‘Medievalism’ is the use and adaptation of medieval stories, characters, tropes, and history in purely fictional, often fantastical stories (think Lord of the Rings, The Dark Tower Series, Game of Thrones, etc.). High Fantasy is the genre most associated with medievalism.

Fairytales and folklore are both grounded in the oral tradition and represent stories shared across folkways that typically feature domestic elements. Folklore often incorporates or reflects popular folk jbloiefs and practices. Myths may overlap with folklore, but are more directly elated to the sacred or organized spiritual and religious practice.

Speculative fiction refers to a diverse group of genres that include horror, superheroes, fantasy, SciFi, science fiction, and hybrid combinations of the above. Science fiction is one of the most popular speculative genres whose stories range from fantastical with elements of science to stories grounded in theoretical and practical science.

While fantasy is typically associated with Western medieval source material, like knights, the Arthurian Legend, castles, etc., the medieval period (approximately 500CE-1500CE) was a culturally rich period worldwide. Story elements from the Byzantine Empire, medieval Japanese Samurai, the dynasties of medieval China and India, and the Incan, Aztec, and Mayan empires, for example, offer storytellers a vast array of medievalist material with which to work.

Unlike medievalism, medieval studies focuses their work on the literature and history of the time period. Medieval sources are particularly important to stories that are interested in creating stories set in accurate and informed medieval setting, or whose stories re-tell famous literary works and historical events.