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Older Than Feudalism: Difference between revisions
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* [[Achilles Heel]]: The [[Big Bad]] Duryodhana in the ''[[Mahabharata (Literature)|Mahabharata]]'', and Talos in [[Greek Mythology]]. Also Achilles, the [[Trope Namer]].
* [[Achilles in His Tent]]: [[Homer]]'s ''[[The Iliad (Literature)|The Iliad]]''; [[Trope Namers|Trope Namer]]
* [[Actually, I Am Him]]: In the ''[[The Odyssey (Literature)|The Odyssey]]'', Odysseus returns to Ithaca disguised as a beggar. His first contact with Penelope, has him delivering (false) news concerning her missing husband.
* [[Adam and Eve Plot]]: The [[Book of Genesis (Literature)|Book of Genesis]] casts the Sons of Noah (Ham, Japheth, and Shem) and their unnamed wives in this role. The Adam and Eve story from the same book is not however a particularly good example. Neither of the two was a survivor from a previous group, nor did they struggle against extinction.
* [[Adipose Rex]]: King Eglon from ''[[The Bible (Literature)|The Bible]]'' (Judges 3).
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* [[And I Must Scream]]: Tityos and Prometheus suffer horrible torture in Greek myths. Tityos suffers forever; Prometheus is bound forever or for several centuries, [[Depending On the Writer]].
* [[And Now You Must Marry Me]]: A [[Real Life]] custom found in many cultures around the world -- anthropologists call it "marriage by abduction" or "bridal theft". Appears in ''[[The Bible (Literature)|The Bible]]'' in the abduction of the Shiloh women, and the rape of Dinah in Genesis 34. The Romans had their Rape of the Sabine Women.
* [[Androcles' Lion]]: [[Aesop's Fables (Literature)|Aesop's Fables]]; [[Trope Namers|Trope Namer]].
* [[And Your Little Dog, Too]]: Hector killing Patroclus in ''[[The Iliad (Literature)|The Iliad]]''.
* [[Angel Unaware]]: [[The Bible (Literature)|Lot's houseguests in Sodom]] (Genesis 19).
* [[Angry Guard Dog]]: The Greek underworld is guarded by the multi-headed Cerberus.
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* [[Arcadia]]: [[Trope Namer]] is a region in Greece, held to be the home of Pan, the god of shepherds and the wilderness. [[Virgil (Creator)|Virgil]] celebrates it as a pastoral paradise in his ''Eclogues''.
* [[Archangel Gabriel]]: First mentioned in the [[The Bible (Literature)|Book of Daniel]].
* [[
* [[Arranged Marriage]]: More the rule than the exception, in many cultures. When it's time for [[The Bible (Literature)|Abraham's]] son Isaac to get married, Abraham sends his servant back to the old country to find a nice girl for him. Isaac and Rebecca agree to the match without meeting each other (Genesis 24).
* [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking]]: From ''[[The Bible (Literature)|The Bible]]'', 1 Peter 4:15: "by no means let any of you suffer as a murderer or thief or evildoer or a troublesome meddler."
* [[Ascended Fanfic]]: ''[[The Aeneid (Literature)|The Aeneid]]'' was a fanfic [[Continuation]] of ''[[The Iliad (Literature)|The Iliad]]''.
* [[Ass in A Lion Skin]]: One of [[Aesop's Fables (Literature)|Aesop's Fables]].
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* [[Battle Epic]]: ''[[The Iliad (Literature)|The Iliad]]'' is one.
* [[Battle of Wits]]: Sun Tzu's ''[[The Art of War (Literature)|The Art of War]]'' is practically a ''[[Strategy Guide|handbook]]'' for these.
* [[Beam Me Up, Scotty]]: [[The Bible (Literature)|The Bible]] is probably the most frequently misquoted text in history. Special mention goes to the adage "Money is the root of all evil", a misquote of 1 Timothy 6:10.<ref>"For the ''love of'' money is the root of all evil." [[Captain Obvious|Meaning greed, not money itself.]]</ref>
* [[Be a Whore To Get Your Man]]: Delilah and Samson in ''[[The Bible (Literature)|The Bible]]'' (Book of Judges).
* [[Be Careful What You Wish For]]: [[Greek Mythology|Tithonos]] wished for immortality, but both he and his lover Eos forgot to wish for eternal youth. In one of [[Aesop's Fables (Literature)|Aesop's Fables]], a herdsman notices one of his calves missing from the herd. He prays for his patron deities to lead him to whoever stole the missing calf. When he finds the thief, it proves to be a lion.
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* [[Bring My Brown Pants]]: A regular occurrence in the plays of [[Aristophanes (Creator)|Aristophanes]].
* [[Bring News Back]]: Pheidippides at the Battle of Marathon, who managed to warn Athens that Sparta would not aid them in time for the battle.
* [[Brother
* [[Bury Me Not On the Lone Prairie]]: When the Isrealites left Egypt, they took the embalmed body of Joseph with them (Exodus 13:19), fulfilling Joseph's own wish (Genesis 50:25).
* [[But I Can't Be Pregnant]]: Abraham and Sarah in ''[[Genesis (Literature)|Genesis]]''. Subverted with Mary, who's often depicted as knowing why she's pregnant with Jesus.
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* [[Clingy MacGuffin]]: The Ring of Polykrates, as recounted by [[Herodotus (Creator)|Herodotus]].
* [[Clothes Make the Superman]]: In the Greek myth of Perseus, the invisibility cap, flying sandals, and magic arms are what let Perseus kill Medusa.
* [[Cluster F
* [[Cold
* [[Combat By Champion]]: David and Goliath (''[[The Bible (Literature)|The Bible]]'', 1 Samuel 17). [[Greek Mythology|Eteocles and Polyneices]] finally agreed to end the war of Thebes this way, but killed each other simultaneously. [[Real Life|Republican]] [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] soldiers practiced single combat.
* [[Comes Great Responsibility]]: [[Virgil (Creator)|Virgil]] used this trope as the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] ideal. ''[[The Bible (Literature)|The Bible]]'' has the Parable of the Faithful Servant.
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{{quote| '''Jesus:''' Beware the yeast of the [[Corrupt Church|Pharisees]].<br />
'''Apostles:''' He's upset that we didn't bring any bread! }}
* [[Cool and Unusual Punishment]]: In addition to [[Cold
* [[Cool Horse]]: Laomedon and Achilles both own immortal horses in ''[[The Iliad (Literature)|The Iliad]]''; Alexander the Great had the amazing Bucephalus; Helios has fire horses; and Poseidon has half-fish hippokampoi.
* [[Cool Sword]]: Perseus's sword was a gift from the gods, according to [[Aeschylus]] and Apollodorus.
* [[Could Say It, But...]]: This trope was known as "evasio" to Roman rhetoricians like Cicero, and it was used in law courts and speeches.
* [[Country Mouse]]: From Aesop's "The City Mouse and the Country Mouse". [[Trope Namers|Trope Namer]].
* [[The Creon]]: Creon of Thebes was a recurring character in early Greek drama, right hand of ''[[Oedipus Rex]]'' who avowed that he had no intention or desire to become king. He was later forced into the position anyway, much to Thebes' regret.
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== D-I ==
* [[
* [[A Date With Rosie Palms]]: Genesis 38 is the source for an outdated term for masturbation, ''Onanism''. <ref> Some argue that, technically speaking, the sin in question, and thus the term, was Onan not impregnating his late brother's wife for him rather than what he did with his tonker instead, but in either case, the possibly wrong use of the term is older than dirt regardless.</ref>
* [[David Versus Goliath]]: The [[Trope Namer]] is from the Book of Samuel in ''[[The Bible (Literature)|The Bible]]''.
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* [[Drives Like Crazy]]: Yes, really: Jehu, son of Nimshi drives his chariot "like a madman" (''[[The Bible (Literature)|The Bible]]'', 2 Kings 9:20). When [[Classical Mythology|Phaethon]] drove the sun chariot recklessly, he died and nearly destroyed all life on Earth.
* [[The Drunken Sailor]]: In ''[[The Odyssey (Literature)|The Odyssey]]'', the ship was almost home when the sailors decided to crack open Odysseus's pouch, assuming he was hoarding wine or gold. It actually contained all the winds, which immediately blew them way off course.
* [[Dual
* [[Dude, She's Like, in A Coma]]: In [[Greek Mythology]] the handsome Endymion is enchanted to eternally sleep, with his youth and beauty preserved. Meanwhile Selene, goddess of the Moon, frequently makes love to him.
* [[Due to The Dead]]: Achilles dragging and abusing Hector's corpse in ''[[The Iliad (Literature)|The Iliad]]'' exemplifies the evil version. The protagonists in [[Sophocles]]'s ''[[Antigone (Theatre)|Antigone]]'' and ''[[Electra (Theatre)|Electra]]'' exemplify the good form.
* [[Dumb Muscle]]: Ajax in ''[[The Iliad (Literature)|The Iliad]]''. Olympic "meatbag" athletes, according to some ancient Greek philosophers. Heracles was portrayed this way in Attic comedy, for example in ''[[Aristophanes (Creator)|The Birds]]'' (in the "canonical" myths, he is reasonably clever).
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* [[Even the Guys Want Him]]: Narcissus of late Greek and Roman myth.
* [[Every Man Has His Price]]: Excessive amounts of bribery were commonplace in [[The Roman Republic]].
* [[Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"]]: ''[[The Bible (Literature)|The Bible]]'' never specifically states exactly which pharaoh is involved in the ''[[Book of Exodus (Literature)|Book of Exodus]]''.
* [[
** Rainbows used by characters: In Greek religion, the rainbow was personified as the goddess Iris, and was the path left by her as she travelled between heaven and earth.
** Rainbows as symbols: In Genesis 9, the rainbow is the sign of God's promise that he will never again destroy the Earth [[Suspiciously Specific Denial|with a flood.]]
* [[Evil Cannot Comprehend Good]]: Dates back to ''[[The Bible (Literature)|The Bible]]'', in which the Devil often shown in this fashion, being unable to appeal to anything other than selfish desires when manipulating humans.
* [[
* [[Expecting Someone Taller]]: [[The Bible (Literature)|Jesus]].
* [[Explain Explain Oh Crap]]: Deianira in ''Trachiniae'', telling the chorus about the "strange sight" that is the bubbling, disintegrating piece of cloth she used to smear a "love potion" onto a shirt she just gave her husband.
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* [[Feed the Mole]]: One of [[The Thirty Six Stratagems]].
* [[Fighting for A Homeland]]: The march of the Ten Thousand, as depicted in [[Xenophon (Creator)|Xenophon]]'s ''[[Anabasis (Literature)|Anabasis]]''. The Hebrews fighting the Canaanites in ''[[The Bible (Literature)|The Bible]]''. The Trojan refugees in ''[[The Aeneid (Literature)|The Aeneid]]''.
* [[Fire
* [[Fire of Comfort]]: The domain of Hestia, Greek goddess of the Hearth. She was associated with the fireplace and the joys of domesticity. A Homeric Hymn to her mentions her place of honor in the residences of every immortal god and every mortal man.
* [[Flash Back]]: [[Homer]]'s ''Odyssey''.
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* [[Hydra Problem]]: Heracles fought the [[Trope Namer]]. He had to burn the stumps to stop its [[Healing Factor|heads from groing back.]]
* [[Hypocrite]]: Agamemnon in ''[[The Iliad (Literature)|The Iliad]]''; you go to war over a woman being taken -- that means you shouldn't take another man's woman.
* [[I Am Who?]]: Oedipus, especially in [[Sophocles]]'s ''[[Oedipus the King (Theatre)|Oedipus the King]]''.
* [[I Am X, Son of Y]]: "[[The Odyssey (Literature)|I am Odysseus, son of Laertes]]". Commonly used in ''[[The Bible (Literature)|The Bible]]'' as well.
* [[I Believe I Can Fly]]: Icarus, Pegasus, Harpies, Sirens, Hermes and Perseus with winged sandals...
* [[Identical Stranger]]: ''Menaechmi'', by the Roman author [[Plautus]].
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* [[Lady of War]]: The Greek goddess Athena.
* [[Lady Macbeth]]: Jezebel, wife of King Ahab in the [[The Bible (Literature)|Old Testament.]]
* [[Laser
* [[Lawful Stupid]]: The [[Hindu Mythology|Hindu god]] Daksha hated his son-in-law Shiva for living a chaotic lifestyle. Shiva ignores him until his wife commits suicide after Daksha defiles and mocks her beloved. Shiva kills him, then revives him with the head of a goat.
* [[Law of Inverse Fertility]]: In "want but can't conceive" form only: Theseus's mortal father Aegeus, and several women in ''[[The Bible (Literature)|The Bible]]''.
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* [[Made a Slave]]: Joseph was enslaved in Genesis. Heracles was enslaved to Omphale in [[Classical Mythology]].
* [[Mad Oracle]]: Pythia, a.k.a. the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi, was occasionally depicted giving oracles in a state of possessed frenzy. The [[Real Life]] version, not so much.
* [[Mad
* [[Magical Girlfriend]]: Greek myth of Pygmalion, the anti-social guy who was so great Aphrodite turned his statue into Galatea, the perfect bride, so he could be happy forever.
* [[Magic Music]]: In [[Classical Mythology]] Orpheus could charm wild animals, plants, rocks, and even the god Hades with his singing.
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* [[Massive Multiplayer Crossover]]: The Classical myth of Jason and the Argonauts: name a Greek hero, he was probably in this one, everyone from Hercules to Oedipus. Many had sons at Troy.
* [[Matriarchy]]: The Amazons, first mentioned in ''[[The Iliad (Literature)|The Iliad]]'', are the sexist variety, supposedly demonstrating why women should never rule.
* [[Men Are Generic, Women Are Special]]: The Greek ''[[Theogony (Literature)|Theogony]]'' has men created first, and the woman created later as a ''punishment'' to ruin mortal life.
* [[Mentor Archetype]]: In the ''[[The Odyssey (Literature)|The Odyssey]]'', Athena poses as Mentor, Telemachus's elderly advisor, and convinces him to actively seek information on his missing father, instead of passively waiting.
* [[Merlin Sickness]]: The fruit on Anostus causes this in the Roman ''Varia Historia'', by Claudius Aelianus.
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* [[Monkey Morality Pose]]: Dates back to the days of Confucius.
* [[Moon Rabbit]]: Earliest recorded reference found during the Warring States period of Ancient China.
* [[
* [[Moses in The
* [[Multishot]]: Rama, hero of the ''[[Ramayana (Literature)|Ramayana]]'', can shoot ''one thousand'' arrows with one draw, and once used such a feat to shoot down a rain of stones aimed at him.
* [[Mundane Made Awesome]]: Old Greek and Roman poems played up the mediocrity of an event by writing it in epic verse. ''[[Batrachomyomachia (Literature)|Batrachomyomachia]]'' used epic [[Homer]]-style poetry to narrate a battle between frogs and mice.
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* [[New Media Are Evil]]: [[Socrates]]' criticism of ''writing'', which apparently goes back to an old tradition among the Greeks; didn't stop [[Plato]], though.
* [[Nice Jewish Boy]]: Lots of them in ''[[The Bible (Literature)|The Bible]]''.
* [[Nice Job Breaking It, Herod]]: The [[Trope Namer]] Herod, as well as the [[Ur Example]] of Pharaoh with Moses from the [[Book of Exodus (Literature)|Book of Exodus]].
* [[Nice Mice]]: Found in "The Lion and the Mouse" in [[Aesop's Fables (Literature)|Aesop's Fables]], where a mouse sets a lion free from a trap by gnawing through a hunter's net.
* [[Nigh Invulnerability]]: Achilles, the Nemean Lion, and Antaeus, all from [[Classical Mythology]].
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* [[Outdoor Bath Peeping]]: David to Bethsheba in ''[[The Bible (Literature)|The Bible]]'' (Samuel 1). Actaeon and Siprotes to Artemis, and Tiresias to Athene, in [[Classical Mythology]].
* [[Outsourcing Fate]]: Several examples in [[Greek Mythology]], but probably the best-known is Paris having to choose the most beautiful goddess from among Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite. [[Trojan War|We all know how that ended.]]
* [[The Owl
* [[Panacea]]: The trope as we know it comes from [[Greek Mythology]].
* [[Papa Wolf]]: In ''[[The Odyssey (Literature)|The Odyssey]]'', many of Odysseus' problems are caused by Poseidon's wrath and revenge for the fate of his son Polyphemos, whom Odysseus blinded. Ares, usually not depicted in a favorable light, once killed a son of Poseidon to stop him from raping Ares' daughter.
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* [[Riddle of the Sphinx]]: The [[Trope Namer]] in [[Greek Mythology]].
* [[Riddling Sphinx]]: Again, [[Greek Mythology]].
* [[Right Way, Wrong Way Pair]]: ''[[The Bible (Literature)|The Bible]]'''s book of Proverbs' first 29 chapters carry the thread of contrasting the wise man and [[The Fool]].
* [[Ring of Power]]: The Ring of Gyges, which made his wearer invisible, but also corrupted him (as told by [[Plato]] in book II of ''[[The Republic (Literature)|The Republic]]'').
* [[Rip Van Winkle]]: The oldest examples are found in the [[Talmud (Literature)|Talmud]] in the story of the ancient Rabbi and scholar Honi ha-M'agel, and in Diogenes Laertius' biography of the Greek sage Epimenides.
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** Adam and Eve: "You can eat anything you like in this garden, except the fruit from That One Tree. Got that? Whatever you do, don't touch the fruit from That One Tree."
** Pandora's Box (actually a jar), with Pandora intentionally set up to peek.
* [[Screw the Rules, I Have Money]]: Happened more and more towards the end of [[The Roman Republic]].
* [[Scylla and Charybdis]]: [[The Odyssey (Literature)|Odysseus]] lost several men to the [[Trope Namers]].
* [[Sealed Evil in A Can]]: Pandora's Box, filled with all the miseries and evils that now make humanity miserable, as told by [[Hesiod (Creator)|Hesiod]].
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* [[Sea Monster]]: Charybdis and Leviathan are just a couple of many sea monsters found in early myths.
* [[See You in Hell]]: According to the Roman biographer Suetonius, a certain actor implied this in a farce during Emperor Nero's bloody reign.
* [[Self
* [[Sexual Extortion]]: Testament by Joseph featuring Potiphar's Wife, mentioned in ''[[Genesis (Literature)|Genesis]]''.
* [[Shaming the Mob]]: The Gospel according to John 8:1-11, [[The Bible (Literature)|New Testament]].
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* [[The Smart Guy]]: Athena among the Olympians: she's the goddess of wisdom, strategic thinking, and various arts. Odysseus tends to be this whenever acting as part of a group, or leading a crew.
* [[Smashing Hallway Traps of Doom]]: The Argonauts had to pass their ships through the maritime version in [[Greek Mythology]].
* [[Smite Me, O Mighty Smiter!]]: One of the Ajaxes in ''[[The Iliad (Literature)|The Iliad]]'' curses the gods until Poseidon and Zeus both smite him.
* [[Soiled City On a Hill]]: The state of the world just before [[The Great Flood]] occurred, and of Sodom and Gomorrah. Atlantis in [[Classical Mythology]], and Dvārakā in the ''[[Mahabharata (Literature)|Mahabharata]]'', both sank into the seas for this reason.
* [[Solar Powered Magnifying Glass]]: Used to light the Olympic torch in ''[[The Clouds (Theatre)|The Clouds]]''. Greek historian Lucian claimed that Archimedes built a giant bronze mirror and set fire to ships attacking Syracuse, but the story is hard to believe.
* [[The Sons and The Spears]]: The oldest known version is by Plutarch.
* [[
* [[Spontaneous Choreography]]: The Greek chorus did this on stage, as evidenced in the terms ''strophe'' and ''antistrophe'' (referring to dancing), though the actual dance steps are lost.
* [[Standard Hero Reward]]: The Greek seer Melampos "won" a princess for a bride by performing heroic feats.
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* [[Taken for Granite]]: Everybody who ever looked at a Greek Gorgon. Lot's wife was turned into a pillar of salt in [[Genesis (Literature)|Genesis]] 19.
* [[Take That]]: ''[[The Bible (Literature)|The Bible]]'' includes several passages that amount to insults directed at enemies of ancient Israel, such as saying that the people of Moab and Ammon were descended from the products of [[Parental Incest]]. [[Euripides (Creator)|Euripides]]'s ''[[Electra (Theatre)|Electra]]'' mocks a plot development in [[Aeschylus (Creator)|Aeschylus]]'s ''Oresteia''.
* [[Take That, Audience!]]: Most surviving Ancient Greek comedies featured a ''parabasis'', in which the actors suddenly halted the plot to spend several minutes insulting random spectators. Aristophanes's characters also insulted the audience in their dialogue.
* [[Taking You With Me]]: ''[[The Bible (Literature)|The Bible]]'' -- post [[Traumatic Haircut]] Samson and the Philistines, specifically.
* [[Talking Your Way Out]]: Sisyphos did this to escape [[The Underworld]] after he died.
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* [[Turtle Island]]: Pliny the Elder in his ''Natural History'' describes a giant fish called ''pristis'', which is so big that sailors have taken it for an island and landed on its back.
* [[Twenty Bear Asses]]: Four words: David. Hundred Philistine foreskins. Worst. Quest. Ever.
* [[Two Lines, No Waiting]]: ''[[The Odyssey (Literature)|The Odyssey]]'' has Odysseus attempting to get home, and Odysseus's son Telemachos's attempts to find his father.
* [[Ugly Guy, Hot Wife]]: Hephaestus and Aphrodite in ''[[The Iliad (Literature)|The Iliad]]''.
* [[Unaccustomed As I Am to Public Speaking]]: Socrates at his trial, according to Plato.
* [[Underdressed for The Occasion]]: Appears in [[The Four Gospels (Literature)|Matthew 22]].
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* [[We Have Become Complacent]]: Croesus and Solon, as described in Herodotus' ''[[Histories (Literature)|Histories]]''.
* [[Welcome Back Traitor]]: ''[[The Bible (Literature)|The Bible]]''.
* [[What Happened to The Mouse?]]: Several examples in [[Classical Mythology|Classical]], [[Norse Mythology|Norse]], and [[The Bible (Literature)|Judeo-Christian mythology]], ranging from Aeneas after evading Achilles in ''[[The Iliad (Literature)|The Iliad]]'' to Jesus Christ's stepfather Joseph after [[The Four Gospels (Literature)|Luke 2:41-51]]. See [[What Happened to The Mouse?|the trope page]] for details.
* [[
* [[Who Wants to Live Forever?]]: The message is already implied in the [[Greek Mythology|Greek myth]] of Tithonos, who wished for immortality but forgot to ask for eternal youth, and now ages ''forever''.
* [[Wicked Stepmother]]: In [[Greek Mythology]], Hera reacted to her husband Zeus' constant infidelity by harassing or trying to kill her stepchildren, such as Apollo, Artemis, and Heracles.
* [[Wig, Dress, Accent]]: ''[[The Bible (Literature)|The Bible]]'' -- A minor prophet in 1 Kings 20 disguises himself by pulling his headband down over his eyes.
* [[Wizard Duel]]: In "Prince Khaemwase and Si-Osiri," the story-within-the-story features a duel between an Egyptian wizard and an Ethiopian wizard at the royal court in Memphis. Though Egyptian, this tale is only from the 1st century CE.
* [[A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing]]: One of [[Aesop's Fables (Literature)|Aesop's Fables]].
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