between the two has been lost to humans on both sides, resulting in isolation (the West believes the East to be wyrm-worshipping heretics while the East believes the West to be indiscriminate dragon-killers). Magic is used, but extremely rare and widely feared. Political intrigues exist as an obstacle to the main goal of saving the world from a mountain-sized dragon that's about to wake up, and the secret descendants of those who originally bound the dragon play a key role in all of the efforts to deal with it.
194	* ''Literature/RealmBreaker''
195	* ''Literature/RecordOfLodossWar''
196	* ''Literature/TheRiftwarCycle''.
197	* ''Literature/SagaOfTheForgottenWarrior''. Is set in the unknown land of Lok. It is hinted that humans living in Lok are originally from Earth, but no reliable records of the past remain. At some unknown point in the past, demons came to the world, and started devouring humans, until there was a threat of extinction, but with the aid of black steel, humans fought off the demons, and forced them off land, and into the sea. Because of this, sea travel is impossible, and the inhabitants of Lok know nothing of what happened on the other continents. Lots of extremely fast paced action, but no shortage of intricate plot. The world of Lok draws heavily on Ancient Indian themes.
198	* ''Literature/TheSecretsOfTheImmortalNicholasFlamel'' is set in our world, but characters travel through many different Shadowrealms as well - and the series climaxes in the ancient realm of Danu Talis. AllMythsAreTrue heavily applies here, with many mythical figures and {{Historical Domain Character}}s appearing. And yes there is something about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, but [[spoiler: it turns out to mean destroying one world so that ours can begin]].
199	* ''Literature/TheSeventhTower''.
200	* ''Literature/ShadowOfTheConqueror'', which has the epic scale, fantastic setting, widespread magic use, and supernatural evils, but mixes things up with a lot of DungeonPunk elements and general GenreBusting.
201	* ''Literature/{{Shannara}}''.
202	* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' begins on the LowFantasy side of the line, starting out with GreyAndGreyMorality firmly in place and dealing mostly with one nation's dynastic wars, but because TheMagicComesBack slowly over the course of the series, it gets progressively closer to High Fantasy with each novel, especially in Bran, Arya, Jon and Dany's storylines, as magic becomes more apparent, the Others establish themselves as the great supernatural evil and the threat they pose to the world starts to be given more importance. The series can also be described as a particularly brutal reconstruction of this genre. Knights are mostly just brutal thugs with established family lineages; rulers gain their power through a combination of the sort of underhanded political strategies you'd expect a crime boss to use and military victories that in no way prepare them for ruling during peace times; earning political positions through birthright is a disastrous idea even before you factor in the inbreeding; magical wonders (like the dragons) lose their lustre quickly or get ascribed all sorts of symbolic meanings they haven't earned, traumatic experiences are legitimately traumatising; and basing your strategy on any type of morality and high ideals will get you and lots of innocent people (including those you love) killed. Oddly enough (given how cynical the universe is about human nature and how life works), high fantasy tropes are played almost completely straight in relation to Bran Stark's storyline (particularly since his escape from Winterfell).
203	* ''Literature/TheSongOfTheShatteredSands'' by Bradley Beaulieu.
204	* ''Literature/TheStand'' by Stephen King has even more elements of High Fantasy than ''Literature/TheDarkTower'', but it's strictly our world AfterTheEnd. However King ties it in later to his other-worlds {{Mythopoeia}}.
205	* ''Literature/StormOfSouls''
206	* ''Literature/SwordOfTruth'' possesses all the core elements, although [[Creator/TerryGoodkind the author]] [[SciFiGhetto would rather not have his work lumped into the fantasy section, thank you very much]].
207	* ''Literature/TalesOfTheSunderedLands''
208	* The ''Literature/ThroneOfGlass'' series
209	* ''Literature/VillainsByNecessity'': The book is an inversion and {{parody}} of the genre, with the villains having to save the world from imminent destruction by cosmic Good.
210	* ''Literature/TheWayfarerRedemption''.
211	* ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime''.
212	* ''Literature/TheWitcher''.
213	* ''Literature/AWizardInRhyme''.
214	[[/folder]]
215
216	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
217	High fantasy tends to be difficult to pull off well with live-action TV series due to budgetary constraints, which can make capturing the epic scale of such stories challenging. Nevertheless, there have been examples over the years.
218	* ''Series/AvatarTheLastAirbender2024'' naturally for being a live adaptation of the cartoons.
219	* ''Series/TheDarkCrystalAgeOfResistance'': A prequel series to the film, featuring Gelfings on a quest to expose the evil overlords threatening their world and rally the other tribes to fight back.
220	* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Based on the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' novels. As with the books, this one straddles the line between high fantasy and low fantasy; the scale is certainly epic, with the story spanning entire continents, but the plotlines are more concerned with relatively mundane political intrigue and family feuds, with magical elements kept to a minimum early on. Later seasons shift more towards typical high fantasy due to the increased prominence of the White Walkers and their Dark Lord-esque leader the Night King, with the characters having to put aside their differences to stop the potentially world-ending invasion. After that wraps up though, everyone's back to squabbling over the throne.
221	* ''Series/LegendOfTheSeeker''
222	* ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower''
223	* ''Series/OhsamaSentaiKingOhger'' contrasts with previous fantastic seasons of ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' by being set on a different world altogether called Tikyū[[note]]a name based on the Japanese word for earth, chikyū, but spelled in katakana[[/note]] with five kingdoms which the protagonists rule as monarchs.
224	* ''Series/OnePiece2023''
225	* ''Series/ShadowAndBone'': Based upon ''Literature/TheGrishaverse'' books, ''Shadow and Bone'' is an uncommon example of a high fantasy that takes place not in a medieval setting but one closer to the mid-1800s in terms of fashion, culture and technology. In particular, magic-users in the setting -known as Grisha -have to contend with modern weaponry such as guns, giving mundane folks an edge. They also tend to refer to their powers as a ''science'' rather than magic. The show's A-plot follows the high fantasy formula most closely, concerning a lowly young orphan who discovers she's a rare type of Grisha called the Sun Summoner, destined to save her country from dark forces; she must learn to harness her power while avoiding or out-manoeuvring those that seek to harm or exploit her.
226	* ''Series/TheShannaraChronicles''
227	* ''Series/TheWheelOfTime2021'': Based upon the book series of the same name, which is one of the most famous examples of this genre. Unlike ''Game of Thrones'', it leans heavily into classic epic fantasy tropes and plotlines (dark lord threatening the world with his army of monsters, a prophesised hero who could either save or destroy the world, magic users everywhere and so on).
228	* ''Series/Willow2022'': A sequel series to the [[Film/{{Willow}} 1988 film]] expanding upon the world and characters.
229	[[/folder]]
230
231	[[folder:Radio]]
232	* ''Radio/ElvenQuest'' parodies the High Fantasy setting. The Chosen One (a dog in our world but a human in his) must band together with an Elf, WarriorPrincess and Dwarf to find the mystical Sword of Asnagar and defeat the cunning and oddly genre-savvy Lord Darkness.
233	* Music/{{Negativland}} once created a hysterical parody of [[InAWorld trailers for High Fantasy and Heroic Fantasy films]], using dozens of snippets from Creator/DonLaFontaine narrations. It's on ''Moribund Music of the 70s''. [[https://youtu.be/JyN8GjgOKjU?t=1349]]
234	--> Long ago, when the world was young, there existed [garbled sound] symbol of right. There also lived ''the Resourcer'', [[thunderclap]], the embodiment of evil. And between, as prize to the victor, lay the whole world...
235	[[/folder]]
236
237	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
238	* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' often occupies this league of the fantasy spectrum, though it encompasses HeroicFantasy more often and LowFantasy about as often. Episodes of full-bore High Fantasy from Warhammer's rich tapestry generally involve world-threatening catastrophes, and include the Great Wars Against Chaos (both the war of 2306 and the previous incursions, going back to the original war in the time of Aenarion), the Sundering of the Elves and the conquests of Nagash (who provides one of Warhammer's many iconic Dark Lord type characters). In aesthetic terms the elder races of Warhammer (the Dwarfs and the three kindreds of Elves) tend to present the most high fantasy aspect, drawing heavily on Tolkien and boasting histories replete with great world-spanning deeds of significance. The Bretonnians are perhaps the most classically Medieval Fantasy race, however, and embody most strongly the "knights in shining armour" aspect of the genre (albeit with a fair helping of cynicism and actual medieval weirdness at times). The Empire, the de facto protagonist faction, leans much more into LowFantasy to the point that, prior to the [[DenserAndWackier late 7th to 8th editions]], it'd be very hard to tell them apart from real-world 16th century Germany without their occasional use of wizards.
239	** Warhammer Fantasy's sequel setting, ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar'' takes the High Fantasy elements of the original Warhammer and takes it way, ''way'' Higher than it already was, to the point where the setting almost encompasses an all new type of "Mythical Fantasy" genre. Due to the fact that the Age of Sigmar world isn't as put-together as traditional fantasy settings, it appears as what many fantasy settings' "mythical/golden age" is like, with gods walking the land and strange and nonsensical rules being bent by mortals, as in mythologies like the Norse or the Greek.
240	[[/folder]]
241
242	[[folder:Video Games]]
243	* ''VideoGame/{{Anbennar}}'' is a fairly detailed GenreDeconstruction. It kicks off when the hero Corin has just [[DeityOfHumanOrigin ascended to godhood]] after slaying [[BigBad Korgus Dookanson]], the orc warlord who commanded the Greentide. But in a world with no BlackAndWhiteMorality, what follows ''after'' this is the question: what do humans do with the orcs and goblins who now live in the ruins of Escann? (It's often [[MadeASlave not pretty]].) How do the adventurers who made up Corin's armies deal with each other, as TheFellowshipHasEnded and they settle in the land they've taken from the greenskins? Are the "monstrous" races evil, or can they learn to coexist with an ever-stronger humanity? And when magical relics are found in the ruins of the {{Precursors}}, it starts a land rush that can be incredibly savage to the remnants of the ancient elven civilization. Even the idea of the {{Necromancer}} as the BigBad is called into question, as Esthil and the later Black Demesne provide justifications for employing necromancy and a sorcerous elite (respectively) to improve human lives and wealth, even as some of their methods like becoming a {{Lich}} are PoweredByAForsakenChild. Is it worth it?
244	* ''VideoGame/BattleAxe'', where you're a fantasy-themed hero (either a human marauder, a druid wizard or an elf warrior) fighting a SorcerousOverlord whose armies consists of goblins, skeletons, and assorted beasties. Including having a pet dragon.
245	* ''VideoGame/{{BGTSCC}}'' Often each year's metaplot ending effects the world for a long time after, with permanent changes to the server. One example is the Amn/Gate war, changing Beregost's ownership from Baldur's Gate to Amn.
246	* ''Franchise/BaldursGate'' and its related Creator/BioWare games are all about this.
247	* ''VideoGame/TheCrystalOfKings'', an early 2000s BeatEmUp where you are a hero in the medieval-fantasy inspired kingdom of Estorea battling hordes and hordes of orcs, skeletons and demons.
248	* ''VideoGame/DragonUnit'', a fantasy arcade game where you're one of two warriors out to rescue a kidnapped princess.
249	* For ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series, the individual games are more in line with [[HeroicFantasy Heroic Fantasies]] - your PlayerCharacter needs to save the world from a malevolent BigBad seeking to [[TakeOverTheWorld take it over]] or [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt end it outright]], while you get to have some fun exploring the WideOpenSandbox game world. However, when you take a step back and look at the series as a whole, as well as dig deep into the rich backstory, you can easily seem more of the High Fantasy elements. Overarching "Good vs. Evil" themes emerge, while in other instances, these waters are muddied, with many of the aforementioned {{Big Bad}}s having WellIntentionedExtremist slants and the like. Essentially, the Elder Scrolls universe is a High Fantasy setting, and each main series game is a Heroic Fantasy story told within that universe.
250	* ''VideoGame/ElementalMaster'' have you playing as a wizard fighting an AncientEvil in a medieval setting.
251	* ''VideoGame/EternityTheLastUnicorn'', a fantasy RPG inspired by Norse Mythology.
252	* Most ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games are HighFantasy to a degree, including ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'', ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI VI]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII XII]]''.
253	** ''XII'' is a borderline case. It meets most of the requirements except the scale. There's some power politics and the looming threat of a war between two great powers, but it's limited to threatening one small kingdom/city-state caught between them rather than any serious threat to the world at large regardless of who wins. The over-arching quest is more about preventing the city of Dalmasca from being turned into a battleground of two rival empires, neither of which represent the GoodGuys, than attempting to defeat the EvilOverlord (who turns out to be a KnightTemplar AntiVillain). At no point is TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt even on the table in the main plot.
254	** There are, however, side-quests where the player can go looking for trouble and pick fights with some very powerful [[SealedEvilInACan demigods that tried to take over Heaven itself in ages past]].
255	* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'': The series as a wholesale qualifies, but it ''[[ZigZaggedTrope heavily]]'' plays with the genre's trappings. Like other HighFantasy settings, the scale of each game tends to be epic; continent-shaking wars between kingdoms and RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething who are tasked with defeating a great evil, usually with the [[RecurringElement recurring]] [[TitleDrop Fire Emblem]] involved. Dragons are almost certainly to be involved, and the scale (usually) tends to go through the SortingAlgorithmOfEvil from low level bandits to TheEmpire to a ReligionOfEvil with the power of a dark god[=/=]dragon. However, all of this mixed in with a considerable degree of LowFantasy elements as well; there are [[OurDragonsAreDifferent other]] [[OurWerebeastsAreDifferent races]] than humans, but humans constantly act as the dominant force in the world. There's no real epic quest in most of the games (or, at least, it's almost never framed as such) instead focusing on the outbreak of war between human nations and heapings upon heapings of political intrigue. There were ancient heroes with legendary weapons who helped seal away an evil dragon/god, but those legends fade into myth, and many of the different settings' individuals at large forgot the existence of said legendary weapons. Monsters can exist, but it's very case-by-case depending on the setting, but very often they're regarded as mythic like the legendary weapons and are seldom-seen. Magic is common, but it's not seen as a occult happenstance so much as a science, with ''Radiant Dawn'' mentioning scientists developing the Rewarp stave of that game, Anima and Dark magic being regarded as "Reason" in ''Three Houses''. Not to mention, the characters that you can recruit may even be {{Punch Clock Hero}}es, and the series seems to lean towards the neutral side on the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism, though some of the games can also lean towards the idealistic side as well. Plus, it must be noted that the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar Jugdral]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776 series]] is very dark in tone.
256	* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' is divided into many small worlds, mostly imaginary, or based on Disney films.
257	* ''VideoGame/JewelMaster'' is a Medieval fantasy filled with dragons, knights, orcs and demons where you set off on a quest to save your kingdom by seeking twelve magical rings.
258	* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' is mostly this but it also borders on HeroicFantasy at times. It has a lot of definitive identity with the StandardJapaneseFantasySetting, right down to Ganon being MaouTheDemonKing and the {{Reincarnation}} elements of Link and Zelda.
259	* ''VideoGame/Legend1994'', in a medieval kingdom where two heroic knights must stop an EvilPrince from reviving a demon.
260	* ''VideoGame/Legend1998'' - the sequel to the above.
261	* Both ''VideoGame/TheLegendaryAxe'' games, where you're respectively a BarbarianHero and a WarriorPrince out to save your kingdom from evil.
262	* ''VideoGame/LuciferRing'' have your player as a warrior fighting the forces of chaos in a fantasy world in order to prevent an EvilWizard from awakening an ancient demon.
263	* ''VideoGame/OracleOfTao'' is a UsefulNotes/RPGMaker game with heavy fantasy elements. Oddly enough, it has some modern objects, like cellphones and [=ATMs=], but it is assumed they run on magic.
264	* ''VideoGame/{{Overlord}}'' takes all the tropes of this genre and runs away with them.[[/index]]
265	** The first game [[SubvertedTrope subverts]] pretty much everything that gets in its grubby little paws. The [[TheHero Heroes]] [[DesignatedHero aren't particularly heroic,]] the Minions don't exactly project [[AdorableEvilMinions an intimidating facade]] and, depending on the player's decisions, the EvilOverlord...well, [[NobleDemon isn't]].
266	** The second game even more so. Whatever trope it manages to play straight, [[PlayedForLaughs it does so for parody's sake]].[[index]]
267	* ''VideoGame/RagingBlades'', a fantasy-themed HackAndSlash for the [=PlayStation=] 2 where a band of heroes are on a quest to stop an EvilWizard.
268	* ''[[VideoGame/RomancingSaGa Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song]]'' thrusts you into the world of Mardias, where the inhabitants struggle against the return of evil lord Saruin, his army of monsters and his evil cults. Due to the game's open-ended nature, the world and its nations are rather detailed with lores about multiple fairytales, lords and heroes, many of which you end up interacting with. The player runs on a KarmaMeter, but it merely determines a path that eventually leads to the same endgame, [[spoiler: an epic Lord of the Ring style war against Saruin where ally nations help you party sneak into BigBad;s lair and defeat him.]] Even Saruin's [[DarkIsNotEvil own siblings]] don't like him, which is saying something.
269	* ''VideoGame/SacredOdysseyRiseOfAyden'', a blatant ''Zelda'' clone made by Creator/{{Gameloft}}.
270	* ''VideoGame/SolDivide'' is a HorizontalScrollingShooter in a fantasy world, with magic in place of lasers.
271	* The later entries of the ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'' after the GenreShift away from HistoricalFantasy. It takes place on Earth during the 16th Century and real historical figures are referenced, but apart from that, the series has lizard men, a golem, a GorgeousGreek [[ThePaladin Paladin]] empowered by an ancient god, a GhostPirate, ''two'' vampires, a demon-hunting kunoichi, an immortal ScaryBlackMan, an English alchemist lady with a WhipSword, a teenage priestess who can control the wind, various bits of ClockPunk like Yoshimitsu's [[ArtificialLimbs arm]] and most of [[AdvancedAncientAcropolis Wolfkrone]], costumes that are not historically period accurate ''in any way'' (seriously, it's utterly hilarious how [[ActionGirl Seong Mi-na]] traverses half the world three times while [[{{Stripperiffic}} wearing hardly anything]] and [[UnusuallyUninterestingSight nobody else once ever calls attention to this]]), and a conflict between two magic swords that everyone is fighting over that drives the main plot. That ''still'' isn't naming everything.
272	* ''VideoGame/WildBlood'', a DarkerAndEdgier re-imagining of the Arthurian legends.
273	[[/folder]]
274
275	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
276	* ''VisualNovel/LoveAndLegends''
277	[[/folder]]
278
279	[[folder:Web Animation]]
280	* ''WebAnimation/TrueTail'' combines this trope with WorldOfFunnyAnimals. In the medieval world of Splitpaw, a group of furry mercenaries go on an epic quest to battle an evil wizard and his undead army.
281	* ''WebAnimation/HighHopesLowRolls'' is based on a ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' campaign, so this is a given.
282	[[/folder]]
283
284	[[folder:Webcomics]]
285	* ''Webcomic/Aurora2019'': A RagtagBunchOfMisfits are drawn into a quest to save the world from scheming villains and an ancient evil.
286	* ''Webcomic/ConsequencesOfChoice''.
287	* ''Webcomic/CrimsonKnights'', though the technology level is more in line with the early-modern period rather than the standard medieval.
288	* ''Webcomic/GoblinsOfRazard'': Contains a lost prince and a band of followers on a quest.
289	* ''Webcomic/{{Oglaf}}'' is a NSFW SexComedy set in a parody of this genre.
290	* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' is an affectionate parody of the genre. It started off as closer to Heroic Fantasy, with an adventuring party raiding a random dungeon, but got Higher as it went on, starting with the reveal that it ''wasn't'' a random dungeon, but the location of a BigBad the party leader had sworn to defeat, and building up to the adventurers [[spoiler: being the last hope of preventing said BigBad from (inadventently) destroying the world.]]
291	* ''Webcomic/OurLittleAdventure'', if you factor all of its parts.
292	* ''Webcomic/OverlordOfRavenfell'' parodies and subverts the High Fantasy setting, from the perspective of the villain.
293	* ''Webcomic/WayfarersMoon''.
294	[[/folder]]
295
296	[[folder:Web Original]]
297	* ''Literature/DeeperUpTheTower'' is full to the brim with wild magic, elves, weird beasts trapped in jars, curses, statues coming to life, gods, quests, relics, the works and then some!
298	* ''Roleplay/FireEmblemOnForums'': A series of roleplays based on the ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' games that generally occupy this genre.
299	* ''Literature/SmirvlaksStone'' is loaded with all sorts of fantasy races, takes place during medieval times, and shows off different forms of magic and backstories involving demons and gods.
300	* ''Literature/TalesoftheBigBadWolf'' appears to be a fairy tale based series but incorporates elements of high fantasy including elves, bards, at least one system of magic, and magical objects and beasts.
301	[[/folder]]
302
303	[[folder:Western Animation]]
304	* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' is high fantasy with an Eastern motif rather than the usual Western one. The show is set in a fictional world divided into four nations which are primarily based on the style and philosophy of various Asian cultures (imperial Japan, Shaolin monks, etc.), and feature an extremely detailed and versatile [[ElementalPowers elemental magic system]] known as Bending, all manner of strange creatures, and multiple villains who easily qualify as evil incarnate, along with some well-meaning but misguided ones for good measure. While its sequel, ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', shifts the franchise into DieselPunk UrbanFantasy territory (in particular, almost all of its villains are [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well-Intentioned Extremists]] rather than outright evil), it still retains plenty of High Fantasy tropes (for example, [[spoiler:Vaatu]] is still very much a classic "Great Evil"-type villain).
305	* The first two episodes of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': A long time ago, the land of Equestria was [[GodEmperor ruled by]] two [[PhysicalGod godlike]] [[WingedUnicorn alicorn]] sisters who [[PaintingTheFrostOnWindows controlled the cycle of day and night]]. But the younger sister, [[TheSacredDarkness responsible for the night]], became [[GreenEyedMonster jealous and resentful]] and [[FallenAngel turned into]] the evil [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Nightmare]] [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Moon]], [[TheNightThatNeverEnds refusing to lower the moon to make way for the day]]. The elder sister was forced to [[SealedEvilInACan banish her into the moon, where she has remained ever since]]. But a thousand years later, WhenThePlanetsAlign, she escapes and threatens to shroud the land in eternal darkness once more. Now it's up to [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits a group]] of cute but surprisingly badass ponies to travel through [[EnchantedForest the ancient Everfree Forest]] [[TheQuest to find]] the [[AncientArtifact Elements of Harmony]], the only thing that can stop Nightmare Moon. While the majority of the series is an [[AnAesop Aesop]]-driven ensemble comedy in a fantasy setting, the two-part season premieres and finales are consistently driven by High Fantasy tropes. Attempted takeovers of Equestria by {{Evil Overlord}}s [[SealedEvilInACan sealed away]] for a ''minimum'' of one thousand years alongside armies of EvilMinions run rampant, only to be undone each time by the forces of [[ThePowerOfLove love]] and [[ThePowerOfFriendship friendship]]. This has started to creep into the "normal" episodes as well; "Hearth's Warming Eve," for instance, deals with the nation's founding amidst [[FantasticRacism prejudice]]-driven political struggles and ethereal winter spirits [[EmotionEater feeding on their hatred]], and "It's About Time" offhandedly establishes that Ponyville is located within walking distance of ''[[{{Hellgate}} the gates of]] [[FireAndBrimstoneHell Tartarus]]''.
306	%%* ''WesternAnimation/ThePiratesOfDarkWater''.
307	[[/folder]]
308	[[/index]]

Context Main / HighFantasy