Have a question about something fantasy-related? Please send an email to thetorchonlineoracle@gmail.com and be sure and include your city and state and/or country.

Q: So one of the age-old pop culture questions is: Ginger or Mary Ann? What do you think is the fantasy equivalent? — Andrew, Boise, ID

The Oracle Speaks:

Oh, that’s easy: Xena or Gabrielle. Next up would be: Kahlan or Cara. (from Legend of the Seeker). And that’s followed closely by: Buffy or Willow.

Impossible choices, all.

Another possibility, of course, is: Aragorn or Legolas.

There must be others, so let’s hear them in the comments!

Q: Does Atlantis exist? — Megan, Milwaukee, WI

The Oracle Speaks:

Almost certainly only as a metaphor, in the sense of a lost “golden age.”

The Ancient Greek philosopher Plato is the source of the Atlantis myth. He wrote about the lost civilization in his dialogues Timaeus and Critias, which were written in 360 BC. But keep in mind that, even then, the advanced civilization of Atlantis was supposed to have sunk into the sea (in “one grievous day and night”) nine thousand years previous — which, incidentally, is several thousand years before any known civilization at all.

So the sole source of the myth is a person who had no direct experience with it (and who, it must be said, also blamed its destruction on the Greek gods). It’s also worth mentioning that Plato was using Atlantis to make a greater point about the corruption of power, so whether it was “real” may not have mattered even to him.

And keep in mind that, even in antiquity, most others scholars didn’t think of Atlantis as  “real” (and some even ridiculed the very notion). It was only in the late Middle Ages, when the Atlantis story was rediscovered, that people widely began to think of it as possibly being true. But that wasn’t based on any new evidence — just the fact that it’s really, really cool, and everyone basically wants it to be true.

Q: There are three doors. Behind one is a fire-breathing dragon, there’s a giant man-eating spider behind another, and a beautiful maiden (or warrior, depending on which way you swing) is behind the third. You must choose one or you die, so which do you choose? — Emma, Austin, TX

The Oracle Speaks:

I choose the door with the person.

How do I do that exactly? Well, the rules don’t stipulate that you I can’t do this, so I knock on all three doors. The dragon and the spider can’t respond, but if the maiden or warrior is locked inside, chances are pretty good that he or she will knock back. So I pick that door.

Have a question about something fantasy-related? Please send an email to thetorchonlineoracle@gmail.com and be sure and include your city and state and/or country.

Looking to buy any of the projects mentioned in this article (or any other media)? Support TheTorchOnline.com by purchasing it through this link.

Follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Similar Posts:

• Ask the Oracle: What Other Greek Myth Movies Are Coming? When Will the WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER Open? More!
• Ask the Oracle: Are the AVATAR Blues Real? What’s Up With Conan (the Barbarian, not the Talk Show Host)?
• Ask the Oracle: Why Did XENA Only Do One Christmas Episode? How is Santa Like Luke Skywalker?
• Ask the Oracle: Is Narnia a Planet or What? What Do TaunTauns and Wampas Eat? Who Would Win: Jeannie or Samantha?
• Ask the Oracle: When Did Zombies Start Being Animated by Viruses? What’d Ray Harryhausen do in the 1980s?