Better term for magical creatures in general.

So,I'm thinking about writing an urban fantasy book about a fictional version of Earth, in which not only magical creatures are real, but they also exist in the open alongside humans. The problem is exactly that I've yet to find a better catch all term to encompass all the different magical creatures than monster, which is a slur in my setting. So I wanted to know what term or terms do you think would be a better fit. Could you help me with that?

Edited by ManeWolf on Apr 26th 2024 at 11:19:21 AM

Wait, hold on.

These creatures are out in the open and accepted, correct?

So they have evolved and been a part of the world alongside or even before humanity existed, correct?

Then wouldn't that mean that we humans wouldn't see them any differently than our current fauna and flora in our world? Would they even be seen as "supernatural" at all at that point?

There would be no reason to not classify them properly in the "Flora/Fauna" -categories then.

Or did I misunderstand something here?

So usually it would be something like 'supernatural' but it they exist alongside mundane creatures and have historically, they aren't supernatural to the locals. I guess my initial thought is 'what, to the inhabitants of your world, distinguishes them from mundane creatures?'

And are they going to have one category for magical creatures? Like, we would if they just showed up, but in a world where they've always been present, you can imagine a three-part categorization that doesn't care about magical versus mundane (or even a four part):

1) Domestic: beasts which have been domesticated and are useful; dogs, cats, cows, riding dragons, or whatever exists in your world.

2) Prey: beasts which are routinely hunted for food, fur/hides, other reasons; deer, bison, rabbits, spiritual beasts, or whatever exists in your world.

3) Predators: beasts which hunt domestic animals, or otherwise are dangerous to humans, but which a village can usually expect to handle; wolves, bears, imps, or whatever exists in your world.

4) Monsters/Challenges: beasts which only truly powerful people can face down, a village facing this needs to call for aid, or flee; dragons, sea serpents, etc.

Alternatively, if there is something which distinguishes them, like, I dunno, they all glow or something, than that might be the source of a name. "Glowers" vs. "Blessed" depending on viewpoint/culture?

Edited by ECD on Apr 26th 2024 at 7:31:07 AM

Yeah if they really did exist alongside more mundane earth life, then a special moniker would feel rather contrived unless they had something in common with each other but not the real life lifeforms.

Well, to clarify my previous post, yes, these magical creatures existed out in the open for the entirety of this earth's history, and are distinguished from humans by a lot of ways, primarily by their ability to use magic, along with others (elves have long ears, long lifespans, etc...). What I was after, however, was a catch all term for them, similar to "alien" in sci-fi. What do you think would work, and why?

To steal some terminology, Paracausal Fauna. It's not that magic overturns causality but that the relationship between cause and effect is obscured.

Well, it sounds like the main thing that distinguishes them is that they're magical.

(The long ears, etc. seem to be specific to certain beings, and so don't seem like good sources for naming the group as a whole.)

So... Maybe simply "Magicals"? Possibly shortened in colloquial use to "Magics".

I mean, if the main distinguishing feature is that they can use magic, then for a general term, I'd go with whichever term you want for magic users: Magician, Wizard, Sorcerer, Spellcaster, Mage—there's a bunch (https://www.powerthesaurus.org/spellcaster/synonyms )

Edited by ECD on Apr 27th 2024 at 9:35:17 AM

First, I wanted to thank you for the help. I really appreciate it. Second, I think that "magicals" and "magics" are probably my best bet in regards to what I'm trying to do, so thanks again to the one who suggested it, after all, the only unifying thread among all my magical creatures (and fantasy creatures in general) is that they are all magical right? So, I think that's it. Wish me luck!

Edited by ManeWolf on Apr 27th 2024 at 3:52:30 PM

Good luck, and enjoy the project! ^_^