5 Legendary Warriors You've Never Heard Of

The first recorded war in human history was fought in Mesopotamia between the Sumerians, under King Enembaragesi, and the Elamites, who would eventually lose the war. Likely before then, until now, there have been warriors that seemed to be cut from a different type of cloth than that of their fellow soldiers. Here, we will introduce to you 5 legendary warriors that you've (probably) never heard of.

1. The Berserker at Stamford Bridge... The battle took place at the village of Stamford Bridge in England on 25 September 1066, between an English army under King Harold Godwinson and an invading Norwegian force led by King Harald Hardrada. The invaders were caught by surprise by the English troops, who slaughtered a portion of the force on one side of the River Derwent while the remainder of the Viking force was on the other, unable to reinforce them in time. However, when the English attempted to cross the bridge, a lone berserker armed with a large axe took position on the bridge, single-handedly holding off the entire English army. According to various sources, he defeated 30 to 40 English soldiers until one floated underneath him in a barrel, jabbing a spear through the planks of the bridge to kill him.
2. Marcus Calpurnius Flamma was a Roman soldier who served in the Legions during the First Punic War, during which he led a force of 300 men into Carthage on a daring rescue mission. His force was completely destroyed, and Flamma (the Flame), was captured and sold into slavery, to fight in gladiatorial arenas. Flamma began to enjoy hearing the crowd chanting his name, and would go on to win his freedom - only to turn it down. And then turn it down again. And then turn it down again. In fact, he won his freedom four times - each time declining it, in return for one more day in the arena. Marcus Flamma was killed at the age of 30 years old, in his 22nd arena fight.
3. Marcus Cassius Scaeva served in Caesar's legions as a decorated centurion and spent his free time risking his life training in gladiator schools. During the Battle of Dyrrhachium, Scaeva was in the front rank (where he would often be found), when he was shot in the face by an arrow. Unhindered, he removed the missile before re-engaging his enemy. Sources say he was also shot in the throat, as well as in the leg, while his shield was pierced with over a dozen arrows. Still, Scaeva held the line and set the example for others to follow.
4. Count Roland was one of Charlemagne's Twelve Peers - a group of knights that were also known as Paladins. Roland was performing rearguard duties for Charlemagne's force, which was withdrawing through the Pyrenees mountains after their destruction of Pamplona. The Basque forces launched an ambush on the Frankish force, and sent the rearguard into disarray. Roland was able to rally his defenses and hold the line with his troops for a considerable amount of time, allowing Charlemagne and the main Frankish force to withdraw from the area before Roland and his men were slain.
5. The White Company ... (We know, its kind of cheating because this isn't a person, but they were certainly bad ass warriors.) Sir John Hawkwood would be responsible for the White Company's rise to fame, commanding the unit after being knighted during the Hundred Years' War. The vast majority of warfare during the 14th Century in Italy involved the White Company in one way or another. Between 1363 and 1388, they fought both for and against the Pope, the city of Milan, the city of Florence, and everywhere in between - rarely finding themselves out of the field.

We hope you enjoyed this list. What do you think? What warriors would you add that are not a typical modern day consideration?Like this article? Keep checking AmericanGrit.com for more!