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The original was posted on /r/guildwars2 by /u/DoomRevenant on 2025-07-17 05:26:14+00:00.
Buckle up and get ready for a brief essay I just typed up at one in the morning
So, troubadour, minstrel, and bard - they all pretty much mean the same thing, right? Wrong!
Believe it or not, despite these words being synonms, they don't mean the exact same thing and each have a different connotations - this is the case with most synonyms
Minstrel has the more loose connotation - it simply describes a singer or poet of any kind, usually within the context of entertainment in the middle ages
Minstrels would sing songs and tell stories through performance, in exchange for meals and coin
They were entertainers, and made people merry and laugh and sing - much like a band or singer would today at a concert
Bard has a more specific connotation regarding epics - whereas minstrels were simple entertainers, bards were keepers of oral tradition; they would sing songs and tell stories about great heroes and notable feats, and as such kept the history of a culture alive
While not uncommon for a bard to also have experience with an instrument, the primary focus of their songs were their voice, and any instrumentals were simple accompaniment, if they were present at all
Most people during that time period were completely illiterate, and could not read or write - as such, written history, while kept, was not readily accessible to the masses
The common man wouldn't pick up a book and read about the Battle for Lion's Arch, they would instead listen to a bard (or village elder) regale them with the tale of the heroic shining blade defending Queen Salma against the terrible mursaat
A minstrel would sing a dandy song about Logan Thackeray and his unrequited love for the queen, a bard would sing an epic ballad about Eir Stegalkin and the champion of the great hunt slaying the dreadwyrm Issormir
Then you have the troubadour, who has a connotation of sophistication - unlike minstrels and bards, troubadours were often of noble birth, and as such, carried a high degree of elegance and respect within noble and royal courts
Their songs were more in the realm of entertainment than oral tradition - closer to minstrels than bards - but unlike minstrels their songs were far more lyrical in nature, and often dealt with themes of love, chivalry, and artistic expression
As they were of a higher social class, troubadours were more likely to be educated, and you would find them within a high-society party, or perhaps playing for the monarch or high lords if they were especially well-regarded
They had a degree of elegance to them, and their lyrics tended to be more sophisticated with more complex themes, due to their education, and they often were practiced in more than one instrument - unlike minstrels and bards
To use a modern metaphor: if a minstrel is a pop singer and a bard is a folk singer, then a troubadour is an opera singer
So why does troubadour fit mesmer best? Well classic mesmers carry a level of elegance to them, and are much more fitting in a noble archetype - they wear fine cloths of royal purple, and dress in venetian-esque masks
Within canon, the most common mesmers are within the nobility of divinity's reach, such as our good friend Kasmeer Meade and Countess Anise, and even the queen herself is a mesmer of renown
As such, it wouldn't fit a mesmer very well to carry themselves as a cultural storyteller, telling an epic narrative around a bonfire, nor would they be singing a song in a tavern for their next meal
No, a mesmer would be versed in several instruments both tangible and illusory, and they would weave siren songs of love and elegant lyrical harmonies - all while wearing their classic, over the top fashion and a fancy mask
As such, only a troubadour could really capture that essence, and as such, it's a far more fitting name for a mesmer specialization than a bard or minstrel
Thanks for coming to my TED talk, I rant a lot about mostly useless information - enjoy your weekend
