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Line 1: {{trope}} [[File:~~Army_of_the_dead~~Army of the dead.jpg\|link=The Lord of the Rings (film)\|frame\|Do you have any idea how long we've been waiting to kick ass?]] {{quote\|''And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them,[...] and breath entered them, and they came to life and stood up on their feet - a vast army.'' \|[[The Bible\|Ezekiel 37:7-10]]}} Line 8: Wait... why are all our fallen comrades in the courtyard stirring? Is that army coming over the hills... '''translucent'''? Man, I sure am glad the [['''Army of the Dead]]''' is on ''our'' side. They're tearing [[The Evil Army]] right up. I sure hope we can keep these guys around! ...What do you mean, "good for one battle only?" The essence of this trope is: Fallen allies, usually having died either in the battle at hand or in a previous battle with the same enemy, rise temporarily from the dead ''en masse'' and contribute to the ongoing battle in some critical way. The undead in question are more likely to be spectral than physical, but both are possible. The important part is that the loyalty of the fallen is preserved. Also, the [['''Army of the Dead]]''' can help win the (usually climactic or highly significant) battle, but they can't then join the standing army. They tend only to last until the immediate threat is vanquished. The [[Trope Namer]] and possibly also modern [[Trope Codifier]] is the Army of the Dead from ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. [[Norse Mythology\|However]], it's [[Older Than They Think]]. See Also: [[The Cavalry]], [[Big Damn Heroes]], [[Desperation Attack]]. Contrast [[Animate Dead]], where the original loyalty of the raw materials isn't relevant. Line 31: == Literature == * In [[J. R. R. ~~Tolkien\|JRR~~ Tolkien]]'s ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', the Dead of Dunharrow, who over three thousand years ago betrayed Isildur by running away and not coming to his aid against Sauron, are called upon by his descendant Aragorn to fulfill their oath and have peace afterwards. They are released after defeating the fleet of Umbar coming up the river Anduin. This stops Sauron getting reinforcements at the Battle of Minas Tirith, frees the now unoccupied South Gondorian soldiers, and conveniently provides transport to get them up the river to Minas Tirith to once again turn the tide of the battle. * Subverted in the [[Zombie Survival Guide]]. The Japanese and Soviets attempt to create armies of undead to unleash upon their enemies. It doesn't work. * At the end of ''The Princess and the Bear'', the animal magic brings all the dead soldiers on the protagonists' side back to fight. * In Micah E. F. Martin's [[The Canticle]], any [[Necromancer]] or [[Eldritch Abomination\|High Dead]] worth his salt has a legion of starving ghouls at their beck and call. * In the climax of ''[[Harry Potter and ~~The~~the Goblet of Fire (novel)\|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]'', the shades of the last several people [[Big Bad\|Voldemort]] murdered come out of his wand and swarm him, giving [[The Protagonist\|Harry]] just enough time to escape. * In the last book of ''[[His Dark Materials]]'', Lyra and Will have to travel through the land of the dead and dead characters from the last several books decide to come along with them to help [[Supporting Leader\|Lord Asriel's]] side in the fight against [[God Is Evil\|The Authority's]] angels. * In ''[[The Bible]]'', Ezekiel, with God's help, raised his own army of the dead. Line 64: {{reflist}} [[Category:Ending Tropes]]▼ [[Category:Army of the Dead]] ▲[[Category:Ending Tropes]] [[Category:Index to The Rescue]] [[Category:Just in Time Tropes]] [[Category:Loyalty Tropes]] [[Category:Military and Warfare Tropes]] [[Category:Undead Index]]