How to Use Culture and Traditions in romantasy Worldbuilding

April Fools’ Day is a fun little tradition isn’t it? For one day a year, we collectively agree to fool around, pull a prank or two, be a little bit outrageous – why? Because we can.

The origins of April Fools’ Day aren’t totally clear, but in truth, thats not what’s important here; what I want to talk about is the cultural phenomenon of tradition (both the silly, and the serious) and how, as writers, we can use culture like this to create richer worlds for our stories to inhabit.

Today we’re going to dig into the role that culture can play in worldbuilding for fantasy and romantasy novels. We’ll look at how traditions, beliefs, and societal norms can make your story more immersive and believable, how they strengthen your characters and guide their actions, and how you can create believable cultural quirks for your fantasy world.

Plus, at the end we’ll look at a few examples of how some popular authors have integrated culture into their fantasy worlds and how those decisions influence their characters and worlds to create fuller, more lived in stories for their characters to journey through.

What role does culture play in fantasy (and romantasy) worldbuilding?

The purpose of worldbuilding in fantasy and romantasy novels goes beyond setting a scene or defining a physical location. Worldbuilding refers to all the unique elements that come together to make your world something different to the reality we live in. That of course does often refer to the physical world but can also include magic, myths, creatures, laws, and culture.

Whether you invent new rules and cultural norms, you implement ones we’re familiar with, or you twist what we know to give it a whole new meaning, traditions and societal expectations can influence every element of your story. Including:

✴ Internal and external obstacles your characters have to overcome.

✴ Your characters’ motivations and how they behave.

✴ What your characters (and the wider world) fear or value.

✴ How different groups of characters are treated (e.g. gender, species, class, race etc.)

How does culture make your fantasy world more believable?

Culture gives your world history – and gives your readers an idea of what’s normal. What the people value, what their daily life looks like, what events they might look forward to, what they fear, and what they celebrate together. All of these details compound to create something that feels real and lived in. Instead of introducing readers to a brand new place, you’re welcoming them into a world that’s clearly existed for a long time.

How can culture shape your characters and guide their actions?

The shared beliefs, traditions, expectations, and unspoken rules that people in your world have are more than surface-level worldbuilding details. When you build them into your story with intention, culture becomes one of the most powerful tools you have as a writer.

✴ Culture shapes your characters’ beliefs – about themselves and others.
For example: a character who designs an intricate prank to trick their friends every April Fools’ Day might think the world is too rigid and serious. To others, that same behaviour could make them seem unreliable – or, in the right circumstances, the perfect person to execute a complex, secretive plan.

✴ Culture can create external obstacles in your story.
For example: a full moon ritual on the night of a heist suddenly means crowded streets, heightened risk, and nowhere to hide. Used well, these moments raise the stakes naturally, while reinforcing that your world exists beyond the immediate plot.

✴ Culture can also cause internal obstacles.
For example: a deeply religious character forced to choose between their faith and their friends isn’t just facing a plot problem –they’re facing a crisis of identity. This is where culture becomes especially powerful: it forces characters to confront who they are, not just what they’re doing.

✴ Societal norms can dictate how your characters interact with the world.
For example: a character raised in a society that fears magic will behave very differently to one raised in a culture that celebrates it. Here, culture confirms that your characters don’t exist in isolation. They are shaped (consciously or not) by the culture they were raised in.

When you build culture carefully, your character decisions feel more grounded, their conflicts feel more personal, and your story gains emotional depth without you having to write it into extra plot.

There’s a difference between surface detail and story-driving culture. 

Not all cultural details carry the same weight. Some exist to add texture – think: festivals, food, clothing, celebrations – and some actively drive the story – beliefs, prejudices, laws, taboos etc. The most compelling fantasy and romantasy worlds use both. Surface details make to your world feel alive and story-driving culture makes your plot feel inevitable. If nothing in your culture affects your plot or characters, it’s decoration. If it influences decisions, creates tension, or shapes relationships – that’s where the magic happens.

How to craft believable traditions in your fantasy or romantasy novel.

There’s no single ‘right’ way to do this, and there are many angles for your approach but there are ways to make it feel intentional rather than accidental. Below are a few prompts that can guide you:

✴ Start with why. What do you need this to do in your story? Create conflict? Reinforce a theme? Shape a character’s identity?

✴ Decide the scale of impact. Is this a background detail or something that actively alters the plot?

✴ Work backwards from your characters. Look at your characters fears, beliefs, wounds, and motivations. What kind of culture would create this version of them?

✴ Borrow, reshape, and reinvent. You don’t have to create everything from scratch. You can pull from real-world traditions, then exaggerate them, subvert them, or give them a magical origin.

When you’ve nailed down the essence of the cultural element you want to include, run through a few guardrails:

✴ Check for logic. Does this make sense for this world? Would people realistically believe or follow this? Is the impact it has on your character believable?

✴ Check for consistency. Are characters from the same background behaving consistently? If they aren’t, can you justify why?

✴ Choose what actually makes it onto the page. Not everything that you know needs to be explained to the reader. Internal influences (beliefs, fears etc.) can often stay beneath the surface – guiding the character but not being explicitly spoken about. External pressures (laws, rituals, events) on the other hand usually need to appear on the page to give enough context.

One cultural element can be multi-functional.

Not everything causes an obstacle – or causes only an obstacle. A single tradition might: create conflict, reveal character, add humour, and deepen relationships. Our April Fools example shows this. A known prankster might be distrusted in daily life – but relied upon when secrecy is required. Similarly, someone raised in a society that fears magic will probably be very adept at using it in secret.

How popular fantasy authors use culture to create richer worlds.

✴ In A Court of Mist & Fury by Sarah J. Maas the Illyrians’ use of siphons is established as a cultural norm. Most warriors use one – so when certain characters require seven, it instantly communicates power without needing lengthy explanation.

✴ In One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig the culture surrounding magic is rooted in fear and control. The way society treats those connected to magic directly shapes how characters hide, behave, and make decisions which reinforces tension throughout the story.

✴ In One Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber beliefs, myths, and romantic folklore influence how characters interpret love, fate, and choice. These cultural ideas don’t just exist in the background, they actively shape character motivations and expectations.

✴ In Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros the culture of the riders quadrant is built on strength, survival, and hierarchy. These expectations dictate how characters are treated, what they value, and how they’re forced to grow within the story.

Culture, beliefs, and societal norms might seem like small details on the surface but when you zoom out, they’re part of something much bigger. Something that turns a setting into a world.

When you go deeper than an event to look at how it impacts characters and why it’s important to your plot, you’re not just giving your readers somewhere interesting to visit – you’re creating a framework that shapes your characters, drives your plot, and deepens every emotional beat in your story.

If you’re ready to start building culture that actually does something in your story, I’ve put together a free Romantasy Worldbuilding Toolkit PDF packed with fantasy tradition, culture and superstition ideas to get you started. From festivals and rituals to superstitions and societal rules, it’s designed to help you create details that don’t just sound interesting – but actively strengthen your world and your story.