hey so a little while ago I decided this would be a fun thing to make, and now 3 days and many, many hours later, I have it complete, and I would like to share it! So, here is:
Questions to ask yourself when creating / studying / writing about, etc a culture (fantasy or real)
I absolutely love creating my own fantasy worlds, and recently I have been looking at advice on how to do it better, but none of the posts I’ve found are quite thorough enough for me. So, I decided it would be fun to make my own list of what questions you should ask yourself when making a fantasy culture!!
This will certainly not be all-encompassing, and I am by no means an expert on any of this, but I have tried my best with the knowledge I have. Think of this as a jumping off point!
I will always refer to the culture you are making/studying/writing about etc as ‘your culture’. I do not mean the culture you are literally from.
Religion and beliefs
Note- even if your culture has no god or religion, some questions will still apply. Additionally, a culture does not need a religion.
How does your culture believe the world/them/nature/etc has been created? (E.g. the Dreamtime, the days in which God made earth, etc)
Is your cultures religion poly or mono theistic?
What does your culture believe is holy or good, religion wise? How does this affect people who do not fit that standard? How do people try to reach this standard?
How does your culture worship? Do they have rituals or ceremonies? Why do they do this, in their eyes?
How does your culture think of its God(s)? Are they afraid? Reverent? Are they less than (the) God(s), or equal (I have never heard of non-Gods being viewed as better than (the) God(s), but hey, why not?)? Are they perhaps being protected or cared for by their God(s)?
What is your cultures view of death and the dead? What do they believe happens after death? How does their mortality affect this? (I.e. are creatures that live longer less afraid of death and hell?)
Are there any people who can be closer to their God(s), or servants of God(s)? (I.e. priests, monarchs, monks, nuns, etc)
How do religious people view non- religious people, or people who follow other religions? (and vice versa)
Are there multiple religions or belief systems in your world? How do they interact?
Why do people believe what they do? (Have they met the gods? Who made their religion?)
How does religion help or harm the people who follow it (And even the people who don’t believe it)? Are people aware of these issues?
How does religion affect things like art, language, routines, clothing, food, etc? (E.g. hijabs and modest clothing, prayer times that cause people to wake up earlier, cursing.) do religious ‘uniforms’ exist? (E.g. a priests outfit) who wears them?
How does one pray, or service a God?
If someone in your culture wanted something from (the) God(s), what would they do to get it? (I.e. what could they do for the god so their request is answered?)
Farming and Agriculture
Note- most stationary settlements will farm, but not all cultures will be stationary. If your culture is not stationary, this may not apply.
Who farms, and where? (The who is very important. Are they willingly in this field (pun unintended), or have they been forced into it? Are they paid? How much? Are the conditions good?)
Does your culture have aid from animals or machinery when farming? How are they aided?
What do they farm, and how? (I highly recommend researching farming methods, if only because it can be really cool!)
Does your culture farm everything it eats/needs, or do they import and export things? If they import and export, what are their main imports and exports? Who do they trade with?
How important is farming and trading in your culture? How does it’s importance affect those living there?
What foods are not farmed, or not as common? Why?
What ingredients are most common? What are they used in? (Note- the answer to that second question is going to be ‘a lot’. Don’t just make one dish with the most common ingredients. Make a bunch!)
Other materials
Note- if the answer to any of these questions is no, then you must consider what the alternative is. If they don’t have clay, what is their crockery (if they have it) made of? If they don’t have metal, what are their weapons made of? Also, a culture does not, by any means, need all or any of this. This is just an example.
Does your culture have access to sand (and, by extension, glass)? Where is it? How is it transported?
Does your culture have access to stone and metals? And again, who mines for this? How is it transported?
Does your culture have access to clean water? How is it transported?
Does your culture have access to wood and fire? If not, how are their environments heated and/or lit? (Do they burn another substance?)
Does your culture have access to paper and ink? If not, what do they write with? (If they write at all)
Does your culture have access to electricity?
Does your culture have access to clay and porcelain? And do they have glaze or paint for their clay?
Does your culture have access to candles?
Does your culture have access to string, ropes and twine?
Does your culture have access to leather, animal skins and/or furs, horse hair, feathers, scales, ivory, and other such materials? Could they perhaps have similar animal materials from fictional creatures? (E.g. dragon scale suits from the how to train your dragon series)
Does your culture have access to plastic?
Does your culture have access to materials most (if not all) human cultures do not have? How could you play around with this? What could these materials be used for? (E.g. an underwater society could use shark teeth as daggers, a society in space might trap stars in lanterns for lighting, etc. be creative!!!)
Food
Note- I have not included drinks here, but most of these questions will also apply to them.
What proteins/vegetables/fruit/grains/dairy does your culture eat, and how much do they have access to? What portions do they eat? (Note- this is directly affected by the availability of certain foods, not simply personal preference of those living in that area. What is your climate, and what animals and plants live and grow there?)
What flavours are enjoyed by your culture? (Note- salty cuisine may be indicative of having to keep food fresh for a long time, sugar may be inaccessible in certain areas, etc. consider why you have chosen what you have chosen.)
How is food stored? (Important! If they don’t have fridges, how do they keep their milk and eggs from going bad while transporting it? Is all their food fresh? Is it canned or non-perishable? What areas will have lower quality food, and why?)
if food travels a long while, it may be worse quality. Keep in mind where the food is coming from
What foods are easily accessible for all classes? What foods are not?
What foods are eaten by upper classes? What foods are eaten by lower class? How will each class view the foods eaten by the opposite class?
What foods are considered a treat? (Keep in mind; someone (potentially in a lower class) may consider a food that someone else eats often to be a treat.)
How do some cultures view other cultures cuisine?
Is your culture aware they need a balanced diet? Do they have one?
Where is food bought? From whom is it bought? (I.e. are there markets and salespeople? What do markets or shopping districts look like?)
How much do people eat? How many meals do they have? How big are those meals?
What would someone eat as a snack? What would they eat if they just needed a lot of energy and had barely any time/money/resources?
Do restaurants exist? Would the food in them be entirely authentic to your culture, or would they serve other cuisine? What would a restaurant look like? How many are there, and how often do people go to them?
Housing and architecture
What do houses look like? What are they made of? How are they made?
Are there homeless people? How are they treated by society? How are they treated by the government/monarchy/whatever your system of ruling is?
How are areas organised? (E.g. is there separation between more and less expensive neighbourhoods? Where are the shops, and such things?) (note- bad planning=bad quality of life, and more time to plan=better planning. Why is it organised the way it is? Is the planning amazing because one dude got free rein to make a city (like Canberra) or is it horrible because it was rushed?)
What rooms do houses often have? Do they have rooms at all? How many rooms do they have?
What does furniture look like? What is it made of? What types of furniture exist?
How are spaces decorated? Are they decorated at all? How does personal preference affect this? (Does your culture decorate with paintings, mosaics, tapestries, etc? Do they grow plants up the walls to fill empty space?)
If permanent structures are not a thing, what do the people in your culture use as shelter?
How are houses heated and/or cooled?
Plumbing. Does your culture have hot water? Does your culture have clean water? How? Do they use wells, or do they have pipes and aqueducts? Do they have to drink wine/ some other drink because it’s easier? Please don’t just assume they’ll have easy access to water.
PLUMBING. How do bathrooms work? Where does sewage go? (Do they have toilet paper?)
How are areas lit? Without electricity, lighting is a big issue. How much can the people in your culture see when the sun goes down?
If one does not own a home, can they rent one? Do apartment blocks exist? Do hotels and motels exist?
Transportation
Does tourism exist in your culture? How do locals feel about tourists? Why do tourists come?
Do people leave the place they live often? Will they know much (or anything) about other towns, cities, countries, etc?
How fast is each means of transportation? How far will they have to go? (How long will a letter take to send?)
For each means of transportation you must be able to answer: how common is it? How accessible is it? What is the overall view on it? When is it used, and when is it not?
How do vehicles move? (Do they have an engine? Are they pulled by an animal? Do they have oars? Are they steam-powered?)
What does each means of transportation look like? What are they made of? Where are they made?
What is required for the upkeep of each means of transportation?
How does the terrain affect travel?
Are there paths to walk or drive upon? What are they made of? How are they made? Do they require maintenance? Do they get maintenance?
How does the weather affect travel? (Especially water travel)
How is cargo protected from water damage?
Public transport! Do they have it? What is it? Where does it go, and what are its limitations? How many people can it take to a place? If someone never takes public transport anywhere, how will they act if they have to take it somewhere? How would someone who does take it act?
How are letters sent? Why is it done this way? How long does this take?
Weather and climate
What are the seasons? (You can make them up! You can have more than 4! You can be creative! Make a season where meteors are falling all day every day, if you want! Have fun with it!)
What is the weather during each season? (Does it snow? Do leaves fall from trees in autumn?)
Generally, what is the temperature during each season?
How humid is it?
How does the weather affect clothing?
What methods do people in your culture have to manage the weather or protect themselves from it? (E.g. covering oneself in mud to avoid sunburn and mosquitoes, hibernation, etc)
This isn’t all weather, but how often do natural disasters occur? Are there are many active volcanoes? Are tsunamis common? Do flash floods occur a lot?
What is peoples view on the weather in their area? (keep in mind that oftentimes people get very sick of the weather they are used to, and find other weather more interesting.)
Education
Who has access to an education, and who does not?
How much would an education cost?
What is learnt in schools? What does the curriculum focus on, and what does it miss out on? What subjects are there? Can it be harmful at all? (E.g. teach misinformation)
Do University and similar education options exist?
What would a school look like?
How strict are the rules in schools?
Who has access to literature, and is able to learn to read? Who is not?
Are there schools for children with disabilities? Are they good?
If someone cannot have an education, what will they do instead? What work can they do?
Who teaches children? Are they paid? How much?
When do children leave school? (I.e. at what age?)
Does homeschooling or other education options exist?
What emphasis is put on an education? If someone did not go to school, how would they be treated? Alternatively, if someone that people thought should not go to school (e.g. women, in some places and time periods) did, how would they be treated?
Language
Does sign language exist? How many people know it? If those in your culture do not have hands in the same way most humans will have, try to think of other ways they could sign! (I.e. flashes of colour like a chameleon or octopus)(Note; if you intend to have sign mentioned a lot in a story, it might be best to have an idea of what some signs may look like)
Does written language exist? Who learns it? Does illiteracy negatively impact a person?
Does spoken language exist?
Does telepathic communication exist? How does it work? (Keep in mind- thoughts are not always perfect, fully formed sentences. They may not even be words at all! How does this affect telepathic communication?)
Are there any other means of communication? (E.g. text to speech, body language, expressions) what are the limits of these, and how does that affect those that communicate using it?
What is the dominant means of communication? What is the dominant language? Is there a globally used language? What is it? Why is that one the globally used language?
Are there multiple languages? How do they interact? Are they similar?
Are there linguistic differences within a single language (I.e. Auslan having multiple signs for ‘eat’ depending on where you are)? (spoiler alert: there will and probably should be)
How are people with smaller vocabulary/more difficulty talking treated? Why do they have less linguistic ability?
With knowledge of your cultures beliefs and ideas, try to think of the symbolism that your culture might use. (E.g. If someone wrote a poem about how their lover is the dirt, would that mean their lover is unimportant and to be trodden over, or does it mean their lover is the home of growth and life, the thing that supports us all? What do things in your culture symbolise, and why?) Try to think of an object/place/plant/anything culturally important that someone could use to symbolise 1) their lover 2) the family members they love 3) someone they hate 4) a close friend
How is cursing treated? Is it commonplace?
And, just for fun; how would people insult each other? Come up with an insult in your culture! (My fictional world often uses ‘unnatural’ as an insult, as they worship nature)
Class and power
Who is ‘in charge’? (E.g. A monarch, a council of lords, a government, etc)
If the person (or people) in charge leave their position (they are overthrown, their presidency ends, they die, they step down, etc) who takes over? How is a new ruler chosen?
How does the person in power rule? What do they have control over, and what do they not?
What gives power? (Wealth, Magical ability, strength, etc) how would someone gain power? Can they gain power?
How is/are the person/people in power viewed by both lower and upper classes?
Is there a large class divide?
How do the lower classes view the upper classes, and vice versa?
What can someone in power do to lose or gain respect? Do they know this?
What is the currency? (It could be coins and metals, but it does not have to be.) Does everyone use the currency, or just upper class peoples? Is there a currency at all? If someone is not paid with money, how else are they paid? (Land or housing, perhaps?)
How much do upper class people know about lower classes lives, and vice versa? How does this affect relationships between the two? Does the ruler know what lower class lives are like?
Do servants, butlers, etc, exist? Who has them? Are they treated well? Do they live in the house they serve?
How are staff/employees treated? How good is their pay? How much time can they have off work?
What is the cost of living? Can many people afford it?
Law
I’m fairly sure this one is obvious, but: what are the laws?
Are there any things that are illegal that perhaps shouldn’t be? (E.g. being queer being illegal in some areas)
Are there any things that are legal that perhaps shouldn’t be? (E.g. my own fictional world having murder be legal as long as the victim is under 10 years old.)
What is the punishment for breaking the law?
How does age impact punishment?
What is the treatment towards the law and it’s enforcers?
Who enforces the law?
What is the view on vigilantes?
How can the law and its enforcers be unfair? (Is it less harsh on more wealthy people, is it likely to harm minorities, etc)
What is the trial process? Is there one?
Is there a death penalty?
And if there is no finite law: what rules are generally accepted, and what is the punishment for breaking them?
War and combat
are children taught how to fight from a young age? Why?
What weapons and armour are used? What are the restrictions surrounding them? How can they hurt/protect a person? What is the upkeep required for them?
How is a war started? Who calls for a war to happen?
How does war affect the world, and those in the warring countries?
How does war affect the economy and trading?
What combat styles are popular?
What is the view of war from the view of civilians, those fighting, and those in power?
How is the army or those who can fight organised? Do they have sufficient training?
Who fights in a war, and why? Are they or their family compensated? Is it for honour? Who doesn’t fight? Why?
Is your culture particularly prone to war? Why or why not?
How are refugees in or from your culture treated?
Prejudice
which groups are oppressed? What is the reason for it? What do the oppressors say the reason is?
Which groups are oppressors?
Are the oppressed groups in most of our modern cultures treated badly in your culture? (E.g. people of colour, queer people, disabled people, neurodivergent people, people who follow certain religions) are there any other oppressed groups? (E.g. people with magic)
How does prejudice affect oppressed groups? Are they hurt? Killed? What micro-aggressions are present?
How do oppressed groups fight back? Can they fight back?
How do oppressed groups try to blend in/ hide their minority identity? Can they do so?
Art
Who does art? Is it only those with the money to do it, or does everyone have access to it? And even if everyone can do art, who does and doesn’t?
What forms of art exist/are most popular? (Don’t be afraid to make something up! Fantasy types of art would be so cool)
What materials is art done with?
What type of art is most widespread? How does its popularity affect the culture? (E.g. in my fantasy culture, glassblowing and stained glass are very popular art forms, so I am sure to mention it more often than, say, pottery, and to be creative with what is made of glass)
Is art present even in everyday objects like paintings on the bowls you’d eat dinner on or detailed carvings in one’s bed frame, or is it very separate from non-art items? How can it’s prevalence help build the world or descriptions of said world?
Is art used for ceremonies or religious purposes? How?
How does your culture view art? Is it seen as important? Pointless? A fun little meaningless hobby?
What is art used to convey? (Can it protest bad ruling, share one’s life experiences, depict stories, worship (the) God(s)?)
Fashion and beauty
Do sumptuary laws exist? Why? What are they?
How is clothing washed? How often is it washed? Who washes it? Where does it dry?
Who makes clothing?
Are fabrics often dyed or painted? What colours are they dyed or painted in? What patterns are painted? What are they dyed with? (Note: this will often impact cost. If someone does not have much money, they may not have brightly dyed fabrics, depending on the accessibility of dye)
What styles of clothing are popular? What styles are more expensive, and why?
What fabrics are used? (Cotton, linen, wool, silk, velvet, etc) are there other fabrics or clothing materials you can imagine? (E.g. the spider silk clothing from Gregor the Overlander, or the dresses made of salt in ‘The Siren’)
How many items of clothing do people often have?
Do makeup and wigs exist? What are they made from? What styles are popular? Who wears them, and when, or for what? Are they gendered?
Does plastic surgery exist? And if your culture has no plastic, can a similar procedure be done with magic?
What are the beauty standards, and why are those considered beautiful? (E.g. being fat being the beauty standard in the past as it meant one had wealth) Are there prominent figures that affect this? (E.g. celebrities, popular artists work)
How do people treat immodesty and nudity? What parts of the body cannot be shown? Do these rules differ depending on who you are? (E.g. my fantasy world allows those with magic to show more skin, as that way you can see the physical manifestations of their magic easier)
How many layers of clothing are common, and what are those layers and their purposes? (This is affected often by temperature, or a desire for volume in clothing.)
What underwear is worn? (Optional)
What do shoes look like? What types of shoes are there? How many pairs would people own?
Is clothing and beauty gendered? (It doesn’t have to be!)
How does where someone lives affect their clothing? (E.g. a person living on a farm isn’t exactly going to wear ballgowns everywhere.)
What hairstyles are popular? Why? Who are they popular with?
What perfumes/colognes/scents are popular? Why? How are such scents made?
I don’t have another place to put hygiene questions, so they’re going here. How often do people in your culture bathe and brush their teeth? What do they bathe with? (I.e. do they have baths, and warm water to fill them? Or do they have to just towel themselves off every once in a while?) do they have soap? How would someone be treated if they did not bathe, or if they did not smell pleasant?
How is class shown in accessories or clothing?
Sex and Romance
Does marriage, or a similar legal, religious or romantic ceremony exist? What are the traditions surrounding it?
How would someone in your culture court/flirt with another?
What is considered romantic in your culture? (E.g. Is there a certain flower used to convey romantic love? Would a kiss on the cheek be seen as more romantic than a kiss on the lips? Would there be specific romantic pet-names for a partner?) Why is this considered romantic?
What importance or weight is placed upon marriage, romance, sex, having kids, etc, in your culture? Is it entirely unimportant and optional, or is it seen as absolutely vital for everyone? Why is this importance or lack thereof present? How would a greater or lesser importance impact the culture and those in it? (E.g. In my fictional world, romance is seen as entirely optional and even unimportant or unlikely, and so people can be extremely close, and even do traditionally romantic things without others thinking they are anything but friends.)
How are gay, aromantic and/or asexual and polyamorous people treated in your culture? Why?
Is sex taboo in your culture? Is it more taboo for certain people? (E.g. would it be more frowned upon for a woman to speak about sex than a man? Why?)
How is pornography, sex toys, kinks and fetishes, STD’s and STI’s, sexual pleasure/ desire, and sexual discussions treated in your culture? Why are they treated this way?
Leisure
Note- it is easy, when writing fantasy, to forget that people have downtime. But in reality, people do stupid, weird things when they’re bored. People play games and goof around. Don’t forget this, as it really helps flesh out a world!
what sports exist in your culture? What is the ‘culture’ surrounding these sports? Do people get competitive over teams they like? Who plays the sport? Are there professional sports players, and if so, how do they get that status? How do people watch sports, and learn the rules?
If a child is bored with nothing to do, where will they go? Is there a library around? Is there a playground, or a relatively empty street they can kick a ball around? And the same sort of questions for all ages. Where do adults go when they’re bored? (Bars? Restaurants? Friends houses?) what about teenagers? Young adults?
What other games are there? Try to come up with at least three. 1) a game you can play without any materials, and in any place (something like rock-paper-scissors or eye-spy, but ✨fantasy version✨) 2) something you’d need the fantasy equivalent of a pack of cards and a minute or so of rules explaining. (Like Uno or blackjack, or some board games) 3) something more in-depth that takes a few hours or so. (Like DND, magic the gathering, monopoly, perhaps, etc etc)
What other hobbies can people take up? Do the people in your culture know how to sew? Are they super into taxidermy? What are very common hobbies (like watching TV or reading) and what are the less or not-at-all common ones? (Like spending 7 hours writing this godforsaken list because it’s extremely fun) How are these hobbies viewed by people who don’t do it?
And if those in your culture don’t have hours of downtime, think about what parts of their day they might use as rest. Perhaps if a woman is forced to sew and clean all day, she’ll do it with other women so she can gossip and talk to them. No one can work all day every day without any sort of rest or fun.
Performances! Does your culture have operas? Dances that tell stories? Comedic performances? Do the performers travel, or do they stay in one place, like at a theatre? Do these performances cost money? Who will have watched one? Who watches them frequently? Who doesn’t have the time/money for them?
Do drugs and alcohol exist? What is the culture surrounding them? (Do people do them just for fun, in social situations, etc?) are there addicts, and how are they treated? What do drugs and alcohol do to the people in your culture? And if not drugs and alcohol, are there other substances one can use in place of them?
A few questions that fit nowhere else:
Do people have pets? What pets do they have? Do the pets serve a purpose (like wolves and cats to hunt, dogs to pull a sled, goats for milk etc?)? What is the general treatment towards pets?
Who takes care of very young children (below school age)? Is it a parent or an outside carer (Like a daycare)?
Are there other holidays or special days unrelated to religion? Are birthdays celebrated? New years? How are they celebrated?
Feel free to add more!!!
