Exploring the Fascinating Role of the Fantasy Scholar in the World

A black silhouette of a character who appears in a fictional world. It could be a fantasy scholar or someone else. This character has a white question mark on his chest and he stands in front of a blue-purple gradient background with the purple shaped like a diamond right behind him.
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Sunfire

CONTENTS

The Premise

Over time, the things people know accumulate to the point where they have a hard time keeping track of everything. Fortunately for them, there is one person who is capable of taking all that knowledge and compiling it into a place where other people can go to pick up books and tomes. Due to his deep reservoir of information, the fantasy scholar is the perfect source for someone who is interested in learning more about a particular subject.

When people think of a scholar, they think of a person who spends all day working in the library reading books and talking with them. In fantasy, he doesn’t do just that; he becomes an invaluable ally against evil since he knows things most people don’t and he uses that knowledge to great effect.

The fantasy scholar comes in many forms when it comes to his relationship with that of the protagonist. In some worlds, he becomes a travel companion, accompanying him on his journey where the things he knows winds up benefitting the hero when he’s in a tough spot. In other realms, he remains in place, choosing instead to serve the local community.

When it comes to his role in the world, the scholar’s main purpose is to help people not just learn new things and ideas but to assist them in understanding more about the world in which they live in. The new skills they obtain help them become more useful, enabling them to come up with new ideas using them.

This is the eighteenth article in the series poring over the unique fantasy characters. If you like this article and are interested in seeing our other ones, you can find them on our blog page!

What the Fantasy Scholar Does

The scholar is the custodian of a world chock-full of knowledge. He takes his duties seriously, working constantly to keep out the riffraff and troublemakers from the library so that those with a thirst for knowledge can concentrate on discovering new things and become more valuable to the world. From dawn to dusk, he spends all day learning everything mankind knows in a place that is easily accessible to all.

The fantasy scholar is happiest in the library because he is surrounded by decades and centuries’ worth of knowledge, all found within the books and tomes that dominate it. He loves having all that info in one place where he can readily access it at anytime which he does when he’s not helping people out where he can use it to augment his ever-growing knowledge.

Purple question marks within white clouds above a mountain range in the blue sky. These question marks signify what goes into creating a fantasy social hierarchy.

Whenever someone steps foot in the library, he cheerfully beckons them to come over so he can ask them what they’re looking for. Once discovering it, he kindly points out the direction to go and goes so far as to give him the name of the book that has what he’s searching for. Sometimes the person will read it in the library, other times he’ll ask to take it home for further studying to which the librarian will lend out but with a stipulation that he return it in a timely manner.

In the stories where he accompanies the protagonist on his quest to defeat the forces of evil, the scholar becomes one of his most invaluable allies. Due to his years of studies, he’s amassed a vast wealth of knowledge that will pay dividends down the road since he knows things that the average person doesn’t. In rare cases, that knowledge means the difference between the hero perishing in an unfortunate accident and his going on to destroy the source of the darkness threatening the world.

The Fantasy Scholar and the Protagonist

The scholar is shown in two ways when he appears in the story. The first is as a character the protagonist either knows or encounters at some point in the plot, typically in the early part, where he remains in one place. The other is when after meeting each other for the first time, he decides to accompany the hero on his journey.

The fantasy scholar’s overall role in the tale is determined whether he remains in one place or becomes a key traveling companion of the protagonist. In the former, he appears only in certain parts where his expertise on a great many things come in use when the plot needs it. In the latter, he plays a key role and becomes one of the hero’s most trusted allies.

An example of the hero's journey. Here, the hero, a black haired man stands at the edge of a green plateau, looking at the blue castle up in the skies above the mountains. The hero's green jacket is over his red shirt. He has on gray pants and brown shoes. A mountain range runs from left to right with each having snow tips. Several white clouds are visible around the picture. Groups of black birds are in flight. In the upper center of the image is the blue castle, with two towers on each side, connected to the castle by an archway. The two towers have red roofs while the castle has only blue. Blue windows don the castle.

Should the scholar elicit to stay, he still can prove useful to the main character in a multitude of ways. For example, the latter can send a message to him, asking him to share what he knows on a subject he knows little to nothing about, or the former can send a message to the other, updating him on what’s going on around him. Remaining in constant communication across distance isn’t just about having them being in touch with each other, it helps strengthen their friendship to the point where they can quickly alert the other about any potential signs of trouble.

For the stories where the fantasy scholar chooses to join the hero, he becomes central to his friend’s quest against the forces of evil. He doesn’t just use all the information he knows to help the protagonist out of a tough spot, he can share info that could very well prove crucial to destroying evil. For instance, when the hero is searching for a legendary weapon and he has no idea where to start, the librarian can give him suggestions on places likely to conceal it.

The Role the Fantasy Scholar Plays in the World

Having access to all the information accumulated throughout decades and centuries, the scholar has an important role in the grand scheme of things. He doesn’t just want to keep it safe from those who would seek to destroy it; he wants as many people as possible to come and explore the subjects they’re interested in.

If the fantasy scholar decides to not join the protagonist on his quest, he can continue helping the people in his community. He asks the people who step foot in the library what they’re looking for and he gives them suggestions on what books to look at. He can also converse with them where he shares what he knows with them, notably those who desire to learn a new skill.

Armadas are a popular sight of the fantasy navy and war. Five galleon-like ships are cruising on a blue ocean with a reddish sky and white clouds above. Each ship features white sails and blue port windows.

The typical scholar believes that the more knowledge people have, the more they can contribute to the world. For example, if someone wants to learn how to cook, he can show them books that are solely dedicated to cooking so that he doesn’t just learn the basics, he becomes a master. This can lead to a career down the road in which he can use his newly-mastered skill to open up a food establishment that serves the community.

For the stories where the fantasy scholar tags along with the protagonist, the information he knows come into play, usually at key moments in the plot. A great use of this occurs when the hero come across some writing on a stone tablet or wall he cannot decipher, the scholar can look at it and use what he knows to figure out what it says which will help the plot move forward.

Another scenario where the scholar shines is when the hero comes across something he has never seen before. It could be an object or building. The scholar cheerfully tells him what it is and gives him the necessary context such as how long it’s been around and so on. For the ones shrouded in mystery, he divulges the stories he’s heard about them and cautions the protagonist to be careful when approaching them.

Tying it all Together

The fantasy scholar is an excellent addition to worldbuilding since he is armed to the hilt with information. Said info will prove useful not just to the protagonist and the plot as a whole but to the community in which he resides in. He doesn’t want to hoard all that info for himself, he wants to share it with anyone who wants to know more about the world they call home.

The scholar doesn’t just smile at everyone who comes and out of the library everyday; he speaks with them and they discuss a medley of of topics they’re both interested in. As a custodian of knowledge, he guards it from abuse and works to stop troublemakers and mischief-makers from wreaking havoc in such an hallowed institution.

When it comes to the story, the fantasy scholar can go one of two ways. Firstly, he can accompany the protagonist and use his deep reservoir of knowledge to help him out in a jam. Secondly, he can stay in the library where he can use his access to all the books and tomes he has in the library to help the hero from afar.

The scholar loves his job. One perk he adores is that he helps people find the books they’re looking for so that they can learn something new which can pay off down the road. Another is that he keeps all the books and tomes safe so that the next generation can learn more about the world.

Whether he’s at the library or on the road with the hero, the fantasy scholar is a superb asset, both to the world and to the story at large. You’d be remiss not to include such a character in your own world and tale!

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Thanks for reading this and until the next time,

Sunfire

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