Warrior and Hero

Warrior

A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based society that recognizes a separate warrior class or caste.

Ancient Warriors

There existed a wide variety of ancient warriors, wider than Napoleonic or Modern Times. While more modern armies can be divided up into what we now call traditional branches of the military, ancient warriors only developed such distinctions later. At first ancient warriors organized themselves into whatever military arrangement suited them best militarily in their particular time and place. This is to say that they specialized in a particular weapon that was successful in their particular habitat. Eventually large empires or confederations began using them in a combined arms sort of way. Particular ethnic groups that had particular skills where used for them, while their weaknesses could be covered by other ancient warriors specializing in another style of combat. What came out of the wash was a wide variety of ancient warriors; here are their general categories, steppe warriors, barbarian warriors and the infantry of the “civilized” Greco-Roman world. Additionally, light tribal infantry and cavalry could be included in this mix. Essentially, there are a lot of types of ancient warriors, and that what makes them so interesting! However, in order to make this an article instead of a book we will focus on just the first three mentioned groups.

Ancient warriors have been around forever, in groups, in tribes, in towns and cities. They are the elite warriors who fight for a living, using their battle skills, their armour and their weapons to meet their opponents on the battlefield with only one outcome in their minds.

From the Mayan Tribes and civilisations to the Roman elite fighters to the terrifying Vikings. Weapons have been found all over the world by archaeologists, documenting the history of these ancient people, for whom being a warrior was a natural career path in ancient times.

Amazon Warriors

The legendary all women tribe of Amazon warriors were feared by man and woman alike, tall strong and capable the Amazons would bring the fight to anyone that requested it.

Aztec Warriors

The Aztec warriors fought with order and went to war in order to expand the empire, believing in sacrifice the Aztec's believe in giving to the gods and weren't afraid to do so.

Celtic Warriors

Fearless and wild the Celtic warriors held regard for no man and their battle style reflected this; with wild abandon the Celts would bring aggression and passion to any fight.

Egyptian Warriors

Calculating and organised, the Egyptian warriors were masters of long range combat, get to close and an Egyptian axe may be the last think you would see.

Frank Warriors

The Frank warriors were the ancient fighters that allowed this Germanic tribe to dominate large portion of Europe, eventually settling in modern France.

Germanic Warriors

The ancient Germanic warriors were plenty and mighty, spread across many tribes the Germanic warriors in battle fought with heart and ferocity.

Gladiator Warriors

The Gladiator warriors fought for the crowd and for their life, spending their entire existence training the Gladiators were some of the ultimate warriors of the ancient world.

Goth Warriors

The might Goth warriors were some of the most dangerous Germanic warriors of history, conquering large portions of Europe and splitting into two dominant groups.

Greek Warriors

The mighty Greek Warriors were masters of war, well trained, strong and battle ready, their tactics were among the best known on the battlefields of ancient Greece.

Hawaiian Warriors

The mighty and fierce Hawaiian warriors were a force to behold in battle; their best warriors the Koa were dangerous and skilled in the martial art of Lua.

Japanese Warriors

The diverse range of Japanese warriors is many and skilled, from the might Samurai to the Ashigaru foot soldiers to the Sohei buddhist warriors, and the mountain hermits the Yamabushi.

Mongolian Warriors

The Mongolian warriors were skilled horsemen and archers, motivated and battle ready the Mongolians had battle tactics to flummox the enemy.

Ninja Warriors

Stealth and control were the way of the Ninja warriors, the silent assassins that could scale walls and dispatch enemies in their sleep, the Ninja all mystiques.

Persian Warriors

The Persian warriors were strong in number and relentless, the legendary Persian Immortals would strike fear into the heart of their opponents.

Samurai Warriors

Steeped in mystery and respect, the Samurai warriors were legendary in their time, with their katana to hand, they could dispatch any foe with relative ease.

Spartan Warriors

The mighty Spartan warriors were some of the strongest and battle hardened fighters ever to exist, by training from a young age, they were masters of the battle.

Viking Warriors

Wild and rampaging, the Viking warriors were feared by all, masters of the raid attack the Vikings were natural warriors with a disregard for their enemy.

Hero

A hero (masculine) or heroine (feminine) refers to characters who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self-sacrifice—that is, heroism—for some greater good of all humanity. This definition originally referred to martial courage or excellence but extended to more general moral excellence.

Stories of heroism may serve as moral examples. In classical antiquity, cults that venerated deified heroes such as Heracles, Perseus, and Achilles played an important role in Ancient Greek religion. Politicians, ancient and modern, have employed hero worship for their own apotheosis (i.e., cult of personality). Stories of the anti-hero also play a major role in Greek mythology and much of literature. The anti-hero is a protagonist whose qualities are the last expected from a person in certain situations; an anti-hero often lacks the typical characteristics of heroism, such as honor, nobility, bravery, compassion, and fortitude.

Heroes feature prominently in the wars, myths, and literature of the ancient world. Not all these people would be heroes by today's standards, and some wouldn't be by Classical Greek standards. What makes a hero changes with the era, but it's often tied up with concepts of bravery and virtue. Incidentally, although there are women here, "virtue" comes from the word for man.