Literary notes about dauntless (AI summary)
In literature, “dauntless” serves as a powerful epithet that encapsulates unyielding courage and an indomitable spirit. Writers evoke this quality to describe warriors, leaders, and individuals who face challenges without fear—whether on the battlefields of epic poems like those of Homer [1], [2] or in more introspective portrayals of personal resolve in later works [3], [4]. The term not only characterizes physical bravery in the face of external threats, as seen in heroic clashes and arduous quests [5], [6], but also symbolizes the inner strength and steadfast determination required to overcome adversity in both grand historical narratives and more subtle, everyday struggles [7], [8].
- The dauntless king yet standing firm he found, And all the chiefs in deep concern around.
— from The Iliad by Homer - The lords applaud: Ulysses then with art, And fears well-feign'd, disguised his dauntless heart.
— from The Odyssey by Homer - This circumstance, added to his well-known integrity and dauntless courage, made me very desirous to engage him.
— from Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley - Anne sat down on the sofa, her dauntless spirit subdued at last.
— from Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery - His bow the dauntless giant drew; To meet the tree swift arrows flew, Checked the huge missile's onward way, And harmless on the earth it lay.
— from The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse by Valmiki - Dauntless he rose, and to the fight return’d; With shame his glowing cheeks, his eyes with fury burn’d.
— from The Aeneid by Virgil - In my dauntless zeal for her welfare, I ran the great risk, and openly alluded to her marriage engagement.
— from The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins - “Follow your dauntless leader,” said Peter, and led the way down the hill towards the station.
— from The Railway Children by E. Nesbit
