History Main / WanderingMinstrel

Not to be confused with SpoonyBard or [[WilliamShakespeare The Bard]].

---> [[TheMikado '''Nanki-Poo''']]: ''"A wand'ring minstrel I, a thing of shreds and patches, of ballads, songs and snatches, and dreamy lullaby!"''

---> [[TheMikado'''Nanki-Poo''']]: ''"A wand'ring minstrel I, a thing of shreds and patches, of ballads, songs and snatches, and dreamy lullaby!"''

---> '''Nanki-Poo''': [[TheMikado "A wand'ring minstrel I, a thing of shreds and patches, of ballads, songs and snatches, and dreamy lullaby!"]]

* The main characters and others in the ''BardicVoices'' series by MercedesLackey. There's the Guild Bards and Minstrels, the Free Bards (those that are good enough to be in the Guild, but can't because they're women, or don't like the Guild), and ordinary minstrels.

* Leliana from ''DragonAge'', at least in her life before the Chanry. Of course, "bards" are more often than not professional spies, but their job still involves considerable amounts of musical entertainment. In Orlais it's apparently an exciting spice to a party to know that the performing bard might be spying on you, or planning to assassinate you. Appropriately for a bard, Leliana is the most GenreSavvy person in your party.

* Toyed with in FireEmblemJugdral. Levin ''pretends'' to be one of these in the first part of ''Seisen'' when in reality he's a KingIncognito, whereas Homeros from ''Thracia 776'' is more of the real deal. Both of them are also [[BlowYouAway Wind Magic users.]]
** Played somewhat straighter in FireEmblemElibe, with Elphin and Nils. [[spoiler: The first is ''another'' KingIncognito, hiding after an assassination attempt; the second is a ReallySevenHundredYearsOld half-dragon boy.]]

** AndThereWasMuchRejoicing

* Leliana from ''DragonAge'', at least in her life before the Chanry. Of course, "bards" are more often than not professional spies, but their job still involves considerable amounts of musical entertainment. In Orlais it's apparently an exciting spice to a party to know that the performing bard might be spying on you, or planning to assassinate you.

The trope goes back at least to Alan-a-Dale, the minstrel friend of RobinHood. The word "minstrel" comes from Latin ''ministerialis''-- "a functionary living as a member of the knightly class, with either a lordship of their own or one delegated from a higher lord." Fiefs were very often not self-supporting, and poor knights were forced to supplement their income by other means, such as traveling from court to court to offer services to various patrons-- one of which was entertainment.

* Like in the film that inspired it, brave, brave Sir Robin of Camelot has an entire band of minstrels follow him wherever he goes in ''{{Spamalot}}''.

* The singing nomads the [=GAang=] encounters in ''[[AvatarTheLastAirbender Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' are half wandering minstrels, half {{New Age Retro Hippie}}s.

* Leliana from ''DragonAge'', at least in her life before the Chanry.
** Except that in Orlais, "bards" are more often than not professional spies.
*** Their job still involves considerable amounts of musical entertainment. In Orlais it's apparently an exciting spice to a party to know that the performing bard might be spying on you, or planning to assassinate you.

** Except that in Orlais, "bards" are more often than not professional spies.

* Bondel the Minstrel, in the 13th century legend of King RichardTheLionHeart, went from castle to castle in Europe, trying to discover where his master was being held, by singing a song they had composed together, until he heard the king singing the refrain from his cell. (Note that this is pure fable; at no time was Richard's location unknown, as his captors wanted everyone to ''know'' they were holding him.)

* The protagonist of the old ''MSPaintAdventures'' comic ''Bard Quest''.

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*On {{Gor}} the Caste of Poets (or Singers) is basically this. They can go from town to town and spread news as well as poetry/songs, despite the normally xenophobic nature of many City-States.

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* The singing nomads the [=GAang=] encounters in [[AvatarTheLastAirbender Avatar: The Last Airbender]] are half wandering minstrels, half {{New Age Retro Hippie}}s.

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