The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1889-03-23
IS WILLIAM TELL 4 MYTH?
A Question Discussed in the Light Of
History.

A Question Discussed in the Light Of
History.
/ was curious to see on what
ground the guide books based their
statement, and to learn why we
should class the tale of Tell with
such tales as that Of Hneas of Troy,
King Arthur and the Round Table
or Robin Hood in the green woods
Of England. The facts | obtained
were scattered through various vol
umes, and l can only give briefly a
few Of the principal points, mostly
taken from a German book, Tell
and Gessler in Legend and History"
by Rochholz. Chronicles most near
ly cotemporate with the time of the
supposed life Of Tell do not refer
to him. The earliest chroniclers Of
the legend lived nearly 200 years
later. In many ages and countries
are found legends of famous marks
men shooting at various objects,
rings, tablets, nuts, fruits, etc. Not
a few legends exist of shooting at
objects placed on the heads of per-
sons. A Persian poet in 1l75 wrote
a legend of king who put an ap-
Pile on the head of favorite slave,
shot at it and split the apple. The
slave was made ill by the fright.
Among European legends one is
found in Westphalia: A father,
named Egel, was compelled by a
Prince to shoot an apple from his
sons head. He took three arrows
out of his quiver, afterward confess
ing that if he had injured his son he
meant to kill the Prince. In Dem
mark a writer in the year 1900 re-
lates that in 912 a 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 Nor
way, Olaf the Pious, obtained a
promise from heathen marksman
that he would be baptised into the
Christian faith if the King would
contend with him in shooting and
win the match. The King shot at
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 moth
er and sister the mark sman forbore
to shoot again and confessed him.
self conquered. Another Harold
commanded a man to shoot at a
nut on his brothers head. Years
after the King was pointed out in
battle by this man to another marks
man who shot him dead. All these
were before the time of the Swiss
Tell. Later, the legend appears in
Holstein. The leader Of an insur-
rection against Christian I. in 1472
fled and concealed himself in g.
swamp. The barking of his dog
betrayed his hiding place. He was
taken prisoner, but promised his
freedom on the condition that he
shot at an apple from the head Of
his son. He put one arrow on the
bow-string and took another be-
tween his teeth, confessing after
ward that if he failed in his first
shot he intended to shoot the King.
An old picture shows the marks
man with the bow ready to shoot
and the arrow between his teeth,
the boy standing and the dog be-
tween the father and the boy. The
legend and name of Tell seem to
have originated in Sweden or the
islands thereabouts, and to have
come into Switzerland with tho
earliest settlers of that country, who
were wanderers out of Sweden. Toll
lus or Tellus { Tell } was giant who
lived on an Misunderstanding
ing 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 the tale stood on his grave
and fought, and then called, "Tollus,
arise! War is on thy grave !' Toll
lus put his head out, but was so
angry at seeing only children that
he never appeared again. A similar
legion is told of William Tell. That
he was once disturbed in his sleep
under the Axenberg by a herdsman
who was seeking lost COW, and
that he was indignant at the dis
turbance. 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
Finish neighbors.-Wide Awake.
Definition Of Certain Church Titles.
An Arc chhishnD ia hinh R;oho~