What is a Warrior-Name?

In Pahuyuth, a “Warrior-Name” is a pseudonym, alias, nickname or code name traditionally used by members of Pahuyuth.

Historical origins

Pahuyuth is a traditional martial art taught according to the traditions of the ancient Free-Warriors. The ancient Free-Warrior were paramilitary special forces, mercenaries and commando units who fought for peace and freedom in Southeast Asia for many centuries. The concealment of their identities served to protect them from persecution. They literally became “no one”.

Historical example

An example of one of these command units was the DAB NARESUAN, a special unit, which founded in the 16th century AD on the orders of King Naresuan, consisting of Pahuyuth swordsmen and asked to protect the country in the event of invasion and conduct covert operations.

Dab daab darb dahb Ayutthaya sword drawn cutout

Other Free-Warrior units are said to have appeared like ghosts out of nowhere during battles, fulfilled their respective missions and then returned to their home villages. To this day, no one knows where they came from, who they were, or who trained them. They, too, were “no one.”

Differentiation from Thai nicknames

There is also in the Thai culture the use of nicknames. In contrast to the Warrior-Names of Pahuyuth, however, these are limited to very simple and catchy terms, which facilitate the communication in everyday life.

Differentiation from names of Muay Thai fighters

The names of Muay Thai fighters are usually the names of the boxing stables from which they come and for which they earn money in the ring. This can be seen as a sign of lack of freedom up to serfdom, as is often found in Southeast Asia.

The Free-Warriors of Pahuyuth, on the other hand, have always strived for individual freedom and equality among people, which is why the Warrior-Names used in Pahuyuth differ in their meaning from the names of the Nak Muay.

Differentiation from nicknames of other sports fighters

The Names of other martial artists (e.B. Muay Sagon, Muay Farang) are usually used for self-expression or marketing and in some cases probably also for self-glorification. The fact that they are used to be “someone” distinguishes them from the Warrior-Names of Pahuyuth.

Warrior-Names in Pahuyuth

In Pahuyuth, two types of Warrior-Names are common: Given Warrior-Names and Self-Chosen Fighter Names.

Given Warrior-Names (students)

With the admission as Pahuyuth student in the College of Pahuyuth Practitioners and the entry into the learning level of the Pahuyuth (green belt), Pahuyuth students receive their own fantasy name or Warrior-Names from their classmates under which they are known from then on.

Most of them are fictional characters from pop culture or personalities from contemporary history, who are said to have similar character traits as the respective student.

Given Warrior-Names are rarely flattering, but almost always meet the individual character of the wearer. They are intended to stimulate reflection on one’s own personality and thus promote personal development.

Since the character of a person can change or a new aspect can come to light, a different name can also be given in later exams (white belt and black belt).

In many cases members of Pahuyuth are known to each other exclusively under their Warrior-Names.

Examples: Ameise, Hügelsanitäter, Mustermann, Kojote, Djinn, Troubadix, Krishna, Hochwürden, Hypoventilator, Lustkiller, Captain, Windows99, Fred Feuerstein, Zeitlupe, Obstsalat, Leutnant, Starbuck, Apollo, Macarena, Microman, Wassereimer, Soldat, Robin Hood, Milka, Medusa, High-Twenty, Rasputin, Tak Tak, DINA4, Pinocchio, Dracula, Troublemama, Buffy, Don Quijote, Awacs, Tweety, Vierraumwohnung, Allemano, Lautenschläger, Tagträumer, Chefin, Czarnobyl, Smeargol, Popeye, Wassermann, Kunsuek, Sandmann, Gigolo, Herr Bello, Aladin, Vorsitzender, Mr. Edd, Der Kroate, Cäsar, Augustus, Yuri, Bruder Tuck, Tito, Mini Scheich, Der kleine Muck, Aberweib, Speedy Gonzales, Stiller Blues, Greystoke, Prinz, Klingone, Goldmarie, Tiefflieger, Frau Doktor, He-Man, Nobody, Vergangenheit, Shrimp, Froschkönig, Versteck Dich, King Elvis, Ganz Sicher, Kreisel, Legolas, Dr. Snuggles, Alf, Skipper, Dr. Seltsam, Görli, Olafly, Big Mac, Private Paula, Büffel, Dracula Light, Professor Hastig, Biergarten, Mattipedia, Victor-Charly, Pocachontas, uvm.

Self-chosen Warrior-Names (teaching stage)

With the entrance into the teacher stage, practitioners of Pahuyuth lose their student status and their given Warrior-Name. From then on they are considered nameless warriors, or they choose one or more names for themselves, which traditionally often refer to spirit beings or revenge spirits.

The background of this tradition is on the one hand based on the idea of letting go the worldly life (the student status). On the other hand, it is about the fact that members of the teaching level have to define themselves independently as warriors at every moment, which is to be understood in particular for prospective teachers (blue belt) as a hint to deal with their own status and the resulting responsibility as a warrior and as a person in order to promote personal self-discovery and self-knowledge.

Furthermore, members of the teaching level are no longer assumed to be “living” (active) fighters who strive for victories and recognition. Instead, the symbolic transmission of knowledge of a “spirit from a bygone era” is now coming into focus. For this reason, the real names of Pahuyuth teachers are never published or brought to the fore.

Just like the given name, the self-chosen name traditionally serves to protect an inactive person from persecution or hunts. By the way, this applies to both the analog and the digital world of the 21st century.

Apart from that, Pahuyuth has never been about the mediator of knowledge (person), but exclusively about knowledge or knowledge mediation itself (competence). Genuine martial knowledge exists and always works independently of the person who passes on this knowledge. Therefore the question about the origin of a teacher or his martial arts knowledge is usually answered by members of the teaching level as follows:

“I am no one. I come from nowhere and I go into nowhere. I was taught by no one and I help someone become a no one.”

Examples: Plaitamin, Smingplai, Miehpray, Plai Paneejorn, K1R0V

Self-chosen Warrior-Names (probationary students)

Since 2021 AD and since the introduction of our online training, we ask all our new students to explicitly refrain from using real names and to choose a Warrior-Name themselves instead. This serves on the one hand data protection and on the other hand the personal development through self-reflection.

Examples: Lugsidt Lu, Nooa, Isbjörn, Hanuman, Punisher, Dontpanic, HerrBertBaertiger, Justbee, Joe plus one, Noname

Recommended glossary entries

  1. Muai-Thai Studio
  2. Free-Warrior
  3. Free-Warrior Knowledge
  4. Teacher stage
  5. Pahuyuth Qualification System

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