History OneManArmy / MythologyAndReligion

* ''Literature/{{Mahabharata}}''

** Abhimanyu, one of the youngest warriors of the Kurukshetra war, is best known for his feats on the 13th day of the war. After an attempt in penetrating the notoriously difficult Chakravyuha (a military formation made up of eight concentric circles), that went wrong, Abhimanyu was trapped alone in the formation. His father, Arjuna, had not taught him how to exit the formation. Nevertheless, Abhimanyu fought on, killing 10,000 enemy troops and defeating formidable warriors like Shalya, Duhshasana, Duryodhana, and even his father's rival, Karna. Eventually, the Kauravas violated the code of honour during war, gang up on Abhimanyu and killed him.

** That night, Abhimanyu's father, Arjuna, was devastated upon his son's death and flew into rage after learning of his unfair death at the hands of the Kauravas. He held Jayadratha responsible for sealing the Chakravyuha that led to his son's death and vowed to kill him before sundown to avenge Abhimanyu's death. The following day, Arjuna embarked on his mission, killing Sudakshina, Shrutayu, Ashrutayu, Niyatayu, Dirghayu, Vinda, Anuvinda, and Shrutayudha as well as massacring hundreds and thousands of enemy troops along the way. As the greatest archer of his time, Arjuna single-handedly confronted an entire lineup of the best warriors, including Karna, Shalya, Kripacharya, Ashwatthama, Duryodhana and more. Eventually, with some help from Krishna, Arjuna fulfils his vow by beheading Jayadratha before sunset.

** Several figures in the Fenian Cycle, both heroic and villainous, are varitable one-man armies to varying degrees.

* In the ''Literature/TheCattleRaidOfCooley'', Queen Medb decides to invade Ulster just as all of its men fall ill due to an age-old curse. The only soldier unaffected is the teenage Cu Chulainn. He manages to single-handedly hold off Medb's forces for ''months'' - and this is ''before'' he goes into a [[SuperpoweredEvilSide warp spasm]].

* The early Welsh legends about [[Myth/KingArthur King Arthur]] (found in, among others, ''Literature/HistoriaBrittonum'') claim that Arthur personally killed more than 900 Saxons in the Battle of Badon Hill:

* The "einhärjar" of {{Myth/Norse Mythology}} are dead warriors brought to Valhalla to fight and feast all day until Ragnarök. Not only does a warrior that endlessly train for years upon years sound nigh-unmatchable, the term "einhärjar" translated from Old Norse means [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "army of one"]].

* As mentioned in ''Literature/TheIlliad'' and depicted in ''Literature/TheThebaid'', Tydeus is able to fight off fifty men (including several demigods). He crushes five men by throwing a boulder on them, he skewers a fierce assassin by throwing a lance through his tongue, and continues on like this until he's single-handedly killed forty-nine soldiers who had the element of surprise. He then allows the single survivor to bear the bad news back to his boss in Thebes.

* The early Welsh legends about [[Myth/KingArthur "King" Arthur]] (found in, among others, ''Literature/HistoriaBrittonum'') claim that Arthur personally killed more than 900 Saxons in the Battle of Badon Hill:

* The early Welsh legends about [[KingArthur "King" Arthur]] (found in, among others, ''Literature/HistoriaBrittonum'') claim that Arthur personally killed more than 900 Saxons in the Battle of Badon Hill:

* In the ''Literature/TainBoCuailnge'', Queen Medb decides to invade Ulster just as all of its men fall ill due to an age-old curse. The only soldier unaffected is the teenage Cu Chulainn. He manages to single-handedly hold off Medb's forces for ''months'' - and this is ''before'' he goes into a [[SuperpoweredEvilSide warp spasm]].

* Dietrich of Bern fought many battles against multiple foes. Escpecially later in life he helped Atilla the Hun in many battles being, as most heroes of old, like a rock in the waves.

* Siegfried of Xanthen (nordic: Sigurd), central figure of the Nibelungenlied. He fought against the combined armies of Saxons and Danes on the Burgundian side. Depending on the source, he either killed hundreds of men in battle and then the two respective kings or he just defeated them in a duel.

* [[Myth/AztecMythology Huitzilopochtli]] (as befits a war god, of course). The first thing he did upon being born (fully grown) was kill 400 gods.

* In ''Literature/TheShahnameh'' Rostam singlehandedly conquers the land of Mazandaran and frees his king and the Persian army.

* And of course, we can't forget to mention biblical Samson, known for slaughtering one-third of a three thousand-strong army before the rest fled, with a jawbone.

** The angel that was sent to protect Jerusalem from invasion of Sennacherib's army. It killed ''185,000'' soldiers in one night. By the time Sennacherib woke up, the tents of his army has nothing but corpses.

* And of course, we can't not mention biblical Samson, known for slaughtering one-third of a three thousand-strong army before the rest fled, with a jawbone.
** Samson's got nothing on Jesus, though. The Book of Revelation says that when Jesus returns, He's going to one-shot an entire army.

* [[UsefulNotes/AztecMythology Huitzilopochtli]] (as befits a war god, of course). The first thing he did upon being born (fully grown) was kill 400 gods.

* [[AztecMythology Huitzilopochtli]] (as befits a war god, of course). The first thing he did upon being born (fully grown) was kill 400 gods.

* In the ''Literature/TainBoCuailnge'', Queen Medb decides to invade Ulster just as all of it's men fall ill due to an age-old curse. The only soldier unaffected is the teenage Cu Chulainn. He manages to single-handedly hold off Medb's forces for ''months'' - and this is ''before'' he goes into a [[SuperpoweredEvilSide warp spasm]].

* Some accounts of the Battle of Badon Hill claim that KingArthur slew 960 Saxons in a single day.
* In the ''TainBoCuailnge'', Queen Medb decides to invade Ulster just as all of it's men fall ill due to an age-old curse. The only soldier unaffected is the teenage Cu Chulainn. He manages to single-handedly hold off Medb's forces for ''months'' - and this is ''before'' he goes into a [[SuperpoweredEvilSide warp spasm]].