ARCHERY IN LITERATURE
INTRODUCTION
Archery has long been a subject in stories and mythology. Because archery in ancient times was the way
people survived, many legends have amazing feats of archery and famous archers in them. Although
archery can be considered a sport today, in earlier times archery was closely linked with the humanities
in epic poems, books, oral ballads, and so on. Almost every one of us has a figure from literature in mind
when they think of archery. For this reason, there is an important link between archery and literature,
and by studying the stories of archery in literature we can increase our awareness, knowledge, and
enjoyment of archery today.
Greek mythology is particularly rich in its inclusion of archery. The Greek god Apollo was called The God
of Archery, and "he was credited with numerous extraordinary feats with the bow and arrow". It is
recounted that Apollo fought a mighty python for four hours and eventually killed him with an arrow.
Another Greek god, Eros, was a skilled archer who shot his victims with golden arrows of love. Eros,
after Apollo angered him, shot Apollo with an arrow and made him love-sick. "Eros not only took care of
Apollo’s attitude problem but taught him that archery is a sport for people of all ages and social status"
(McKinney and McKinney 1997, p. 215) This mythical god Eros is still shooting his arrows today, in the
form of the cherub Cupid. In fact, our word "arrow" is derived from the Greek word eros (love). Another
legend containing archery from the Greeks that has influence on us today is that of Achilles. During the
Trojan War, Paris shot Achilles in the heel, the only vulnerable portion of his body. While also being an
amazing feet of athleticism, this gave us the term "the Achilles tendon", the name for the tendon which
makes it possible for you to flex your ankle.
Another legendary figure known throughout the world for his archery is Robin Hood. One account of his
skills as an archer is the legend that Robin Hood and Clifton, also a great archer, had a contest of wand
shooting . Clifton shot an arrow into a piece of wood called a wand from 100 yards away. Robin topped
that feat by releasing an arrow before Clifton’s arrow stopped vibrating, and split the arrow in half.
Although this legend is probably exaggerated, wand shooting is still practiced today. Each Wand Round
is 36 shoots, and the target is a 2 inch piece of wood. Any arrow that becomes embedded in the wood or
rebounds off the wood is a hit. This would not seem too hard, except that men shoot at this minuscule
piece of wood from 100 yards away, boys from 80 yards, and women from 60 (McKinney 217). One can
see that the alleged feats of Robin Hood are very difficult if done in real life, especially when you
consider that Robin Hood would have used a longbow, which is less accurate than a modern compound
or recurve bow, and wood arrows.
The legend of William Tell is also very famous; in fact it has been dramatized and even been made into
an opera. This heroic crossbowman was said to have defied the government, and as punishment, he was
made to shoot an arrow through an apple placed on his son’s head. "A shot like Tell’s in real life,"
McKinney (1997, p. 218) says, "would have been remarkable because the father had to shoot at his son
in a stressful situation with a crossbow unlike those in use today." Even today, modern bowhunters find
it hard to shoot with precision when faced with live game that they are aiming for; they "freeze" when a
game animal comes into range and cannot release the arrow. Imagine what William Tell was faced with,
not only having to shoot under pressure, but also at a person he loved.
Even into the twentieth century, authors are still drawing on archery as a reference in popular stories.
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien is just one example of how archery is portrayed with a fantastical
element to it, yet also in a historical way. The elves of Tolkien’s Middle Earth are unparalleled in their
archery feats. This blending of traditional warfare (archery) with characters of imagination (elves) draws
the reader into a believable and plausible world. Used in this way, archery can stir up our imagination,
while also introducing us to a sport that can be played outside the realms of "Middle Earth".
Archery has been and will continue to be a source for inspiration in literature. Being interested in
archery can fuel a person’s awareness of the great legends and myths that contain archery feats in
them. Great literature can also inform a person about archery and influence them to take up archery so
they can shoot like the legendary Robin Hood or William Tell. Today’s youth is introduced to archery
through modern classics such as “The Hunger Games”, the movie “Brave”, and countless other movies,
books and comic books. Any person can benefit from knowledge of the famous literary archers
throughout historical literature.