The Racism of Fantasy

by Allen Lynch

            Even as far back as ancient myths of Greece and Rome, race has played a key to defining who and what a person is.  The “who” of a person can be described by their name, age, sex, etc.  The “what,” however, is a much more complicated question.  Race, occupation, even religion are all part of what a person is.  In fantasy, the “what” of a person, or creature as may be the case, defines that being more than the “whom.”  Especially since the J.R.R. Tolkien novels, stereotypes have been developed as ideas of what each race looks like became common and easily identifiable.  A tall, fair-skinned, pointy-eared man is obviously an elf, whereas a short, stout, bearded man is named a dwarf.  Why was race introduced?  Where was the need for peoples to be divided into groups, such as gods, demons, humans, demi-humans, or sub-humans?  To the avid reader, fantasy and speculative fiction is said help to expand the mind or to escape from reality.  They have also been used as a means to spread a message or ridicule the society of the time in a fashion that is not openly controversial, such as "feminist" works like Homelanding (1990) and cautionary tales like There Will Come Soft Rains (1950).  Is the idea of various races in fantasy and the stereotypes about them racism or simple “make believe?”  Whether it is intentional or not in modern fantasy, there can be no doubt that the origins of many magical or demonic races arise from racist views held at the time of the work's creation.  Why the change from real-life enemies to fantastical ones? The quote below might help one to understand:

            Fantasy warfare between humans and other enemies is merely a reflection of the real world, of course.  We recognize, on some level, that it’s wrong to kill other humans, and so the enemy is turned into a faceless creature from beyond, something less than human. Native Americans become savage Redskins, Germans and Japanese become evil Krauts and Gooks, those upstart Americans become Yankee Doodles, the titles all meaningless terms designed not to offend, but to dehumanize.  (Aeon, Episode 10)

            Culturally pure and pale or white-skinned, races such as the elves and hobbits are portrayed as the “good guys,” or the victims of an assault by the forces of darkness in literature.  This stereotype has been commented on and, especially in the example of The Lord of the Rings, has at times sparked controversy over the meanings implied by the colors of the opposing races’ skin.  In an article written by Shyam Bhatia, Dr. Shapiro, an expert in cultural studies, comments on the blatant racism of Tolkien’s work.  “Put simply, Tolkien’s good guys are white and the bad guys are black, slant-eyed, unattractive, inarticulate and a psychologically undeveloped horde” (Bhatia).  In The Lord of the Rings, as in much of the literature in this genre, the enemy, whether it is composed of orcs, trolls, or myrddraal, is described as a dark-skinned, ugly, bestial horde of blood-thirsty fiends.

            Many in the field of cultural studies agree with the theory behind Shapiro’s accusations, whether or not they believe it applies to the case of The Lord of the Rings.  The fair races are believed to have originally represented the Anglo-European peoples, while the orcs and other animalistic, dark races portray the perception of non-Europeans.  Referring to the “fellowship” from The Lord of the Rings, Dr. Shapiro is also quoted as saying that they are “portrayed as uber-Aryan, very white and there is the notion that they are a vanishing group under the advent of the other, evil ethnic groups” (Bhatia).

            Skin color is the most obvious characteristic that is used to discern one race or allegiance, referring to good or evil, from another.  However, there are other physical characteristics that are also used to distinguish a creature’s morality or nature.  Orcs and other “evil” races tend to have longer arms and shorter torsos.  This is sometimes considered to be a general characteristic of Africans.  The elves and other “good” beings are described as having shorter arms that are in better proportion with their body, definitely more European.  As for facial features, the broad nose is characteristic of both the aborigine and the bestial “darklings,” while the longer and thinner noses belong to the sophisticated Europeans and elves.  There are also parallels between the actions and philosophies of certain races in fantasy and ethnicities of the real world.  Though these may not always be obvious or closely examined, they can be found and when one reads between the lines.  Politics find their way into what some would think was “pure fantasy.”  When looking at the quote below, one can almost see the possible politics at the time such a situation would occur.  World War II, for example, might have many similarities, between the Jews, Americans, Germans, Italians, and so forth.

The humans are being attacked from all sides.  Where are the elves?  Oh, they’re in their forest. They don’t want to help.  They have their own national concerns and would rather stay neutral in this matter.  The elves are being attacked by orcs.  Where are the dwarves?  Oh, they don’t like the elves, so they aren’t going to lift a finger to help.  The dwarves are being attacked by demons.  Where are the Halflings?  Oh, they’re scampering off around the world, blissfully ignoring all sense of duty in lieu of random escapades and adventures.  (Aeon, Episode 10)

continue to page 2: RPGs and Racism

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