"War chant" redirects here. For the stallion with the same name, seeWar Chant. For other uses, seewar song.
NZDF soldiers performing a battle cryAMāori performer giving aHaka at a folk festival in Poland
Abattle cry orwar cry is a yell or chant taken up inbattle, usually by members of the same combatant group.Battle cries are not necessarily articulate (e.g. "Eulaliaaaa!", "Alala"..), although they often aim to invoke patriotic or religious sentiment. Their purpose is twofold, both arousing aggression andesprit de corps on one's own side and causing intimidation on the hostile side. Battle cries are a universal form ofdisplay behaviour (i.e.,threat display) aiming atcompetitive advantage, ideally by overstating one's own aggressive potential to a point where the enemy prefers to avoid confrontation altogether and opts to flee. In order to overstate one's potential for aggression, battle cries need to be as loud as possible, and have historically often been amplified by acoustic devices such ashorns,drums,conches,carnyxes,bagpipes,bugles, etc. (see alsomartial music).
Battle cries are closely related to other behavioral patterns ofhuman aggression, such aswar dances and taunting, performed during the "warming up" phase preceding the escalation of physical violence. From theMiddle Ages, many cries appeared onspeech scrolls instandards orcoat of arms as slogans (seeslogan (heraldry)) and were adopted asmottoes, an example being the motto "Dieu et mon droit" ("God and my right") of the English kings. It is said that this wasEdward III's rallying cry during theBattle of Crécy. The word "slogan" originally derives fromsluagh-gairm orsluagh-ghairm (sluagh = "people", "army", andgairm = "call", "proclamation"), theScottish Gaelic word for "gathering-cry" and in times of war for "battle-cry". The Gaelic word was borrowed into English asslughorn,sluggorne, "slogum", andslogan.
The troops of ancientAthens, during theMedic Wars and thePeloponnesian War were noted for going into battle shouting "Alala!" or"Alale!", which was supposed to emulate the cry of the owl, the bird of their patron goddessAthena.[2]
Another common war cry inIndia was "Jai Bhavani" meaning, "Hail goddessBhavani!”
A common war cry used in ancientTamilakam was "Vetrivel, Veeravel", meaning, "Victorious vel, courageous vel."Vel is the spear ofMurugan, the regional form ofKartikeya, the Hindu war deity. In the contemporary period, the battle cry "Vetrivel, Veeravel" is being used in the 191 Field Regiment of theIndian Army based inMadukkarai,Coimbatore.[5][6]
During the Scottish wars of independence, Scottish soldiers usedAlba gu bràth as a battle-cry, a phrase that means 'Scotland for ever' (literally, 'Scotland until judgement'.) This was depicted in the filmBraveheart during whichMel Gibson, playingWilliam Wallace, shouts the phrase to rally his soldiers just before a battle commenced.
Each Turkic tribe and tribal union had its distincttamga (seal), totemicongon bird, and distincturan (battle cry) (hence the Slavicurah "battle cry").[7][8] While tamgas andongons could be distinct down to individuals, the hue of horses anduran battle cries belonged to each tribe, were passed down from generation to generation, and some modern battle cries were recorded in antiquity. On split of the tribe, their unique distinction passed to a new political entity, endowing different modern states with the sameuran battle cries of the split tribes, for exampleKipchak battle cry amongKazakhs,Kirgizes,Turkmens, andUzbeks. Some larger tribes'uran battle cries:
Desperta ferro! ("Awake iron!" in Catalan) was the most characteristic cry of theAlmogavar warriors during theCrown of Aragon military campaigns across theMediterranean from the 12th through to the 14th centuries.
Deus vult! ("God wills it!" in Latin) was the battle cry of the Crusaders.
Allāhu Akbar (الله أكبر, "God is [the] Greatest") andAllāhu Allāh (الله الله, "God! God!") were used by Muslim armies throughout history.Al-naṣr aw al-shahāda (النصر أو الشهادة, "Victory or martyrdom") was also a common battle cry; theAt-Tawbah 9:52 says that God has promised to the righteous Muslim warrior one of these two glorious ideals.[original research?]
Óðinn á yðr alla (Odin owns you all) – A reference to Odin's self sacrifice at Yggdrasil. Attributed toEric the Victorious.
When suppressing peasants' rebellions in Germany and Scandinavia around 1500, such as in theBattle of Hemmingstedt, the Dutch mercenaries of theBlack Guard yelledWahr di buer, die garde kumt ("Beware, peasants, the guards are coming"). When the peasants counterattacked, they responded withWahr di, Garr, de Buer de kumt ("Beware, Guard, of the peasant, [who is] coming").
The Spanish criedSantiago ("Saint James") both when reconquering Spain from theMoors and during conquest in early colonial America.
KingHenry IV of France (1553–1610), a pleasure-loving and cynical military leader, was famed for wearing a striking white plume in his helmet and for hiswar cry:Ralliez-vous à mon panache blanc! ("Follow my white plume!").
Raj Karega Khalsa – (The Khalsa will rule) Aaakki Rahe Na Koye (And no opponent will remain)[12]
Gaj ke jaikara gajaave fateh paave nihaal ho jaavae, Sat Sri Akaal gurbaar akaal hee akaal|| (excerpt fromardas ofBuddha Dal prayerbook (gutka) praising the blessing of uttering jaikara proclaiming supreme truth).
TheGurkha (Gorkha) soldiers' battle cry was, and still is,"Jai Mahakali, Ayo Gorkhali!" ("Victory to GoddessMahakali, the Gurkhas are coming!")[14][15]
Finnish light cavalry troops in theSwedish Army in the 17th and 18th centuries would use the battle cry"Hakkaa päälle!" ("Cut them down!" in Finnish), lending them the nameHackapell.
Irish regiments of various armies used and continue to use Gaelic War cries,"Faugh a Ballagh" ("Clear the way!") or "Erin go Bragh" ("Ireland Forever")
TheSwedish army in the 18th and 19th centuries would be issued with the command to attack with "För Fäderneslandet, gå på, Hurra!" ("For the Fatherland, onwards, Hurrah!")[16]
In theBattle of Dybbøl in 1864, both Danish and German forces used "Hurrah" as a war cry.
DuringWorld War I in theItalian Front of 1915. Before battle, Italian soldiers would yell "Savoia" or "Avanti Savoia", which is "Come onSavoy!" or "Onwards Savoy!" in Italian (compare "For the king!" among British soldiers of the same era).
DuringWorld War II,Tennōheika Banzai (天皇陛下万歳,May the Emperor live forten thousand years) served as a battle cry of sorts for Japanese soldiers, particularly in a "banzai charge".[17] The most popular battle cry is "Ei ei oh" (エイエイオー), which is usually used at the start of battle.[18][19]
"Avanti Savoia!" (English: GoSavoy!) was the patriotic battle cry of theItalian Royal Army duringWorld War I and to a lesser extent, World War II. Infantrymen would scream this motto when launching an offensive attack, namely against theAustro-Hungarians.
During theGreco-Italian War (in WWII), the Greeks would shout "Αέρα!" (wind) as their battle cry.
During theKorean War, theKorean People's Army used the phrase "김일성 수령님 만세" (transliteratedgim-ilseong sulyeongnim manse, translated as "Long live the Great LeaderKim Il Sung").
"Merdeka atau mati!" (English: Freedom or death!) Used by Indonesian national army and freedom fighters (Indonesian: Pedjoeang/pejuang) during theIndonesian National Revolution.
In Afghanistan, Norwegian troops of theTelemark Battalion would sometimes use the battle cry "Til Valhall!" (ToValhalla!) followed byOorah.[20]
During theIndochina War inVietnam, theViet Minh soldiers usually used "Xung phong" (English: Charge) whenever attacking the enemy. The same battle cry would be used later byPAVN andNLF forces during theVietnam War.
Each individual regiment of theIndian Army has a unique war cry. These chants are sonorous with the beliefs of individual castes and religions from which the troops belong to.
Croatian armed forces during theCroatian War of Independence would use "Za dom spremni". One would start by saying "Za dom!" and the rest would follow with "Spremni!". It translates loosely to "For home – ready!" or "For homeland – ready!".
Leeroy Jenkins is aninternet meme, which has often served the purpose of an ironic or fatalistic parody of a battle cry, originating from a famous video of aWorld of Warcraft clan creating an intricate battle plan, before being party-wiped as a result of Leeroy Jenkins, who had beenAFK at the time, charging in head-first. This gave rise to the phrase infirst-person shooter games, where players will shout "LEEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOY JEEEEEENKIIIIIIIIIINS!" as they charge at the enemy. The phrase has gained notoriety, making appearances in various non-World of Warcraft media.
VariousKurdish groups such asPKK,YPG andPeshmerga use the following phrases "Bijî Kurdistan!" short for "Her Bijî Kurdistan" (English: Long Live Kurdistan), which is usually accompanied with "Her Bijî!" (English : Long live) "Yan Kurdistan Yan Neman" (English: Either Kurdistan or Extinction!)
During the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, "Slava Ukraini" (Слава Україні! English: Glory to Ukraine!), often accompanied by a reply of "Heroiam Slava" (Героям слава! English: Glory to the heroes!), became an internationally-known battle cry not only among domestic forces, but also amongWestern, mostlyNATO allies.
Guilhem Pepin, ‘Les cris de guerre " Guyenne ! " et " Saint George ! ". L’expression d’une identité politique du duché d’Aquitaine anglo-gascon’,Le Moyen Age, cxii (2006) pp 263–281
^Burkert, Walter, 1992.The Orientalizing Revolution: Near Eastern Influences on Greek Culture in the Early Archaic Age, p 39f.
^T.J. Craughwell, 2008,The Vikings, Vandals, Huns, Mongols, Goths, and Tartars who Razed the Old World and Formed the New, Fair Winds Press, p. 41,ISBN978-1-59233-303-5
^Shipova E.N., 1976,Dictionary of Türkisms in Russian Language, Alma-Ata, "Science", p. 349
^Dal V.I.,Explanatory Dictionary of the Live Great Russian language, vol. 4, p. 507, Diamant, Sankt Peterburg, 1998 (reprint of 1882 edition by M.O.Wolf Publisher), (In Russian)
^Zuev Yu. , 2002,Early Türks: Essays of history and ideology, Almaty, Daik-Press, p. 76,[ISBN missing]
^Karpovdun G.I.,Тіркмöн uruuluk en tamgalary. maalymattarynyn negizinde, in Karataev O.K., 2003,Kyrgyz-Oguz History (Кыргыз-Огуз Тарыхый – Этникалык Байланыштары), Kyrgyz Utuluk university, pp. 199–207
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