Creating a Fantasy Culture: A Guide to Building Believable Worlds
- Abby Sundeen
- Oct 29
- 4 min read
Hey everyone, Abby here with another writing post! Today we’re diving into one of the most exciting parts of fantasy worldbuilding: creating a culture for your world.
Culture gives your world its heartbeat. It defines how people live, what they believe, and what they value most. A well-developed culture brings depth and personality to your setting; it shapes your characters’ perspectives, drives conflict, and gives readers something to connect with.
In this guide, we’ll explore key areas to think about when building fictional cultures from scratch. As you move through each point, you'll notice how these topics interact—each one defining and being defined by the others. Just like in real life, culture is constantly evolving. Don't be afraid to make changes and revisit your developed topics as you create!
Start with the Land: How Geography Shapes Your Fantasy Culture
Where people live shapes who they are. Geography affects survival, values, and even faith. The land itself becomes a part of your world’s identity.
Think about:
How does the environment influence daily life? (For example, desert dwellers might conserve water, while coastal cultures might center around fishing or trade.)
What natural landmarks hold spiritual or historical meaning?
How do people view nature—as sacred, dangerous, or simply a resource?
Are communities isolated by distance, or closely connected through travel and commerce?
When you link your culture to its landscape, your world feels more grounded and logical. Readers will better understand why people live the way they do.
Who’s on Top? Building a Social Hierarchy that Makes Sense
Every society organizes itself somehow, even if it claims to be equal. Understanding that structure gives you a foundation for how people interact, what opportunities they have, and what challenges they face.
What determines status—wealth, family, magic, religion, or something else?
Can someone change their rank, or are they stuck where they’re born?
What privileges or limitations come with different levels of society?
Do people marry within their class, or can they cross social lines?
Are certain professions tied to social status?
Exploring hierarchy helps you write believable relationships. It explains who holds power, who doesn’t, and how people navigate ambition or resentment in their daily lives.
What Keeps It Running: Government, Power, and Politics in a Fantasy World
A society’s government reflects its values—what it rewards, what it punishes, and what it fears. Even if your story doesn’t center on politics, the kind of system your world runs on affects everything from personal freedom to cultural stability.
What kind of government exists: monarchy, council, republic, theocracy, or something unique to your world?
Who makes the decisions, and how did they earn (or take) that power?
How much say do ordinary citizens have?
Are corruption and scandal common, or swept under the rug?
What major political opinions or factions exist, and how passionate are people about them?
When developing your fantasy world, having a clear sense of power structure helps you show how authority operates, and how people react to it.
Looking to the Real World for Inspiration
When in doubt, study real life. Real-world cultures show us how the different aspects of the world intertwine to shape one's identity. Looking at those patterns can help you understand what makes a culture feel authentic.
What makes different real-world cultures distinct: values, traditions, art, or social habits?
What strengths and flaws stand out in each?
Are there parallels between real societies and the one you’re building?
You don’t need to copy anything directly, but using real inspiration helps your world feel layered and human. Readers recognize truth, even when it’s wrapped in fantasy.
What Does Your World Teach Its People?
Education reveals what a society values most. It shows who has access to opportunity, what knowledge is considered sacred, and what truths are hidden or rewritten.
Who gets an education, and who’s left out?
Is learning mandatory, or only for the privileged?
Which subjects are most valued: magic, religion, trade, science, or history?
Is history taught honestly, or altered to favor those in power?
How standardized is education across regions or classes?
Understanding how knowledge is shared (or controlled) helps you show what your culture prizes most, whether it’s progress, tradition, or obedience.
How People Speak (and What It Says About Them): Basics of Fantasy Language
Language carries history. It defines who belongs, who doesn’t, and how people express themselves. Thinking about how language functions in your world adds depth and realism.
What languages or dialects exist, and how are they distributed across regions or classes?
Are there “prestige” languages used by the upper class or in government?
How do accents affect social perception?
Is it common for people to speak more than one language?
Are any languages fading away or being protected by tradition?
Even if you’re not creating an entire language, having a sense of how people communicate can make your world feel dynamic and believable. (As a linguistics nerd, I will happily devote an entire post to the creation of a fantasy language... probably in the near future.)
Bringing It All Together
Culture gives your world a pulse. It’s not just politics, religion, or language, it’s the rhythm of daily life. It’s how people eat, work, argue, fall in love, and dream. Whatever happens in your world, whatever affects the plot or the lives of your characters, it happens against the backdrop of culture.
Again, you don’t have to build everything at once, and don't shy away from making changes as your fantasy world's culture develops. Start with the details that connect most to your story, then expand outward. Over time, your setting will evolve from a background into a living, breathing society readers can believe in.
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