Soldier, poet, or king? The viral TikTok quiz, explained
By WVUA23 Digital Reporter Jas Orr
If you’ve been on TikTok recently, chances are you’ve seen at least one video where someone assigns popular characters as “soldier,” “poet” or “king,” with jaunty, medieval-esque music playing in the background. Or maybe you’ve seen someone putting a crown on their head, talking about how they wished they were a poet, but instead got king.
All this talk of soldiers, poets and kings comes from a song titled “Soldier, Poet, King” by the Oh Hellos. The song is simple and catchy, and has trended numerous times on TikTok, most frequently being associated with medieval garb and renaissance faires. As of reporting, the song has been used in 151.5k videos in its original form, but remixes and edits of the song have amassed large quantities of videos as well. The lyrics detail the coming of, as the title suggests, a soldier, a poet and a king, drawing on Biblical allusions.
The latest trend stems from a quiz posted to the website uquiz by user Nour (@oceanknives on TikTok and Instagram). The quiz is quick, with 20 questions, each with three possible responses and wrapped in metaphor and flowery language. Questions kick off with “What is Duty?” and move to “Who taught you about guilt?” and “How will you die?”.
After filling out the questions, the quiz presents the taker with one of three results: soldier, poet or king. Each result features a description of how the taker views the world: as a battle, poetry or something to be managed.
The soldier, as the quiz describes, is a person who tries to “forget that there is only one rule, and that it is fight. You are tired of fighting.” If you get soldier, then you see each day as a battle to be won.
The poet is someone with more artistic inclinations, and someone who seeks to find art in the mundane. Or, as the quiz puts it, “You sing songs and hope they carry faith, because you have run out of it, and yet you still throw your heart out to the world and hope it makes it through.”
Finally, the king is described as someone who sees the world as a burden to take on and manage. The king may not be someone who particularly wants power, but is instead someone who takes on responsibility because if not them, then who?
Regardless of results, TikTok users seemingly agree that this test has searing insights into their personalities. Or, as TikTok user @casper.the.friendly.gay wrote, “my therapist will hear about this one.”
