Literary notes about Retinue (AI summary)
The term retinue is employed in literature to denote a group of attendants or followers that accompanies a central figure, often underscoring the subject’s status or the scale of their enterprise. It is used to evoke a vivid picture of courtly splendor or martial assembly, as seen in narratives where kings or heroes are flanked by their devoted companions ([1], [2]). In some writings, retinue carries connotations that range from an orderly, disciplined guard to a wild assortment of supporters that reflect the character or moral tone of the narrative ([3], [4]). Whether describing a stately arrival at a royal court or the loyal cluster that journeys with a legendary warrior, the word imbues its subject with an aura of authority and historic grandeur ([5], [6]).
- And great as was the number of his retinue, their presence was scarcely observed in the Castle, so vast was its extent.
— from The Mabinogion - King Canute himself, the day before Michaelmas, rode with a great retinue to Roeskilde.
— from Heimskringla; Or, The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway by Snorri Sturluson - The palace, and even the Imperial table, were filled with singers, dancers, prostitutes, and all the various retinue of vice and folly.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon - Hal had been in the king's retinue, and was very dear to him; so that the king was enraged at his death.
— from Heimskringla; Or, The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway by Snorri Sturluson - And Arthur set forward with a small retinue, and entered into Prydwen, his ship, and went over to Ireland.
— from The Mabinogion - Towards evening he brought up in the harbour in which Magnus and his retinue had intended to pass the night.
— from Heimskringla; Or, The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway by Snorri Sturluson
