Spirits and Hell

[Cheehwawa]

Hey everyone. Im currently planning as epic/fantasy/adventure novel that will span 3-5 novels. It's about a reincarnated God attempting to uncover who he was in his past (he has no memory of the time before he woke up in a gladiatorial ring in Atlantis) and eventually his 6 past lives, so that he can Ascend into a divine being and stop his oppressor the Thunder God from ruling the Earth.

I have borrowed a lot from classical mythology, such as the Odyssey, the Labors of Heracles, the Epic of Gilgamesh, Perseus vs. the Gorgon and Beowulf. I have a section of the world (actually earth ca. 9500 BC) that is the domain of evil divine beings, who have recently allied with Raam to kill the hero before he ascends and fulfills a prophecy that he will overthrow his half-brother the Thunder God (I know, pretty complicated)

Well I wanted to tie in the trip to the underworld from the Odyssey and Heracles' Labors in with the Divine Comedy. It's just... I think that the leap from a fantasy-type setting into sweep through a supernatural world where the hero interacts with souls (especially of people he encountered earlier in the series) would be a little too.... drastic of a leap.

But I wanted to know what you guys thought about the subject... mixing fantasy epics with the supernatural? Should the supernatural have some sort of higher order or more of chaotic feel?

If I do include elements of Dante's inferno, I know who will be like Virgil, but I dont know how I can make the demons aid the hero and his guide through the underworld... but I can just picture them running over a massive sheet of ice dotted with the heads of tormented souls

[ctg]

Well, if you don't want to use a lesser demon, then you could use an magical instrument that has an demon trapped in it, like Elric's sword.

[Malloriel]

I think the major issue here is that you're looking at fantasy and supernatural as being not only totally separate things, but almost mutually exclusive. Fantasy can have supernatural elements, and supernatural usually includes some sort of fantasy element. The two borrow from each other all the time. If you're comfortable with the transitions, and you give enough before the cross over to establish both genres as having a solid foundation in your Verse, then I see no problem with it whatsoever.

[AlexM]

Just write how you feel and if you don't like it don't write it. I agree with Malloriel on this one. It is not like you choose one and not have the other. I mean where is there a god without an underworld?

[Jimmy Magnusson]

Yes, I think that there's no problem mixing supernatural elements with fantasy. Belong togeather like sour milk and cinnamon. Is there spirits, magic or fantastical creatures in the regular world? Wouldn't be such a drastic leap to me if that was the case.