# Subcreation

- Term: Literature term
- Date: 1939
- Canonical: https://www.lanternhall.org/lexicon/subcreation/

> Tolkien's term for the human act of making a [Secondary world](https://www.lanternhall.org/lexicon/secondary-world/): the author as a sub-creator, working in the image of a greater Creator. It is the theological heart of his defense of fantasy.

Tolkien's term for the human act of making a [Secondary world](https://www.lanternhall.org/lexicon/secondary-world/): the author as a sub-creator, working in the image of a greater Creator. It is the theological heart of his defense of fantasy.

**Origin:** J. R. R. Tolkien, On Fairy-Stories (lecture 1939) and the poem Mythopoeia.

## Quick answers

**What does "Subcreation" mean?**
Tolkien's term for the human act of making a Secondary world: the author as a sub-creator, working in the image of a greater Creator. It is the theological heart of his defense of fantasy.

**Where does the term "Subcreation" come from?**
J. R. R. Tolkien, On Fairy-Stories (lecture 1939) and the poem Mythopoeia.

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From The Lantern Hall (https://www.lanternhall.org/), a museum of fantasy literature and roleplaying games.