The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1889-03-29
]. William Tell a Myth.
Wide Awake.

Twas curious to SEQ on what
ground the books based their state
ment, and to learn why we should
class the tale of Tell with such tales
as that of 4Eneas Of Troy, King Ar
thur and the Round Table or Robin
Hood in the green woods of Eng
land. The facts l obtained were
scattered through various volumes,
and can only give briefly a few of
the principal points, mostly taken
from u German book. "Tell and
Gessler in Legend and History" by
Rochholz. Chronicles most nearly
contempol ary with the time of the
supposed life of Tell do not refer to
him. The earliest chroniclers of the
legend lived nearly 500 years later.
In many ages and countries are
found legends Of famous marksmen
shooting ut various small objects,
rings, tablets, nuts, fruits, etc. Not
few legends exist of shooting ut
objects placed on the heads of per-
sons. A Persian poet in 1175 wrote
legend ofa king who put an apple
on the head of favorite slnl c, shot
at it and split the apple. The slave
was made i'll by the fright. Among
European legends one is found in
Westphalia: A father named Egel,
was compelled by q Prince to shoot
an apple from his sons head. He
took three arrows out of his CULVER.
afterward confessing that if he had
injured his son he meant to kill the
Prince. III Denmark writer in the
year 1900 relates that in 912 q man
named Toxic was compelled by King
Harold, the Blue Toothed, to shoot
an apple from his sons head, and
that he also, had he harmed his
child, meant to shoot the King. A
King of Norway Olaf the Pious, OBJ
tanned promise from a heather
marksman that he would be baptized
into the Christian faith if the King
would contend with him in shooting
and win the match. The King shot
at a chess figure or tablet on the
head of a boy, and hit between the
tablet and the head, but grazed the
head. On the entreaties of the boys
mother and sister the manmarks tor
bore to shoot again and confessed
himself conquered. Another Harold
n n 70 oh ~
on his brothers head. Years after
the Ring was pointed out in battle
by this man to another marksman,
who shot him dead. All these were
before the ii ME Of the Swiss Tell.
Later, the legendappears in Holstein.
The leader Standardization against
Christian I. in 1472 fled and con-
cealed himself in O swamp. The
barking of his dog betrayed his hid
ing place. He was taken prisoner,
but promised his freedom on the con-
dition that he shot anapple from the
head of his son. He put one arrow
on the bow-string and took another
between his teeth, confessing after
ward that if he failed in his first shot
he intended to shoot the King. An
old picture shows the marksman
with the bow ready to shoot and
the arrow between his teeth, the boy
standing and the dog between the fa-
ther and the boy. The legend and
name of Tell seem to have originat-
ed in Sweden or the islands there
abouts, and to have come into
Switzerland with the earliest settlers
of that country, who were wanderers
out of Sweden. Tollus or Tellus
Tell was q giant who lived on an
MISUNDERSTANDING to Sweden.
He used to amuse himself with
throwing stones about. When he
died he told his people to bury him
in his garden, and if war came he
would rise and help them. One day
some children who had heard this
tale stood on his grave and fought,
and then called, "T'ollus, arise! War
is on thy gravel" Tollus put his
head out, but was 30 angryat seeing
only children that he never appeared
again. A similar legend is told of
William Tell: That he was once dis
tnrfed in his sleep under the Axen-
berg by a hertlsman who was seeking
Il lost COW, and that he was indig-
nant at the disturbance. In the legend
OF the Swedish Tollus there is no
mention of shooting at an apple, but
this part of the legend is current
among their Finnish neighbors.