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The Ballad of the White Horse
- 176 statements
- 33 feature instances
- 11 referencing feature instances
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The Ballad of the White Horse | |
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TheBalladOfTheWhiteHorse | |
The Ballad of the White Horse | comment |
The Ballad of the White Horse is a 1911 epic poem by G. K. Chesterton that follows King Alfred the Great as he rallies chieftains from all around England to defeat the invading army of Guthrum the Dane. It’s generally considered to be one of the last traditional epic poems written in the English language.The title refers to the Uffington White Horse, a figure carved into a hill over 3000 years ago depicting a rearing horse. Throughout the book, the Uffington Horse is metaphorical of civilized England. Under the rule of the pagan vikings, it became overrun with weeds and grass, whereas under Alfred's rule, it is tended to and kept clear. This is also used to illustrate how constant work and vigilance must be maintained to keep anarchy at bay. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_2059a430 | type |
The Hedonist | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_2059a430 | comment |
Each of Alfred's chiefs represents one of the cultural influences that created England (Saxon, Roman, and Celt) as well as different strata of Christian life (everyday working class, intellectual, and mystic), while each of Guthrum's faction represents various contrasting types of what Chesterton dubs "pagan nihilism" (The Hedonist, The Pessimist, an Omnicidal Maniac, and a Nietzsche Wannabe). | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_266a9dd6 | type |
Heel–Faith Turn | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_266a9dd6 | comment |
Heel–Faith Turn: Guthrum after the Battle of Ethandune. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_266a9dd6 | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_39441318 | type |
Horny Vikings | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_39441318 | comment |
Horny Vikings: The Danes, and not necessarily a sympathetic version. Some, like Guthrum, are able of becoming more, but at the start of the poem, they are the "foes of settles house and creed" destroying all civilization in their wake. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_3d897748 | type |
Do Not Go Gentle | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_3d897748 | comment |
Do Not Go Gentle: Alfred's speech before the last charge. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_3d897748 | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_3ed195b4 | type |
Human Pincushion | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_3ed195b4 | comment |
Human Pincushion: Eldred is impaled on seven spears before he dies. He shrugs off six, but Elf's magic weapon puts him down for the count. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_3ed195b4 | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_44a1dd10 | type |
King Incognito | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_44a1dd10 | comment |
King Incognito: Alfred meets with the Danish leaders in disguise as a wandering minstrel. There's also the woman in the forest. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_493bc214 | type |
Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_493bc214 | comment |
Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie: Before the battle, each of Alfred's Chieftains says where they would like to be buried. Eldred wants to be buried on his farm, and Colan in the forest where he can hear the voices of the ancient celtic trees. Mark subverts this by requesting them to bury him wherever he falls as "All the earth is Roman earth, and I shall die in Rome". | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_519f108a | type |
Throwing Your Sword Always Works | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_519f108a | comment |
Throwing Your Sword Always Works: In spite of it being the only sword he or his men had available, Colan starts the battle off by swinging it in a circle over his head and hurling it into the oncoming army. It hits Guthrum’s nephew Harold right smack in the head, killing him. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_53f5119f | type |
The Dragon | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_53f5119f | comment |
The Dragon: Ogier, Guthrum's eldest chieftain and mightiest warrior. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_55fa41e2 | type |
NietzscheWannabe | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_55fa41e2 | comment |
Nietzsche Wannabe: Guthrum's sings about how, finding that there is no God or great meaning in life, all he has left is to lay waste to whole nations, because battle is the only time when he can forget the emptiness of existence. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_56515a39 | type |
Artistic License – History | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_56515a39 | comment |
Artistic License – History: Chesterton openly claims this in the introduction to the poem, saying that he intends it to capture ideas rather than a factual account of what actually happened. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_5c300c3b | type |
The Berserker | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_5c300c3b | comment |
The Berserker: Ogier and the Danes he leads to drive Colan and Alfred apart. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_5ff56a1f | type |
Long List | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_5ff56a1f | comment |
Long List: In book 7, one is provided of the Danish warlords Alfred kills in battle. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_66705432 | type |
The Old Gods | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_66705432 | comment |
The Old Gods: When Ogier, one of Guthrum's earls, takes up Alfred's harp, he sings of "gods behind the gods" who seek to destroy all that exists, god and man alike. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_67d722d8 | type |
A Storm Is Coming | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_67d722d8 | comment |
A Storm Is Coming: The Virgin Mary, and by extension Alfred, doesn't actually say the assembled forces of Christanity will win, just that waiting will solve nothing and is only going to make things worse. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_6a6760fa | type |
The Power of Hate | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_6a6760fa | comment |
The Power of Hate: Ogier sings about how the only thing left that fuels him is his hatred for all things. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_77468805 | type |
God Is Dead | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_77468805 | comment |
God Is Dead: Guthrum’s song is about his atheism, and about how it has left him hopeless and miserable. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_7f152e56 | type |
Our Mermaids Are Different | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_7f152e56 | comment |
Our Mermaids Are Different: The Rhine-maidens mentioned in the description of Elf's spear. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_7f152e56 | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_89a98f45 | type |
Living Relic | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_89a98f45 | comment |
Living Relic: Mark is one of the last Romans still in England, stubbornly still growing grapes and drinking wine, even as the climate of Britain is making it more and more difficult. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_8ad43dc9 | type |
Ragtag Bunch of Misfits | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_8ad43dc9 | comment |
Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: Colan's part of the army, which is so poor and badly-equipped Harold compares them to scarecrows and says he'll shoot them like carrion, as they're not worth fighting like real men. Then Colan throws a sword into his face. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_916c72b3 | type |
Rule of Symbolism | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_916c72b3 | comment |
Rule of Symbolism: The titular White Horse represents the state of England — as the Danes ravage the country, it is overrun with lichen and weeds, and after Alfred wins, he bids the people preserve it. In addition, keeping the Horse clean from weeds to preserve it is equated with defending society from the threats facing it. Each of Alfred's chiefs represents one of the cultural influences that created England (Saxon, Roman, and Celt) as well as different strata of Christian life (everyday working class, intellectual, and mystic), while each of Guthrum's faction represents various contrasting types of what Chesterton dubs "pagan nihilism" (The Hedonist, The Pessimist, an Omnicidal Maniac, and a Nietzsche Wannabe). | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_94cce63e | type |
Fighting Irish | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_94cce63e | comment |
Fighting Irish: Colan, a Celtic remnant and Christian convert. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_9b54d536 | type |
Evil Counterpart | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_9b54d536 | comment |
Evil Counterpart: Each of Alfred's chiefs represents an aspect of Christianity and faith, and each one has a foil in the Danes' camp. The foil of the hardworking farmer, Eldred, is Harold, the hedonist, who wishes to enjoy all the world has to offer, but not to make anything of his own. Mark, the Roman, represents reason and rationality, and is matched by Elf, the mystical bard who searches the Earth for wisdom without finding it. Finally, the Irish Colan, who represents the passionate, emotional aspect of faith, is reflected by Ogier, who has nothing left in life but his hatred. And, of course, Alfred, the Christian king who is all too aware of his own flaws and sins, is contrasted with Guthrum, the noble and wise pagan who is all too aware of the emptiness and nihilism at the heart of his and his companions' philosophies. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_9d73f176 | type |
Wandering Minstrel | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_9d73f176 | comment |
Wandering Minstrel: Alfred meets with the chiefs disguised as one. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_9d73f176 | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_a9eb984b | type |
Warrior Poet | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_a9eb984b | comment |
Warrior Poet: All of the principle characters, particularly the main antagonists, Harold, Elf, Ogier, and Guthrum, who each take turns singing about what motivates them, ultimately showing how hollow and meaningless their lives are. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_a9eb984b | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_abbe5875 | type |
Evil Weapon | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_abbe5875 | comment |
Evil Weapon: Elf's enchanted spear, a magical weapon forged "by the monstrous water maids". | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_ad0a6be5 | type |
ThePessimist | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_ad0a6be5 | comment |
The Pessimist: Elf, Guthrum's bard, who sings about how humans, in their ignorance, cannot secure anything, even the things they value most. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_ad0a6be5 | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_b1619b3c | type |
Omnicidal Maniac | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_b1619b3c | comment |
Omnicidal Maniac: Ogier and his "gods behind the gods". All pleasures in Ogier's life have faded, save for his hatred and the base pleasure of breaking things. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_c3b40ab8 | type |
Evil Redhead | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_c3b40ab8 | comment |
Evil Redhead: Ogier in particular is called out as being red-haired, and is the most maliciously nihilistic of the Danes. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_dda99fa8 | type |
Despair Event Horizon | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_dda99fa8 | comment |
Despair Event Horizon: Eldred has gone through this, having seen all his friends die fruitlessly in battle against the Danes, before Alfred rouses him to fight. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_eff85ff1 | type |
The Low Middle Ages | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_eff85ff1 | comment |
The Low Middle Ages: Takes place in the 9th century, not too terribly long after the fall of Rome. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_fccd06b6 | type |
Beware the Nice Ones | |
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_fccd06b6 | comment |
Beware the Nice Ones: Eldred, known as "the Good", is a hospitable man who wants only to live in peace on his farm, and thinks of that even while in battle. He is also a giant of a man who "moves like a massacre", kills faster than anyone can count, and takes seven spears to put down. | |
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The Ballad of the White Horse |
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