The Problem With Chosen Ones

The Problem With Chosen Ones

Fantasy has a long-standing fascination with chosen ones.

The farm boy destined to save the world.

The orphan with mysterious powers.

The child marked by prophecy before they could even walk.

They’re everywhere.

And for good reason.

A chosen one immediately gives a story purpose. Readers understand the stakes from the opening chapter because somebody, somewhere, has already declared that this particular hero is important.

But there’s a small problem.

Real people don’t receive prophecies.

The Weight of Destiny

The chosen one trope can produce some of fantasy’s greatest stories.

From The Wheel of Time to Harry Potter, watching an ordinary person struggle beneath extraordinary expectations can be compelling.

The best stories aren’t about the prophecy.

They’re about the person trying to live with it.

Destiny is easy.

Living up to it is considerably harder.

When Prophecy Becomes a Shortcut

Sometimes, however, prophecy does too much of the heavy lifting.

The hero succeeds because destiny says they must.

The villain loses because destiny says they will.

The story begins to feel inevitable.

Readers enjoy uncertainty.

If victory is guaranteed from chapter one, the journey can lose some of its tension.

The best fantasy keeps readers wondering whether the heroes will actually succeed.

Ordinary People Make Extraordinary Heroes

Some of my favourite fantasy characters aren’t special because they were chosen.

They’re special because they choose.

They make difficult decisions.

They stand when others run.

They keep going when giving up would be easier.

Heroism isn’t something they’re born with.

It’s something they earn.

That makes their victories feel personal.

A World Bigger Than One Person

One of the strengths of fantasy is that entire worlds can feel alive.

Kingdoms rise and fall.

Guilds grow.

Wars begin.

People carry on with their lives whether or not a prophecy exists.

A believable world shouldn’t revolve around a single individual.

It should feel as though history was already unfolding long before the hero arrived.

Heroes Are Often Accidents

Life rarely asks permission before changing direction.

The same can be true in fantasy.

Sometimes the wrong person finds the ancient artefact.

Sometimes the least qualified individual ends up responsible for everyone else.

Sometimes the hero simply happens to be standing in exactly the wrong place at exactly the wrong time.

That kind of accident can be every bit as compelling as destiny.

Perhaps more so.

Ashes & Embers

When I began writing Ashes & Embers, I wasn’t interested in writing about someone destined to save the world.

I was far more interested in what happens when a collection of flawed, ordinary people stumble into events far bigger than themselves.

No prophecy tells them what to do.

No ancient scroll guarantees success.

They simply keep moving forward because somebody has to.

Whether that’s bravery or terrible judgement is often open to debate.

Final Thoughts

Fantasy will always have room for chosen ones.

They’ve given us some unforgettable stories.

But there is something equally compelling about heroes who become extraordinary through the choices they make rather than the destiny they inherit.

After all, a prophecy can tell you who might save the world.

It can’t tell you whether they’ll be any good at it.

Ashes & Embers is the first novel in the Voidshatter series, a humorous fantasy adventure set in the world of Axalar.

Amazon author page - Matthew Shilvock