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Fantasy settings have historically harkened back to the past. Medieval European settings for fantasy are so ubiquitous that for many people in the west (and for many people outside the west who have absorbed western European fantasy literature) the first thing that comes to mind when they hear the word “fantasy” is a medieval castle and a bunch of people with swords.

Other historical settings find their way into fantasy as well, from Classical India to Imperial Rome, to Muslim Spain, to the American West. Adding a spark of magic to a historical or nearly historical setting has become what fantasy is to many people.

Even Urban Fantasy, while most often taking place in a contemporary setting finds itself constrained to historical tradition. Medieval Europe makes a frequent appearance there too, albet in a modified form. The creatures that find their way into Urban Fantasy, vampires, werewolves, fairies, assorted mythological creatures from all over the world almost always have medieval or classical origins. Creatures made up from whole cloth are almost unheard of in Urban Fantasy. Urban Fantasy is all about the past, the mythological past’s encroachment on the modern.

The more like medieval Europe the fantasy setting, the more likely it is to be idealized and the less relation it tends to bare to real history. Is there a responsibility when portraying historical setting sin fantasy to be accurate? Or be accurate on certain issues, and if so which? Are fantasy worlds made of a mix of many historical periods ore entirely out of the writers’ own heads a different genre all together? And as diversity is increasingly obvious as an issue in fantasy, is writing standard medieval history somehow irresponsible? Do some periods of history require a greater accuracy than others? What is the duty of Contemporary and Urban Fantasy towards history? And what role does alternate history get to play in fantasy with historical settings and inspirations?

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