The Warrior Archetype
In classic fantasy literature we typically see the warrior archetype in the hero role, as they share similar key characteristics. A commonality in fantasy literature is that the stories are hero-centric and the ideals heroes are held up to have been sources for inspiring and motivating the human race since the genre’s creation (Ramaswamy, Chapter II, 2014). For centuries the classic hero was the male warrior, most often seen in epic poems, who’s main goal was to gain honor or glory, which are still central parts to the warrior. As time and thought progressed, however; the concept of not only the hero has changed, but also the concept of the warrior. Since “the warrior myth is heavily identified with masculinity” (96) it has created a paradoxical understanding of the warrior archetype. As Kathleen Ragan defines the female hero, she mentions how a heroine must meet the criteria of not serving as the “foil to the ‘good’ character” as most women often do in fantasy literature (Fearless Girls, Wise Women, & Beloved Sisters, xxvi). Women have also mostly served as the passive female to be fought over, a prize who is simply there to be won by the masculine warrior hero (Enns, 131). As female heroines have emerged into the fantasy genre, the perception of the warrior has been challenged. With the strong association of masculinity and the warrior archetype, this has led to men and women in fantasy identifying with traits of an archetype that don’t actually exist. Since masculinity is not the defining trait of a warrior, what make a hero a warrior?
Characteristics
The warrior is a special type of hero, for not only do they dare to face every challenge thrown their way full force, they are held to the highest of standards when doing so. The warrior, unlike the hero, may not always be admired for the choices they make in facing their enemies, as it is not what it is best for everybody that solves the problem, it is what must be done. The warrior will face the dragon, or the problem, no matter what it is, and do what must be done so it will help as many people as possible. The warrior is highly skilled, courageous, and disciplined. They are fiercely protective and loyal to those they love, and they love few. They trust only those who have proven themselves worthy of it, as their trust is as precious and binding as their protection.
Fear
The warrior has a great fear of weakness, especially of physical or emotional weakness, as they are supposed to be the one who holds everything together for everyone else. When they are weak, they are also powerless, impotent, or inept, all of which hinder their ability to fight for their cause.
Levels of Warriors
There are three levels to being and becoming a warrior. First the warrior answers the hero’s call to a challenge, and from their choices they can progress into a warrior. There is also the Shadow Warrior, who is ruthless, unprincipled, obsessive in their need to win and conquer, and they view all differences as threats.
Level 1: They fight for themselves or others to either win or prevail. This is the stage where skills are strong but motivation is ambiguous.
Level 2: They become more principled in their fight for self or others and abide by the rules of engagement. This is when their intentions become altruistic.
Level 3: Their assertiveness becomes forthright and they fight for what is right. The warrior recognizes that there is little to no need for violence, as they have a preference for win/win situations. The warrior becomes more honest in fighting, and in life in general.
Warriors in Fantasy Literature
Rose (Rosemarie) Hathaway – Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead
Rose Hathaway is young and vivacious dhampir whose sole mission in life has been to protect her best friend Lissa (Vasilisa) Dragomir. Rose is fiercely protective and loyal to Lissa, not only because she loves her but because Lissa has a special kind of Moroi magic called spirit that has made Rose bond to her, so Rose is always aware of how Lissa thinks and feels. Lissa is also the last royal of her bloodline and needs to be protected at all costs. Rose has made it her personal mission in life to be the one who protects her, as she is the only one who is uniquely qualified to do so. Rose is courageous, but in the beginning almost dangerously so, as her skills are not yet honed and she has a habit of racing into battle unprepared. As the series progresses, Rose becomes stronger, faster, and more intelligent when it comes to battle strategy, and soon she is the best in her class and she is no longer making irrational decisions. Rose soon advances through the levels of the warrior with help from her friends, and she is constantly called to action throughout the series. Each time she answers the hero’s call there is more and more precision and thought behind every move. As a female warrior, Rose subverts the traditional views of the warrior as she knows how to use her sexuality in order to get what she wants, information wise, as well as romantically. Rose knows that she is attractive, in fact she says it multiple times throughout the first few books, and she knows that if she wanted something from someone she could have it. Rose is not a prefect character, she is emotional, irrational, and she makes poor decisions. It is her journey to becoming a stronger and more well-rounded warrior that makes her a successful hero. Richelle Mead was able to create a protagonist that mixed the traditional masculine traits of physical strength and violence with feminine physical beauty and emotions that speaks to the warrior archetype as a female in the modern era.
Dimitri Belikov – Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead
Dimitri Belikov is a dhampir, a half-human half-vampire killing machine, whose sole mission in life is to protect the vampires (Moroi) who cannot protect themselves from the Strigoi. He was born into a world where the only thing about him that mattered was his strength, agility, and intelligence in battle. Despite only being desired for his prowess in fighting, he took to heart his reason for life, to protect and to serve. Dimitri is loyal to the cause, the cause of protecting the race of the Moroi, and he trusts very few people. He races into the fight with a plan, and is always there on the front lines. Dimitri is the epitome of the stereotypical male warrior, but when he meets Rose, he finds himself breaking the rules he has lived by since the first and only day he broke them. Dimitri is not the hero in this tale and only one of the many warriors, but he is many things to the hero Rose. The love interest, the friend, and even the Shadow and enemy. When Dimitri turns into the Shadow Warrior (he is turned into a Strigoi and becomes a mass murderer) he becomes everything he has ever fought to destroy. When he is turned back into a mortal again by Lissa and her unique powers, his warrior-like ways are still with him, physical strength, loyalty, but he is weak in his faith in himself. We see Dimitri broken and unsure of who he is as a warrior, and it takes him a lot of time to find himself after he has done so many horrible deeds. This is an internal battle that he has to conquer in order to become a warrior once more. It is Rose, and the changes she brings into Dimitri’s life, that help progress Dimitri in to the higher levels of the warrior and break him slightly away from the traditional masculine warrior, as we see this traditional warrior lose, and struggle to regain, his identity.
Aerin – Sol – The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
Aerin, the princess by birth but not by social right, is the main protagonist, hero, and warrior of this story. She is a loyal person to few and far between, and most importantly to her horse and friend Talat. They worked together to gain each other’s trust over the course of many weeks when they were both ill and frail and a true test of their trustworthiness was when Talat let Aerin sit on his back for the first time. Aerin finds only those who are deserving of her trust, as her cousin Galanna is not one of them. Aerin is also determined to a fault to the missions she makes for herself, answering the hero’s call she doesn’t even realize have been made. The making of the kenet and fighting literal dragons is Aerin’s way of showing her courage, and when the largest dragon to ever have existed calls to her, she goes racing off, prepared in the way that she knows how. She is strong willed, and does not do as everyone excepts her to, and in this way she is disrupting the traditional expectations of her. While Aerin only seems to show masculine characteristics throughout the book and then at the end suddenly becomes the more traditional female, there are hints at Aerin being this person the entire time. Aerin has always wanted to be accepted by her people and her father, but when that did not happen she became the warrior that everyone needed when they needed it most. By this she worked hard to gain respect and admiration from her people through fighting and waging battle on dragons, she became the warrior when she would not be accepted as anything else. Aerin may not be a modern female hero, as she does give in to what is expected of her completely, however; the way in which she gains acceptance, through the warrior archetype is entirely McKinley’s way of upsetting traditional gender roles.