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6->''"If you go far enough into anyone's past, you will find glories, somewhere."''
7--> -- '''Lim-Dûl''', ''[[Literature/MagicTheGathering The Eternal Ice]]''
8
9We've all known someone like this; you know, the person who claims their great-to-the-''n''th grandparent did something famous which, via FridgeLogic, carries over to them.
10
11This trope concerns any character who exhibits the traits associated with their FamedInStory ancestor to help characterize themselves, or ''is'' characterized by said ancestor despite their own (sometimes different) traits. Expect this to be the source of a SecretLegacy or SuperpowerfulGenetics in a family line and expect a poor kid being held up to the ancestor's standards.
12
13This is a common way for writers to grant characters powers or abilities of the famous ancestor. Bonus points if the character claims to be a direct descendant in a manner that clearly contradicts history and causes FridgeLogic.
14
15Common subversions occur where the character has a Famous Ancestor, but the powers or prowess eludes them and their humiliation is PlayedForLaughs. Played more seriously, it can overlap with InadequateInheritor.
16
17HeroicLineage is a subtrope, where the thing the ancestor in question is famous for was an act or pattern of heroism. HistoricalCharactersFictionalRelative is when the ancestor (usually) is real but the descendant is fictional.
18
19Note that while it might seem impressive to claim certain historical figures as your ancestor, anyone who lived more than a few hundred years ago and had more than a few children could very well have ''millions'' of living descendants right now; see the examples from RealLife below. On the other hand, while simple descendants of important historical figures may be common, ''direct'' descendants[[note]]the ancestor's firstborn child, who then produces their own firstborn child, and so on and so forth until we reach the modern-day descendant of the ancestor[[/note]] are quite rare.
20
21See also TheDescendantsOfCain. Contrast AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents.
22
23----
24!!Examples:
25[[foldercontrol]]
26
27[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
28* In ''Literature/AriaTheScarletAmmo'', every important character has a famous ancestor, from RealLife or fictional works (Arsène Lupin, Sherlock Holmes, Jeanne d'Arc, Cleopatra, etc.) A good part of the reveals are about the characters' lineages. [[SuperpowerfulGenetics Which usually involve inherited superpowers of some sort.]]
29* ''Literature/HighSchoolDXD'' features a team of terrorists who are all descendants of legendary figures from time's past. These include, but are not limited to, [[Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms Cao Cao]], UsefulNotes/JoanOfArc (a reincarnation in this case since Joan never got to have children), [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Hercules]], Myth/{{Faust}}, and that's only the central squad.
30* In ''Manga/TheKindaichiCaseFiles'', Kindaichi is the grandson of Kosuki Kindaichi. Kindaichi's grandfather taught him everything he knows about solving mysteries, pickpocketing, and slight-of-hand tricks, but most people are incredulous when they learn about the familial connection. (Primarily because of how lazy Kindaichi is)
31* Arsene Lupin III of ''Characters/LupinIII'' is the grandson of Literature/ArseneLupin, an early twentieth century GentlemanThief from a series of books by Maurice Leblanc. Goemon Ishikawa XIII is the descendant of Japanese bandit UsefulNotes/IshikawaGoemon, and Inspector Zenigata is a descendant of Heiji Zenigata, the hero of a series of Japanese novels. Several minor characters on the show also have famous ancestors, such as Literature/SherlockHolmes and Literature/HerculePoirot.
32** ''Anime/LupinIIIDragonOfDoom'' has Goemon attending a KabukiTheatre performance of his ancestor's death. ManlyTears follow.
33** ''Anime/LupinIIITravelsOfMarcoPoloAnotherPage'' has a character called Grandpa, who is actually UsefulNotes/MusashiboBenkei the 22nd. This creates a dilemma for Goemon; if he goes after the granddaughter Hiromi, he'll be forced to give up the Ishikawa name to become the 23rd!
34* Einhart Stratos of ''Manga/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaVivid'', who is the direct descendant of Klaus G.S. Ingvalt, the [[WarriorPrince legendary Ancient Belka king known for his extraordinary heroism]]. Unfortunately, in addition to his powers, she also directly inherited [[GeneticMemory his memories and his will]], [[TheRemnant which is not exactly suited for the current era of peace]], giving the poor kid some extra burden she didn't really want.
35** Another example of this is Victoria Dahlgruen, descendant of "Thunder Emperor" Dahlgruen, and has taken up his title as a combatant at the DSAA Tournament. While she is usually a refined {{Ojou}}, piss her off in combat, [[InTheBlood and she will show the ferocity that her ancestor was famous for.]]
36** Averted with Sieglinde Jeremiah. Her ancestor is [[GenderBlenderName Wilfried Jeremiah]], the one who taught Saint Kaiser Olivie Saegebrecht fighting techniques that made her become known as [[WorldsBestWarrior "The Queen Second to None in Combat"]], and also became friends with Claus Ingvalt. However, Wilfried's connection to both people has been lost through time, with the record of her time spent with Olivie and Claus, can only be found in her personal diary that was hidden deep within the Infinity Library.
37** Vivio herself invokes a variant of this. While she is [[CloneJesus the clone]] of [[CrystalDragonJesus Olivie Saegebrecht]], she never considers herself as Olivie 2.0. She'd rather be considered as Olivie's descendant. In the ''[[VideoGame/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAsPortable Gears of Destiny]]'' video game, the BigBad recognizes Vivio as Olivie, and when she says that she's Olivie's descendant, the BigBad points out that Olivie didn't have any descendants.
38* ''Manga/OnePiece'' has "Sword God" Shimotsuki Ryuma, from the author's previous one-shot ''Monsters'' in ''Manga/Wanted1998''. He was already pretty famous when he was alive, but by the time of the present storyline, he's considered a legend in both his home country Wano and throughout the world as one of the greatest swordsmen to have ever lived. His descendants are the Shimotsuki Family, who have produced some of the most talented swordsmen and swordsmiths in the series, including Roronoa Zoro's master Koushiro, his best friend, Koushiro's daughter Kuina, and, as revealed in an SBS, [[spoiler:Zoro himself. While Zoro remains unaware of his heritage, it nonetheless plays an important part in the Wano arc, as his resemblances to Ryuma and to his granduncle Shimotsuki Ushimaru (the former Daimyo of Ringo) are why the natives of Wano warm up to him so quickly]].
39* The eponymous character of ''Manga/RonKamonohashiDerangedDetective'' is descended from both Literature/SherlockHolmes and his nemesis Moriarty. The series' BigBad is a group of criminals who claim to be Moriarty's descendants who hate Ron for being of tainted blood.
40* Masahiro in ''Literature/ShonenOnmyouji'' is often recognized as the grandson of the great Abe no Seimei, a fact that Masahiro despises.
41* In ''Manga/TwilightStarSuiAndNeri'', the residents of Tetsunagi Island are revealed to be the descendants of their ancestors who originated from a research lab, comprising of a union between [[CivilizedAnimal sentient animals]] and human researchers, before setting foot into the island despite the losses they incurred during the expedition. [[spoiler:Including the mirages of the old lady and the monkey that Sui encountered in Chapter 14.]]
42* In ''Manga/{{Vagabond}}'', the younger, immature version of Yoshioka Denshichiro seen in flashbacks would often take pains to tell his adversaries how he was the son of the famous MasterSwordsman Yoshioka Kempo, and let them assume that he was a badass they didn't want to cross due to being personally trained by his father with the expectation that he would help carry on the dojo's name. He later publicly admits that he was doing it because he was afraid and hoped that [[VictoryThroughIntimidation intimidating his opponent could get him out of tough situations]] without looking weak or incapable, as he secretly feared that he was. Because of an encounter with a [[UsefulNotes/SasakiKojiro certain deaf-mute swordsman]] who couldn't hear his boasting and some offscreen CharacterDevelopment, Denshichiro grew out of it and into the [[TheStoic stoic]], stern, [[HonorBeforeReason honor bound]] man we see in the present.
43* In ''Anime/YuGiOhCapsuleMonsters'', Alex Brisbane is a direct descendant of UsefulNotes/AlexanderTheGreat.
44[[/folder]]
45
46[[folder:Asian Animation]]
47* ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'': Wolffy's great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather Martial Wolf famously tried to get past the gate to Goats' Village by starving himself so that he could pass through the gate's iron bars. Once he's inside the village, Martial Wolf eats a rock due to being starved and dies; since then, the other wolves have honored his memory for generations.
48[[/folder]]
49
50[[folder:Comic Books]]
51* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': Some comics state that Bruce Wayne is a descendant of Revolutionary War general 'Mad' Anthony Wayne. (This is also a DevelopmentGag as Batman's surname was inspired by 'Mad' Anthony Wayne.)
52* ''ComicBook/{{Crimson}}'': The modern-day [[UsefulNotes/TheKnightsTemplar Knight Templar]] Barnebeau D'Orense claims to be a direct descendant of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_of_Clairvaux St. Bernard of Clairvaux]], the PatronSaint of the Templars. [[ArtisticLicenseHistory Given that Bernard was a notoriously celibate monk and unlikely to have fathered any children]], the only logical explanation is that D'Orense descends from one of his unrecorded nieces[=/=]nephews, rather than any direct offspring.
53* Franchise/TheDCU has [[http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/David_Reid_(New_Earth) Lance Cpl. David Reid]], a grandson of UsefulNotes/FranklinDRoosevelt.
54** Also from Creator/DCComics, ComicBook/{{Zatanna}} The Magician is descended from Creator/LeonardoDaVinci. (Also, and more proximately, Golden Age super-sorceror Zatarra was her father.)
55* In Marvel Comics, ''ComicBook/IronMan'''s foe the Mandarin and the 50s YellowPeril villain [[ComicBook/AgentsOfAtlas The Golden Claw]] both claim to be direct descendants of Genghis Khan. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghengis_Khan#Descent It's actually quite possible.]]
56* ''ComicBook/LegendsOfTheDeadEarth'':
57** In ''[[ComicBook/{{Batman}} Batman: Shadow of the Bat]]'' Annual #4, King Bruce the 23rd of Nu-Gotham is a descendant of Bruce Wayne.
58** In the ''[[ComicBook/GreenLantern Guy Gardner: Warrior]]'' Annual #2 story "Hypersensitive: A Changer for All Seasons", the [[VoluntaryShapeshifter changer]] Stonewall Fencer, a resident of Gardner's Green, claims to be one of Guy's descendants but the postal officer Garland Marsh is less than convinced.
59** In the ''[[ComicBook/GreenLantern Guy Gardner: Warrior]]'' Annual #2 story "See My Finger. See My Thumb. See My Fist? You Better Run!", Guy [[FreakyFridayFlip switches bodies]] with a young boy named Gunner Gardner, seemingly one of his descendants, in the town of Alphalphaville on the planet Arkayo in the far future. While there, he meets Gunner's friends Bucky, Risa and an unnamed Tiger-Boy, apparently the descendants of Bucky Wargo, Arisia Rrab and Tiger-Man II.
60** In the ''[[ComicBook/GreenLantern Guy Gardner: Warrior]]'' Annual #2 story "Dateless in a One Gender Town", half-sisters Manzo, Crocker and Buxton Gardner, otherwise known as the Gardner Gals, travel to the [[LadyLand one gender town]] of Steinheim on the planet Prozack to recover a family heirloom belonging to their ancestor Guy. It was stolen by Lizzie Jordan, a descendant of Hal Jordan. While there, they meet Annie Wargo, a descendant of Bucky.
61** In ''ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}'' Annual #2, two storytellers, one of whom believes that Aquaman was a great hero and one of whom believes that he was a terrible tyrant, each claim to be directly descended from him.
62** In ''ComicBook/{{Starman}}'' Annual #1, Lawrence Dare is a descendant of the O'Dare family, many of whom were members of Opal City's police force and friends of Jack Knight, the second Starman.
63* Maika Halfwolf of ''ComicBook/{{Monstress}}'' has these on both sides of her family, her mother was the infamous Moriko Halfwolf who is feared by both the Arcanics and Cumea, though why isn't clear. It is known that Moriko's mother, the Wolf Queen, is the most powerful living Ancient and de facto leader of the Dawn Court while her sister is the warlord known as "The Sword of the East". Meanwhile Maika's father, whoever he was, was one of the last descendants of the Shaman-Empress.
64* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'':
65** In ''ComicBook/TheKryptonChronicles'', Superman and ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} trace their lineage directly back to Erok-El, the founder of the first Kryptonian civilization.
66** In ''The Kents'' mini-series, ComicBook/LoisLane mentions that she is related to famous abolitionist and Civil War general Jim Lane.
67* ''ComicBook/{{Tintin}}'' has an amusing variation in the ''Secret of the Unicorn'' arc. When a newspaper leaks out that Tintin and Haddock are going to hunt for Rackham the Red's treasure, the Captain's apartment is flooded for people claiming to be Rackham's descendant and therefore have a claim on the treasure. Unfortunately for them, Captain Haddock also (or rather: [[ConfrontingYourImposter actually]]) has a famous ancestor in the Chevalier de Hadocque, Rackham's ArchNemesis, and makes it known that [[YouWontLikeMeWhenImAngry his ancestor's bellicose nature sometimes flares up without warning]]. The Thom(p)sons are crushed by the stampede of claimants running away.
68* In ''ComicBook/UltimateFantasticFour'', Victor Van Damme can trace his lineage directly back to [[UsefulNotes/VladTheImpaler Vlad Tepes Dracula]]. And, since this is Ultimate Marvel, he probably really was a vampire.
69* ''ComicBook/WynonnaEarp'' is the great-great-granddaughter of Wyatt Earp.
70* ''ComicBook/XMen'': Colossus, a.k.a. Piotr Rasputin, is a direct descendant of the infamous Grigori Rasputin. Piotr doesn't claim kinship with any pride.
71[[/folder]]
72
73[[folder:Comic Strips]]
74* ''ComicStrip/{{Nero}}'': The character Jan Spier is the last surviving descendant of Flemish resistance fighter Jan Breydel, who fought in the Battle of the Golden Spurs in 1302.
75* Royanne, a minor character in ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'', claimed to be the great-granddaughter of [[Film/TheNatural Roy Hobbs]]. Her life was ruined when Charlie Brown told her that Roy Hobbs was a fictional character.
76* Inverted in ''ComicStrip/SafeHavens'': [[spoiler: thanks to TimeTravel being involved, Samantha and Dave are the ''grandparents'' of Creator/LeonardoDaVinci.]]
77[[/folder]]
78
79[[folder:Fan Works]]
80* Creator/AAPessimal: The Smith-Rhodes family are the direct descendants of Sto Plains-born adventurer Sir Cecil Smith-Rhodes, who in the twilight of the Ankh-Moporkian Empire, did a bit of free-enterprise empire-building by conquering a substantial slice of [[DarkestAfrica Howondaland]] and, with superb modesty, naming it [[UsefulNotes/{{Zimbabwe}} Smith-Rhodesia]] after himself.[[note]]Deliberately not a million miles from Victorian imperialist Sir Cecil Rhodes, a man who made an impact on Africa[[/note]] His descendants try, with varying degrees of success, to cope with this. A great-grand-daughter of Sir Cecil's [[Fanfic/GapYearAdventures visits the country named after her famil]]y in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12321109/26/Gap-Year-Adventures Gap Year Adventures]]''. She is mortified to be treated as if she were some sort of visiting royalty.
81* ''Blog/BetterBonesAU'': Tall Shadow and Moon Shadow are descendants of Broken Shadow, the cat infamous for taking in the future tyrant Hollyleaf. Tall Shadow leaves the mountains and takes a leadership role amongst the new Clans in part to make the Shadow name known for something other than this.
82* ''Fanfic/BoundDestiniesTrilogy'': In ''Blood and Spirit'', [[CanonForeigner Sheik]] is stated to be descended from the original ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]''-era Impa.
83* ''Fanfic/TheBridge'':
84** The reason why Prince Blueblood is considered a prince is because he is the descendant of Princess Platinum, one of the founders of Equestria.
85** Nearly every member of Flash Sentry's family was a legendary soldier, guard, or police officer. This causes him some angst, as he tries to live up to their reputation, but he's constantly late to battles and disasters because he was distracted helping ponies with minor problems. [[spoiler:The Sentry family's ancestor is Commander Hurricane, which the family only lets members know after they have proven themselves, to prevent them from getting swelled heads.]]
86* ''Fanfic/BrokenSouls'': Dunstan Pettigrew is a distant relative of [[Literature/HarryPotter Peter Pettigrew]]. It's implied that he took an espionage mission to Hong Kong in order to get away from his name's reputation.
87* ''Fanfic/CastlevaniaNocturneOfRuin'': Oliver of the Order of Ecclesia, and the fic's shopkeeper, is a descendant of Shanoa, protagonist of ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaOrderofEcclesia''.
88* ''Fanfic/EmaelMosekhesailho'': Two cast members are descendants of characters from the ''Literature/{{Rihannsu}}'' novels. Sahuel t'Khnialmnae is a direct descendant of Aidoann t'Khnialmnae, Ael t'Rllaillieu's NumberTwo, and it's mentioned she's got a lot of heritage to live up to. Meanwhile Senator Tal'Aura is said to be a member of Kaveth Ship-Clan, another group that fought alongside Ael.
89* ''Fanfic/FalloutEquestria'': This is very common. Littlepip and her cousin Velvet Remedy are descendants of Applejack, and [[Fanfic/FalloutEquestriaProjectHorizons Blackjack]] is descended from Twilight Sparkle's bastard daughter with Big Mac.
90* ''Fanfic/FFSIBelieveInYou'': Isolda is implied to be descended from the King Zora who sells Link the Flippers in ''A Link to the Past''.
91* ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/173969/a-great-and-powerful-legacy A Great and Powerful Legacy]]'' revolves around Twilight finding out that the famous wizard Starswirl has a living descendant named "Beatrix Lulamoon". Twilight is more than a little stunned to find out that this Beatrix is [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname better known]] as "Trixie".
92* ''Fanfic/TheImmortalGame'': Twilight Sparkle is descended from Astor Coruscare, one of the greatest warriors and generals in the history of Equestria.
93* ''Fanfic/TheLifeAndTimesOfAWinningPony'':
94** Cloud Kicker, like all members of her clan, can eventually trace her (admittedly indirect) descent to Shadow Kicker, one of Equestria’s most celebrated heroes and a champion of Celestia’s during the Lunar Rebellion.
95** Twilight and her family are direct descendants of Sunbeam Sparkle, Celestia's vizier and the Archmagus of Canterlot during the Rebellion, and another prominent figure in the war, though her [[spoiler: adoptive]] daughter Midnight Sparkle. Sunset Shimmer [[spoiler: can also trace her ancestry to Sunbeam, by means of Sunbeam’s bastard son Daylight Shimmer]].
96** Discussed and deconstructed in ''Fanfic/TheFreeportVenture''. After Sunset gets her hands on an enchanted sword wielded by a historical revolutionary leader and beloved figure from Freeport's history, Kukri starts theorizing that Sunset could be related to them. The evidence, however, is entirely circumstantial, and Sunset points out that it wouldn't mean anything if she was; Trying to claim a relation without hard evidence would be seen as a power play, and even if she ''did'' get undeniable evidence, current Freeport government would refuse or just ignore it.
97* ''Fanfic/TheLoneTraveler'', in his voyages around the FanFic multiverse, encounters this quite a bit. Because of variations between universes exactly who is descended from whom varies, apart from canon examples like [[Literature/HarryPotter Lord Voldemort]] being descended from Salazar Slytherin.
98* ''Fanfic/AMothToAFlame'': Marcy has a JawDrop moment when The Core reveals she's a direct descendant of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Wu_of_Chu King Wu of Chu]] from ImperialChina.
99* ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'': Ash, Delia, and Delia's father are implied to be descended from [[spoiler: Sir Aaron]], which is later confirmed in later expanded stories.
100* ''Fanfic/PonyPOVSeries'': Many the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' characters are descendants of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyAndFriends'' and ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTales'' characters, many of whom were considered great heroes.
101* ''Fanfic/PowerRangersGPX'': Maria Aparicio, the GPX Yellow Ranger, claims to be related to famous Venezuelan Simon Bolivar. Her case is more plausible, however, since she says he's a very distant relative.
102[[/folder]]
103
104[[folder:Film]]
105* In the 1989 DTV skiffy movie ''Film/Arena1989'', Steve Armstrong plays a short-order cook attempting to win the intergalactic boxing championship; it's mentioned briefly that he's a direct descendant of Neil Armstrong.
106* In ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartII'', a video in Biff's Pleasure Palace in 1985-A invites you to learn the amazing history of the Tannen family, starting with Biff's great grandfather Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen, fastest gun in the west. And in ''[[Film/BackToTheFuturePartIII Part III]]'', Marty ends up going back to 1885 to save Doc from being murdered by Buford over a matter of $80, engaging Buford in a showdown.
107* In ''Film/BuffaloSoldiers'', Colonel Berman discovers he's a descendant of a Confederate General named John Bell Hood. His boasting about it doesn't go as he'd imagined.
108* ''Film/ForrestGump'' claims that he got his name from his ancestor Nathan Bedford Forrest, founder of the Ku Klux Klan. For his part, he has no idea what the Klan really is and his mother chose that name as a reminder of how humans do stupid things.
109* In ''Film/TheIsland1980'', John David Nau--leader of the pirate settlement--is the descendant of infamous pirate Jean-David Nau a.k.a. François l'Olonnais.
110* ''Film/{{Nope}}'': Horse rancher Emerald Haywood states that her and her brother's great-great-great-grandfather was the first man on film, the jockey who appeared in Edweard Muybridge's ''Sallie Gardner''.
111--> '''Em:''' "There's another 'great'."
112* In ''Film/SkyHigh2005'', the main character has two very famous superheroes as his parents. It appears to be a subversion of this trope, until [[spoiler:he gains loads of powers.]] The busdriver is a true subversion.
113* According to Creator/QuentinTarantino, [[Film/DjangoUnchained Django Freeman and Broomhilda Von Shaft]] are the ancestors of [[Film/{{Shaft}} John Shaft.]]
114* In ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', Mei's ancestor, Sun Yee, is the originator of the Lee family's hereditary ability to transform into a giant red panda and is revered with a large part of the Lee family temple dedicated to her.
115[[/folder]]
116
117[[folder:Literature]]
118* Ax had this a lot in ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}''. His brother, Elfangor, was an Andalite war hero and his name was instantly recognized by many Andalite characters when it got mentioned (although Ax didn't always say it himself).
119* In ''Literature/BreakfastOfChampions'', Eddie Key, the black driver of the Martha Simmons Memorial Mobile Disaster Unit, is a direct descendant of Francis Scott Key.
120* In ''Literature/CallahansCrosstimeSaloon'', Jose Bauer might be the daughter of science fiction author Creator/PhilipJoseFarmer.
121* All the magicians in the ''Literature/ChildrenOfTheRedKing'' series are descendants of the Red King, from whom they get their powers.
122* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfPrydain'':
123** In the first book, Eilonwy (who turns out to be ''Princess'' Eilonwy) happens to mention that hers are the people of Llyr Half-Speech, the Sea King. In later books she self-identifies as "Eilonwy daughter of Angharad daughter of Regat of the house of Llyr." This is a bit of a subversion of the trope, however, because in Prydain it's perfectly normal to introduce yourself as 'son of' or 'daughter of.'
124** Fflewder Fflam, a wandering bard (and a king, albeit of a very small, self-sufficient kingdom) is distantly related to the Sons of Don. [[spoiler:This, unfortunately, means that he has no choice but to leave Prydain with the rest of his kin at the end of the series.]]
125* Sitara in ''Literature/TheCrossesBoysCounselor'' claims that her mother's ancestry can be traced back to a Spanish lord from the 1850s, who passed down a lamb recipe through the family line to Sitara's grandmother, who then passed it on to Sitara herself.
126* John Henry Booth in ''Literature/CthulhuArmageddon'' is a DramaticIrony one, Booth is revealed in ''Literature/TheTreeOfAzathoth'' to be a relative of John Wilkes Booth (despite being Black). However, he's a relative of him through his brother, Edwin Booth, who famously rescued Lincoln's son from death so he is not a VillainousLegacy.
127* Vimes from ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' is a descendant of 'Stoneface' Vimes, who beheaded the last king of Ankh-Morpork, Lorenzo the Kind (he, emphasis, ''wasn't''). Vimes seems quite proud of this.
128-->'''Rhys:''' You had an ancestor, I believe, who was a regicide?\
129'''Vimes:''' I've always thought that was a bit unfair. I mean, he only killed ''one'' king. It's not as if it was a ''hobby''.
130* In the ''Literature/DoctorWhoNewAdventures'', the Doctor's traveling companion Roz Forrester comes from a rich and powerful African family in the 30th century who claim descent in the direct line from Nelson Mandela, and she'll occasionally namedrop her famous ancestor if she's feeling disrespected. This is sometimes played for laughs, such as when she does it in the 1940s to someone who has no way of knowing who Nelson Mandela is and wouldn't be impressed anyway.
131* In ''Literature/DragonBones'', Ward, lacking a male role model (his father is abusive), models his behaviour and principles after what he has read about his famous ancestor, Seleg. When [[Really700YearsOld Oreg]], who has known Seleg, unintentionally reveals a nasty fact about him, Ward has an identity crisis, as he has always tried to be like Seleg, but now doesn't want to be, anymore.
132* ''Literature/TheDaVinciCode'': The holy grail, who in this story is actually a bloodline and not an object, is the descendants of Jesus and Mary Magdalene.
133* It turns out in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' that all the Knights of the Cross we've met so far are descended from royalty - Shiro from the last king of Okinawa, Sanya from Saladin and Michael from Charlemagne.
134** It's been estimated by genealogists that nearly all persons with European ancestry are descended from Charlemagne.
135** In a non-genetic example (but still relevant due to the importance of 'apprenticeship lineage' among wizards), the collection of journals owned by Ebeneezer [=McCoy=] strongly suggests that Harry himself carries magical knowledge originally taught by Merlin. The first one. This may explain why exactly Knights of the Cross keep trusting their swords to him.
136* In ''Literature/{{Dune}}'', it is revealed that Paul Atredies is descended from Agamemnon. This is part of the trope that good people are descended from good people and bad people from bad people.
137** Agammemnon was actually quite the S.O.B. and his family - the House of Atreus - was noted for its murderous proclivities - not to mentions divine curses and general bad luck.
138** The trope that Good People have Good Ancestors is ''very strongly averted'' in the ''Literature/{{Dune}}'' books: Paul's maternal grandfather is [[spoiler: Baron Vladimir Harkonnen]] and his maternal grandmother is [[spoiler:Reverend Mother Helen Mohiam]], though no one but a very select few Bene Gesserit know this until later (even Paul's mother is not aware of it when the book opens). Thanks to the Bene Gesserit breeding program, it's implied that most noble families are related to each other more closely than they realize.
139* Heather Key from ''Literature/ElliottAndWin'' is descended from Francis Scott Key, which is why her family's bakery is called the Star-Spangled Cookie.
140* Paridell from ''Literature/TheFaerieQueene'' claims to be a descendent of Paris, kidnapper of Helen and hero of Troy. This foreshadows that he will kidnap the bride of his host (fittingly named Hellenore), as Paris did.
141* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
142** Voldemort is a descendant of Salazar Slytherin, one of Hogwarts' founders, from whom he gets his ability to speak to snakes. Given that Salazar Slytherin was born when the Kingdom of England was at its infancy, this is either much less impressive than it sounds or the Gaunt family are ''extremely'' inbred even by the standards of British pureblood wizards. If the ring is any indication, he's also the descendant of Cadmus Peverell, the creator of the Resurrection Stone.
143** Similarly, Sybil Trelawney decided that having a seer for a grandmother entitled her to a spot teaching Divination. She did actually have the gift of foresight, but it didn't work that often.
144** Harry himself is apparently the direct descendant of Ignotus Peverell, the creator of the Invisibility Cloak that is currently in his possession.
145** In ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix Order of the Phoenix]]'', Sirius tells Harry that most pureblood families are related to each other in some way or another. It's simply a product of having a limited choice in who one's children can marry to keep the bloodline "clean". It's noted that even the Blacks and the Weasleys (who are purebloods themselves) share common ancestors. This explains quite a lot about British magical society, really...
146* Played for humor in ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxyTrilogy'' as Mr L. Prosser (the man who wants to build a bypass through Arthur's home) is revealed as a direct male line descendant of Genghis Khan but the blood only shows up as predilection for little fur hats, a preference for axes over the door, and the occasional disturbing visions of screaming Mongol hordes on horses, houses on fire, and fleeing peasants with spears sticking out of their backs.
147** Which turns into a MythologyGag in the sixth book of the trilogy, where rich oaf Buff Orpington is a descendant of the Viking hero Sigurd, the only outward sign of which is his fondness for mead and sealskin leggings.
148* The Bond family's coat of Arms ''Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough'' from the ''Literature/JamesBond'' novel ''Literature/OnHerMajestysSecretService'' is the same as RealLife's Sir Thomas Bond's. The relation is implied but never outright stated.
149* ''Literature/MagnusChaseAndTheGodsOfAsgard'': Samirah al Abbas is a descendant of Amir ibn Fadlan, a medieval-era Abbasid emissary to the Kievan Rus' who documented the way of life of the Varangians (Norse settlers of the Kievan Rus').
150* Creator/CharlesStross' ''Literature/TheMerchantPrincesSeries'' has an example similar to the Charlie Bone series: Worldwalking is enabled through a recessive gene which, 300 years ago, was possessed by exactly one man. All the worldwalkers now are therefore not only descended from him, but descended from him through both parents.
151* The protagonist of J.C. Hutchins' novel ''Personal Effects: Dark Art'', Zach Taylor, is a many times great-grandson of U.S. President Zachary Taylor.
152* ''Series/RedDwarf'' book ''Last Human'' has an inversion: Rimmer's one-night stand with Yvonne [=McGruder=] led to [[spoiler:Michael [=McGruder=]'s birth. To spare her embarrassment, she tells Michael that Rimmer was a magnificent hero of a man (an idea reinforced by the fact that he was the only crewman resurrected as a hologram). Michael tries to emulate his father's made-up achievements and becomes one of the best officers of the Space Corps, freezing himself in time so he can meet up with his heroic father. Needless to say that when they meet, he isn't pleased.]]
153* ''Literature/TheReynardCycle'':
154** Duke Nobel claims to be descended from Aquilia, the man who delivered the killing blow to [[EvilOverlord Stormbringer, the Demon King.]] He considers this to be proof of his claim to the throne of Arcasia.
155** Tartarin, Count Terrien's heir, will happily tell anyone he meets that he was named for his ancestor, Tartarin the Lionslayer. Both Rukenaw and Hirsent are bored to tears by this during a sea voyage. Later, he is [[spoiler: [[DeathByIrony slain by a large cat chimera with a mane of snakes.]]]]
156* Sun Jian from ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'', along with his children, all claim descent from [[Literature/TheArtOfWarSunTzu Sun Tzu]].
157* One of the major enemies of ''Literature/TheShadow'' was Shiwan Khan, who claimed to be the last descendant of Genghis Khan. While he probably was descended from the great Khan, his notion of being the ''last'' descendant of Genghis Khan is almost certainly nonsense - Genghis really got around, as did his sons and ''their'' sons, and as a result of this roughly a twentieth of Asia can trace their lineage back to the man.
158* Literature/SherlockHolmes mentions at one point that his grandmother was a sister of the French artist Vernet (though he does not specify which of the several artists in the Vernet family he is referring to), and attributes his and his brother's unusual abilities to their having "art in the blood".
159* In ''Literature/SmallPersonsWithWings'', Mellie Turpin is descended from Archbishop Turpin, one of the Twelve Peers of Charlemagne. In 775, the Parvi Pennati gave him their [[PowerCrystal moonstone]] in exchange for sanctuary. Ever since then, the Turpins have safeguarded the moonstone, and have been obligated to provide a home to the Parvi whenever they need one.
160* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': Several great families have historically important characters as their ancestors.
161** House Stark descends from Brandon the Builder, who built Winterfell and the Wall and possibly helped with Storm's End.
162** House Baratheon has Orys Baratheon, Aegon the Conqueror's best friend (and possibly half-brother) as its founder, while they descend from Durran Godsgrief, the builder of Storm's End through Orys' wife, Argella Durrandon.
163** House Lannister descends from Lann the Clever, who reportedly stole Casterly Rock from its original owners, the Casterlys.
164** House Arryn descends from Artys Arryn, who united all the Andals that had established themselves in the Vale against the First Men led by King Robar II Royce (himself ancestor of House Royce). Artys may also be a descendant from Hugor of the Hill, the mythical First King of the Andals and an important figure for the Faith of the Seven.
165** House Martell's most famous ancestor is Queen Nymeria of the Rhoynar, who led the survivors of the war against the Valyrians to Dorne and married Prince Mors Martell.
166** House Tyrell is a cadet branch of House Gardener, descended from mythical king Garth Greenhand. In fact, it is a common knowledge that half of the noble houses in the Reach are descendants of Garth Greenhand.
167* Creator/RobertAHeinlein lampshades this in ''Literature/TimeEnoughForLove'', saying a lizard he knows boasts of its descent from a brontosaurus, on its mother's side.
168* ''Literature/{{Waltharius}}'': Werinhard is a descendant of Pandarus, the Trojan noble who, as the poem alludes to (v. 728-29), broke a truce between Greeks and Trojans by shooting an arrow at Menelaos on the command of Athena (''Literature/TheIliad''). Like his (in)famous ancestor, Werinhard fights with bow and arrow, but fails to do any damage, then tries to attack Walther (who is on foot) from horseback, but is quickly dispatched without putting up much of a fight, and then begs for his life before Walther beheads him. Werinhard's all-around dishonorable behavior may indicate that Pandarus' dishonorable breaking of the truce has rubbed off on his descendant.
169* In the ''Literature/ShiraCalpurnia'' trilogy of ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' novels, the Calpurnia family hails from Ultramar and is noted as having a long history of members with distinguished careers in many different areas of Imperial government and military, even two who became [[SpaceMarine Ultramarines]]. Shira is commended at one point for seeing this as something to strive to build on and not something to use to lord over others.
170* ''Literature/TheWitchOfKnightcharm'':
171** The villainous Lily tells the other new recruits at her evil WizardingSchool that she is a descendant of Myth/{{Merlin}}, arguably the most famous wizard to ever exist.
172** Gelila, one of Lily's classmates, claims to be descended from Empress Seble Wongel of the Ethiopian Empire. Unlike Lily, Gelila doesn't seem to think this makes her an inherently better witch than her peers. It does, however, motivate her to learn dark magic so that she can rebuild that empire and take the throne which she believes should be hers by right.
173[[/folder]]
174
175[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
176* On ''Series/ThirtyRock'', Tracy Jordan learns he is a descendant of UsefulNotes/ThomasJefferson and Sally Hemmings. It triggers some CharacterDevelopment, as he tries to make a serious film re-interpreting his life on a shoestring budget.
177* Played twice in ''Series/{{Bones}}''; Agent Seely Booth is distantly related to John Wilkes Booth, and isn't too proud about it, while Angela Montenegro's father is Billy Gibbons of Music/ZZTop. Her full name is Angela Pearly Gates Montenegro, "Pearly Gates" being [[ICallItVera what Gibbons named his guitar]].
178** Booth's ancestry is brought up in the episode where they were trying to prove that Lee Harvey Oswald really did act alone. Booth, being an Army Ranger sniper, manages to perfectly copy Oswald's shots with a replica of the assassin's rifle.
179** While Angela's father is played by the real Billy Gibbons and is known to be a famous Texas rocker, his name has never been mentioned so it's never been officially established on the show that Gibbons is playing "Billy Gibbons" and not "a fictional famous guitarist from Texas who [[CelebrityParadox resembles]] Billy Gibbons."
180* ''Series/{{Bottom}}'': When someone asks Eddie Hitler jokingly whether he's related to Adolf, Eddie enthusiastically answers: "Yeah!"
181* ''Series/CaliforniaDreams'': In "Family Tree", Lorena discovers that she is descended from Benito Juárez, who served as President of Mexico from 1858 to 1872, after researching her family tree for a school project.
182* On ''Series/{{CSI}}'', Doc Robbins' wife looked into his family tree in 'Genetic Disorder' and there's a snippet at the end where he finds he's distantly related to William "Buffalo Bill" Cody.
183* ''Series/DowntonAbbey'' has "Great aunt" Roberta Crawley, who loaded the guns at Lucknow during the Sepoy Mutiny.
184* Rose, on ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'', believed for years that Creator/BobHope was her biological father.
185* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':
186** Deconstructed in the lore found on the Blu-Ray. The Hound points out that his House was founded by his grandfather who was kennelmaster to Tywin Lannister's father while most of Westeros' great noble families trace their lineage back to someone from the Age of Heroes whose existence are often so vague it's impossible to prove or disprove their claims. For example, the Starks are apparently descended from Brandon the Builder, Lannisters from Lann the Clever, Baratheons from Durran Godsgrief & Orys Baratheon, and the Tyrells from Garth Greenhand & Harlan Tyrell.
187** Daenerys, along with other members of the current House Targaryen such as Viserys, Maester Aemon and Jon Snow, are directly descended from Aegon the Conqueror, the first king to unite all of Westeros except Dorne. Through the female line, even House Baratheon and House Martell are Aegon's descendants. Furthermore, the current House Targaryen descends from Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen and her son, since her brother and rival king died without male issue.
188* In ''Series/HeadOfTheClass'', Darlene discovers that she is descended from Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings.
189* In an episode of ''Series/LizzieMcGuire'', Matt pretends for a school report that their family in descended from, among others, Music/ElvisPresley and Davy Crockett. Leads to AnAesop about lying.
190* In ''Series/JekyllAndHyde2015'' Robert is the grandson of Dr. Jekyll, Max is the grandson of Gabriel Utterson, and [[spoiler:Lily is the granddaughter of Sir Danvers Carew]].
191* ''Series/TheKingLoves'': Won's mother is Kublai Khan's daughter, making him the great-great-grandson of UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan. Her classmates are impressed as they have no idea who Juárez is.
192* ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'': Elros Tar-Minyatur, Elrond's brother, was the fist king of Numenor. And despite the Numenorians' hatred for Elves, he is fondly remembered by his own descendants, such as Ar-Pharazôn. His own son, Kemen, Queen Miriel, Elendil and his three children, Anárion, Isildur and Eärien, all trace their ancestry back to Elros.
193* ''Series/TheOutpost'': All Blackbloods are descendants of [[spoiler:Aster]], one of a god-like ancient species whose union with a human woman created the first Blackblood, who fathered all the rest.
194* Octavian happily uses this on ''Series/{{Rome}}''. Even though the father he speaks so highly of was actually his great-uncle, and Octavian found out he was adopted when he read Caesar's will.
195** Brutus also has a Famous Ancestor, being descended from the man who rid Rome of its last king. His mother and the men who conspire to kill Caesar often bring it up.
196* ''[[Series/Roots1977 Roots: The Next Generations]]'': Mrs. Bulfinch tells Alex Haley that she has traced her family's lineage back to [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfNormandy William the Conqueror]].
197* Every member of the teams of ''Series/SamuraiSentaiShinkenger'' and ''Series/NinjaSentaiKakuranger'' (bar sixth rangers) have a famous ancestor - more specifically, they were the original group.
198* ''Series/{{Sliders}}'': In "[[Recap/SlidersS04E18WayOutWest Way Out West]]", Ben Siegel is the grandson of Bugsy Siegel.
199* Spock of ''Series/{{Star Trek|The Original Series}}'' fame claims descent from Creator/ArthurConanDoyle (or perhaps from Sherlock Holmes, depending on how you wish to interpret the quote) through his human mother, Amanda Grayson.
200** And [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Miles O'Brien]] claims descent from the legendary Irish king Brian Boru. This is at least justified, as Boru is traditionally believed to have founded the O'Brien clan.
201** Subverted with [[Series/StarTrekVoyager Kathryn Janeway]] as she was inspired to join Starfleet by the stories of her ancestor, Shannon O'Donnell, an original Mars Colonist who single-handedly pushed through a massive tower project against huge opposition. As it turns out, Shannon was never an astronaut, was only a consultant on the tower and there was no massive opposition and somehow the stories grew over the years to enhance her impact. Janeway's big worry? How she'll break it to her aunt that the great family legend is false.
202** [[Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds La’an Noonian Singh]] is a descendant to the infamous Augment dictator Khan. Sadly for her, this has caused her a lot of grief.
203* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1985'': In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZone1985S1E20 Profile in Silver]]", Professor Joseph Fitzgerald, a time traveling historian from 2172, is a descendant of UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy.
204* On ''Series/TheWestWing'', Pres. Josiah Bartlett is supposed to be descended from the delegate to the Constitutional Convention of the same name.
205* D'Angelo from ''Series/TheWire'' is the grandson of Butch Stamford. We don't know who he was but the mention of his name alone unnerves the hardest Baltimore police.
206[[/folder]]
207
208[[folder:Mythology and Religion]]
209* Literature/TheBible:
210** The Bible states that UsefulNotes/JesusChrist is a descendant of King David as this was one of the requirements to be the Jewish [[TheChosenOne Messiah]], making this trope OlderThanFeudalism.
211** Given that the Bible tells us that David's son Solomon had ''[[ReallyGetsAround over 700 wives and 300 concubines]]'', it's quite safe to say that David has a ''lot'' of descendants. Jesus's mother Mary was one of them is very plausible. In fact, by the time Jesus was born, it's likely that most Jews were descended from King David. In fact Jesus is given two completely different lines of descent from David in different books, which could be read as Mary and Joseph's different bloodlines or as different parts of the same family tree. (One other interpretation is that one of these genealogies actually traces the succession rather than strict generational descent, thus establishing Jesus as both a descendant of King David and the rightful heir to the kingship of Israel.)
212** Ancestry in general was a big deal to the Jews in the Bible, given that each of the 12 tribes was named for the son of Jacob/Israel who was the patriarch of the tribe. On top of that, members of the tribe of Levi were destined to work in the temple, and only the descendants of Aaron could be priests.
213** Fun fact: the word "Semite" means one who is descended from Shem, who was one of the three sons of Noah. He was an ancestor of Abraham, and thus of all Abraham's descendants, Jews and Arabs both (remember, the Arabs claim descent from Abraham through Ishmael).
214* Owing to folk etymology, the Ancient Greeks believed the Persians to be descended from Perses, son of Perseus and Andromeda, which would make Zeus the ancestor of at least 60% of the population of Iran. (In reality, the term Persia has no relation to either Perses or Perseus).
215[[/folder]]
216
217[[folder:Radio]]
218* Classic radio-serial (and later comic book, movie and TV) hero ''Radio/TheGreenHornet'' (real name Britt Reid) was the grand-nephew of John Reid, better known as Radio/TheLoneRanger. The origins of the Reid family fortune could be traced back to the Lone Ranger's original silver mine.
219
220[[/folder]]
221
222[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
223* ''TabletopGame/ArsMagica'': The major [[SkillScoresAndPerks virtue]] Mythic Blood makes a character the descendant of a legendary wizard, [[DragonAncestry dragon]], or supernatural entity, granting them both bonus powers and a personality flaw related to their ancestry. However, it's common enough in MagicalSociety not to grant any bonus Reputation in its own right.
224* The ''TabletopGame/LegendOfTheFiveRings'' game relies heavily on this. Each character can roll on heritage tables at character creation, which essentially gives the PC randomly selected bonuses or penalties based on who his ancestors were. Some of the magic calls upon ancestors, including one high-level spell that summons an ancestor to ''scold your enemies into submission''. Finally, one of the Disadvantages is "Haunted", which means that one of the PC's ancestors dislikes him and occasionally shows up in ghostly form to heckle him during the roleplaying session.
225[[/folder]]
226
227[[folder:Theatre]]
228* ''Theatre/{{Brand}}'' by Creator/HenrikIbsen spoofed it in one sentence, when some of his townspeople bragged about their famous viking heritage: "A dwarf will get no taller by having Goliath as his great-grandfather".
229[[/folder]]
230
231[[folder:Video Games]]
232* ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'':
233** [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI The]] [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII first]] [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood few games]] [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRevelations of]] [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII the franchise]] are centered around Desmond Miles learning how to be an Assassin from his famous ancestors via GeneticMemory.
234** ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOdyssey'': It's revealed that [[spoiler:Pythagoras]] is the real father of the Eagle Bearer, who is already the descendant of the legendary Greek king Leonidas of Sparta through their mother Myrrine. [[spoiler:The final few scenes of the ''Legacy of the First Blade'' DLC reveal that the Eagle Bearer's son Elpidos is not just related to Darius but he's also the ancestor of Aya/Amunet, the co-founder of the Assassin Brotherhood in ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOrigins Origins]]'']].
235* James Lee Quatermain of ''VideoGame/DeadfallAdventures'' is the great-grandson of Allan Quatermain, [[Creator/HRiderHaggard H. Rider Haggard's]] adventurer. James Lee doesn't have much respect for his forebear, but is quite happy to live off his diaries. His attitude changes when he finds himself amidst the kind of adventure in which Allan would have revelled.
236* In the ''Franchise/DragonAge'' franchise the dwarven city of Orzammar has a long history and relatively tiny population, so pretty much everyone there acts this way. Dwarves who live elsewhere will almost always bring it up as a reason they hate going there.
237* ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'':
238** The sole claim to fame of the protagonist of the original ''VideoGame/DragonQuestI'' is that he's the descendant of the legendary hero Loto/Roto/Erdrick.
239** The protagonists of ''VideoGame/DragonQuestII'' are royalty because they are the descendants of the ''descendant'' of aforementioned legendary hero who married the Princess he rescued.
240** In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIII'', you're the descendant of a different legendary hero, [[spoiler:and ultimately receive the title of Loto/Erdrick, making them the Famous Ancestor of the prior games' protagonists]].
241** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'': Queen Cleohatra doesn't say which of the ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIV'' Hero's companions is her ancestor, but the abilities of her lineage would seem to imply that it's fortuneteller/healer Meena.
242* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'', [[FallGuy supposed]] ThievesGuild traitor Karliah is, according to the journals of her deceased lover Gallus, the illegitimate granddaughter of GodEmperor Tiber Septim and Barenziah, the [[OurElvesAreDifferent Dunmeri]] Queen and later Queen Mother of Morrowind. Given that all others of the Septim bloodline have perished, this would make her the legitimate heir to the Empire. However, most accepted lore says that there is a ''very'' slim chance at best that she is actually descended from Tiber Septim. Her mother, Barenziah's illegitimate daughter Dralsi Indoril, claims that her father is Drayven Indoril. Barenziah's pregnancies by Septim and Drayven were [[PracticallyDifferentGenerations about 300 years apart]], meaning that Dralsi would no doubt know if Drayven was her father or not judging by her own age. Further, according the in-game book ''The Real Barenziah'' (one of the more [[HistoricalHeroUpgrade apocryphal]] tales of Septim's life), Septim had Barenziah's pregnancy by him forcibly aborted. Still, being Barenziah's granddaughter is pretty distinctive in its own right, regardless of her exact lineage. Furthermore, being part of the Indoril line means that she is likely a distant relative of the ancient Dunmeri hero Indoril Nerevar, whose {{reincarnation}} played a [[PlayerCharacter major part]] in the events of ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind''.
243* ''VideoGame/EternalRadiance'': Ruby is descended from [[spoiler:Zaneth, a famous mage who accidentally caused the Akleim Cataclysm and helped establish Veritas's academy]].
244* In ''VideoGame/Fallout2'' the PC is TheChosenOne, just because he/she is the grandchild of the original Vault Dweller, the hero of [[VideoGame/Fallout1 the first game.]]
245* In the ''VideoGame/FatalFrame'' franchise, Kunihiko Asou is a 19th century folklorist in Japan, famous for his research into the occult and the supernatural. Throughout the series, some of his descendants are either playable (twins Mio and Mayu Amakura in II; Misaki Asou in IV, Ren Hojo in V) or are major characters (Yuu Asou in III). [[spoiler:This relationship becomes a major plot point in ''Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water''.]]
246* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'':
247** In the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight Archanea]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem games]], Marth is the great grand nephew of the hero, Anri.
248** ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar Genealogy of the Holy War]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776 Thracia 776]]'' have all the nobles descended from the Twelve Crusaders who received SuperhumanTransfusion from Dragons.
249** ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade Binding Blade]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade Blazing Blade]]'' have many of the royalty and nobles of the continent descended from the legendary generals of the human dragon/war. Protagonists, Eliwood, Hector, and Roy are specifically all descendants of Roland. In a lighter example, Canas is [[FamedInStory Niime]]'s son, but he's more surprised that people know about her than anything and doesn't think it's anything to make a fuss about (much to Pent's shock).
250** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'', the royal family of the Halidom of Ylisse, including SupportingLeader Chrom, are all descended from a nameless hero only called the First Exalt.
251* ''VideoGame/HiddenCity'' has a line of side-quests aptly named "Famous Ancestors", which reveals how the various characters are actually descended from famous figures (e.g. the Huntress is descended from Joan of Arc, Juliette from St. Walpurga, and the player character from St. George).
252* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
253** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'', ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'', and ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds'' all involve descendants of the Sages who in turn become Sages themselves.
254** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'':
255*** Yunobo is a descendant of the Goron Champion Daruk. His SuperpowerfulGenetics allow him to use [[BeehiveBarrier Daruk's Protection]] just like his ancestor.
256*** According to in-universe rumor, all Hylian retrievers descend from a dog once owned by the king of Hyrule.
257* In ''VideoGame/LionheartLegacyOfTheCrusader'' the PlayerCharacter, whichever one you choose, is a descendant of Richard the Lionheart, who in the game's AlternateHistory had magical powers from being tied to an elemental spirit that's now possessing you. Of course, by the game's setting of 1588 Richard has had many descendants and your character "shouldn't expect to be sitting on the throne of England any time soon."
258* In the Platform/NeoGeo game ''VideoGame/NinjaCommando'', Ryu Eagle claims to be UsefulNotes/FuumaKotaro the 32nd.
259* Susano of ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'' is a highly ineffectual and ineffective wandering swordsman whose claim to fame is being a descendant of Nagi, the legendary warrior who defeated and sealed away {{Orochi}} 100 years ago. This turns out to be a major plot point in the first part of the game: [[spoiler:Susano, being absolutely sick of everybody constantly reminding him of his ancestry, decides to pull out the sword imprisoning Orochi in order to prove the legend of Nagi wasn't true.]] We also eventually learn Nagi was actually as much of a wuss as Susano is, but, like Susano, got really lucky and had lots of help from Amaterasu.
260* In ''VideoGame/Persona2'', during the UsefulNotes/SengokuPeriod, the samurai Tatsunoshin Suou, princess Maihime Amano, and ninja Junnosuke Kuroda assassinated the warlord Kiyotada Sumaru. In modern day Sumaru City lives their descendants: Tatsuya Suou (and his brother Katsuya), Maya Amano, and Jun Kurosu, respectively. Maya and the Suou brothers can eventually summon their ancestors as [[GuardianEntity Personae]] to fight against villains, including a resurrected Kiyotada. [[spoiler:It's heavily implied that none of these ancestors actually existed, but were actually [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve created by rumours]].]]
261* In ''VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet'', one particularly (in)famous literature in Paldea region, the Scarlet/Violet book, was written by someone named Heath centuries prior to the events of the game. In the DLC, we meet his distant descendant, Briar, who wants to prove that whatever Heath wrote were facts as said book has been treated as mere occult paranormal tabloid in the present day.
262* Fred Bonaparte, direct descendant of Napoleon in ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'', is a notable inversion as he has all the direct opposite qualities of his ancestor i.e. tall, uncompetitive and strategically ineffectual. He has the same hat though.
263* ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'': Tear (and hence Van, too) are descendants of Yulia Yue who originally read the Score, which is why they know Yulia's Hymns and can sing and understand them.
264* ''VideoGame/TombRaider2013'': Sam Nishimura, Lara's best friend, is descended from [[HistoricalDomainCharacter Himiko]], the Sun Queen of Yamatai, a fact that Sam takes much pride in until [[TraumaCongaLine everything that happens to her and Lara on the island]].
265* Remilia Scarlet of the ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' series claims to be a descendant of Vlad Ţepeş. She's lying.
266** Sanae Kotiya is [[DivineParentage a distant descendant of the goddess Suwako]], who [[GodEmperor ruled a kingdom]] back at the dawn of Japanese history before becoming one of the two deities worshiped at the Moriya Shrine. The twist is that Suwako [[Really700YearsOld is still around]], so Sanae is a {{Miko}} serving under her own ancestor, [[PalsWithJesus who is also her roommate,]] and who [[SleepModeSize prefers the form of a little girl with]] a goofy frog hat.
267* Nathan Drake of ''VideoGame/{{Uncharted}}'' claims to be a descendant of Sir Francis Drake, despite history stating that Francis Drake never had any children. According to ''[[VideoGame/Uncharted3DrakesDeception Drake's Deception]]'', however, this statement is [[spoiler: simply a ChangelingFantasy]].
268[[/folder]]
269
270[[folder:Webcomics]]
271* In ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', all of the trolls have these. There's Marquise Spinneret Mindfang, Orphaner Dualscar, the Grand Highblood, Neophyte Redglare, The Sufferer, Expatriate Darkleer, The Summoner, Her Imperious Condescension, The Ψiioniic, The Disciple, The Dolorosa and The Handmaid. These ancestors go to Vriska, Eridan, Gamzee, Terezi, Karkat, Equius, Tavros, Feferi, Sollux, Nepeta, Kanaya and Aradia respectively.
272** This is actually a subversion though. [[spoiler:The Act 5 trolls are actually the direct parents of their "Ancestors," who were sent back into their distant past to become figures of legend, with the exception of The Handmaid, whose meteor landed in the future.]]
273*** Although the above is not quite true, due to the fact that [[spoiler: both ancestors and present trolls were created at the same time through ectobiology.]] Admittedly it was Karkat doing the ectobiology, but still...
274* Charlie Blackmane in ''Webcomic/TheStoryOfAnima'' [[http://tapastic.com/episode/95446 is descended from a legendary pirate clan]].
275* In ''Webcomic/SwordCatPrincess'', Kathryn is the semi-secret [[http://swordcatprincess.thecomicseries.com/comics/54/ daughter of High King Brian Boru of Ireland]]. Julia and James acknowledge that she is the [[http://swordcatprincess.thecomicseries.com/comics/36/ daughter of Lord Oberon]].
276[[/folder]]
277
278[[folder:Web Original]]
279* Subverted in "Ayla and the Late Trevor James Goodkind", the intro novel for Phase in the Literature/WhateleyUniverse. Trevor, a scion of one of the richest, most powerful families on the planet, scoffs at the filthy rich Walcutts:
280-->'''Trevor:''' Oh sure, the Walcutts have made similar claims, but in my opinion they're a bunch of poseurs. "We're descended from one of the signers of the Constitution!" Oh, big deal, I mean, who isn't?
281* Lenneth Archimedes from ''Roleplay/FateNuovoGuerra'' combines this with BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy. As her last name implies, she is descended from Archimedes, who turns out to have been a magus, and was able to pass his magical research to a son (who continued the bloodline) before the Romans caught and killed him. Given how magi from the Franchise/NasuVerse operate, direct descent is the norm, and so her claims are more valid than most.
282* In ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'', Jaune Arc comes from a famous, heroic lineage, and his great-great-grandfather was a war hero. Ironically, while he may have great leadership potential and tactical instincts, his actual combat skills or Huntsman knowledge were so lacking that he had to run away from home and forge his transcripts to get into Beacon Academy and gain a chance to live up to his family legacy. His FamedInStory teammate Pyrrha ends up secretly training him to help him catch-up to his classmates.
283* In ''WebAnimation/CampCamp'', Space Kid says his real name is Neil Armstrong and that he's named after his great-grandfather. Everyone brushes him off until "Parents Day", when [[spoiler:his HonoraryUncle, Buzz Aldrin, shows up in place of Space Kid's parents and confirms that he is in fact Neil Armstrong Jr., the great-grandson of the first man to walk on the moon.]]
284* ''Script/C0DA'', written by former ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series writer/designer Creator/MichaelKirkbride, takes place in the far distant future of ''TES'' universe. Jubal-lun-Sul, the protagonist, is a descendant of Alandro Sul, a shield-bearer for [[LongDeadBadass St. Nerevar]]. Jubal brings up his lineage several times.
285[[/folder]]
286
287[[folder:Western Animation]]
288* Each of the main characters from ''WesternAnimation/ClassOfTheTitans'' is descended from a different Greek hero: Jason, Odysseus, Atalanta[[note]]mistakenly said to be Artemis in the show's intro and a few episodes, but later confirmed by WordOfGod to be an error[[/note]], Hercules, Theseus, Achilles, and Narcissus. One episode also introduces a descendant of Medea, who gets brainwashed into going after Jason's descendant.
289* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'':
290** Played for laughs when Peter claims to be descended from UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler's brother, Peter Hitler. (Although given that it's [[TheDitz Peter]], the legitimacy of this claim is questionable, especially considering that none of Hitler’s brothers were named Peter.)
291** In a later episode, Stewie finds out that's he's the descendant of Creator/LeonardoDaVinci, through his mother Lois.
292-->'''Brian:''' Wait, that means you're Italian.
293-->'''Stewie:''' ''Of course!'' My love for Spaghetti-Os and smoking on the toilet! It all fits!
294* The titular character of ''WesternAnimation/MiloMurphysLaw'' is a descendant of Edward A. Murphy Jr., the man who MurphysLaw was named after. In the show, said law is a HereditaryCurse that has given Murphy and all of his male descendants [[BornUnlucky ridiculously bad luck]].
295* Averted in ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse''. It's implied over the course of the show (and confirmed via WordOfGod) that the [[spoiler:Clawthorne]] family are direct descendants of [[spoiler:Caleb Wittebane, the first human to live on the Boiling Isles]]. However, their ancestor's very exsistance has been lost to time by the present day in part due to the actions of [[spoiler:his younger brother and murderer Philip.]]
296* Staci from ''[[WesternAnimation/TotalDrama Total Drama: Revenge of the Island]]'' brags about her ancestors' feats. They're BlatantLies.
297* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'':
298** Rusty Venture (father of the titular brothers Hank and Dean) comes from a long line of super scientists. It's subverted as he's not a very good scientist and is constantly shown to be living in the shadow of his much more famous father. Later episodes show him grooming his son Dean ([[TheUnfavorite Hank]] not so much) to be a super scientist as well.
299** Phantom Limb is the grandson of Literature/{{Fantomas}}.
300* ''WesternAnimation/{{Vikingskool}}'': Erik is the descendant of famous but later disgraced Viking hero Olaf Forkbeard, whose magic sword is now in his possession. His desire to become as great of a hero as Olaf and reclaim his family's heroic image is a major aspect of his character.
301[[/folder]]
302
303[[folder:Real Life]]
304* There is a scientist fellow who claims that 0.5% of the world's males have a genetic lineage traceable to [[ReallyGetsAround Genghis Khan]], or his close male relatives, but this is disputed too.
305** UsefulNotes/TimurTheLame claimed descent from UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan, but this was false. However, he did marry a Genghid princess, so his descendants--the most famous of whom being the Mughals of India--were descended from UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan.
306* Several US presidents, including UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington, UsefulNotes/ThomasJefferson, and both Roosevelts, plus other famous Americans such as Robert E. Lee and Creator/HumphreyBogart, claimed descent from European royalty. UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush is known to be a descendant of UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst, who ruled England from 1272 to 1307.
307** Genealogists had a lot of fun with the 1992 presidential election, since UsefulNotes/GeorgeHWBush was descended from [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_III_of_England a king of England]] while UsefulNotes/BillClinton was descended from [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_de_Montfort,_6th_Earl_of_Leicester a man executed by said king.]] Several fanciful articles were published speculating that [[InsaneTrollLogic De Montfort's death had finally been avenged.]]
308** [[https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/all-the-presidents-cousins/1883245/ One student]] did a research project on this and found that ''all'' the presidents up to Obama, with the exception of Martin van Buren, can claim descent from King John of England.
309* Voice actor Creator/ShunichiToki is descended from [[https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/土岐頼純 Toki Yorizumi]], a [[UsefulNotes/SengokuPeriod Muromachi period]] daimyō.
310* Creator/TomHanks is a relative of [[UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln Abe Lincoln]] by way of Abe's mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln. Referenced in ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2'' when the first thing Jessie the cowgirl says upon meeting the Hanks-voiced Woody is "Sweet Mother of Abraham Lincoln!"
311* Creator/JohnScalzi is distantly related to John Wilkes Booth. He's joked about getting a twitchy feeling around five-dollar bills.
312* The British royal family is descended from UsefulNotes/TheProphetMuhammad (via Arab kings of Spain).
313** Also, in 2011, then Prince Charles publicly claimed that heredity proves that he is a descendant of UsefulNotes/VladTheImpaler, the Romanian tyrant who was the inspiration for {{Dracula}}. The claim accompanied his announcement of a pledge to help conserve the forested areas of Transylvania.
314* UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar claimed descent from the Greek mythological hero Aeneas. Or more accurately, Roman poet Creator/{{Virgil}} claimed Caesar was descended from Aeneas. Aeneas is also the son of Venus.
315** Descent from the heroes of Troy was a common claim of medieval royalty. Aeneas is said to be the ancestor of both the kings of Rome (through his dependent Romulus) and the kings of Britain (through his great-grandson Brutus). The Merovingian dynasty claimed descent from Hector, which for starters Hector's son to have survived the war in defiance of the actual myths.
316* UsefulNotes/AlexanderTheGreat claimed descent from [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Hercules]], who according to the geneaology would be his seventeen-times great-grandfather. This was the traditional claim of the Argead dynasty of Macedon, but he also claimed descent via his mother from Achilles. If badass is hereditary, his claims weren't far-fetched. Since Hercules' father was Zeus and Achilles' mother was Thetis, one of the Nereides, and his father was a grandson of Zeus, this means Alexander also claimed to descend from an Olympian.
317* Marjane Satrapi, author of ''Literature/{{Persepolis}}'', is a descendant of Nasser al-Din Shah, Shah of Persia from 1848 to 1896. She herself puts it down, noting that kings of that period had hundreds of wives and thousands of children, so there were plenty of others with similar claims.
318* Creator/ChristopherLee was a direct descendant of UsefulNotes/{{Charlemagne}} and had the documentation to prove it. This inspired him to record the symphonic metal concept album ''Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross''.
319** Of course, since Charlemagne had lots of children with several wives and concubines and lived twelve centuries ago (which would correspond to forty generations until the present day) he has many descendants. German genealogists already joked that "every German is descended from Charlemagne" at least a hundred years ago, and the same also goes for the French. The fact that Lee was able to document it was the impressive part.
320** Lee had a further connection to notable medieval ancestry: his mother's family (through whom he claimed descent from Charlemagne) were loyal servants of [[UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire Frederick Barbarossa]] and given the title of count for their trouble. Descendants of Barbarossa certainly married into the Carandini comital line.
321* It was common during the Middle Ages for English kings to claim to be descended from Myth/KingArthur. [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfTudor Henry VII]], who besides being King of England was also Welsh (and therefore had a particularly strong reason for emphasising Arthur, whom the Welsh considered one of their own and was thus especially popular in Wales) hired Welsh genealogists to "prove" that he was a lineal descendant of the legendary king, and named his eldest son Arthur to shore up the connection. (Poor Prince Arthur died young, leaving his position as first in line and his bride to [[UsefulNotes/HenryVIII a more famous Tudor]].)
322* Music/FrankZappa discovered in 1984 that there actually lived a composer in the 18th century Italy called ''Francesco Zappa''. Even though they weren't related in any way Zappa did feel they were kindred spirits, as this composer also wrote music that was a little bit eccentric and faded away in obscurity after his death. Seeing that Zappa's own music was also overlooked and ignored by people in his own era he decided to bring this music out on record: ''Music/FrancescoZappa''. Despite explaining in the liner notes that Francesco Zappa was not some kind of pseudonym, and the man wasn't an ancestor of his, many listeners still assumed it was.
323* The paternal grandmother of actress-model-socialite Creator/BrookeShields is [[OldMoney Dona]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marina_Torlonia_di_Civitella-Cesi Marina Torlonia di Civitella-Cesi]]. Through her, Shields is a descendant of:
324** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesco_II_Gattilusio Francesco II Gattilusio]]
325*** In turn, he is descended from [[UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire Rhomaios Basileus]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andronikos_III_Palaiologos Andronikos III Palaiologos]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_of_Savoy Anna of Savoy]].
326** On top of that, Dona Marina is [[LongList also descended from]] the [[BlueBlood noble families]] of:
327*** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Grimaldi Grimaldi]]
328*** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperiali_family Imperiali]]
329*** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Carafa Carafa]]
330*** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doria_(family) Doria]]
331*** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doria-Pamphili-Landi Doria-Pamphili-Landi]]
332*** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chigi-Albani Chigi-Albani]]
333*** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Torlonia Torlonia]].
334* [[UsefulNotes/LetatCestMoi King Louis IX of France]] is the only French monarch canonized by the Catholic Church and produced ''many children'' with [[HappilyMarried his wife Margaret of Provence]]. While his direct Capetian line had long died down, through that vast progeny his descendants managed to enter several monarchies in both Europe and the Americas such as Brazil, Mexico, the Holy Roman Empire, Greece, Germany, Hungary, Belgium, Norway, Denmark, Poland, Russia, Romania, Sweden, and Spain, the last of whom is still active (the House of Bourbon being founded by Louis' son Robert).
335* Music/JeanMichelJarre is
336** the son of the movie composer Music/MauriceJarre (''Film/DoctorZhivago'')
337** also, the son of France Pejot, an important member of LaResistance
338** and the grandson of André Jarre, co-inventor of the mixing desk; he wouldn't be where he is now without his grandpa's creativity
339* Chris Peppler, the actor for Krim Steinbelt in ''Series/KamenRiderDrive'', is a descendant of Akechi Mitsuhide via his grandmother’s lineage. Knowledge of this fact spread when he did a RoleReprise of the character for ''Film/KamenRiderZiOOverQuartzer'', which saw the heroes visit the Sengoku era and meet Krim’s ancestor being courted by Oda Nobunaga.
340* Creator/NathanFillion is descended from American Civil War general [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jubal_Early Jubal Early]] Creator/JossWhedon named a black bounty hunter in ''{{Series/Firefly}}'' after him as a kind of TakeThat at the real Early’s racism.
341* Creator/KatharineHepburn, who played UsefulNotes/{{Eleanor of Aquitaine}} in ''Theatre/TheLionInWinter'', actually is descended from Eleanor... from ''both'' of Eleanor's marriages.
342* According to his biography, Creator/JRRTolkien was descended from none other than the Hohenzollerns, the very same royal family that ruled UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany. Apocryphally, Bilbo's ancestor Bullroarer in ''Literature/TheHobbit'' is based on Tolkien's own ancestor George von Hohenzollern, who fought in the Siege of Vienna.
343* According to famous Japanese comedian Mikio Date (from comedy duo "Sandwichman"), he is descended from the brother of Date Masamune - not [[UsefulNotes/DateMasamune that one]], but the ''first'' one, who lived in the 14th century, although this does technically make him blood related to the famous Date Masamune, albeit distantly. This also makes his niece, Sayuri Date, the voice of Shibuya Kanon on ''Anime/LoveLiveSuperstar'', descended from Date Masamune I by extension.
344[[/folder]]

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