Band of the Hawk
From Berserk Wiki
The Band of the Hawk is a mercenary group founded by Griffith. Early members included Pippin, Corkus, Judeau, Casca, and Rickert. Guts joined the Band early in its history. The Band rose to prominence during Midland's One Hundred Years War against Tudor, and was integrated into Midland's regular army following Griffith's promotion to Count. They were instrumental in several battles, most notably the re-conquest of Doldrey.
[edit] Named members of Band of the Hawk
- Griffith: Leader of the Hawks
- Guts: Raiders commander
- Casca: Unit commander
- Judeau
- Pippin
- Corkus
- Rickert
- Gaston: Raiders 2nd in command
- Dilos
- Dante
- Errol
- Riguel
- Sam
The Hawks were nearly wiped out (with the exceptions of Guts, Casca, Rickert, and Griffith himself) during the Eclipse, when Griffith sacrificed them to become Femto, the fifth God Hand. After his resurrection into the human world, Griffith has formed a new Band of the Hawk combining human soldiers with Apostles including Zodd, Locus, Irvine, and Grunbeld.
However the new Band of the Hawk seems to be bigger than the former incarnation, and with a different organization.
The Apostles and the Apostle-spawns members now occupy a different division of the army, the Demonic Lancers, a group of valuable warriors whose inhuman abilities put them on the par of the demonic armies of Emperor Ganishka. The mysterious Rakshas seems to be part of the Lancers as well, but always claims that he will slay Griffith when the Kushan crisis is over.
Regular human beings from the Midlands, like Mule, drawn to Griffith by his superhuman charisma and his reputation as the hero of the Midlands, blessed by the Holy See, form the most of his armies, much like the former Band of the Hawk was formed by young men trying to follow their dreams. The families of the soldiers are allowed to follow, and Griffith himself performs after every battle a ceremony to summon briefly the souls of the slain to confort their lonely beloved. Human beings with special powers or other means of usefulness, like Sonia, Princess Charlotte and her maids are allowed to follow too, even if they take no part on the combat field.
Kushan prisoners of war have a part too. The new Band of the Hawk applies a policy of half-mercy over Griffith's enemies: when a Kushan army is defeated, survivors are given the choices to follow as prisoners, or be killed on the spot. The prisoners are sent to the front lines for the next three battles: if they attempt to escape, the Band of Hawk will turn against them, and kill the fugitives, but if they survive they're allowed to follow the Band as any other loyal soldier, getting their share over the loot and the honors.
The general public seems aware that there's no continuity between the first and the second Band of the Hawk, however it's generally unaware of the final fate of the first squad and the demonic nature of the "inner circle" of the new formation. As the Eclipse still a secret between Guts, Griffith, the God Hand and its Apostles, and the Skull Knight, the general public presumably believes that the Hawks met their demise or disbanded during the year long persecution following Griffith's imprisonment, and Griffith returned later with new followers.
As the first Band held briefly the position of a named Army in the Midland Military, the White Phoenix Army, and Griffith held the noble title of the White Phoenix General, the second Band received, with the blessings of the Pope, the favor of the Holy See and Princess Charlotte constant presence around Griffith, similar privileges as the natural leaders of the Resistance against the Kushan empire.
