History Main / WanderingMinstrel

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* The anthropomorphic rooster Alan-a-Dale (voiced by Roger Miller) acts as the narrator and occasional participant in the action of Disney's ''Disney/RobinHood''. As he himself puts it:

* The nameless bard in ''Discworld/TheLastHero''. It's not clear whether he was one before he got shanghai'd by the Grey Horde, but at the end of the story it's implied that he'd be singing their saga all over the Disc.

* Bards can be this in the ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' series, but due to superior training and a touch of MagicMusic, they are seldom allowed to be just entertainment. Ordinary traveling minstrels wander The 'Verse, occasionally writing songs about the protagonists (to their embarrassment and/or irritation).

* Jaskier (known as Dandelion in other English media) from ''Series/{{The Witcher|2019}}'' is a world-famous bard who often travels with the titular hero, Geralt of Rivia, and serves as his hype man. Composing the series' signature EarWorm "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher" at the end of his first episode.

* Leliana from ''Franchise/DragonAge'', at least in her life before the Chantry. Of course, "bards" are more often than not professional spies, but their job still involves considerable amounts of musical entertainment. In Orlais it apparently adds 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.
** ''Videogame/DragonAgeInquisition'' has '''Zither!''' the Virtuoso. He's more of a traditional RPG bard as a magic-casting musician. Originally announced as an April Fools joke, he was eventually made an actual playable character in multiplayer via DLC. There's also Maryden Halewell, a perfectly normal minstrel who performs in every tavern in the game.

** In A Realm Reborn and beyond, he also issues the embellished versions of duties against various climax bosses of main scenario quests[[labelnote:*]]the Ultima Weapon, the Twelve Knights of Thordan, Nidhogg and Shinryu[[/labelnote]] and raid quests[[labelnote:*]]Bahamut and Alexander[[/labelnote]].

* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' has Talsgar the Wanderer, an NPC bard who you may encounter out on the road or in taverns. Pay him a bit of coin and he'll sing you a song.
* ''[[VideoGame/EuropaUniversalis Europa Universalis IV]]'' has a random event in which you're informed of the growing fame of a wandering minstrel. You have the choice of bringing them to your court and hiring them as an adviser, or letting them go where their heart desires, which increases the stability of your nation. The latter is almost always the better choice. Wander on, you crazy minstrel.

* The singing nomads the [=GAang=] encounters in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' are half wandering minstrels, half {{New Age Retro Hippie}}s [[note]]Secret tunnel! "Secret tunnel!"[[/note]].

* This was the career wish of one [[GentleGiant Mikey Blumberg]] from WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries'' episode "Tank", Music/WeirdAlYankovic [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBi46T1BnJo voiced a singing minstrel]] who follows the duo around narrating their triumphs and woes (eventually leading to Stitch just smashing the minstrel's guitar to get him to stop).

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* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfPrydain'' have Fflewddur Fflam, an inept minstrel whose lute snaps a string whenever he tells a lie. On the other hand, he's a surprisingly badass fighter. It turns out he's also a minor king.

* Jaskier (known as Dandelion in other media) from ''Series/TheWitcher2019'' is a world-famous bard who often travels with the titular hero, Geralt of Rivia, and serves as his hype man.

If a Wandering Minstrel is very lucky and very good, he can get a settled job as a court bard in a StandardRoyalCourt (see also TheJester). If unlucky, stuck as a StreetMusician. If exceptionally unlucky, one step above [[EveryoneHatesMimes street mime]] (with a similar level of hate from people in general). A particularly adventurous minstrel may join up with a HeroicArchetype as their personal TagalongChronicler.

[[DarthWiki/MostAnnoyingSound I sing off-key for coins.]]\\

[[MostAnnoyingSound I sing off-key for coins.]]\\

* The singing nomads the [=GAang=] encounters in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' are half wandering minstrels, half {{New Age Retro Hippie}}s [[note]][[EarWorm Secret tunnel! "Secret tunnel!"]][[/note]].

* Wandering minstrels infest the streets in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'', and they're always pestering people ([[PlayerCharacter Ezio]] in particular) for money.
** In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRevelations'' Ezio is utterly delighted when he discovers that a party he needs to infiltrate hired some italian minstrels as entertainers. He gleefully [[MuggedForDisguise beats them up for their outfits]] and spends the rest of the mission [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=se4Aek5X4CM singing little ditties]] [[TakeThat lampooning]] the enemies and [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall annoyances]] from his earlier games.
-->''I am a tactless minstrel,\\

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has several, often portrayed as handsome lads of dubious morals (especially where the ladies are concerned), all of whom come armed with a stunning ability to completely mangle events to music (be said events current, historical, legendary or merely rumour). As the equivalent of the Westerosi news organisation/ network... well... they really aren't organised, and you can forget journalistic ethics; they're all individuals out to make their livings by whatever means they can: fair means or foul. And, it seems almost a RunningGag for them to come to either ironic or just plain sticky ends when their ambitions even come remotely near to getting them what they think they want. A nameless singer is mutilated on the orders of King Joffrey for a crowd-pleasing, but subversive, song about Queen Cersei and the late King Robert; Symon Silvertongue ends up almost certainly dead ''and'' very likely in a pot of stew after trying to blackmail Tyrion; [[spoiler:Marillion is tortured for at least a week into falsely confessing to the murder of his new, dream patron, Lysa Arryn, which then ensures his own judicial murder; Dareon is murdered by Arya Stark after he deserts from the Nights Watch seeking fame and fortune far from the Wall (at least it was ''quick''). It's not clear what has happened to Manse Rayder under his cover of "Abel the Bard", but... it's unlikely to have been (or currently be) a barrel of fun: sieges and high politics almost never are. Tom of Sevens is still alive, but his life expectancy as a spy for a gang of notorious outlaws in the Riverlands would make an actuary inhale like a plumber seeing a challenging job. The Blue Bard is currently too crazy and under a constant watch to manage his own suicide after disfiguring torture at the hands of both [[MadDoctor Qyburn]] and the [[ChurchMilitant Faith]] for a fair amount of time, the poor bugger (Hamish the Harper would be in the same position, except Qyburn couldn't keep the much older singer alive long enough to get brainwashed and passed along to the Faith)...]] The short version: you're rather better off taking an entertainment career as a mime, mummer or fool than as a musician in Westeros; wandering or not.

* Alan-a-Dale (voiced by Roger Miller) acts as the narrator and occasional participant in the action of Disney's ''Disney/RobinHood''. As he himself puts it:

** ''Videogame/DragonAgeInquisition'' has '''Zither!''' the Virtuoso. He's more of a traditional RPG bard as a magic-casting musician. Originally announced as an April Fools joke, he was eventually made an actual playable character in multiplayer via DLC.

* On ''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies'', during a MedievalEuropeanFantasy sequence, Rowlf took the role until Piggy could take no more of his music.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has several, often portrayed as handsome lads of dubious morals (especially where the ladies are concerned), all of whom come armed with a stunning ability to completely mangle events to music (be said events current, historical, legendary or merely rumour). As the equivalent of the Westerosi news organisation/ network... well... they really aren't organised, and you can forget journalistic ethics; they're all individuals out to make their livings by whatever means they can: fair means or foul. And, it seems almost a RunningGag for them to come to either ironic or just plain sticky ends when their ambitions even come remotely near to getting them what they think they want. A nameless singer is mutilated on the orders of King Joffrey for a crowd-pleasing, but subversive, song about Queen Cersei and the late King Robert; Symon Silvertongue ends up almost certainly dead ''and'' very likely in a pot of stew after trying to blackmail Tyrion; [[spoiler:Marillion is tortured for at least a week into falsely confessing to the murder of his new, dream patron, Lysa Arryn, which then ensures his own judicial murder; Dareon is murdered by Arya Stark after he deserts from the Nights Watch seeking fame and fortune far from the Wall (at least it was ''quick''). It's not clear what has happened to Manse Rayder under his cover of "Bael the Bard", but... it's unlikely to have been (or be) a barrel of fun: sieges and high politics never are. Tom of Sevens is still alive, but his life expectancy as a spy for a gang of notorious outlaws would make an actuary inhale like a plumber seeing a challenging job. The Blue Bard is currently too crazy and under a constant watch to manage his own suicide after disfiguring torture at the hands of both [[MadDoctor Qyburn]] and the [[ChurchMilitant Faith]] for a fair amount of time, the poor bugger (Hamish the Harper would be in the same position, except Qyburn couldn't keep the much older singer alive for very long)...]] The short version: you're rather better off taking an entertainment career as a mime, mummer or fool than a bard in Westeros; wandering or not.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has several, often portrayed as handsome lads of dubious morals (especially where the ladies are concerned), all of whom come armed with a stunning ability to completely mangle events to music (be said events current, historical, legendary or merely rumour). As the equivalent of the Westerosi news organisation/ network... well... they really aren't organised, and you can forget journalistic ethics; they're all individuals out to make their livings by whatever means they can: fair means or foul. And, it seems almost a RunningGag for them to come to either ironic or just plain sticky ends when their ambitions even comes remotely near to getting them what they think they want. A nameless singer is mutilated on the orders of King Joffrey for a crowd-pleasing, but subversive, song about Queen Cersei and the late King Robert; Symon Silvertongue ends up dead and very likely in a pot of stew after trying to blackmail Tyrion; [[spoiler:Marillion is tortured for at least a week into falsely confessing to the murder of his dream patron, Lysa Arryn, which then ensures his own judicial murder; Dareon is murdered by Arya Stark after he deserts from the Nights Watch seeking fame and fortune far from the Wall (at least it was ''quick''). Tom of Sevens is still alive, but his life expectancy as a spy for a gang of notorious outlaws would make an actuary inhale like a plumber seeing a challenging job. The Blue Bard is currently too crazy and under a constant watch to manage his own suicide after disfiguring torture at the hands of both [[MadDoctor Qyburn]] and the [[ChurchMilitant Faith]] for a fair amount of time, the poor bugger (Hamish the Harper would be in the same position, except Qyburn couldn't keep the much older singer alive for very long)...]] In short: you're rather better off being a mime, mummer or fool than a bard; wandering or not.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has several, often portrayed as handsome lads of dubious morals (especially where the ladies are concerned), all of whom armed with a stunning ability to completely mangle events to music (be said events current, historical, legendary or merely rumour). As the equivalent of the Westerosi news organisation... well... they really aren't organised, and you can forget journalistic ethics; they're all individuals out to make their living by whatever means they can: fair or foul. And, it seems almost a RunningGag for them to come to ironic or just plain sticky ends when their ambitions even comes remotely near to getting them what they think they want. A nameless singer is mutilated on the orders of King Joffrey for a subversive song about Queen Cersei and the late King Robert; [[spoiler:Marillion is tortured for at least a week into falsely confessing to Lysa Arryn's murder which then ensures his own judicial murder; Symon Silvertongue ends up dead and very likely in a pot of stew after trying to blackmail Tyrion; Dareon is murdered by Arya Stark after he deserts from the Nights Watch (at least it was ''quick''). Tom of Sevens is still alive, but his life expectancy as a spy for a gang of notorious outlaws would make an actuary inhale like a plumber seeing a challenging job. The Blue Bard is currently too crazy and under a constant watch to manage his own suicide after disfiguring torture at the hands of both [[MadDoctor Qyburn]] and the [[ChurchMilitant Faith]] for a fair amount of time, the poor bugger (Hamish the Harper would be in the same position, except Qyburn couldn't keep the much older singer alive for very long)...]] In short: you're rather better off being a mime, mummer or fool than a bard; wandering or not.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has several, often portrayed as handsome lads of dubious morals (especially where the ladies are concerned), all of whom armed with a stunning ability to completely mangle events to music (be said events current, historical, legendary or merely rumour). As the equivalent of the Westerosi news organisation -- they really aren't organised and you can forget ethics; they're all individuals out to make their living by whatever means they can. And, it seems almost a RunningGag for them to come to ironic or just plain sticky ends when ambition even comes remotely near to getting them what they think they want. A nameless singer is mutilated on the orders of King Joffrey for a subversive song about Queen Cersei and the late King Robert; [[spoiler:Marillion is tortured for at least a week into falsely confessing to Lysa Arryn's murder which then ensures his own judicial murder; Symon Silvertongue ends up dead and very likely in a pot of stew after trying to blackmail Tyrion; Dareon is murdered by Arya Stark after he deserts from the Nights Watch (at least it was ''quick''). Tom of Sevens is still alive, but his life expectancy as a spy for a gang of notorious outlaws would make an actuary inhale like a plumber seeing a challenging job. The Blue Bard is currently too crazy and under a constant watch to manage his own suicide after disfiguring torture at the hands of both [[MadDoctor Qyburn]] and the [[ChurchMilitant Faith]] for a fair amount of time, the poor bugger (Hamish the Harper would be in the same position, except Qyburn couldn't keep the much older singer alive for very long)...]] In short: you're rather better off being a mime, mummer or fool than a bard; wandering or not.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has several, often portrayed as handsome lads of dubious morals where the ladies are concerned, and armed with a stunning ability to completely mangle events (either current, historical or legendary) to music. And, it seems almost a RunningGag for them to come to sticky ends. A nameless singer is mutilated on the orders of King Joffrey for a subversive song about Queen Cersei and the late King Robert; [[spoiler:Marillion is tortured for at least a week into falsely confessing to Lysa Arryn's murder which then ensures his own judicial murder; Symon Silvertongue ends up dead and very likely in a pot of stew after trying to blackmail Tyrion; Dareon is murdered by Arya Stark after he deserts from the Nights Watch (at least it was ''quick''). Tom of Sevens is still alive, but his life expectancy as a spy for a gang of notorious outlaws would make an actuary inhale like a plumber seeing a challenging job. The Blue Bard is currently too crazy and under a constant watch to manage his own suicide after disfiguring torture at the hands of both [[MadDoctor Qyburn]] and the [[ChurchMilitant Faith]] for a fair amount of time, the poor bugger (Hamish the Harper would be in the same position, except Qyburn couldn't keep the much older singer alive for very long)...]] In short: you're rather better off being a mime, mummer or fool than a bard; wandering or not.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has several, often portrayed as handsome lads of dubious morals where ladies are concerned and a stunning ability to mangle events either current or historic to music. And, it seems almost a RunningGag for them to come to sticky ends. A nameless singer is mutilated on the orders of King Joffrey for a subversive song about Queen Cersei and the late King Robert, [[spoiler:Marillion is tortured for at least a week into falsely confessing to Lysa Arryn's murder which then ensures his own judicial murder, Symon Silvertongue ends up dead and very likely in a pot of stew after trying to blackmail Tyrion, Dareon is murdered by Arya Stark after he deserts from the Nights Watch (at least it was ''quick''). Tom of Sevens is still alive, but his life expectancy as a spy for a gang of notorious outlaws would make an actuary inhale like a plumber seeing a challenging job. The Blue Bard is currently too crazy and under a constant watch to manage his own suicide after disfiguring torture at the hands of both [[MadDoctor Qyburn]] and the [[ChurchMilitant Faith]] for a fair amount of time (Hamish the Harper would be in the same position, except Qyburn couldn't keep the much older singer alive for very long)...]] In short: you're rather better off being a mime, mummer or fool than a bard; wandering or not.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has several, often portrayed as handsome lads of dubious morals where ladies are concerned and a stunning ability to mangle events either current or historic to music. And, it seems almost a RunningGag for them to come to sticky ends. A nameless singer is mutilated on the orders of King Joffrey for a subversive song about Queen Cersei and the late King Robert, [[spoiler:Marillion is tortured for at least a couple week into falsely confessing to Lysa Arryn's murder which then ensures his own judicial murder, Symon Silvertongue ends up dead and very likely in a pot of stew after trying to blackmail Tyrion, Dareon is murdered by Arya Stark after he deserts from the Nights Watch (at least it was ''quick''). Tom of Sevens is still alive, but his life expectancy as a spy for a gang of notorious outlaws would make an actuary inhale like a plumber seeing a challenging job. The Blue Bard is currently too crazy and under a constant watch to manage his own suicide after disfiguring torture at the hands of both [[MadDoctor Qyburn]] and the [[ChurchMilitant Faith]] for a fair amount of time (Hamish the Harper would be in the same position, except Qyburn couldn't keep the much older singer alive for very long)...]] In short: you're rather better off being a mime, mummer or fool than a bard; wandering or not.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has several, often portrayed as handsome lads of dubious morals where ladies are concerned and a stunning ability to mangle events either current or historic to music. And, it seems almost a RunningGag for them to come to sticky ends. A nameless singer is mutilated on the orders of King Joffrey for a subversive song about Queen Cersei and the late King Robert, [[spoiler:Marillion is tortured into falsely confessing to Lysa Arryn's murder, Symon Silvertongue ends up in a pot of stew after trying to blackmail Tyrion, Dareon is murdered by Arya Stark after he deserts from the Nights Watch. Tom of Sevens is still alive, but his life expectancy as a spy for a gang of notorious outlaws isn't long either. The Blue Bard is currently too crazy and under a constant watch to manage his own suicide after disfiguring torture at the hands of both [[MadDoctor Qyburn]] and the [[ChurchMilitant Faith]] (Hamish the Harper would be in the same position, except Qyburn couldn't keep the much older singer alive)...]] In short: you're rather better off being a mime, mummer or fool than a bard; wandering or not.

* ''Anime/QueensBlade'' Grimoire has Despina, who is an Expy to ''Literature/ThePiedPiperOfHamelin''. She use to be a ratter, but she became the Demon of Winter's first in command, and now uses her horn to enthrall beautiful women using her [[MindControlMusic horn]].

Not to be confused with QuirkyBard or [[Creator/WilliamShakespeare The Bard]]; and ''especially'' not with MinstrelShows.