The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-01-17
IS WILLIAM TELL A MYTH ?

was curious to zee 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
Eueas of Troy, King Arthur and the
Round Table, or Robin HOcd in the
gree woods of England. The fac s l
obtained were scattered through various
volumes, and can only give briefly a
few of the principal points, mostly taken
from German book, Tell and Gessler in
Legend and History, by Rochholz
| Chronicles most nearly contemporary
with the time of the supposed life of
Tell do not refer to him,
The earliest chronIcers of the legend
lived nearly two hundred years later.
In many ages ana countries are found
legends of famous marksmen shooting
at various small objects, rings, tablets,
nuts, fruits, etc.
Not few legends exist, of shooting
at objects placed on the heads of per.
sons
A Persian poet in 1175 wrote legend
of a king who put an apple on the head
of favorite slave, shot at it, and split
the apple. The slave was made i'll by
the fright.
| AIuOuR European itSChiC' OhN ie
found in Westphalia; a father, named
Egel was compel ed by prince TO shoot
AN apple from his sons head. He took
three arrows out of his quiver, after
ward confessing that, If he had injured
his son, he meant to kill the prince.
In Denmark, writer in the year 1906
relates that in 9l2 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 harme,
his chld, meant TO shoot the king.
A King of Norway, Olaf the PIous, OBJ
tained a promise from a heathen marks
man that he would be baptized into thu
Christian faith, if the king would con
tend with him in shooting and win The
match, The king shot at chess-fgur'
or tablet on the head of boy and hi
between the tablet and the head, bu
graz ID the head. On the entreatie5 o
the boys mother and sister, the marks
man forebore to shoot again, and con-
= fessed himself conquered. Another
Harold, commanded man to shoot at
nut on his brothers head. Years after
the king was pointed out IN battle b.
this man to another marksman VIII
shot him dead.
All these were before the time of tn
time of the Swiss Tell.
Later, the legend appears in Holstein
The leader of an insurrectiou agains
Christian l. in 1472 fled and conceale
: himself in swamp. The barking of hi
dog betrayed his hiding place. He wa
taken prisoner but promised his freedor
! on the condition that he shot an appl
, from the head of his son. He put on
arrow on the bow-string and took an
u other between his teeth, confessing al
s terward that if he failed in his first she
= he intended to shoot the king. An ol
+ picture shows the marksman with b
bow ready to shoot and the arrow b,
Is tween his teeth, the boy standing an
e the dog between the father and the bo.
The legend and name of Tell seem
Is have originated in Sweden OF the islanC
y thereabOut, and to have come inI
J. Switzerland with the earliest settlers I
= that country. who we're wanderers a
e of Sweden. TOllus or Tellus (Ttl was
~ giant who lived on an island, Osel, b
longing to Sweden. He used to anu
II himself by throwing stones abou
'e When he died he told his people to buI
him IN his garden and if war cime
Y would rise and help them One day son
"a children who had heard this tale stoC
Ie on his grave and fought and then calle
"a "Tollus, arise War is on thy grave
D, Tollus put his head out, but was so a
% cry at seeing only children that he new
Is appeared again.
A similar legion is told of Villa
d; Tell; that he was once disturbed in b
ID sleep under the Axenberg by herd
man who was seeking for lost COW, al
l. that he was indignant at the distur
he ance. In the legend of the Swedi
'e Tollus there is no mention of shootiI
at an apple, but this part of the leger
is current among their Finnish neig
rs.-Sarah Loring Bailey, IN Janud
l. Wide AtUdke.