Famous Archers in Mythology, Fiction & History

Since archery has been with us for so long and has spread throughout the globe, archers are well represented in history and mythology. Archery is such a primordial and ancient practice, it is no surprise that it appears so frequently in the human story (real or fictitious). It is amazing to behold the diversity of cultures that all share this simple common element; the archer. This article explores some well known famous archers in history and mythology. Here we go!

 

 

Famous Archers in Mythology

 

Arjuna

Arjuna was is the chief protagonist of the Indian epic Mahabharata. The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Rāmāyaṇa. The Mahabharata is truly epic in scope. Considered to be the longest poem ever written, at about 1.8 million words in total. The Mahābhārata is roughly ten times the length of the Iliad and the Odyssey combined. The epic likely reached its full compilation in the 4th century B.C. After learning weaponry from Drona, Arjuna becomes a very skilled archer, able to “hit the eye of a bird” in a tree. In art, he is very often depicted with a bow and arrow.

 

 

Agilaz

Agilaz or Egil is an archer from the Old Norse saga, the Thidreks, which was derived from an even older Proto-Germanic legend. The premise of the story is similar to other myths. A lone archer (Agilaz has his wife with him), defends a keep from a numerically superior and evil foe. The scene/myth is also believed to be depicted on an 8th-century chest of Anglo-Saxon origin.

 

 

Apollo

Apollo, the Ancient Greek god of archery, the sun, poetry, music, and the arts, oracles, healing, and protection. He is a real heavyweight in terms of mythological feats. He is the son of Zeus and twin brother to Artemis, goddess of hunting. The invention of archery is credited to Apollo and his sister Artemis. His arrows can deliver or relieve the population from plagues. Disease being delivered by divine, invisible projectiles is also common in Norse and Germanic lore. With his archery prowess, he slays the serpent Python.

 

 

Arash

Arash the archer is a famous figure from Iranian mythology. During a lengthy war with the Turanians, Arash is given a specially constructed bow to use. The landing place of the arrow shot from his bow marks the future boundary between the warring states. There are statues in modern-day Iran commemorating the myth and legend of Arash the Archer.

 

 

Artemis

The Ancient Greek goddess of the hunt. Also recognized as the goddess of the wilderness, wild animals, the moon, and chastity. The goddess Diana is her equivalent in the Roman pantheon. Her symbols are deer, hunting knives, cypress trees, and of course the bow, arrows, and quivers. She is daughter to Zeus and Leto, as well as being twin sister to Apollo. She is nearly always depicted with a bow, arrows, and a quiver.

 

 

Bhishma

Bhishma is another prominent figure in the Mahabharata.  He is the son of the Kuru King Shantanu and the river goddess Ganga. He was one of the best archers and warriors of his time and he was trained by Lord Vishnuś sixth avatar Parshuram.

Arjuna and Bhishma fight in the Kurukshetra War which is the main conflict the Mahabharata centers on. Bhisma is brought down by Arjuna who had pierced his back with innumerable arrows. The arrows were so many that as Bhishma collapsed on his back he lay suspended on a bed of arrows that stuck out of his backside. Epic times.

 

 

Cupid

Most people can easily recognize the image of Cupid. The cute little cherub with the bow and arrow. The arrowhead is sometimes depicted in the shape of a heart. When Cupid’s arrow strikes the heart of it’s intended target, they may fall madly in love with the first person they see. Cupid also had other types of arrows. If you were struck by these ones you will revile the first person you see. So what you do is shoot one person with one type of arrow and another person with another kind of arrow and then just sit back and enjoy the carnage. The gods loved to meddle and mess around in human affairs. It was almost like a sport or a great game for some of them.

Cupid is the Roman interpretation of the earlier Greek deity Eros. Eros was at first depicted as a slender, winged boy, but later in the later Roman times, he was slightly transformed to the younger and chubbier bow and arrow wielder. He is is the god of desire, eroticism, attraction, and affection. He is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess Venus and the god of war Mars. His symbols are the bow, arrow, and torch. He is sometimes depicted blindfolded, as in “love is blind”.

 

 

Drona

Another epic character from the Mahabharata. He was a master of advanced military arts, including the divine weapons or Astras. Drona was also a master archer.

 

 

Hayk

Hayk is the founder of the Armenian nation. His tale is recorded in the History of Armenia attributed to the Armenian historian Moses of Chorene (or Movses Khorenatsi, c. 410 – c. 490). A great army, led by a tyrannical King Bel is sent to destroy Hayk and a small settlement he establishes near Mount Ararat. Hayk gathers what forces he can and basically prepares to die in combat. That is until he hits the enemy leader with a super long shot. King Bel is struck dead and his army goes into complete disarray thus saving Hayk and his followers.

 

 

Heracles

Heracles was one of the greatest, if not the greatest of the mythological Greek heroes. He is the defender of mankind from chaos, monsters, and the gods themselves. He is the son of the king of the gods Zeus and the mortal Alcmene. Many clans and dynasties in Greece would claim dependence from Heracles. In later Roman mythology and in the west he is called Hercules. His symbols are the lion hide and the club.

The name Heracles is ironic because it means “glory/pride of Hera”. Hera is the goddess wife of Zeus who loathed Heracles and did much to make his life miserable and even destroy him outright. His original name given to him by his parents was Alcides. It was later changed in an unsuccessful attempt to pacify Hera. Hera in fact did attempt to nurture the boy, but apparently, he suckled so hard that is caused Hera much pain, and she pushed the child away, leaking milk all over the heavens. That’s where the Milky Way galaxy comes from apparently.

The feats of Heracles are many. He was more known for his prowess in melee combat and his archery is often overlooked. But not here! Heracles was apparently a great shot. Also, because of his immense, divine strength, he was able to draw some ridiculously heavy bows. Some of his notable feats in archery are:

• Heracles slew the Stymphalian Birds with his bow and arrow. This was one of the infamous “labors of Heracles” given to him to complete by his archenemy Eurystheus. The Symphalian Birds were enormous man-eating birds who were causing much trouble in the forests of northern Arcadia. Heracles shook a magic rattle given to him by Athena which scared the birds into flight allowing him to shoot them down.
• The great hero slew the Hydra. Although he did this with melee weapons and with the help of his nephew Iolaus, what he did after the fight relates to his archery. Apparently he dipped his arrowheads into the blood of the monster which was extremely poisonous. His bow and poisoned arrows would go on to cause much damage in the future.
• Another one of his “labors” was to obtain the cattle of the monster Geryon. This monster had three heads and six arms, as well as a bad temper. It was easily slain by Heracles however, with the aid of his bow and a poisoned arrow. He then herded the cattle back to Eurystheus as proof.

 

Chiron The Centaur

Chiron was born to the Titan Cronus and the Oceanid Philyra. He has a different lineage than other Centaurs who came from Ixion and Nephele. Chiron was however raised by the god Apollo who taught him many skills one of them being archery.

Chiron was known for his calm and nurturing demeanor. He had mentored and taught many young up and coming Greeks including Achilles.

In Greek pottery art, Chiron is typically depicted as having his front legs as human ones, unlike other Centaurs who are depicted as having their entire lower bodies like that of a horse.

 

 

Amazons

The Amazons were a tribe of fierce warrior women from Ancient Greek Mythology. They were well known for their archery and overall military prowess. Herodotus and other Greek historians link the Amazons to the Scythians. As the story goes, the Amazons fought along the side of the losing Trojans, and upon defeat were taken aboard Greek ships. The Amazons killed the crews and had no experience in sailing so they were randomly tossed about the sea for a while. They finally landed in Scythian lands and eventually intermingled with them. The Scythians may have been the inspiration for the Amazons because Scythian women were known to engage in combat and even become military leaders in that society.

 

 

Hou Yi

Hou Yi (后羿), also known as Shen Yi or simply as Yi, is a great archer from ancient Chinese mythology. He is known as the patron god of archery. Much like Heracles, Hou Yi is well known for the slayings of many a monster.

One of his initial archery stunts was in the early days of the Earth. This is so far back in the day that there were in fact ten (10) suns. They all took turns coming up each day and doing sun things. Then one day they had the grandiose idea of all coming out at once. This of coarse scorched the Earth and made for a really hot day. He was tasked by the mythical King Yao to deal with the suns. He did this using his divine archery skills, shooting down the suns one by one. There was eventually only one sun left and it was allowed to remain and conduct its sun business.

 

Skaði

Skaoi (anglicized Skade or Skadi) is a Norse goddess associated with bowhunting. She is written about in the Poetic Edda, which was taken from the Icelandic medieval manuscript known as the Codex Regius which contained several poems. This codex is one of the most important sources for Norse and even ancient Germanic folklore and mythology. Skaoi is usually depicted with a spear, or with a bow and arrows.

 

 

Teucer

Teucer was known in Greek Mythology as a great archer who fought in the Trojan war on the side of Greeks. He loosed his arrows from the cover of the giant shield of his half-brother Ajax.

 

 

Ullr

Ullr is a god strongly associated with archery in Old Norse Mythology. He is typically depicted with a bow and arrow, as well as a pair of skis (in is wintery in Scandanavia).

 

 

 

Famous Archers in Fiction

 

As can be noted from the earlier section on famous archers in mythology, archery was an important skill for the ancients! Stories, myths, and legends of skilled archers persist into the modern-day. Here are some from more recent times which you may recognize.

 

Hawkeye (Clinton Francis Barton)

Hawkeye, otherwise known and Clinton Barton, is a fictitious wonder archer from the Marvel universe. Created by Stan Lee and artist Don Heck. He first appeared as a villain in Tales of Suspense #57 (Sept. 1964) and later joined the Avengers in The Avengers #16 (May 1965).

Clinton had a rough childhood, with both of his parents perished in a car crash when he was very young. Hawkeye and his brother eventually run away from the orphanage they were at and join the circus. This is where Clinton becomes mentored by the Swordsman and Trick Shot, who teach the child all about fighting and the art of archery.

Hawkeye must be a really good archer and fighter because he has no superpowers unlike most of his allies and enemies he encounters. He is known for using a variety of arrows to subdue his enemies.

 

Green Arrow

Green Arrow was created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in November 1941.

Oliver Jonas Queen is a wealthy businessman, who likes to dress up like Robin Hood and shoot people and be called Green Arrow. There are obvious allusions to Robin Hood in his dress and weapon of choice. Green Arrow, much like Hawkeye, possesses no special powers or abilities but uses his incredible archery skills and highly advanced specialty arrows to subdue his foes.

 

 

Legolas Greenleaf

One of the most well-known fantasy archer Elves of all time; Legolas Greenleaf. He is the son of Thranduil, King of the Woodland Realm of Northern Mirkwood, who we encounter in the latter half of Tolkein’s “The Hobbit”. Legolas is introduced to us in the first book of “The Lord of the Rings” and is entrusted as one of the members of the fellowship of the ring, charged with the ridiculous mission of destroying Sauron’s one ring.

In the book, he is described as an amazing archer although he also uses a large hunting dagger (two in the movies). His exceptional eyesight and cat-like reflexes enable him to shoot down many enemies without much difficulty.

After leaving Lothlórien, Galadriel gives members of the fellowship gifts to help them on the remainder of their journey. Legolas receives a long-bow of the Galadhrim, which he later uses to fell a Nazgul’s flying steed, with one shot, in the dark. Yes, this is why they call it fantasy.

 

Gale Hawthorne

One of the main characters in “The Hunger Games” novels (3) written by American novelist Suzanne Collins. The novels were later adapted into movies. Gale Hawthorne is besties with Katniss Everdeen and they eventually get all lovey-dovey. They like to hunt together and are both fairly competent archers although it seems Gale likes crossbows better.

 

 

Katniss Everdeen

She is the protagonist in “The Hunger Games” and is mostly known for her archery skills. Her name “Katniss” is another term for a water plant known as Sagittaria or arrowhead from its arrowhead-shaped leaves. Sagittarius is one of the constellations of the zodiac and the term is Latin for the arrow thrower. The constellation is said to be Chiron the Centaur pulling back his bow.

 

 

Hanzo

Hanzo Shimada is a playable character from the 2016 video game Overwatch a first-person shooter by Blizzard Entertainment. He is an archer with supreme archery skills.

Hanzo belongs to a powerful family: The Shimada Clan. He eventually leaves his family duties after some beef with his brother who he was forced to kill. Sounds like a dysfunctional family.

 

 

John Rambo

John James Rambo is the main character of the Rambo franchise. He made his first appearance in the 1972 novel First Blood by David Morrell. He is most remembered from the film series starring Sylvester Stalone. He is probably more known for his gun skills and melee combat, but he was supposedly also quite a good shot, especially with exploding arrow tips.

 

 

 

Robin Hood

This list of famous archers would not be complete without the mention of one of the most famous and infamous archers of all; Robin Hood. The legend of this heroic outlaw from English folklore goes far back into the middle ages. He first appears in ballads and poems in the 13th and 14th centuries and has been around ever since.

The tale of Robin Hood has evolved in its retelling over the ages but several key features of his story remained. Robin Hood was an outlaw; he existed outside the social, legal, and economic framework of society at that time.

He lived in Sherwood forest, outside the influence of local authorities. The main antagonist and the major local authority of the realm at the time was the dreaded Sherriff of Nottingham. He is in charge of the Kingdom as the King of the realm is away on Crusade. The Sherriff is corrupt, cruel, and indifferent to the plights of the commoner. It is Robin Hood’s mission to make life miserable for the Sherriff.

Robin Hood was a charismatic leader, who gathered around him a gang of other virtuous outlaws which became known as the Merry Men. Their main mission in life is: “steal from the rich and give to the poor”.

Because the legend is so old and because Robin Hood was an actual name quite common in England during the Middle Ages we will likely never know if there ever was a real Robin Hood, although the inspiration from the legend may have been derived from a real person or several.

Robin Hood is usually depicted as dressed in green, and nearly always with his bow. He is definitely the influence of many heroic archers in future literature, art, and films.

 

 

Rowen Hashiba

Rowen Hashiba is the archer from the anime series Ronin Warriors (known in Japan as Legendary Armor Samurai Troopers (鎧伝サムライトルーパー, Yoroiden Samurai Torūpā). The evil Lord Talpa of the Netherworld is bent on the destruction of mortals and the only real threat standing in his way are five warriors known as the Ronin. They each possess special armor and weapons that help them in their combat with the forces of evil. Rowen’s weapon is a collapsable golden bow and a special quiver that conveniently gives him infinite ammo.

 

Susan Pevensie

Susan Pevensie is the eldest of the Pevensie children who are the main characters in C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia series. She appears in 3 out of the 7 books in the original novel series. The books were adapted to film in the mid-2000s.

In the story, Susan is given a magical bow and arrows which never miss their mark by Father Christmas. She uses this special weapon to get out of all sorts of trouble in later battles. Although the bow and arrows are magic, apparently she still practiced archery on a regular basis to ensure she could get those shot off quickly. Good for you Susan.

Sylvanas Windrunner

Sylvanas Windrunner is a fictional character in the Warcraft video game franchise by Blizzard. She is an Elf and they are infamously excellent archers. Basically, all you need to know is she is badass and she is a great shot. She utilizes a variety of magic, specialty arrows to bring down foes large and small.

 

Famous Archers from History

Einar Tambarskje

Einar Tambarskje was a Viking nobleman during the 11th century. He led a rebellion against a Viking king Olaf Haraldsson. He was a very strong warrior and a great archer, gaining notoriety in the sea Battle of Svolder in 1000. 

 

 

Horace A. Ford

Known as one of the greatest target archers of all time, Horace A. Ford (1822–1880) is also the author of Archery: Its Theory and Practice, one of the all-time classics of archery literature. He picked up a bow relatively later in life (1845, when he was 23) but soon afterward began winning tournament after tournament and championship after championship.

 

 

Howard Hill

Howard H. Hill (original name: Lemuel Howard Hill (November 13, 1899 – February 4, 1975) was an American archery legend. Growing up in rural Alabama, Howard began shooting at a very young age.

He set world records and won 196 field archery competition in a row. He would later become involved in the Hollywood movie industry as an expert marksman and stuntman for several movies most notably The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938).

He liked to do trick shots and highly difficult long-range shots. He would shoot apples off people’s heads at a certain distance. When this was accomplished he would use even smaller objects and shoot from an ever greater distance.

 

 

Ishi

Ishi was well respected by flintknappers and makers of traditional archery equipment, mostly of Native American designs. He was the last known member of the Native American Yahi people, who resided in California. Unfortunately, his tribe was all but wiped out and he was the last person to carry on some of its traditions.

He was taken in by faculty at the University of California, Berkley. Saxton T. Pope a professor of medicine and an avid archer himself had treated him for various ailments and they became friends. They went on many hunting expeditions together and Ishi taught Saxton the ways of bow and arrow building that had been passed down amongst the Native peoples of North America.

 

 

Saxton T. Pope

Saxton Temple Pope (September 4, 1875 – August 8, 1926) was close friends with Ishi, the last member of the Yahi Tribe in California. He befriended Ishi after he was taken in by faculty at the University of Cali. Berkley.

They became close friends and Ishi taught Saxton all about bow and arrow design and manufacture, according to Yahi tradition. After Ishi’s death, Saxton became even more involved in bow hunting, as is basically known as the father of American bow hunting.

Saxton and another hunting companion Arthur Young, went on several infamous bow hunts, especially for Grizzly Bears at Yellowstone National Park. They used bows of traditional design and several of the bears are on display at the California Academy of Sciences. Saxton later wrote an influential book on bow hunting: Hunting with the Bow and Arrow, which remains in print today.

 

 

Jack Churchill

Jack “Mad Jack” Churchill was a class act. Known for his service with the British Army in the Second World War. He was famous for going into battle with his broadsword, bagpipes, and of course his longbow. He saw action all over Europe during and after WWII. After the war, he was known to practice archery and was even featured in movies as an archer (1952, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produced film Ivanhoe).

 

 

Minamoto no Tametomo

Known as a samurai of unparalleled archery ability. Legend has it he sank a ship with a single shot by shooting through its hull beneath the water. He is usually always depicted with his yumi warbow. Legend also has it that his left arm was significantly longer than his right, allowing him to have an exceptionally long draw. His most famous military action was the Hōgen Rebellion of 1156.

 

 

Nasu no Yoichi

Another legendary samurai, Nasu no Yoichi was also well known for his feats in archery during the heat of combat. His most notorious feat was Battle of Yashima (1184) in the Genpei War (1180-1185). This conflict was fought between Nasu’s clan, the Minamoto, and their adversaries the Taira clan. During the battle, the Taira had placed a fan on a mast taunting the enemy to shoot it down. Nasu, on his horse in the waves, had managed to shoot it down on the first shot. Nice shot!

 

 

Yue Fei

An influential military general and artist from medieval China, Yue Fei (March 24, 1103 – January 28, 1142) was known as an exceptional archer. Yue Fei becomes the adopted son and apprentice to  Zhou Tong, a famous master of military skills. After many long years of training, Zhou Tong enrolled his student in a military school where his archery prowess is put on full display. Sixty years after Yue Fei’s death, his grandson published a biography of his famous grandfather. His grandson mentions his fathers’ great strength in drawing a military bow:  “Yue Fei possessed supernatural power and before his adulthood, he was able to draw a bow of 300 catties (400 pounds (180 kg)) and a crossbow of eight stone (960 catties, 1,280 pounds (580 kg)). Yue Fei learned archery from Zhou Tong. He learned everything and could shoot with his left and right hands.”

 

 

Jebe

Jebe was a general of the Mongol Empire’s Big Boss: Mr. Ghenghis Khan. In the early days of Temujin’s future empire when he was still consolidating his power on the steppes of Mongolia, Jebe was an enemy combatant.

An arrow had wounded Ghenghis on his neck during the Battle of the Thirteen Sides  (1201). Ghenghis and his supporters won the battle, and the future Khan asked the captured survivors who had shot him. Zurgadai confessed and said he was ready to die. If allowed to live however he would serve Ghenghis loyalty.

The Mongol Empire during Ghenghis Khan‘s rule was a meritocracy, as Ghenghis preferred promoting based on performance and loyalty not traditional family relations. Zurgadai would be renamed Jebe (arrow in Mongolian) and would go on to become one of Ghenghis Khan’s top generals.

 

 

Fred Bear

Regarded as a pioneer in traditional bow hunting, Fred Bear (March 5, 1902 – April 27, 1988) founded his bow company in 1933 and it still operates today. Fred Bear was influenced and inspired by Art Young of the Pope & Young Club, another traditional archery pioneer. Although he started archery fairly late (29) he would go on to win many archery hunting competitions all over the world. He would go on to promote the sport of traditional bowhunting until his death in 1988.

 

 

Kassai Lajos

Kassai is considered the creator of the modern sport of horseback archery. His interest in the method of combat of his ancestors the Magyars and the Huns led him to begin building bows based on the designs of the Magyar bows of the Conquest Period. His bow company produces bows based on designs from many nations who used horseback archery as a method of combat and hunting including the Mongols, Scythians, and Avars.

Lajos Kassai is a true martial artist and has won every contest he had entered as well as establishing several world records. His records are basically endurance tests on his archery course. In his first Guinness World Record he set, Kassai rode for 12 consecutive hours on relay horses and shot over 1000 arrows.