History Literature / TheBalladOfTheWhiteHorse

* EvilCounterpart: Each of Alfred's chiefs represents an aspect of Christianity and faith, and each one has a foil in the Dane's 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.

-->''I tell you naught for your comfort,''
-->''Yea, naught for your desire,''
-->''Save that the sky grows darker yet,''
-->''And the sea rises higher.''

* BewareTheNiceOnes: 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.

* EvilWeapon: Elf’s enchanted spear, a magical weapon forged "[[OurMermaidsAreDifferent by the monstrous water maids]]".

-->''For the Great Gaels of Ireland''
-->''Are the men that God made mad ''
-->''For all their wars are merry''
-->''And all their songs are sad''

* MissionFromGod: Alfred’s quest to defeat the Danes comes from the Virgin Mary.
* NietzscheWannabe: 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.
* TheOldGods: 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.
* OmnicidalManiac: 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.

* ThePessimist: Elf, [[TheBard Guthrum’s bard]], who sings about how humans, in their ignorance, cannot secure anything, even the things they value most.

-->''And you that sit by the fire are young''
-->''And true love waits for you, ''
-->''But the king and I grow old, grow old,''
-->''And hate alone is true.''

* RuleOfSymbolism: 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. Furthermore, each of Alfred's chiefs represents not only some of the cultural influences that created England (Saxon, Roman, and Celt), but 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" (TheHedonist, ThePessimist, OmnicidalManiac, and NietzscheWannabe).

* AnAxeToGrind: What Alfred uses in battle after giving his sword to Colan.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Eldred, known as "the Good" is a hospitable man who wants only to live in please 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.

----

-->''Before the gods that made the gods,''
-->''Had seen their sunrise pass,''
-->''The White Horse of the White Horse Vale''
-->''Was cut out of the grass''

The Ballad of the White Horse is a 1911 {{epic poem}} by Creator/GKChesterton that follows King UsefulNotes/AlfredTheGreat 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 [[EpicPoem epic poems]] written in the English language.

* AStormIsComing:

* EvilCounterpart: Each of Alfred's chiefs represents an aspect of Christianity and faith, and each one has a foil in the Dane's 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. 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.
Eldred, the hard-working farmer is matched to Harold, King Mark's is Elf, Colan's is Ogier, and of course, Alfred's is Guthrum.

* HumanPincushion: Eldred is impaled on seven spears before he dies.

* LivingRelic: Mark is one of the last Romans still in England, stubbornly still growing grapes and drinking wine.

* RuleOfSymbolism: 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.

* EvilCounterpart: Each of Alfred's chiefs has a foil in the Dane's camp: Eldred's is Harold, Mark's is Elf, Colan's is Ogier, and of course, Alfred's is Guthrum.

* OmnicidalManiac: Ogier and his “gods behind the gods”, driven by rage and the simple, childish pleasure of breaking things now that other pleasures have faded.

* ThePowerOfHate: Also mentioned in Ogier’s song.

* WarriorPoet: All of the principle characters, with each of the Danes able to play the harp, and each of the Saxons able to wax lyrical on the situation they find themselves in.

-->''[[TimeAbyss Before the gods that made the gods,]]''

-->''[[LandmarkOfLore The White Horse of the White Horse Vale]]''

!! This show provides examples of:

* OmnicidalManiac: Ogier and his “gods behind the gods,” driven by rage and the simple, childish pleasure of breaking things now that other pleasures have faded.

* RetiredBadass: Eldred
* RousingSpeech: Multiple times.
* RuleOfSymbolism: 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.