History Literature / Spartan

* ArcherArchetype: Talos is gifted with the AncestralWeapon of the last king of the Helots, an extremely powerful wooden bow. He becomes a damn good archer.

Spartan (''Lo Scudo di Talos'') is a 1988 historical book written by Italian Historian Valerio Massimo Manfredi (the one who wrote the book source for ''Film/TheLastLegion''). Set during the years of UsefulNotes/GrecoPersianWars.

* AdultFear: Plenty of for Talos' biological parents:
** The city laws obligates you to abandon your child to die if he is born deformed;
** You find out your abandoned child survived but your other son takes a strong dislike to him and almost killed him;
** You and your children being sent away to war despite the city laws of sending just one man for family [[spoiler: because the city council wants you and your offspring dead because you're a threat to their power]].
** One example with Kritolaos. In the first chapter, he found that his adopted grandson was watching the Spartans from a location. He rushed towards him, embraced him protectively and made him promise that he will never come so close to them again. [[spoiler: It's ambiguous whether he was worried about Talos' being targeted by Crypteia or because he feared he might find out about his secret heritage]].

* FamousLastWords: [[spoiler: Brithos]] "''What's in there, behind the armor?''" as an IronicEcho to Talos' speech about his lack of identity aside from being a Spartan hoplite.

** Brithos' [[RightHandAttackDog large feral molosser]] vs. Talos' [[HeroicDog shepherd dog]] serve as a {{Foil}} to their master. The [[RealityEnsues former brutally ravages the latter]] but Talos quite correctly points out that his dog was the brave one because he died defending his herd, while the giant black dog is a bloodthirsty beast who killed an unequal adversary.

NeedsWikiMagicLove.

Now, it has a character index under construction.

* BadassGrandpa: Kritolaos. How many grandpas do you know who teach their grandsons martial skills?

* CoolOldGuy: Kritolaos, who is a MentorArchetype for Talos' soldier training along with being snarky AF and a total BadassGrandpa.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Talos seems a good kid at first sight (and indeed, he is), but if you try to harm those who love, he will kick your ass.

* AmbiguousDisorder: Kleidemos shows signs of PTSD, for example, the scene where he sees snow reminds him of the blood that it was pouring during one of his battles.

* AnimalMotifs: Wolves for Talos, nicknamed the Young Wolf and associated with them for being silent and perceptive. [[spoiler: When he mysteriously disappears in the finale, all Kara's could find was a lone wolf leading him to his empty armor]].

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: **They were actually two soldiers who came alive from the Hot Gates. Only that their names were not Brithos and Agias, but Aristodemus and Pantites. Despite that, the book follows exactly the events of the ancient history.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: They were actually two soldiers who came alive from the Hot Gates. Only that their names were not Brithos and Agias, but Aristodemus and Pantites. Despite that, the book follows exactly the events of the ancient history.

* HeterosexualLifePartner: Brithos to Agias.

** Brithos' [[RightHandAttackDog large feral molosser]] vs. Talos' [[HeroicDog shepherd dog]] serve as a {{Foil}} to their mastera. The [[RealityEnsues former brutally ravages the latter]] but Talos quite correctly points out that his dog was the brave one because he died defending his herd, while the giant black dog is a bloodthirsty beast who killed an unequal adversary.
** The Helots vs the Spartans. The formers are just a SlaveRace who fight to win back their freedom, while the latters are ProodWarriorRace who want them back as servants.

** Talos to Brithos. Both were born free but they lost it during their lifes. The former because he was born cripple (and his considered incapable as a soldier) and the latter because [[spoiler: it was believed that abandoned everyone at Thermopylae. After they fight at Platea, they earn it back]].

** Talos vs. Brithos, the HandicappedBadass against the BloodKnight. Double-played straight A's the first is a slave and a survivor, the latter a professionally-trained warrior;

* {{Foil}}: Brithos to Agias. Both were said to abandon everyone in Thermopylae,[[spoiler: something wrong]]. While the former [[spoiler: was saved and earned back his glory, the latter commited suicide]].

NB: Some notes about the spoilers. The protagonist's SecretLegacy is revealed to the reader in the first pages, so tropes concerning it are seldom under the spoiler alert. Also since it's historical fiction, most of the RealLife events are almost CommonKnowledge unless you never opened an history book or thanks to the PopCulturalOsmosis of ''Film/{{ThreeHundred}}''.

** Brithos silently cries the night before the Battle of Platesla. [[spoiler: It is because he's guessed why he felt a weird connection to Talos: he's his long lost brother]].

* DoYouThinkICantFeel: Brithos believes Helots to be cowardly subhumans who care just of saving their skin. Talos, a leader and a warrior among his people, his fed up with his CondescendingCompassion and shuts him up saying that his people are essentially braver than Spartans, who all they know is [[ThReasonYouSuckSpeech fighting and oppressing those who can't fight back]].

* AmbiguousDisorder: Kleidimos shows signs of PTSD, for example, the scene where he sees snow reminds him of the blood that it was pouring during one of his battles.