Ancient Wisdom Atlas

Motif

single champion routs many warriors

single_champion_routs_many_warriors

A motif of the Divine Warrior and Sacred Combat family. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.

2 occurrences

2 traditions

hindu (1) · persian (1)


hindu

  • The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 2: Books 4, 5, 6 and 7 SECTION LXVI / SECTION LXVII / SECTION LXVIII / SECTION LXIX; lines 5340-5383 confidence: high

    Uttara says he did not recover the cattle or defeat the foe; a son of a deity, a youth of celestial origin, stopped him as he fled, mounted his car, recovered the cattle, defeated the Kauravas, and repulsed major warriors with arrows.

    The passage says the hero alone defeated six great Kuru car-warriors and pierced the Kuru army.

    read in the book

persian

  • The Shahnama of Firdausi, Vol. II PART V / ARGUMENT / KA1 KAUS 365 / VOL. II. 2 A; lines 18878-18935 confidence: high

    "The plain was heaped with slain, our warriors / Were routed by one man!"

    Kulbad says that the plain was heaped with slain and that the warriors were routed by one man; Piran repeats the disgrace of many soldiers turning before a single cavalier.

    read in the book