Fictional Histories

Fictional Histories

ELEMENT

Histories are a series of historical events that shape and define the course of a place, culture, or civilization. Fictional histories are often used during fictional worldbuilding and can provide context, help establish a setting or world era, or deepen the lore of a world. Fictional histories may be alternate versions of our own history or may be in depth chronicles of a fantasy or science fiction landscape with their own unique timelines. They can give context to elements like ruins, ancient temples, ancient civilizations, borders, and political disputes between factions.

Synonyms: lore, chronicles, archives, annals, sagas
Example Mythonyms: A History of the World of Nimbus (Volume III)

Designing Fictional Histories

Archetypes

Foundations

Overview

Timeframes

When creating a fictional history, worldbuilders should first consider the timeframe they want it to encompass. While some worldbuilders may wish to begin at the beginning (the big bang, a magical event, or the creation of existence by a god), and end at the end (the eventual heat death of the universe, Ragnarök, the End-times) others may wish to focus their efforts on a single era or series of eras. They may leave prerecorded history as a soft element, merely painting it with the broadest of strokes, and leave the future entirely a mystery. This may be especially true in worlds with a defined present.

Historical Events

Once the general historical timeframe has been established, worldbuilders can focus on populating it with key historical events. These may be the collapse of an empire, the first self-sufficient space station, or the outbreak of a major contagion. Worldbuilders will want to familiarize themselves with general historical timescales. The average human lifespan and duration of empires can be helpful to know when constructing a fictional history. Placing these events on a timeline will help keep things organized.

Time in Perspective
Average Human Lifespan: 79 Years
Time between the first flight and the moon landing: 66 years
Time dinosaurs inhabited earth: 179 million years
Length of Ottoman Empire: 600 years
Time between the start of the Roman Empire and the building of the pyramids: ~2500 years
Time between the start of the Roman Empire and the present: ~2000 years

Eras

t may be useful to divide fictional histories in distinct eras. Eras [ancient eras; dark ages] allow designers to quickly characterize large sections of a history or timeline.

True & False Histories

Worldbuilders should keep separate the true history of their world from the history that is known by its’ inhabitants, as they may not be the same thing. False histories as well as myths & legends may be present in a world.

A history may manifest itself in cave paintings, fossils, archeological dig sites, and museums.

List of Historical Events