> No, there were always ways. Folklore is full of stories of people avoiding being drafted. You can only draft someone who is there (and who is healthy).

And the stories people tell are about the exciting and unusual things. You're not going to have folklore about people being harshly punished for resisting the powers that be, because it the likely outcome and expected.

Actually, also yes. I was not just refering to fairytales. And unlike people seemed to assume about my comment, that it was easy, nor convenient. Just that draft dodging is as old as the concept of forecfully drafting.