Finding hope with the found family trope

• The nine members of the Fellowship in The Lord of the Rings.
• The Six of Crows in the Grishaverse.
• The crew of that Firefly-class transport ship, Serenity.

The found family trope has long been part of fiction. It starts with a group of individuals who are brought together by circumstance and eventually become friends with deep, life-long bonds.

Why not just call them close friends?

It’s all relative

With friends, we know we can grow apart or lose track of each other as our lives change. With family come the pressures of inherited generational trauma or the expectations to continue family tradition.

A found family will meet an individual where they are, accept them as who they are while offering support, loyalty, and camaraderie. Members of a found family can also take on the roles found within a family. Each role offers something that each member needs and that the individual feels the need to be; the big brother protector; the concerned Mother Hen.

As with a typical family, there is still conflict. Two or more characters may begin as rivals or enemies before later finding strength from and acceptance within their relationship. This can also include another popular trope: the redemption arc!

The found family trope highlights the need we all have for acceptance and a sense of belonging, of being both needed and wanted. Seeing a group of characters be a family to each other offers us hope. It says that this kind of close relationship is possible. If the family we come from doesn’t offer what we need, we can find it elsewhere. Or we can have both. But we have to venture out there if we hope to discover our own found family.

Found family in fantasy

In 2024, Dragonlance celebrated its forty-year anniversary with a shiny new edition. Who doesn’t love shiny editions, right geeks? The continued popularity of this fantasy series has a lot to do with the found family trope at its heart along with the interest in its TTRPG (Table-Top Role Playing Game). Take it from me, bonding over TTRPG’s can work wonders for your relationships, as shown by the real-life cast/found family of Critical Role, Dimension 20, and my own D&D groups (long live Gaia!)

Get ready for adventure with found family

If you’re not ready for group TTRPG’s just yet, here’s a selection of historical fantasy book series with found family:

• The Forestwife Trilogy by Theresa Tomlinson
• Less magic, more medieval and full of the found family trope in this realistic retelling of Robin Hood. Merry olde England it is not.
• Discworld series by Terry Pratchett
• Spend time with the sisterhood of Witches in Equal Rites or the fresh young recruits of Monstrous Regiment.
• The Planar Pages series by D. Hale Rambo
• In Between the Lines, intrepid investigator Fiona Thorne works alone, until one little spark ignites a change.

For more historical fantasy fiction, check out my post on six historical fantasy subgenres and reading recommendations.

I can’t mention TTRPG’s without introducing you to five books that feel like playing Dungeons and Dragons.

When it’s time to literally Netflix and chill, watch these animated shows with sweet found families:

• She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
• Orphan Adora is caught between the army family she grew up with and the new friends she was raised to oppress.
• Avatar: The Last Airbender
• Everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. It certainly did for Aang!
• Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts
• Unexpectedly lost on the surface world, kind-hearted Kipo can’t help but make friends – and enemies.

For wider viewing recommendations, check out the shows (and one movie) mentioned in my five historical fantasy cosplay outfits.

Who are your favorite fictional found family?

Share your reading or viewing recommendations for found family or historical fantasy in the comments.