List of Legendary Famous Archers of All Time

Archery has been an important skill for human beings to possess for many centuries.

Through time and progress, mankind has improved archery from what it was from hundreds of years ago.

For hunting and fighting purposes, archery has held a great role in creating today’s world.

So, I have categorized the most famous archers in the world according to their discipline and have gathered some a little information about them.

The Most Famous Fantasy Archers (Movies and TV shows)

Katniss Everdeen

Katniss is a fictional and heroine character of the Hunger Games trilogy. Jennifer Lawrence portrayed this character. Katniss used her hunting knowledge and archery skills to survive in the Hunger Games. After that, she became a symbol of rebellion against the oppressive Capitol.

Hawkeye

Hawkeye or Clinton Barton is a fictional hero from Marvel universe. The character created by the famous comic book writer, Stan Lee.

Hawkeye is portrayed by Jeremy Renner. He has no special power like other Marvel heroes. Besides, he doesn’t use any technological sight to aim. Still, he is coming to the forefront with his extraordinary archery skills.

Legolas

The character Legolas is from Tolkien’s Middle Earth universe. He appeared in Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He has physics-defying shots with his bow. The character played by Orlando Bloom in the movies. At the beginning of the trilogy, he used a Mirkwood longbow until Galadriel gave the bow of Galadhrim to him.

Lara Croft

Lara is a character from a movie and video games, also known as Tomb Raider.  She is an intelligent, athletic, beautiful archaeologist and adventurer who discovers and excavates ancient tombs around the World. She uses two pistols, bows and arrows in her adventures. In video games, she uses various bows to achieve her tasks. In the movie series, she is portrayed by Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander.

Princess Merida

The character Merida is a Scottish princess and the main character in the Brave, which is a Disney Pixar movie. She is an impetuous young girl who wants to take control of her destiny. She has incredible archery skill.

Green Arrow

Green Arrow or Oliver Queen is a billionaire businessman who is a fictional superhero from DC comic first appeared in 1941. He was left stranded on an abandoned island for several years where he mastered the art of archery. But now, he uses his archery skills to fight crime alongside the Justice League. The character played by Justin Hartley in the Smallville series. But, now he is represented by Stephen Amell in the TV Series named Arrow. He always chooses a recurve bow as a weapon.

Neytiri

Neytiri is one of the main characters from a movie named Avatar. She is the Na’vi princess of the Omaticaya clan. She meets Jake Sully in a Pandoran forest, and they fall in love with each other. After that, she teaches Jake the ways of her clan, and how to use a bow.

Susan Pevensie

Susan is another fictional character in the Narnia universe who played by Anna Popplewell. She is known to the Narnians as Queen Susan the Gentle. Susan was also known for her beauty and her incredible archery skills. She is a stubborn, talented, and very intelligent character.

Daryl Dixon

Daryl Dixon is one of the most badass characters from a famous TV Series named The Walking Dead. The character is played by Norman Reedus.

Daryl is a survivor of the zombie chaos. He escaped from the dead with his extraordinary hunting, tracking and navigating skills and always chooses a quiet crossbow instead of loudly firing guns. He has an incredible accuracy skill with his crossbow.

Ygritte

Ygritte is a member of the Free Folk who lived north of the Wall in Westeros Universe. She was part of Mance Rayder’s wildling army and became the lover of Jon Snow. The character played by Rose Leslie. She has red hair and great archery skills. She carries her bow in the woods like it is a part of her arm.

Top Famous Archers in History

Archery was a really important ability for the previous civilizations.

For those who have used this skill on the battlefield, there has always been a place in history books. Beyond that, history also writes some archer names who became famous for his extraordinary talent. Here are some of them;

Robin Hood

Robin was a legendary and famous English archer in the 12th century. He’s a heroic outlaw who steals from the rich people and gives to the poor folk.

So many movies and TV shows have been produced over the years about him. But the best movies are the one which Russell Crowe played Robin Hood and the one which Kevin Costner played Robin Hood.

He is also a common symbol which uses a traditional English longbow, which is around 6 ft long.

Paris

Paris is a famous archer in Greek Mythology. He is a Prince of Troy and known for eloping with the Queen of Sparta named Helen.

His brother Hector is a legendary warrior in one on one combat. On the other hand, Paris was a great archer. He killed very many Achaean soldiers in the Trojan War. He even killed two Greek heroes: Menethius and Achilles.

Minamoto no Tametomo

He was a famous Japanese, historical, legend samurai (1139-1170) and fought in Hogen Rebellion. Legend describes him with his 4 inches longer left arm which allows him to draw the bow longer and make powerful shots. It’s said that once he sunk a ship with a single arrow.

William Tell

Even if we don’t know he’s real or not, we know that he is a folk hero of Switzerland. He was sentenced to shoot an apple off the head of his son by the Austrian occupiers. If he missed, both of them would be executed. But he hit the apple with the first bolt.

Nasu no Yoichi

He is known as a powerful warrior and archer in history. He served Minamoto no Yoshitsune during the Genpei War.

Yoichi is one of the main characters of Drifters. Yoichi was brave. He has no problem with hunting and sharing what he’s got to helping others.

Lieutenant Colonel Jack Churchill

He was a British Army officer who fought in the Second World War. But, he was also a legendary archer and used his archery talents to play a small role in the 1924 film named The thief of Bagdad. He represented Britain at the World Archery Championships in Oslo.

Fred Bear

He was a master American bow hunter even if he did not start archery until he was 29 years old.  He is widely regarded as a pioneer in the bow-hunting community. Besides, he’ the founder of Bear Archery brand that still exists. He said this about archery;

Horace A. Ford

Ford is known as the greatest archer of all time. He picked up his first bow in 1845. After four years he won the Grand National Archery Meeting held in the United Kingdom. His high in the Double York Round in 1857 remained archery’s high score for over 70 years. He wrote a book about archery as well.

Skaði

Archery sounds like always has been a man sport. It’s totally wrong. A fearsome female archer like Skaði have each made an indelible mark on history.

In Norse mythology, Skaði ended up marrying the god Odin.  Skaði is a goddess associated with archery, bowhunting, winter, and mountains. Her passion for archery was a trait she inherited from her father.

Tomoe Gozen

She was a legendary female archer who lived in Japan in the late twelfth century. She was beautiful and known for her remarkably archery skills.

Genghis Kahn’s Mongolian Army

Even if it’s not a single archer, a list without Genghis Kahn’s Army would be incomplete. They were not using a specific type of bow. But they also have a special howling arrow that create a scary sound to disorient the enemy army and cause panic.

What made the Mongols army so scary on the battlefield was that no one could find a range which they were safe from being hit from the arrows of the famous Mongols archers.

According to some history books, Mongol archers could hit their targets over 400 yards away.

English Longbowmen

According to some history source, English longbows could reach nearly 150 lbs draw weight which is almost triple as an average bow today.

So, English longbow archers are also strong as warriors.  Having heavy draw weight also provides to shoot at long ranges. That makes them the most famous archers in the World.

Apollo

Apollo was the son of Zeus. He was born in Greece. He was a god of Sun, light, knowledge, medicine, plague, and art and well known for his archery skills. Besides, he had a golden bow. According to the legend, he even used plague-infected arrows to destroy the enemy army in the Trojan War.

Artemis

She was the god of virginity, wilderness and hunting and also one of the most famous female archers in history. Stories tell us that Artemis and Apollo teamed up and they fought against the Trojans with their bow and arrow.

Diana (Roman Mythology)

She was the Roman goddess of hunt and Moon. So, she can be equated with the Artemis, who is a Greek goddess. In myth, she carried a bow and quiver full of golden arrows.

Eros

Eros was a god of love and attraction in Greek mythology. He is portrayed by many artists with his bow and arrows. So, that makes him one of the most famous archers in the world. It was a common belief that he randomly shot a love arrow to the people and made people fall in love.

The most Famous Archers in Video Games

I love playing fantasy games to escape reality. And being an archer, improving my archery skills and using the bow and arrow as a weapon is always my favorite.

Being able to fight from a long range or sneak attack without getting close to the enemy is a great thing in video games. So, I gather some famous archer characters in videos games and the best games that allow you to use a bow as a weapon are listed here.

Prophet – Crysis 3

Even if it was a sci-fi game, a bow and arrow could easily find a place in it. Using a bow with the main character, Prophet is enjoyable.

Garrett – Thief

If you like stealth games, this is one of the earliest examples. Thief is a great game for you. It allows us to use any kind of arrow to pass the tasks like water, fire, or blast arrows. The game is a perfect way to improve your stealth and archery skills with nervous tension.

Wander – Shadow Of The Colossus

Maybe it’s the game that has one of the best scenarios. The main character Wander has to kill 16 giants by using his intelligence and his sword and bow to save the girl he loves. Good luck to you for trying to take down the giants with a normal sized bow and arrow.  Wander can unlock new archery toys such as highly explosive “flash arrows” and distracting “whistle arrows.”

Joel – The Last Of Us

Because of the game scenario encourages you to move sneakily, using a bow is always my favorite. As a silent weapon, the bow lends itself well to stealth-based gameplay like The Last of us.

Link – The Legend of Zelda Ocarina Of Time

This game is our first experience with 3D archery. So, the game was impressive in its launch year. But, the character Link that you control it in the first person couldn’t use the bow while moving. Also, Link has often been able to acquire Ice, Fire, and Bomb arrows with unique effects.

Lara Croft – Tomb Raider

We’ve mention Lara before. The famous video game archers list without her would be incomplete. Lara is also using a different kind of arrows for her shot. She quickly reloads the arrow. Because she is always so nimble. Her primary weapon was always a hunting bow

Hawkeye Gough – Dark Souls

Dark Souls is a popular video game as the detailed quality of the fighting. The main character, Hawkeye Gough, is one of the Four Knights of Gwyn and the leader of the Greatarchers. This giant is known for his exceptional marksmanship.

You, as the playing character, will encounter this disgraced archer named Hawkeye several times, and he’s likely to aid you on your duties.

It is said that he could knock a flying dragon out of the sky with his mighty bow. He is using the mightiest of great bows as he was the only one who had the strength to handle such power even if your character gets this bow after. If you defeat an intimidating dragon, you’ll get his own Greatbow as a gift.

Skyrim

There are more than thirty types of bows in Skyrim. In The Elder Scrolls games, the weight of each bow you use determines the amount of damage they deal. For instance, a heavier bow made of dragon bone might take down your powerful enemy with a single shot. On the other hand, a lighter or faster bow made by the glass will allow you more chances to fire in a shorter period with less damage.

You can enchant your bows and generally upgrade your archery skill. There is a slow-motion kill cam, makes a good shot more satisfying. Lastly, hunting a dragon out of the sky with your bow is an amazing adventure. Improving your character’s archery skill should be your priority.

Top 5 Famous Archers in the Olympics

According to a reliable source and Worldwide surveys, here’s a list of the top famous legendary archers of all-time who shot in the Olympics. The Top 5 archers listed below are determined by the criteria of total medals, records set and performances at the Olympic Games.

Kim Soo Nyung

She was born in 1971 and represented her country in 1988, 1992 and 2000. She has earned a total of four gold medals with her team and individual. In 2011, Kim was declared the best Female archer of the 20th century by the International Archery Federation. So, it can easily be said that she is one of the most legendary famous archers all times.

Darrell Pace

Darrell was born in 1956 in the U.S. He won 2 Olympic and World Championships titles. In 2011, he was declared like Kim as the best Male archer for the 20th century by the International Archery Federation.

Park Sung-Hyun

She was born in 1983 in South Korea. She had held the women’s World record for 70m and won the gold medal with her team in 2004 and 2008.

Hubert van Innis

He was a Belgian who born in 1861. He joined two Summer Olympics and return with 6 gold and 3 silver medals. Besides, there are 20 years between two Olympic games. After 13 years, he won the 1920’s Olympics; He also went on to win in the 1933 World Championships.

Yun Mi-Jin

She was born in 1983 in South Korea and has won 3 Olympics with her team and individual. She also has gold medals in World Championships and Asian games.

References

https://sakurafineart.com/products/tomoe-no-shutsujin-tomoe-gozen-the-female-warrior

https://teamico.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Shadow_of_the_Colossus

https://galnet.fandom.com/wiki/English_Longbow

https://www.ranker.com/list/best-olympic-athletes-in-archery/voteable

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/7733516/Lieutenant-Colonel-Jack-Churchill.html

https://darksouls.wiki.fextralife.com/Hawkeye+Gough

https://worldarchery.org/news/142022/best-olympic-archers-all-time-round-and-honourable-mentions