Dec 4

Dec 4 Legendary Mythical Archers: The Greatest Archers in Mythology

Legends of Archery in Mythology

Almost no historic or battle-filled action movie can be considered wholesome without archers. Even Marvel couldn’t resist the temptation of having a great archer on their team!

And for good reason! Archery has not only had a historical significance for over 1000 years but more so, it has been used as a sign of competence, strength and mastery too.

It has also been romanticised in stories since ancient times.

You will find archery and archer heroes sprinkled all over history, and famous non-fictional and fictional archers can be found in our mythology, too.

Archery is such a primordial and ancient practice, that almost no nation on this earth so far has been able to resist the temptation of using good archer character.

The archer – the irresistible character! It’s a fascinating and amazing thing that is shared by many cultures throughout the world.

Whether for hunting or fighting purposes, archers can be found as gods, semi-gods or masterful fighters, heroes and legends whose tales will forever live in the hearts of the fans.

There are so many legendary archers, that we need to divide them into 2 groups- fictional and non-fictional- to cover just the most famous worldwide names!

On that note, let’s go over some of the world’s most famous legendary archers and their place in mythology.

Cupid

Let’s start with the classics! Classical mythology wouldn’t be complete without its well-known archers, including Eros and Cupid.

Cupid, from the Latin name Cupīdō meaning “passionate desire”, is the Roman god of erotic love, desire, attraction and affection.

She was a child of the goddess of love – Venus.

It can be seen as both good and bad, depending on the observer’s perception and interpretation.

Eros

The Greek counterpart of Cupid, Eros, is the Greek god of carnal love.

He was considered a “primeval god”, by some son of Chaos - the original primeval emptiness of the universe, by others – son of Aphrodite and Zeus (or possibly Ares or Hermes) – the goddess of sexual love and beauty.

He was considered to be an incredibly beautiful and lustful god that was a permanent source of trouble for both the golds and mortals as he brought insane love and suffering to people.

Heracles

Speaking of Greek legends, Heracles (or also known as Hercules in Roman times and mythology) is probably one of the most celebrated and famous gods of all time.

Heracles, the god of strength and heroes, was the son of Zeus and a demi-god with superhuman strength who inevitably became the ultimate symbol of power, intelligence, strength and bravery.

He has endured many trials and completed excruciatingly daunting tasks, all to become worthy of living among the gods at Mount Olympus forever.

Apollo

One of the most well-known gods of both Greek and Roman mythology, Apollo was good at everything.

From poetry to archery, truth, prophecy, plague, healing, sunlight, music and protection of the young.

He was famous for bringing the plague to the Greeks in the Trojan War and he helped Paris slay Achilles, as well as slaying Python and Tityos, destroying Niobides and many more.

Arthemis

Continuing with Greek mythology, the daughter of Zeus and Leto and the twin sister of Apollo, the ancient Greek goddess of the hunt was Arthemis.

She was widely recognised as the goddess of the moon, chastity, wilderness and wild animals.

Arthemis was considered to be an incredibly skilful goddess, represented by deer, hunting knives, cypress trees, and of course, the bow, arrows and quivers with whom she was often depicted.

In Roman mythology, her equivalent is the goddess Diana.

Chiron The Centaur

Known for his calm and nurturing demeanour, as well as being raised by the god Apollo, Chiron the Centaur is another well-known Greek mythological figure famous for his archery.

Unlike other centaurs, in Greek poetry and art, Chiron is portrayed as having his front legs as human ones, not as a horse.

It was said that he was a great archer and mentor who taught many young Greeks, including the famous Achilles.

Amazons

Ancient Greek mythology is filled with famous archers, another one being the famous tribe of fierce warrior women – the Amazons.

They were famous for their archery capabilities and overall military prowess.

The Amazons fought alongside the losing Trojans. When they were defeated, they were taken aboard Greek ships where they killed the crews.

With no experience in sailing, they ended up randomly tossed in the sea before landing in the Scythian lands where they eventually ended up intermingled with the Scythian people.

Hayk

The legendary patriarch and archer, Hayk was considered the founder of the Armenian nation.

He fought against and killed the tyrannical Babylonian King, Bel.

The story of Hayk was told in the History of Armenia. He was attributed to the Armenian historian Moses of Chorene (Movses Khorenatsi) and in the primary history traditionally attributed to Sebeos.

Agilaz

The legendary archer of German mythology who was a brother of Völund and Slagfiðr, Agilaz, also known as Egil, is another legendary hero who comes from the Völundarkviða and the Thidreks saga.

He was the son of a Finn king master archer.

You know how in many cartoons the archer is tested by putting an apple on someone’s head and having the archer try to shoot it without hurting the person? Well, Agilaz was the first!

He was the original archer delegated to this task by King Niðung, who told him to shoot an apple from the head of his son.

He got two arrows and had two attempts, but he managed to succeed on the first try.

Arjuna

Arjuna, also known as Partha and Dhananjaya, is a character that can be seen throughout several Hindu texts and specifically Mahabharata.

You have probably heard of the Indian epic Mahabharata, which is one of the two major Sanskrit epics from ancient India.

This is considered the longest poem ever written, roughly 10 times the length of the Iliad and the Odyssey combined.

In this text, Arjuna is a key warrior who was considered the finest archer and a peerless warrior that was fighting on the Pandava side.

Since the beginning of the war, he was given a supreme knowledge of Bhagavad Gita from Krishna to overcome his moral dilemmas.

He was feared by many, as he was a fine archer who can shoot with either hand, and he was also given magical weapons by the god Shiva, which helped him win.

Skaði

Moving to Norse mythology, Skaði is a jötunn and goddess associated with bow-hunting, skiing, winter and mountain.

This goddess which was attested in the Poetic Edda, which was compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources.

She was depicted as travelling on skis, wielding a bow and hunting wild animals.

She was the daughter of the deceased Þjazi and she went on to marry the god Njörðr as part of the compensation, provided by the gods for killing her father Þjazi.

Rama

One of the important deities and a famous archer in Hindu mythology is Rama who was considered by many as the “Supreme Being” in certain parts of Hinduism.

His story is described in the Ramayana, which is an ancient epic text of India.

He appears as the main character and heroic figure.

William Tell

Speaking of folklore, William Tell is a famous archer from the legendary archery history of Swiss Folklore.

He famously used a crossbow instead of a bow and arrow.

Even though many may argue that he perhaps was a real figure, largely he is seen more in folklore instead of as a real figure.

Legolas Greenleaf

One of the most recognisable and widely known characters from the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, Legolas Greenleaf was an elf and a masterer, a marksman and an archer who shot down a “fell beast”- “Nazgûl-bird”- in the dark with one shot, among other things.

Hou Yi

Hou Yi, or also known as Shen Yi, is a legendary archer from ancient Chinese mythology, known as the patron god of archery.

He was famous for slaying a monster as well as the story of shooting the 10 suns.

According to the legend, his story goes back to the time when the earth had 10 suns that were coming up differently, taking turns.

Then one day, the suns had the awful idea of coming out altogether at one which caused a really hot day on earth.

This is when the mythical King Yao asked Hou Yi to use his divine archery skills and shoot down the suns one by one.

Hou Yi did just that as he shot down all the suns, one by one, leaving only one sun to remain and conduct its business.

Merida

One of the most skilful and fiery-tempered archers, Merida was a princess and a unique character that defies the original Disney princess mold of being a damsel in distress.

Her unique character and fierce archer skills make her a far more interesting and wholesome character, that many kids can grow up to admire.

Robin Hood

Robin Hood is probably one of the most famous, if not arguably the most famous archer in mythology.

He was a famous archer, found in many stories from different legends.

There are many movies, TV shows, books and legends that capture the character of Robin Hood in various ways.

In essence, Robin Hood is the character who stole from the rich to give it back to the poor and he used his archery skills to out-manoeuvre his enemies.