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Last month, I kicked off 2023 with a focus on the "band of brothers", which although drawn from myth and folklore, legend and history, is a consistent theme in fantasy storytelling.
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| The Round Table -- a 'band of brothers' overlapping legend & history |
I also explored more of the concept's origins and why I consider the "band of brothers" a quintessential part of epic fantasy, with its focus on quests and war. Its sibling, the "Scooby gang," is equally integral to the wider fantasy landscape. So I'm going to be looking at examples of both in each post.
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| The Last Airbender -- definitely a 'Scooby gang' |
As with so many aspects of contemporary fantasy, it's really hard to go past JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings when honing in on the "band of brothers"—especially when the first book is named for exactly that fellowship.
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| The nine companions: the fellowship of the Ring |
The "band's" prominence in The Lord of the Rings is also not surprising (imho) because the story is so deeply rooted in the Norse myths and sagas. So it would be stranger if camaraderie, brotherhood (it's definitely brotherhood with Tolkien ;-) ), and enduring friendship were not vital to the story.
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| The quest-journey goes ever on... |
The "band of brothers" is equally vital to David Gemmell's Legend, which in many ways epitomises the concept and the heroic fantasy subgenre. The same is true of all Gemmell's writing, but the thing about Legend is that it comprises 'bands within bands' in the defense of a fortress (Dross Dolnach) against invading hordes. (Outnumbered defenders, desperate odds—yup, it's epic all right!)
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First there's Druss, the ageing and legendary axeman, trying to knock the Dross Delnoch garrison into shape at short notice. Then there's the swordsman Rek (who's also a berserker) and his small band of companions fighting to reach the fort in time. The third and final band comprises Serbitar and the Thirty, a band of fighting monks dedicated to fighting physically and magically until the end. The three bands come together in the fort, but the story throughout is based on their overlapping arcs.
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Last month, I mentioned history's Sacred Band of Thebes, an elite fighting company of 300 warriors, comprising 150 pairs of male lovers, dedicated to each other and their city. In The Sword and the Lion, Roberta Gray adapts the concept with sworn father and daughter pairs, magically bound and endowed with supernatural powers to spearhead defense of Ghezrat, their home city. Again, the stakes are high, although it is only one city state (and the others that lie beyond it) that must be saved, rather than a world (Middle Earth) or nation (the Drenai lands of Legend.)
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The Scooby gang comes into its own in fantasy where the stakes are smaller overall, and the "gangs" more buddies and/or chance-met companions, than brothers in a shield wall. In Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows duology, the gang are rogues from Ketterdam's criminal underworld, drawn together to carry out what is essentially a heist. Although there are larger issues at stake, the core mission is the heist and emerging victorious in the underworld's cut-and-thrust.
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| The Crows |
JK Rowling's Harry, Hermione, and Ron, and the extended Hogwarts crew of friends and allies, are essentially a Scooby gang as well, however grim and dark the magical stakes get toward the end of the story.
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| Scooby pals... |
Bands of brothers and Scooby gangs—there's just so many to pick from in contemporary fantasy, so I'll be back next month to shine the spotlight on a few more. In the meantime, if you have a favorite, do share in the comments!
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About the Author:
Helen Lowe is an award-winning novelist, poet, and lover of story. With four books published to date, she is currently completing the final instalment in The Wall Of Night series.
Helen posts regularly on her “…on Anything, Really” blog, monthly on the Supernatural Underground, and tweets @helenl0we.
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Previous Posts:
February: Honing in on 2021—Celebrating the "Band of Brothers"
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