Terry Pratchett borrowed from Wicca to put witches in groups of three: maiden, mother, and crone (with Granny Weatherwax capable of playing all three roles by herself in a pinch, if no one else is available).
A common pattern for boys – or should we say lads – is also to travel in groups of three: leader, follower, and mascot. The leader is charismatic and sets the tone for the group; he’s typically an asshole but hopefully a good-natured one. The follower wishes he was the leader but lacks the confidence, so he’s always one step behind, egging things on. He may be passive-aggressive instead of brash, and think of himself as the much ballyhooed Nice Guy. The mascot is smaller, less threatening, and more likeable. His diminutive stature has made him the butt of jokes and potentially target of bullying since childhood, which he compensates for with chirpy good humour and unexpected violent rage.
The Lonely Island
- Andy Samberg is the leader
- Akiva Schaffer is the follower
- Jorma Taccone is the mascotTop Gear UK
- Jeremy Clarkson is the leader
- James May is the follower
- Richard Hammond is the mascotO-Zone
- Dan Bălan is the leader
- Arsenie Todiraș is the follower
- Radu Sîrbu is the mascot
- (the Romanian group that sung the Numa Numa song, sheesh)Three Amigos
- Chevy Chase is the leader
- Steve Martin is the follower (wait, or the other way around?)
- Martin Short is the mascotThe Ringbearers
- Frodo Baggins is the leader
- Sam Gamgee is the follower
- Gollum is the mascot
Hrm. This runs counter to a different social theory / mapping scheme I’ve heard, which conforms much more closely to both the fictional and lived evidence at my disposal.
This is the Bushman hunting party theory. It’s one of these Obviously Crackpot Things propounded only by Obvious Crackpots, but…on the level of pure demonstration it holds up surprisingly well.
The basic components of the theory are:
(A) Left to their own devices, boys and men will commonly and naturally form themselves into groups of four.
(B) These “Bushman hunting party” groups-of-four have their own specialized roles, into which the boys or men will naturally sort themselves:
* The leader is what he sounds like. He makes decisions for the group, represents it to the outside world, and resolves conflicts. He has the highest status.
* The master hunter focuses on excellence in the group’s main activity (hunting for an actual hunting party, music for a band, Geek Knowledge for a gang of high school nerds, etc.). He has less social competence and clout than the leader, and maintains his niche through technical competence. There is very likely to be some degree of tension between him and the leader, since everyone knows that he’s the most plausible alternative.
* The shaman focuses on abilities orthogonal to the group’s main activity; he’s a specialist of some sort, serving as a repository of knowledge and (sometimes) a channel to a higher power. Doesn’t have the chops to make a bid for leadership, but gets by through a focus on valued things that the others don’t do at all. Often serves as the group’s moral guardian.
* The joker has the lowest status and, to the extent that the group has a butt monkey, will be the butt monkey. Keeps his place, and placates the others, through endearing humor. Has some amount of “court jester” license to speak uncomfortable truths, since he presents the least threat. If there is a problem with the health of the group, you will probably see it in him first – either he’ll be abused beyond reason, as the others seek an outlet for their troubles, or he’ll start turning his humor against his friends, or both.
[Supposedly this four-man structure is alien to women, who more naturally sort themselves into threes and fives. I dunno, man.]
…obviously this is all kind of silly, and to the extent that there’s any reality to it at all, the analysis has to start with “all kinds of social things can and do happen all the time, we’re trying to gauge prevalences.”
Off the top of my head, a short list of all-male quartets (real and fictional) whose members obviously map very easily to the Bushman hunting party roles:
* The Beatles
* The Four Seasons
* KISS
* The Ninja Turtles
* …I guess at this juncture I have to mention the Street Sharks
* The “Three Musketeers” (including d’Artagnan)
* The Marauders
* The Ghostbusters
* The Final Fantasy XV party
* The pilgrims in Journey to the West
* The main cast of The Book of Skulls
* The A-Team
* …the four hobbits in the Fellowship only sorta work, but they do sorta work
Also, like, a lot of guys I knew in school.