Your question for the day

[kate_nepveu]

Are Trent the Uncatchable and Vash the Stampede cross-cultural manifestations of the same archetype—goofy-seeming pacifists who do improbable things and around whom improbable things happen? If so, what other manifestations are there?

Comments

[paoconnell.livejournal.com]

Very common.

Coyote in lots of Indian stories. Bugs Bunny and Roadrunner in the cartoons. Jhary a' Conel in Moorcock's Eternal Champion series. Andy Devine, Pat Buttram and other comedic sidekicks in the old western and adventure serial movies. All of the Marx brothers, especially Harpo. As far as that's concerned, Curly in the Three Stooges. Mat Cauthon early in Wheel of Time, until he gets his head filled with memories of battles by the 'finn and becomes a general.

Lots of similar characters listed here, in case you haven't found it yet:

http://www.paganlibrary.com/reference/holy_fool.php

[leighdb.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't describe Coyote, Bugs Bunny, Roadrunner, or even Curly as "pacifist", though.

[paoconnell.livejournal.com]

"Coyote" is not Wile E--he's the Trickster in many Indian tribes, much like Loki.

Bugs often sets things up in improbable ways so that Elmer does it to himself.

Wile E Coyote is often done in by his own devices, but not until Roadrunner shows up.

Curly is often the brunt of Moe's meanness, until Moe does it to himself again.

[kate_nepveu]

Yeah, pacifism is really really important to those characters. Bugs Bunny doesn't kill people only because he's in a cartoon. And they're not in themselves capricious, really.

Tom Bombadil might not be a bad example, though. Must chew on that.