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The Ballad of the White Horse

176 statements
33 feature instances
11 referencing feature instances

The Ballad of the White Horse	type	TVTItem
The Ballad of the White Horse	label	The Ballad of the White Horse
The Ballad of the White Horse	page	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.
The Ballad of the White Horse	fetched	2023-04-09T05:59:45Z
The Ballad of the White Horse	parsed	2023-04-09T05:59:45Z
The Ballad of the White Horse	processingComment	Dropped link to HistoricalDomainCharacter: Not a Feature - IGNORE
The Ballad of the White Horse	processingComment	Dropped link to MissionFromGod: Not a Feature - ITEM
The Ballad of the White Horse	processingComment	Dropped link to WarGod: Not a Feature - ITEM
The Ballad of the White Horse	isPartOf	DBTropes
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).
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_2059a430	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	The Ballad of the White Horse / int_2059a430
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.
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_266a9dd6	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_266a9dd6	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	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.
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_39441318	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_39441318	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	The Ballad of the White Horse / int_39441318
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.
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_3d897748	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_3d897748	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	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.
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_3ed195b4	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_3ed195b4	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	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.
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_44a1dd10	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_44a1dd10	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	The Ballad of the White Horse / int_44a1dd10
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_493bc214	featureConfidence	1.0
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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.
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_519f108a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_519f108a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	The Ballad of the White Horse / int_519f108a
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.
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_53f5119f	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	The Ballad of the White Horse / int_53f5119f
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.
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_55fa41e2	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_56515a39	type	Artistic License â€“ 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.
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_56515a39	featureApplicability	1.0
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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.
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_5c300c3b	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	The Ballad of the White Horse / int_5c300c3b
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.
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_5ff56a1f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_5ff56a1f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	The Ballad of the White Horse / int_5ff56a1f
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_66705432	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	The Ballad of the White Horse / int_66705432
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.
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_67d722d8	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_67d722d8	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	The Ballad of the White Horse / int_67d722d8
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.
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_6a6760fa	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_6a6760fa	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	The Ballad of the White Horse / int_6a6760fa
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.
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_77468805	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_77468805	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	The Ballad of the White Horse / int_77468805
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.
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_7f152e56	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_7f152e56	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	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.
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_89a98f45	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_89a98f45	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	The Ballad of the White Horse / int_89a98f45
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.
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_8ad43dc9	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_8ad43dc9	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	The Ballad of the White Horse / int_8ad43dc9
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).
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_916c72b3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_916c72b3	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	The Ballad of the White Horse / int_916c72b3
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.
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_94cce63e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_94cce63e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	The Ballad of the White Horse / int_94cce63e
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.
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_9b54d536	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	The Ballad of the White Horse / int_9b54d536
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.
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_9d73f176	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_9d73f176	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	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.
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_a9eb984b	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	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".
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_abbe5875	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_abbe5875	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	The Ballad of the White Horse / int_abbe5875
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.
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_ad0a6be5	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	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.
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_b1619b3c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_b1619b3c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	The Ballad of the White Horse / int_b1619b3c
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.
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_c3b40ab8	featureApplicability	1.0
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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.
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_eff85ff1	featureApplicability	1.0
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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 / int_name	type	ItemName
The Ballad of the White Horse / int_name	comment
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The Ballad of the White Horse / int_name	itemName	The Ballad of the White Horse

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie / int_e3b65448
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	English Literature / int_e3b65448
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	God Is Dead / int_e3b65448
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	Grim Up North / int_e3b65448
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	Heel–Faith Turn / int_e3b65448
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	Human Pincushion / int_e3b65448
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	Narrative Poem / int_e3b65448
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	Rousing Speech / int_e3b65448
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	The Old Gods / int_e3b65448
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	Untouchable Until Tagged / int_e3b65448
The Ballad of the White Horse	hasFeature	Wandering Minstrel / int_e3b65448

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