Charles R Saunders, the father of Sword and Soul, describes it as African inspired heroic fantasy. Africa has mythology, pantheon systems and folklore just like any culture. Sword and Soul celebrates this heritage by having fiction grounded in a world where African mythology functions as truth. This genre has fantastic beings as characters and plot lines that revolve around magic. And as any good heroic fantasy this is embedded with elements of adventure. It showcases the ability of the human spirit to overcome whatever foe it faces be it magical or non-magical. Weaponry is also a big part of Sword and Soul; most stories in this genre involve characters using spears and swords.
Sword and Soul fictitious works are set in pre-colonial Africa where African culture is unadulterated by western influences. Sword and soul is rooted in positive portrayal of African culture, something that is so necessary since most of fiction to do with African history centres around African people's oppression such as slavery and colonisation. As an African, it gives me great personal satisfaction to write fiction that gives fellow Africans and non-Africans a glimpse of our culture was before western interference. My favourite thing about this sub-genre is that it shows off the rich complexity of African culture.
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African culture comes in many variants after all they are 54 countries in African and over a thousand ethnic groups within Africa. Every ethnic group has its own unique culture however they are common denominators among the vast majority of African cultures such as collectivism, moral values, religion and performance-oriented rituals. Religion permeates every aspect of African culture; cuisine, behaviour and environmental ethics. Contained within most African religion is sorcery, which is big part of a lot of people's daily lives. Shamans hold a key role in traditional society as they are seen as mediums between the physical and spiritual world. They act as doctors, counsellors and prophets. These various aspects of African culture are reflected in sword and soul's themes and characters.
Sword and soul explores a multitude of themes such as magic, heroisms, good versus evil, self-discovery, prophecy, survival, collectivism and sacrifice. Humans and mythical creatures feature as characters in this sub-genre of literature. Mythical creatures such as ancestral spirits, magical beasts, deities in forms of animals and/humans. Normal humans, witches, soothsayers and shamans also feature as characters. This sub- genre has strong elements of adventure therefore protagonists in these tales are usually altruistic, brave and clever. Protagonists are often required to use strength as well as intelligence to outwit powerful foes such as supernatural beings.
