your army or small fighting force is surrounded and outnumbered;
you are going to die;
all that you can do is fight as long as possible and kill as many of the enemy as possible - try to make it a Pyrrhic victory for them.
A last battle - the nearest approach to Ragnarok on Earth, the only difference being that there will be no resurrection to fight again. The "How dead men's deeds are deemed" verse becomes relevant. In fact, it is all that you have left.
Relevant Poul Anderson texts:
Hrolf Kraki's Saga;
"The Sorrow of Odin the Goth."
In SM Stirling's A Meeting At Corvallis, I have just reached a point where Lord Bear thinks that he is in such an impasse - and I do not yet know whether he will get out of it. Pyrrhus has been mentioned.
2 comments:
Paul:
"Let's make sure — that history never forgets — the name — *Enterprise*."
— Jean-Luc Picard, ST:TNG, "Yesterday's *Enterprise*"
Kaor, Paul!
Even Tolkien's Middle Earth Mythos has a Last Battle. Certain fragments and texts make mention of how there would be a Last Battle against Morgoth--after which Arda Marred would be remade and healed.
And only the arrival of timely and unexpected reinforcements saved Lord Bear and his army from either being completely destroyed or suffering a crushing defeat.
Sean
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