Mercenary

A mercenary is a soldier who fights, or engages in warfare primarily for private gain, usually with little regard for ideological, national or political considerations. However, when the term is used to refer to a soldier in a regular national army, it is usually considered an insult, epithet or pejorative.

Mercenaries in popular culture

Like piracy, the mercenary ethos resonates with idealized adventure, mystery and danger. Examples of this are:

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• The novel Dogs of War by Frederick Forsyth and the movie (1981) with the same name, which go into some detail about an actual if fictionalized mercenary operation in Africa in the 1960s.
• The novel The Wild Geese by Daniel Carney and the movie (1978) with the same name. The plot is that a global British financial syndicate seeks to rescue the deposed leader of a central African nation. It hires a band of mercenaries to do the job.

It is interesting to note that the both titles are derived from other sources. Cry Havoc, and let slip the dogs of war; is from Julius Caesar (III.i), a play by Shakespeare. After the signing of the Treaty of Limerick (1691) the soldiers of the Irish Army who left Ireland for France took part in what is known as the Flight of the Wild Geese. Subsequently, many made a living from working as mercenaries for continental armies. The most famous of whom was Patrick Sarsfield, who, having fallen mortally wounded on a foreign field, said "If this was only for Ireland".

Related Topics:
Julius Caesar - Shakespeare - Treaty of Limerick - Flight of the Wild Geese - Patrick Sarsfield

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In science fiction, the well-known author Jerry Pournelle has written several books about science-fiction mercenaries known as Falkenberg's Legion. Also, author David Drake has written a number of books about the fictional hovercraft armored regiment Hammer's Slammers. Both series of books are brutal in their portrayal of complex low-intensity warfare despite technological advances. Gordon R. Dickson's Dorsai!, part of his Childe Cycle, includes the planet Dorsai with a society structured like that of Switzerland. Like the old style swiss mercenaries who hired themseves out to the Italian states, Dorsai hire themselves out to other planets. The webcomic Schlock Mercenary follows the galactic adventures of a 31st-century mercenary company. By The Sword by Mercedes Lackey is the story of a brilliant female mercenary named Kerowyn, or just Kero, who becomes the Captain of her Company, the Skybolts. A series by Mercedes Lackey concerning mercenaries is the Vows and Honor Trilogy (The Oathbound, Oathbreakers, Oathblood).

Related Topics:
Science fiction - Jerry Pournelle - David Drake - Hovercraft - Hammer's Slammers - Gordon R. Dickson - Dorsai! - Childe Cycle - Switzerland - Schlock Mercenary - Mercedes Lackey

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A magazine ostensibly written for mercenary soldiers is Soldier of Fortune.

Related Topics:
Magazine - Soldier of Fortune

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The computer game series Jagged Alliance focuses on a team of mercenaries attempting to conquer small fictional third-world countries. In 2005, LucasArts released a game for PlayStation 2 and Xbox titled ', where the player controls one of three mercenaries in North Korea, and is able to accept mercenary contracts from the UN, South Korea, China, and the Russian Mafia.

Related Topics:
Jagged Alliance - 2005 - LucasArts - PlayStation 2 - Xbox - North Korea - UN - South Korea - China - Russian Mafia

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The song Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner by Warren Zevon involves the exploits of a Norwegian mercenary in the Congo.

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In the film Casablanca, Rick Blaine is a former mercenary, although it is hinted that he chose sides on an ideological basis, rather than based on who would pay him the most.

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The popular anime series Full Metal Panic! and its various sequels focus largely on a mercenary organisation known as Mithril.

Related Topics:
Anime - Full Metal Panic!

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In the video game final fantasy 7 the main character Cloud strife is a mercenary.

Related Topics:
Video game - Final fantasy 7 - Cloud strife

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