History Main / TheHermit

* ''Series/TheWalkingDead'': It's no big surprise that he would enjoy being alone, but the circumstances at hand make it tragic. Daryl Dixon becomes a hermit in Season 9 Episode 5. After Rick Grimes blows up the bridge the communities were building to destroy a massive walker herd and seemingly sacrificed himself, Daryl cried over the loss of his "brother". He then silently realizes that his and Maggie's actions trying to kill Negan ended up getting Rick "killed" instead. As a result, Daryl walks off alone and lived in the woods for six long years. In the six years he spent in the woods, Daryl desperately tried to find Rick's body or evidence of survival for closure. At some point he did find a dog he simply called "Dog" who he trained and kept around for company. However, it can be presumed that Daryl spent a vast majority of the six years living in the woods completely by himself. Downplayed because he encountered Michonne looking for Rick's body on the riverbank about eight months after Rick blew up the bridge. Later on the next day, he helps her find Judith and the other missing children who were kidnapped by Michonne's old friend Jocelyn and her group. It is also subverted partially because Daryl told Carol where to find him if she wanted to see him. However, dialogue between Henry and Daryl suggest that Carol hasn't seen much of Daryl after the bridge explosion. As such, Daryl spent many years completely cut off from his allies who cared about him.

** Series/StarTrekVoyager: Janeway becomes something of a hermit after the USS ''Voyager'' enters a region of the galaxy where there are no stars and it is completely dark out by spending all of her time in her quarters and refusing to interact with anyone outside of Commander Chakotay.

** Averted in ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'': [[spoiler:After seeing a vision of herself as a Sith Rey decided to become a hermit herself on Ahch-To, however Luke

** In ''Film/TheForceAwakens'', [[spoiler:Luke Skywalker becomes a hermit out of guilt after his nephew and former apprentice massacred the new Jedi order. He technically lives in a village of intelligent aliens that maintain the planet's ruins, but he is isolated from the galactic society at large.]]

Has nothing to do with hermit crabs or members of the ''LetsPlay/HermitcraftServer''.

** ''Literature/{{Snuff}}'' introduces a hermit who lives on Sybil's countryside property, because apparently [[AluminumChristmasTrees having a hermit on one's land was once fashionable among the nobility]] and they like to keep up traditions. This one wanders around speaking cryptic philosophy and being filthy, but gets a week's vacation each year during which he behaves normally and is actually popular with the ladies, ensuring that he will have sons to carry on the profession.

Nice or not, almost all hermits are quirky. That's because LonersAreFreaks; they don't conform to society's rules about [[ThePigPen cleanliness]], [[NoSocialSkills politeness]], [[BarefootSage footwear]], or [[AlienLunch edibleness]]. Heck, they don't conform to society's standards at all. Hermits generally have a high tolerance to [[GoMadFromTheIsolation Going Mad from the Isolation]], but they're not completely immune. See "quirkiness" above.

* ''ComicBook/LeScorpion'': Gottfried dwells in the middle of the desert, protecting the Cross of Peter.

Use caution when adding examples from Eastern media -- "hermit" is a popular translation for the Chinese ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xian_(Taoism) xian]]'' and Japanese ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sennin sennin]]'', but not all xian/sennin embody this trope.

* ''Anime/{{K}}'': Adolf K. Weismann took off in a blimp after his experiment ended up accidentally making him immortal. He lives up in the sky alone for decades until... [[WalkingSpoiler plot comes along]]. He's not ill-adjusted to being around others, though -- [[spoiler: he is actually incredibly charming, though a lot of that may be due to the fake memories]].

* ''Fanfic/EgyptOnAnurKhufos'': Elias Amsude. Working as a journalist in Giza for nearly 15 years, he's grown bored with modern Egyptian life and wishes more for [[UsefulNotes/AncientEgypt what the country was like thousands of years ago]], and as such he lives under one of the smaller pyramids in a makeshift underground apartment. [[spoiler: He's actually a Thep Khufan scribe named Elastamun, who was stationed on Earth to research humans while disguised as one. By the time the story starts, he's called back to his homeworld Anur Khufos by his master, because since he was away, their species had started dying from a [[TheVirus mysterious plague]] while under the rule of a [[NephariousPharaoh ruthless pharaoh]].]]

* In ''Fanfic/TheKeysStandAlone: The Soft World'', the four are sent by the Circle to speak to a hermit in a cold piney woods about the whereabouts of a piece of the Nine-part Key. They're warned that he may not be too friendly, that he may be guarded, and that he may require some kind of service done for him before he will make with the information. What they're ''not'' warned about is that [[spoiler: there is no hermit, just an empty cave and an ambush by the Circle]].

* ''Literature/GlindaOfOz'': Reera the Red is a master shapeshifter who mostly just wants to be left alone in her small cottage with her various transformed pets; she has be cajoled and [[ReversePsychology finagled]] into undoing a ForcedTransformation spell (that someone else cast.)

* ''Theatre/{{Arcadia}}'': A MadMathematician hermit is a major plot point. By the end of the play, we know it was [[spoiler: Septimus]].

* ''Literature/GlindaOfOz'': Reera the Red is a master shapeshifter who mostly just wants to be left alone in her small cottage with her various transformed pets; she has be cajoled and [[ReversePsychology finagled]] into undoing a BalefulPolymorph spell (that someone else cast.)

%%* ''WesternAnimation/QuestForCamelot'': Garrett. He even has a theme song he sings.

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* There's the {{UsefulNotes/Tarot Card|s}} named "The Hermit", which represents contemplative solitude.
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[[folder:Real Life]]
* The early Christian hermits who lived in the deserts of Egypt and Palestine in the fourth and fifth centuries AD; indeed, words like "monk" and "monastery" derive from the Greek word ''monos'', "alone". Hermits began to congregate into loose collections (now known as "sketes"), where hermits would live around a central place where they could gather for worship; these evolved into monasteries. However, there are still monks and nuns who follow this tradition and live as hermits (they'll tell you they aren't really living alone, but choose solitude in order to experience God more fully).
* Ditto with monastic traditions in other religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.
* In 18th century England, the best gardens would have an "ornamental" hermit. This person was hired to live on the grounds in a hovel and appear occasionally for guests... at a distance. They weren't allowed to bathe or cut their nails and hair over their tenure. After several years, the hermit would be let go and paid a large sum of money. Most modern interpretations of hermits are modeled after this fad.
* Somewhat TruthInTelevision with people who have Schizoid personalities. This isn't the same as Schizophrenic: people with this disposition do not suffer from social anxiety as do {{Hikikomori}}, nor do they particularly desire to go out and interact with others, and many hold jobs and spouses. They simply prefer to be alone, and cut themselves off from the "usual" social interactions. With the new DSM-V criteria it won't be considered a disorder any more.
* Somewhat of a {{Downplayed|Trope}} example, but there's a perception that this trope is a common reason for why some Americans choose to move to Alaska.
* Famously, Creator/HenryDavidThoreau spent a bit over two years living in comparative solitude at Walden Pond, which formed the basis for his book ''Walden''. He often entertained visitors, however, and returned to society once his time was over, so his stay at Walden was more of a social experiment in simple living than an official hermit lifestyle. Oh, and his mom did his laundry for him. Walden was a popular public park in Thoreau's day, so it's basically like a modern day philosopher taking residence in one of the utility sheds in New York City's Central Park.
* The [[http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/for-40-years-this-russian-family-was-cut-off-from-all-human-contact-unaware-of-world-war-ii-7354256/ Lykov family]] lived in seclusion for nearly 40 years after fleeing religious persecution during the early years of the Soviet Union, living some 150 miles/240 kilometers away from the nearest settlements in the Siberian wilderness. They were completely unaware that UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo had occurred, or even that men had landed on the moon, and were amazed at some of what then modern society had to offer, such as cellophane. It should also be noted that their life was pretty hard, and they were under constant threat of starvation (which the mother died from in 1961) due to not having a lot of modern tools for wilderness survival many people take for granted today, such as cooking utensils or hunting gear. Additionally, three of the children died within days of each other, two from kidney failure, likely due to their diet, and a third from pneumonia. Sadly, only one of the daughters, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFK3DJ7Kn6s Agafia]] who is now in her 70's, is still alive.
* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Thomas_Knight North Pond Hermit]] lived for over 25 years in the woods of central Maine with virtually no interaction with other people (other than breaking into their camps) until he was finally caught and arrested in 2013.
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* ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'': Invoked when [[http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=4243 asking whether the Storytime Zombie's ignorance stems from living in a cave]].

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyroDawnOfTheDragon'': While exploring Avalar, Spyro and Cynder encounter an old cheetah hermit who lives alone in the wilderness rather than among the other cheetahs in the village. His time alone is shown to have taken a toll on him, as while he's wise and well-informed he's also a touch deranged and his advice is couched in taunts and ominous implications and punctuated by bursts of cackling.

* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade'', [[NeverMessWithGranny Niime]] is known as the Hermit on the Mountain, and, after the end of the game, she's stated to have returned to her reclusive life to continue her research into [[GreatOffscreenWar the Scouring]] and [[CastingAShadow Elder Magic]]. It's thought that she was able to unlock many of the world's mysteries, but she never left any written records.
* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'', Sahasrahla is an old, wise man who chose to move out of Kakariko Town and live alone in the ancient ruins of the Eastern Palace.

Has nothing to do with hermit crabs.

* Famously, Creator/HenryDavidThoreau spent a bit over two years living in comparative solitude at Walden Pond, which formed the basis for his book ''Walden''. He often entertained visitors, however, and returned to society once his time was over, so his stay at Walden was more of a social experiment in simple living than an official hermit lifestyle. Oh, and his mom did his laundry for him.

* ''Literature/{{Noob}}'': The Ashentäk Oracle had to leave the city to settle in the Ashentäk BubblegloopSwamp, due to being a BlessedWithSuck {{Seer}} who would get regularly harassed. She's aware that whoever goes though the trouble of paying her a visit must ''really'' need her help, so she's as good a hostess as living in a half-sunken castle can permit her.

* There's the Tarot card named "The Hermit", which represents contemplative solitude.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': In the Remnant fairytale, the Story of the Seasons, The Old Wizard lived in an isolated cabin in the middle of a forest. He received no visitors and hadn't even left the house to step outside in centuries when the four heroic sisters encountered him. Through their compassion and persistence, they encouraged him to accept their presence, their help and to even step into the sunlight, transforming his life for the better. In return, he rewarded them with his magical powers so they could use them to help humanity.

** ''The Story of the Seasons'': The Old Wizard lived in an isolated cabin in the middle of a forest. He received no visitors and hadn't even left the house to step outside in centuries when the four sisters encountered him. Through their compassion and persistence, they encouraged him to accept their presence, their help and to even step into the sunlight, transforming his life for the better. [[spoiler:The Old Wizard is one of [[BigGood Professor Ozpin's]] previous [[ResurrectiveImmortality incarnations]], something he confirms in Volume 5 of the [[WebAnimation/{{RWBY}} main show]].]]