History UsefulNotes / AttilaTheHun

'''Attila''' was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in 453. He was leader of [[TheEmpire the Hunnic Empire]], which stretched from the Ural River to the Rhine River and from the Danube River to the Baltic Sea. During his reign he was [[TheDreaded one of the most feared enemies]] of the Western and Eastern Roman Empires, earning him the title, "TheScourgeOfGod"; while he wasn't known as this in his own time, a near-contemporary description does ascribe the honorific "scourge of all lands" and the "terror of mankind".

There is no universally accepted image of Attila the Hun, though he is normally depicted as a large hairy barbarian similar in appearance to UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan, another horseback archer barbarian conqueror. Even the ethnol-inguistic identity of the Huns he ruled remains under hot debate to this day, with the three known recorded "Hunnic" words being Indo-European and the vast majority of Hunnic names either being Turkic or Germanic. Among peoples who claim to be his descendants were the Bulgar khans, predecessors of modern UsefulNotes/Bulgaria, through his son Ernak; UsefulNotes/Hungary's first dynasty, the Árpáds, through his more mythic son Csaba, and UsefulNotes/{{Turkey}} more generally through their Turkic heritage, although his branch of Turkic is represented nowadays only by the Chuvash people in Russia.

His impact on popular culture is equally considerable--in fact, before UsefulNotes/WorldWarII made ThoseWackyNazis the absolute shorthand for "evil", Attila the Hun was one of the most-invoked "historical villains"[[note]]along with {{Biblical bad guy}}s, like the NephariousPharaoh from the Literature/BookOfExodus, and Pontius Pilate and Judas Iscariot from Literature/TheFourGospels[[/note]] for such comparisons. For example, during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, the Germans were widely referred to as "Huns", in reference to their supposed savagery as invoked by Kaiser Wilhelm II, who told the Germans being shipped off to quell the Boxer Rebellion to retaliate so severely that their renown would be like that of Attila's and no Chinese would ever dare stare cross-eyed at a German thereafter.

Attila was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in 453. He was leader of [[TheEmpire the Hunnic Empire]], which stretched from the Ural River to the Rhine River and from the Danube River to the Baltic Sea. During his reign he was [[TheDreaded one of the most feared enemies]] of the Western and Eastern Roman Empires, earning him the title, "TheScourgeOfGod". He also attempted to conquer Roman Gaul (modern France), crossing the Rhine in 451 and marching as far as Aurelianum (Orléans) before being defeated at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains (aka the Battle of Chalons). Subsequently he invaded Italy, devastating the northern provinces, but was unable to take Rome. He planned for further campaigns against the Romans but died in 453.

There is no universally accepted image of Attila the Hun, though he is normally depicted as a large hairy barbarian similar in appearance to UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan, another horseback archer barbarian conqueror.

He is a notorious conqueror, plunderer and pillager everybody has heard about, yet nobody is able to tell much more than a few lines about. There isn't even a universally accepted image of him. Many people will often confuse him with UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan, about whom we know a whole lot more. However, he's left a large footprint on popular culture--in fact, before UsefulNotes/WorldWarII made ThoseWackyNazis the absolute shorthand for "evil", Attila the Hun was one of the most-invoked "historical villains"[[note]]along with {{Biblical bad guy}}s, like the NephariousPharaoh from the Literature/BookOfExodus, and Pontius Pilate and Judas Iscariot from Literature/TheFourGospels[[/note]] for such comparisons. For example, during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, the Germans were widely referred to as "Huns", in reference to their supposed savagery as invoked by Kaiser Wilhelm II, who told the Germans being shipped off to quell the Boxer Rebellion to retaliate so severely that their renown would be like that of Attila's and no Chinese would ever dare stare cross-eyed at a German thereafter.

%%* CainAndAbel: He is believed to have killed his older brother Bleda, who, according to some sources, tried to kill him as well.

%%* CoolSword: The Sword of Mars. Rumored to be made out of meteorite iron and was a grave marker of the previous owner. While it stood in the ground it was struck by lightning.
%%* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: One of his methods of execution, later infamously adopted by UsefulNotes/VladTheImpaler.
%%* ModestRoyalty
%%* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Literally! Whenever people heard that the Huns were coming they panicked and fled or surrendered. His first name also lives on in infamy as many villains in popular culture are named after him.
* TheNapoleon: According to Roman sources, he was short of stature like all of his kind, meaning that the part-Asian if not full-Asian Huns were shorter than the European Romans. In modern times this has been distorted into the factoid that he suffered some form of dwarfism, as sometimes found in trivia books and the like, and there is no evidence for this. Although, considering that most sources on his appearance tend to be generally quite negative about him, it could be inferred that such unflattering depictions may be a result of demonisation. In the sources where he ''is'' depicted favourably (mainly continental Germanic legends where he is said to be a noble and generous king) he's more of a background character and his appearance isn't elaborated upon.
%%* OutWithABang: Reportedly died on his wedding night - or, more likely, one of his wedding nights as he likely had a harem.

%%* SpellMyNameWithAnS: As with many foreign names his name has been spelled both as ''A'''t'''i'''l'''a'', ''A'''tt'''i'''ll'''a'', ''A'''t'''i'''ll'''a'' and ''A'''tt'''i'''l'''a''.
%%* TheSpymaster: Many of his successes against the Roman Empire came from knowing their movements in advance.
%%* UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny: The greatest battle he partook in, also the one that he was stopped in, was this. He headed an alliance of the Huns and all the barbarian tribes north of the Danube and east of modern-day Germany. The Romans marched to stop him at the head of an alliance of Visigoths and Franks, followed by Saxons and Burgundians. Why was this significant? Other than the sheer RuleOfCool of nearly 200,000 warriors brawling it out, the victors of this battle made the Middle Ages (representing Visigoths = European Spain, Franks = France & Holy Roman Empire and Saxons = Vikings/Anglo-Saxons/Normans).

* He appears as one of the many wax figures brought to life in ''Film/NightAtTheMuseum''.

* TheNapoleon: He was apparently rather short and possibly suffered some form of dwarfism. Although, considering that most sources on his appearance tend to be generally quite negative about him, it could be inferred that such unflattering depictions may be a result of demonisation. In the sources where he ''is'' depicted favourably (mainly continental Germanic legends where he is said to be a noble and generous king) he's more of a background character and his appearance isn't elaborated upon.

He is a notorious conqueror, plunderer and pillager everybody has heard about, yet nobody is able to tell much more than a few lines about. There isn't even a universally accepted image of him. Many people will often confuse him with UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan, about whom we know a whole lot more. However, he's left a large footprint on popular culture--in fact, before UsefulNotes/WorldWarII made ThoseWackyNazis the absolute shorthand for "evil", Attila the Hun was one of the most-invoked "historical villains"[[note]]along with {{Biblical bad guy}}s, like the NephariousPharaoh from the Literature/BookOfExodus, and Pontius Pilate and Judas Iscariot from Literature/TheFourGospels[[/note]] for such comparisons. For example, during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, the Germans were widely referred to as "Huns", in reference to their supposed savagery.

* Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus once did a parody of a typical American sitcom called ''The Attila the Hun Show'', with Creator/JohnCleese as the eponymous conqueror in the starring role.

* Attila appears in rather mythologized form in the ''{{Literature/Nibelungenlied}}'' and the ''Literature/VolsungaSaga'' under the name of Etzel or Atli.

He is a notorious conqueror, plunderer and pillager everybody has heard about, yet nobody is able to tell much more than a few lines about. There isn't even a universally accepted image of him. Many people will often confuse him with UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan, about whom we know a whole lot more. However, he's left a large footprint on popular culture--in fact, before UsefulNotes/WorldWarII made ThoseWackyNazis the absolute shorthand for "evil", Attila the Hun was one of the most-invoked "historical villains"[[note]]next to {{Biblical bad guy}}s, like the NephariousPharaoh from the Literature/BookOfExodus, and Pontius Pilate and Judas Iscariot from Literature/TheFourGospels[[/note]] for such comparisons. For example, during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, the Germans were widely referred to as "Huns", in reference to their supposed savagery.

He is a notorious conqueror, plunderer and pillager everybody has heard about, yet nobody is able to tell much more than a few lines about. There isn't even a universally accepted image of him. Many people will often confuse him with UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan, about whom we know a whole lot more. However, he's left a large footprint on popular culture--in fact, before UsefulNotes/WorldWarII made ThoseWackyNazis the absolute shorthand for "evil", Attila the Hun was one of the most-invoked "historical villains" (next to the Pharaoh from the Book of Exodus in the Bible) for such comparisons. For example, during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, the Germans were widely referred to as "Huns", in reference to their supposed savagery.

He is a notorious conqueror, plunderer and pillager everybody has heard about, yet nobody is able to tell much more than a few lines about. There isn't even a universally accepted image of him. Many people will often confuse him with UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan, about whom we know a whole lot more. However, he's left a large footprint on popular culture--in fact, before UsefulNotes/WorldWarII made ThoseWackyNazis the absolute shorthand for "evil", Attila the Hun was probably the most-invoked "historical villain" (along with the Pharaoh from the Book of Exodus in the Bible) for such comparisons. For example, during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, the Germans were widely referred to as "Huns".

He is a notorious conqueror, plunderer and pillager everybody has heard about, yet nobody is able to tell much more than a few lines about. There isn't even a universally accepted image of him. Many people will often confuse him with UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan, about whom we know a whole lot more. However, he's left a large footprint on popular culture--in fact, before UsefulNotes/WorldWarII made ThoseWackyNazis the absolute shorthand for "evil", Attila the Hun was probably the most-invoked "historical villain" (along with {{NephariousPharaoh the Pharaoh}} from the {{Literature/TheBible Old Testament}} ) for such comparisons. For example, during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, the Germans were widely referred to as "Huns".

He is a notorious conqueror, plunderer and pillager everybody has heard about, yet nobody is able to tell much more than a few lines about. There isn't even a universally accepted image of him. Many people will often confuse him with UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan, about whom we know a whole lot more. However, he's left a large footprint on popular culture--in fact, before {{UsefulNotes/WorldWar2 World War II}} made ThoseWackyNazis the absolute shorthand for "evil", Attila the Hun was probably the most-invoked "historical villain" (along with {{NephariousPharaoh the Pharaoh from the Old Testament}} ) for such comparisons. For example, during {{UsefulNotes/WorldWar1 World War I}}, the Germans were widely referred to as "Huns".

He is a notorious conqueror, plunderer and pillager everybody has heard about, yet nobody is able to tell much more than a few lines about. There isn't even a universally accepted image of him. Many people will often confuse him with UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan, about whom we know a whole lot more. However, he's left a large footprint on popular culture--in fact, before {{UsefulNotes/WorldWarII World War II}} made ThoseWackyNazis the absolute shorthand for "evil", Attila the Hun was probably the most-invoked "historical villain" (along with {{NephariousPharaoh the Pharaoh from the Old Testament}}) for such comparisons. For example, during {{UsefulNotes/WorldWarI World War I}}, the Germans were widely referred to as "Huns".

He is a notorious conqueror, plunderer and pillager everybody has heard about, yet nobody is able to tell much more than a few lines about. There isn't even a universally accepted image of him. Many people will often confuse him with UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan, about whom we know a whole lot more.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' pilot episode ''The Simpsons Christmas Special'' the family tries to sing ''Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer'' but Bart keeps adding lines of his own to Homer's annoyment. After singing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: you'll go in history." Bart belts out: "Like Attila the Hun!", which is the final straw for Homer who starts strangling him.

* A [[GenderFlip Gender Flipped]] version of him appears as a Saber in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder''[[note]]the first new Saber shown, the dark-skinned one with the rainbow sword[[/note]]. This depiction is also a very favorable one, as her In-Universe Character Alignment is ChaoticGood, and she's one of the more just Servants. [[spoiler:However, the fact that the Attila of the Nasuverse is female becomes tame when it's revealed in ''VideoGame/FateExtella'' that she's actually the remains of [[EldritchAbomination an alien superweapon that wiped out all prehistoric human civilization]], found in the ruins of her original shattered form and raised as a warrior and conqueror by the Huns.]]

* A [[GenderFlip Gender Flipped]] version of him appears as a Saber in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder''[[note]]the first new Saber shown, the dark-skinned one with the rainbow sword[[/note]]. This depiction is also a very favorable one, as her In-Universe CharacterAlignment is ChaoticGood, and she's one of the more just Servants. [[spoiler:However, the fact that the Attila of the Nasuverse is female becomes tame when it's revealed in ''VideoGame/FateExtella'' that she's actually the remains of [[EldritchAbomination an alien superweapon that wiped out all prehistoric human civilization]], found in the ruins of her original shattered form and raised as a warrior and conqueror by the Huns.]]

'''Attila''' was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in 453. He was leader of [[TheEmpire the Hunnic Empire]], which stretched from the Ural River to the Rhine River and from the Danube River to the Baltic Sea. During his reign he was [[TheDreaded one of the most feared enemies]] of the Western and Eastern Roman Empires, earning him the title, "TheScourgeOfGod". He also attempted to conquer Roman Gaul (modern France), crossing the Rhine in 451 and marching as far as Aurelianum (Orléans) before being defeated at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains (aka the Battle of Chalons). Subsequently he invaded Italy, devastating the northern provinces, but was unable to take Rome. He planned for further campaigns against the Romans but died in 453.

* DependingOnTheWriter: There are two traditions concerning Atilla, the ''Niebelungenlied'', written in Germany, and the Icelandic accounts. The first version, giving him the name ''Etzel'', tells the story of a benevolent and just ruler. According to JRRTolkien, this mirrors the tradition of the Eastern Goths, who were allied with him if not downright served under him. The Icelandic tradition tells of a vicious, greedy and ruthless king who showed no mercy. This happens to be the tradition of the ''Western'' Goths and the other Germanic tribes which fought against him. How he really was, might seem to be somewhere in the middle.

--> 'Jon: That doesn't make any sense, Attila was nowhere near China.'

--> '''Jon: That doesn't make any sense, Attila was nowhere near China.'''

* A [[GenderFlip Gender Flipped]] version of him appears as a Saber in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder''[[note]]the first new Saber shown, the dark-skinned one with the rainbow sword[[/note]]. This depiction is also a very favorable one, as her In-Universe CharacterAlignment is ChaoticGood, and she's one of the more just Servants.

[[folder:Comic Book]]