Motif
heroic last stand of an isolated warrior
heroic_last_stand_of_an_isolated_warrior
A motif of the Sacred Combat and Ritual Warfare family. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.
3 occurrences
3 traditions
hindu (1) · native american plains (1) · norse (1)
hindu
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Maha-bharata BOOK VIII / BHISHMA-BADHA / BOOK IX / DRONA-BADHA; lines 4972-5112 confidence: high
Abhimanyu is wounded from loss of blood, wipes his forehead, takes a mace, rushes his foes, fights, falls, and is said to be remembered by bards.
Abhimanyu, wounded and near death, makes a final mace attack, fights, falls, and is later described as having faced Jayadratha and six Kuru chieftains alone.
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native american plains
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Blackfoot Lodge Tales TWO WAR TRAILS 83 / TWO WAR TRAILS 85 / S6 STORIES OF ADVENTURE / S8 STORIES OF ADVENTURE; lines 3970-4010 confidence: high
E-kiis'-kini refuses to go, says the Crees are fighting a man who has harmed their people, says he is glad to be there, regrets that his ammunition will run out, and says they may kill him tomorrow.
E-kiis'-kini remains in the brush alone after his men are killed, refuses an escape route, and continues under attack until his ammunition is gone.
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norse
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Heimskringla; Or, The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway KING OLAF TRYGVASON'S SAGA. / PRELIMINARY REMARKS. / SAGA OF OLAF HARALDSON. (1) / PRELIMINARY REMARKS.; lines 16697-16826 confidence: high
The verse says all Erling's men fell, the king boarded, the deck was cleared, and Erling stood alone high on the stern of his ship.
Erling remains alone after his men fall, resists many attackers from an elevated position, refuses flight and quarter, and is praised for unmatched courage.
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