History Main / PikePeril

[[folder:Folklore]]

[[caption-width-right:350:Danger at a massive ''scale''.]]

%% Image and caption selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1621406022008427900

[[caption-width-right:350:Danger at a massive scale.]]

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[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/TheSwordInTheStone https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/9914d2df07f4116106d9b62c1d47a5e5.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Why couldn't Merlin have just turned Arthur into an alligator, instead?]]

Pike are a species of carnivorous freshwater fish found in Europe and North America. As an aggressive species prone to cannibalism, they're often used as a rivergoing threat in animal-centered works. They aren't usually depicted as a threat to humans, but they will often be shown as a SuperPersistentPredator towards smaller animals. In works that take place in saltwater, barracudas may fill this role, although (despite looking a lot like pikes, and even being referred to as "sea pikes,") they aren't related.

Pike are a species of carnivorous freshwater fish found in Europe and North America. As an aggressive species prone to cannibalism, they're often used as a rivergoing threat in animal-centered works. They aren't usually depicted as a threat to humans, but they will often be shown as a SuperPersistentPredator towards smaller animals.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSwordInTheStone'': During his transformation into a fish, Wart is pursued by a pike with slasher-movie-villain levels of OffscreenTeleportation, and has to be rescued by Archimedes ([[BlatantLies who claims he only did it because he wanted to eat Wart]]).

* In ''Literature/WatershipDown'' a story is told about El-ahrairah outsmarting a hungry pike: "Once, so they say, he had to get home by swimming across a river in which there was a large and hungry pike. El-ahrairah combed himself until he had enough fur to cover a clay rabbit, which he pushed into the water. The pike rushed at it, bit it and left it in disgust. After a little, it drifted to the bank and El-ahrairah dragged it out and waited a while before pushing it in again. After an hour of this, the pike left it alone, and when it had done so for the fifth time, El-ahrairah swam across himself and went home."

[[quoteright:350:[[Disney/TheSwordInTheStone https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/9914d2df07f4116106d9b62c1d47a5e5.jpg]]]]

* ''Disney/TheSwordInTheStone'': During his transformation into a fish, Wart is pursued by a pike with slasher-movie-villain levels of OffscreenTeleportation, and has to be rescued by Archimedes ([[BlatantLies who claims he only did it because he wanted to eat Wart]]).

Compare TheCatfish (where the fish's size makes it a WorthyOpponent to fishermen), PiranhaProblem for the tropical equivalent, and ThreateningShark for saltwater dangers.

** An otterclan managed to capture an enormous pike which they call Stormfin, and use it to great effect to defend their homes (they beat a drum to announce it's being let out so the otters know to get the hell out of the water). Most notably, they release Stormfin against a monstrous, mad water rat that the wildcat queen Tsarmina sent against them, and which the pike brutally kills. Stormfin has associated its holding pen with regular food, so it will return eventually.

** An otterclan managed to capture an enormous pike which they call Stormfin, and use it to great effect to defend their homes (they beat a drum to announce it's being let out so the otters know to get the hell out of the water). Stormfin has associated its holding pen with regular food, so it will return eventually.

-->''Power is of the individual mind, but the mind's power is not enough. Power of the body decides everything in the end, and only Might is Right.''

* ''Literature/TheOnceAndFutureKing'': In the first book, Merlyn transforms young Arthur into a fish after the boy wishes for it, leading to an encounter with an enormous pike who rules the castle's moat and argues that might makes right and that power is the only thing worth respecting, before trying to eat Arthur. Merlyn intends this excursion as a lesson against absolute monarchy, and how it leads to tyrants like the pike.

* ''Literature/TheBoxOfDelights'': On one of Kay's trips into the box, he is shown the natural world by Herne the Hunter, transforming into different animals each time they encounter a threat. When they are swimming in a stream as fish, the threat is a pike.

* The player briefly encounters Pikefishes as one of the common enemies after piranhas during the fourth level in ''VideoGame/TheOceanHunter''.
* Pikes are relatively uncommon fish in the ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' series, only found in rivers during the Winter.

Pike are a species of carnivorous freshwater fish found in Europe and North America. As an aggressive species prone to cannibalism, they're often used as a rivergoing threat in animal-centered works.

!! Examples:

[[AC:Comic Books]]
* ''{{ComicBook/Garulfo}}'': One of the main reasons Garulfo wants to be a human is that as a frog, he's at the mercy of fish much bigger than him, and sees a human hooking and pulling a pike out of the water as proof that they're the SuperiorSpecies, planning to eat a pike every day in revenge.

[[AC:Film- Animated]]

[[AC:Literature]]
* ''{{Literature/Redwall}}'': Pike are a recurring obstacle to river travel, though they end up eating uncautious vermin more often than heroes.

[[AC:Poetry]]

-->Pike, three inches long, perfect
-->Pike in all parts, green tigering the gold.
-->Killers from the egg: the malevolent aged grin.
-->They dance on the surface among the flies.

[[AC:Tabletop Games]]

[[AC:Video Games]]

* Pikes are relatively uncommon fish in the ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' series, only found in rivers during the Winter.

[[AC:VideoGames]]

* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrolls'' Slaughterfish are basically pikes in all but name, being small, aggressive freshwater fish. The thieves guild quest in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'' even features a giant one.

* The player briefly encounters Pikefishes as one of the common enemies after piranhas during the fourth level in ''VideoGame/TheOceanHunter''.