Why a funeral is a great way to introduce world-building
Funerals and other ceremonies are great ways to show off aspects of your world without tedious exposition
Welcome to Three-hundred-word Thoughts. Thoughts on things in three-hundred words or less (or more?). Honestly, the three-hundred part isn’t so much a rule as it is a catchy name.
In the trailer for the upcoming Supergirl movie we get a few shots depicting a Kryptonian funeral, which reminded me just how useful ceremonies like funerals and weddings are as methods of introducing your world-building.
In the trailer we see what is likely the funeral of Kara’s mother, whose death in the comic is a formative aspect of Kara’s sense of morality going forward. Kryptonian funerary customs appear different to our own, with the body being dressed in red and carried in an open casket by mourners dressed in white.
It tells us a lot about Krypton as a world, in the way that funerals in Game of Thrones tell us lot about the Faith of the Seven and how it fits into the wider world-building of Westeros.
Importantly, ceremonies do this without info dumping lore on readers or viewers. They allow you to introduce customs, things that are important and different about the world you’re building, while keeping it tied to character and story.
The Supergirl example is pulling double duty, showing us a key moment in Kara’s life while also telling us that funerals on Krypton, at least for the elites, are grand and solemn affairs.
Weddings can have the same impact on a story, bringing out key details of your world-building such as religion and culture, while keeping it grounded in your characters emotional journey.
Game of Thrones does this incredibly well, showing us how weddings held in the tradition of the Faith of the Seven differ to those in the tradition of the Old Gods. We learn a lot about both religions, their attitudes towards gender and duty, for example, all while keeping us close to the characters.
Sansa’s marriage to Ramsey in Season 5 differs from the many, many weddings we see in the Sept of Baelor throughout the series, each giving us new details about each faith without losing sight of the characters involved in the ceremonies themselves.
Whether you’re trying to get to know the specifics of your world or you’re stuck trying to weave an element of your world-building into the story, consider writing a funeral or wedding scene.