So, who here knows a thing or two about what really makes High Fantasy "high fantasy?"

[Chewi]

Anyone wanna get into a discussion? Or at least educate me more about what it means?

 

[Xanaphia]

Goodman hit it right on the head. Typically revolves around grand or epic quests or journeys, and the protagonist's actions have wide reaching or global effect on the world. Contrast with low fantasy with is often more centered on the protagonist and their immediate surrounding, the overarching plot isn't about "saving the world."

 

[Sophor]

I don't think there are proper definitions, but the high and low talks about the 'magic level', or generally speaking the differences to reality.

The setting of Game of Thrones is a good example for Low Fantasy. Yes, there is magic, there are dragons, but it's extremely rare, often times even in universe but a myth. Most intelligent races are human and you'll have a hard time finding an animal or generally speaking creature that you won't find in our world too.

High fantasy is Middle Earth, the worlds of Dungeons and Dragons, worlds with elves and dwarvs, worlds where magic is an integral part of how things work, worlds where the gods actually do stuff - short, worlds very unlike ours

 

[Deante]

I would say Sophor is close to the definition I was coming in with. Magic Level is the distinction, but really it's "How common and accessible are magic/fantastical things?". I'd say LotR is actually low magic too--you only have a few wizards, and only a few magical items. Compare with Harry Potter, where everyone's a wizard and magic is being used all day long.

High Fantasy is usually thrown around about books and D&D settings. Some are, mentioned in the thread, more like RL medieval worlds but maybe there's a dragon somewhere. While others, rich cities have airship docking stations and magical streetlamps and warded walls to keep ghosts and demons out.

 

[Melevolence]

Elder Scrolls is High Fantasy.

Harry Potter is High Fantasy.

Wizards of Waverly Place is not High Fantasy.

As others said, I consider High Fantasy where magic and fantastical creatures are abundant and generally a story takes place that the main character(s) participate in that has an impact on the entire world built around them. You can have magic, fantasy creatures and the like but have self contained or very minimal stories though it doesn't make it High Fantasy. Even D&D can range from High to 'Low' fantasy depending on the story being told.

 

[Annachronism]

weed

 

[M.G.B.]

I feel like throwing my two cents in. To define "High Fantasy", I'd like to first define "Fantasy". The main purpose is to allow us a story about a place that is not here, with its own history, people, and geography that isn't necessarily congruent with our own. From there, we have our dial. The lower the dial, the more a Fantasy world will reflect our own. At the lowest, it is merely a place and events that are not real, everything within it is otherwise how we understand our own world to work. The more we turn the dial, the more strange, magical, and otherwise alien it becomes. High fantasy has towns with potion shops, hedge wizards learning spells from a book at the local library, and monsters out in the wilds as populous as the squirrels and birds. Strange is normal.

TL;DR: Fantasy is shit that didn't happen, High Fantasy is shit that didn't happen and everyone is a wizard riding a mechanical dragon.

 

[DeRe]

In my experience, the difference between 'low' and 'high' fantasy is in the amount of mud covering everyone.