Warrior Poet: Difference between revisions

Thus singers, poets, and writers have gone off and joined the armed forces, looking for that glory and enlightenment. They are often welcomed by the other warriors who want someone who can express their feelings and experiences in poetry or song. Often because they themselves feel those things too deeply to be able to express them bluntly in plain words [[Wisdom from the Gutter|(unless they are drunk).]]

 

 

If he's the lead he might be a loner, with his fellows unable to understand his way of thinking. It probably also is a way of showing his [[Love Interest]] that he's not just a bloodthirsty barbarian, but actually a sensitive soul who is forced to do horrible things because of the war.

 

'''Note''':

 

== Anime and Manga ==

* Gennosuke Kouga from ''[[Basilisk]]'' is not only a mighty swordsman who doesn't even need to brandish his blade to kill you, he's also a talented flautist and dancer.

* Siegfried Sasson, Wilifred Owen, and Robert Graves in ''[[The Regeneration Trilogy]]'', see the [[Real Life]] entry below.

* According to Ax, in the ''[[Animorphs]]'' universe Andalite warriors are supposed to be scientists and artists as well as soldiers. How well the first two actually take depends on the individual.

 

== Live Action TV ==

 

== Music ==

* Much of the lasting appeal of slain rap icon [[Tupac Shakur]] is the question of whether he was, deep down, an intellectual or a thug.

* Celtic Folk Song [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ssHxZABrpE "The Minstrel Boy"], about a minstrel boy that goes to fight in a war.

 

== Tabletop Games ==

* ''[[Werewolf: The Apocalypse]]'' had the Fianna, which were a tribe of Warrior Poets in what was already a species of [[Proud Warrior Race Guy]]s. They supposedly spawned the first werewolf bard in all of existence. They're also just a little bit [[Oireland|Oirish]].

** Speaking of that "werewolf bard", it's actually one of the five Auspices—the Galliard, born under the gibbous moon, who starts the game with the second-highest Rage rating of all five Auspices, but whose Gifts tend towards communication, inspiration, and passion. They reappear in ''[[Werewolf: The Forsaken]]'' as Cahaliths, and while there are still bardic elements, they're more regarded as prophets.

*** [[Parrot Exposition|Shaped like themselves?]]

** In terms of literal poetry—he does deliver legitimately evocative soliloquies at the start of ''[[Metal Gear Solid]] 4'' and at the end of ''[[Metal Gear Solid]] 2'', although he does have quite a few clunkers at other moments.

* ''[[Betrayal at Krondor]]'' has Gorath, whose Warrior Poet views are the main point of conflict between him and the rest of his race.

* Wrex of ''[[Mass Effect]]'', who is surprisingly philosophical for your average reptilian [[Heroic Sociopath]] [[Bounty Hunter]]. Ashley Williams as well, in what is actually a quite literal example: she really ''does'' quote poetry. Classical poetry as a matter of fact, and she gets the quotation right, too. She also examines her own religious and philosophical leanings and the impact that space travel and aliens have on the theoretical existence of God.

*** Jack's poetry also seems to be less a cultured pursuit, and more a way of grappling with her own personal demons (of which she has plenty).

** Kasumi is revealed to have written several haiku (again, from the Shadow Broker's files).

* [[Blood Knight]] Karel managed to turn into one of these after [[Fire Emblem]] 7. In the chronological sequel, [[Fire Emblem]] 6, he's a calm and philosophical swordsman, a far cry from his bloodthirsty younger self.

* Colonel Corazon Santiago shows signs of this in ''[[Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri]]''. As with all faction leaders, the game occasionally gives quotes from her, ostensibly excerpts from books she's written, and while her philosophical side is very military-oriented and bleak, it's also perfectly suited for the [[Death World]] she and her followers have landed on.

** There's nothing borderline about [[Cool Old Guy|Iroh]], though. It's a slow reveal, but beneath that patient, tea-loving, belly-laughing, [[Koan]]-spouting surface is a guy who could [[Badass Grandpa|hand an army their asses on a platter]]—and ''does,'' several times. Remember: [[Memetic Badass|when Iroh was in prison, he wasn't pushing himself up -- he was pushing the Fire Nation down.]]

* Bow, [[The One Guy]] and [[The Archer]] from ''[[She-Ra: Princess of Power|She Ra Princess of Power]]'', is a bard in his free time and loves playing his harp.

{{quote|By nature's hand, by craft, by art,

What once was one now fly apart! }}

** But one day he finds himself travelling through the desert, and his company is set upon by bandits. Hopelessly outnumbered, Mutanabbi and company turned to flee, but he was stopped by a servant who asked him, "What about those famous lines of yours, 'I am known to night, and horses, etc.'" Determined to make good on his rep, Mutanabbi turned and charged the bandits single-handedly. [[Downer Ending|He was instantly killed]].

** For that matter however, played straight with ancient Arab tribes of the Quraysh during around 6th century AD in Mecca. While a good bit of them are traders, the most renowned warriors are also poets; in fact, one's prestige during the Quraish era was either on their feats of prowess in combat and/or their poetry. The affinity of poetry in Middle East is in full effect even today, and while the "warrior" aspect has faded nowadays, it certainly was in full force in ancient times.

* [[Bruce Lee]] graduated from university with a degree in Philosophy. He wrote a book about the philosophy behind his martial art while recuperating from a spinal injury caused by excessive weightlifting.

* Does Erich Maria Remarque (of ''[[All Quiet on the Western Front]]'' fame) count, since he wrote an anti-war book?

** Considering that he was a veteran of The Western Front, I would say so. It is especially true, when you consider the significan factor of the disconnect between the frontline soldiers and those they left behind (without even getting into the garritroopers who stayed back as well, who are treated with proper disdain by Remarque).

* [[wikipedia:Egill Skallagrimsson|Egil Skallagrimsson]] of Iceland was famous as both a fighter (a berserker in fact) and a poet. He subverts this trope somewhat, in that while he had a caring and sentimental side, he also had a terrible temper and sometimes behaved very rashly.

* Emperor Marcus Aurelius of [[Ancient Rome]] was more famous for his philosophical thoughts then for his warlike enterprises.

* Several eighteenth and nineteenth century military and naval officers. Including King [[Magnificent Bastard|Frederick the Great]].

** "Several" puts it mildly. Life at sea was dull and many (most) turned to the arts and other intellectual pursuits to pass the time. Naval gazettes included poems written by officers, and officers were known to collect their works and publish. Note: They weren't necessarily inspired, nor even all that good, but, still, there you are.

* [[wikipedia:William Golding|William Golding]], a [[Nobel Laureate]] who fought in World War Two and wrote much more than [[Lord of the Flies]].

* The two poems in [[Audie Murphy]]'s war memoir ''To Hell and Back'' were composed by him, although they are attributed to a different character in the book. He wrote poems about his war experiences all his life, but had little interest in publishing them, often discarding or mislaying them when he was done. The Alabama War Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama includes lines from one of his later poems. Also co-wrote lyrics for [[Country Music]] songs, mostly about love, loss and depression in general, rather than about the war in particular.

* Barry Sadler was a Green Beret and [[Glamorous Wartime Singer|folk-singer of the Vietnam War]]. He is most famous for ''Ballad of the Green Berret''.

* Some nations have more of a tradition of religion or ideology or both then others and it is hard to picture them being quite professional about war because they Just Don't Do That. America and Israel for instance have both produced effective soldiers but both have usually looked at it in some way as more then just another job especially Israel which has been historically taken the maintaining of an effective militia more seriously whereas America has had more demands for frontier wars and defense of wide ranging commitments that can only be taken care of by professionals. Even so every time an American war is well in the headlines there is talk about liberty, how much power to give to the state to defend security, whether or not a war is truly just and so on. [[American Civil War]] soldiers on both sides were unusually ideologized. Surprisingly [[World War 2]] was toned down in this among the American rank and file, by comparison with the civil war and a lot of soldiers enlisted for tribalistic revenge and stayed on for team loyalty but there was plenty of deeper thought about war in any case. Israel which is similar to America in many ways like having a quirky combination of rationalism and idealism, a pioneer tradition, and even a single star on it's flag like [[Everything Is Big in Texas|the most flamboyantly warlike American state]] tends to have soldiers who think deeply about the philosophical implications of war, because [[Jews Love to Argue|everything there is about ideas.]]

**Prussia in the eighteenth century had an unusual number of warrior poets for Germany, partly because it's army was a quirky combination of part shanghais and part, not quite citizen(for that is inapplicable in an absolute monarchy)but respectable burghers rather then just a marching workhouse of otherwise-unemployables commanded by aristocrats.

**Despite it's heady history of religious and political conflict and it's contribution to political theory, England seems to be an aversion to the above and to have been defended mostly by fairly mundane professionals who give few thoughts to such things. Partly because of it's need for Imperial policing which mainly requires soldiers that do the job without embarrassing their bosses to much. England has had it's warrior poets famously outliers like spies and special ops people but there was a strain of distrust for intellectual soldiers that was often detrimental to efficiency as intellectuals are also the ones who study strategy, tactics, and military history. English officers are often loyal and decent folk who [[Officer and a Gentleman|mix well in civilized circles]] and English enlisted men are legendary for their ability to [[Determinator|take what is thrown at them.]] But the English warrior-poet tradition though it exists is not as intense as in some countries.

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Seekers]]

[[Category:Older Than Feudalism]]