HISTORICAL FIGURES
The most famous user of the English longbow is ROBIN HOOD. He was known for stealing from the corrupt and giving to the poor. He also stood against the oppression by those in authority. Dozens of books, poems, songs and films have been created to tell his tale.
The oldest tales of Robin Hood date back to the 11th century. In the earliest stories, there was no Maid Marion or band of Merry Men. Robert (or the child version of the name, Robin) was a yeoman. He was not a nobleman who had his land stolen by the Sheriff of Nottingham. At that time, he was a Saxon who fought the Norman French. He was also shown to be more cunning and an excellent archer instead of one who was great with a sword.
Only since the 20th century did the stories entail Robin’s rescue and/or the rescue of Maid Marion. These versions were told in movies and television shows. Some films have been funny (Men In Tights), some not great (think about Kevin Costner’s American accent) and some have been pretty good (I’m not a big Russell Crowe fan, but the movie he was in was pretty good).
For centuries, people have wondered if he was a mythic figure or if he really existed. Well, there is new evidence that was indeed a real person.
Many stories, songs, poems, plays, movies and television shows have been writtenabout KING ARTHUR. Was he real? Apparently, he was not a king in Medieval or Renaissance times. The oldest stories about Arthur go back to the the fifth century. They speak of 12 great battles fought against the Saxon invaders, led by a warlord named Arthur. However, there is no corroborating evidence that can be verified.
Written information from this era was sketchy. This line of stories led to the 2004 movie “King Arthur” starring Clive Owen and Keira Knightly. This story portrays Arthur as the leader of a group of Sarmation knights hired by the Roman Empire to keep the peace in Briton. These knights stay behind as the Romans pull their legions back to their homeland to defend it against barbarian invaders closer to Italy. There is indeed truth behind this overall situation. Other stories say that King Arthur was a native from Scotland, Ireland or Wales who fought off the Saxon invaders.
Arthur and his court were pulled along with time as English kings re-wrote history to make him their ancestor. His stories were adored, spread and revised across the whole of Europe during the Renaissance. That led to the stories we see and hear of him and the knights of the round table in full plate armor, spreading chivalry, Christianity and going on quests to find the Holy Grail.
Is King Arthur in Avalon? Is he awaiting the most trying times in Britain to return with his knights? Will he get Excalibur back from Nimue (the Lady of the Lake) to do battle for good again? Perhaps not. It is assured, however, that the legend of King Arthur will continue to be retold in various forms for eons to come.
For more information, you can read The World of King Arthur by Christopher Snyder and King Arthur: Dark Age Warrior And Mythic Hero by John Matthews.
Does the name “GEOFFREY CHAUCER” ring a bell? For those of us who have not delved too deeply into the history of literature, he may only be known as the silver-tongued herald for Sir Ulrich von Lichtenstein/William Thatcher in the movie “A Knight’s Tale”. That movie was set during a period when little was recorded of Chaucer’s actual life.
Even though another English poet and author is much more famous, Chaucer actually helped develop the style of the modern English language as we know it. His writings ranged from quite humorous to serious stories. Aside from writing, Geoffrey was also employed by several royal English courts. His jobs ranged from diplomat to accountant to helping maintain a forest.
Chaucer was a people-watcher, to say the least. He could write about the nuances in others’ lives as well as make fun of his own experiences. He gives us a glimpse of what European life was like in the mid and late 1300’s. He deserves much more attention and credit than he receives. For more on this man’s life, visit:
To relive the creative wit and wisdom of Chaucer’s heraldry in “A Knight’s Tale”, go to: