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Fact, Fiction, Myth or Legend?

TheCatWoman

I was just doing a word search and the theme was mythcal characters, included in this list was Spartacus, who was definately real.

Achilles and Odysseus who are from ancient Greek Myths and Legends and nobodies sure if they were real or not.

Thor, who is a Norse God.

Along with characters such as Mr Darcy and Spiderman

I almost couldn't do it as this mix up upset me so much. Its as bad as when many American academics and writers refer to people like Lady Godiva as goddesses, she was a real woman, we have quite a bit of history about her. All this makes me want to bang heads together!

Parents

  • I used to love mythology and bought a copy of Larousse World Mythology as a child. Now you've mentioned it, I might buy a copy to riffle through. Lady Godive was real but the 'naked' ride is part myth. It's interesting how myths reflect partial reality. There was a great documentary on this with Bettany Hughes - or was it Ben Fogle. I can't recall!

  • in reply to Marianne72

    The part about the naked ride is true, although the Victorians mangled it. Part of the role of queen or the lady of the manor was being a peaceweaver, the chief diplomat and last resort of appeal against injustice. The intercession of the Lady of the Manor or Queen, gave the king or lord of the manor an honourable way to grant mercy and not lose face, it also put the the other party under final warning. 

    Godiva's ride was shocking to her own people, that her husband Leofric hadn't listened to her and was acing rashly and against custom had forced her to take such extreme measures, to publically humiliate him, show him as tyranical and without mercy or, and just as importantly lacking respect for her and her role as peaceweaver.

    Peace weavers are an interesting thing to look at in more depth and have a long history going back to Roman times among Germanic tribes. You can see the echo's of this role in medieval manuscripts, that show a queen on her knees, one arm raised, before the King, this is a formal pose, in demanding to be heard and ask for mercy or a change of mind, it wasn't always granted, but it could show the king was resolute in his path and all paths to a peaceful resolution had been followed. It seems ot have fallen out of practice by the end of the Norman period and early Plantagenets.

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  • in reply to Marianne72

    The part about the naked ride is true, although the Victorians mangled it. Part of the role of queen or the lady of the manor was being a peaceweaver, the chief diplomat and last resort of appeal against injustice. The intercession of the Lady of the Manor or Queen, gave the king or lord of the manor an honourable way to grant mercy and not lose face, it also put the the other party under final warning. 

    Godiva's ride was shocking to her own people, that her husband Leofric hadn't listened to her and was acing rashly and against custom had forced her to take such extreme measures, to publically humiliate him, show him as tyranical and without mercy or, and just as importantly lacking respect for her and her role as peaceweaver.

    Peace weavers are an interesting thing to look at in more depth and have a long history going back to Roman times among Germanic tribes. You can see the echo's of this role in medieval manuscripts, that show a queen on her knees, one arm raised, before the King, this is a formal pose, in demanding to be heard and ask for mercy or a change of mind, it wasn't always granted, but it could show the king was resolute in his path and all paths to a peaceful resolution had been followed. It seems ot have fallen out of practice by the end of the Norman period and early Plantagenets.

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