posted by
n1
on Thursday November 26 2015, @08:49AM
from the everyone-knows-jesus-lived-in-america dept.
from the everyone-knows-jesus-lived-in-america dept.
Glastonbury Abbey in England is known for a rich and colorful history from its origins as being built by Joseph of Arimathea and the boy Jesus, to being the resting place for King Arthur and Guinevere. However, a four year study shows that those feet in ancient time did not walk upon England's mountains green, and that the Arthurian legend stories were made up by the 12th century monks to raise money to rebuild their beleaguered monestary.
This discussion has been archived.
No new comments can be posted.
Debunking a 12th Century Tourist Trap
|
Log In/Create an Account
| Top
| 15 comments
| Search Discussion
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Jaruzel on Thursday November 26 2015, @09:09AM
As a native brit, and having had Ancient English focused history education as part of my primary schooling (5-11), I and I'm sure 90% of other brits, have never been in any doubt that the Arthurian Legend is nothing more than... a legend. Never at any point has it ever been taught that it was historical fact. Some of the 'legend' has roots in historical fact, but not much.
However, the UK benefits massively from the tourism that these stories bring in. So I'm not sure shouting about how it's all bunkum is a good thing tbh. Next they'll be telling us Hogwarts doesn't exist, and that there's no Platform 9¾ at Kings Cross...
-Jar
This is my opinion, there are many others, but this one is mine.
(Score: 3, Touché) by takyon on Thursday November 26 2015, @09:25AM
http://www.crypto.com/photos/misc/platform9.75.html [crypto.com]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Jaruzel on Thursday November 26 2015, @10:29AM
They moved it around it a lot during the rebuild of Kings Cross/St. Pancreas, it now looks like this:
http://www.kxldn.co.uk/platform_9_3-4.html [kxldn.co.uk]
Which is annoying I think, as it's nothing like the REAL entrance [nocookie.net].
-Jar
This is my opinion, there are many others, but this one is mine.
(Score: 2) by TheRaven on Thursday November 26 2015, @11:36AM
sudo mod me up
(Score: 3, Interesting) by zocalo on Thursday November 26 2015, @11:42AM
Most likely it's a bit of propaganda created by stringing together bits and pieces of oral history and creating a single "Arthur" out of several distict historical characters and events (something that has almost certainly been done for several other similar characters across Europe), and then padding it out with outright fabrication - raising funds for refurbishing a monastery is as good a reason as any for doing that. The timing would work too; 12thC England was essentially ruled by the French (many "English" Kings of the time couldn't speak Old English and French was the language of the Royal Court) and beset by succession issues, so the idea of a returned Arthur as a kind of local hero could have been very appealing to the peasants of the time.
UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
(Score: 3, Informative) by bootsy on Thursday November 26 2015, @02:20PM
It certainly appealed 300 years later when Henry Tudor named his son Arthur.
The whole King Arthur thing is complicated but he certainly turns up in Welsh bardic stories and Henry was playing on the Welsh side of his heritage in order to drum up support. Why not name your son after a historical Celtic leader.
Arthur died before becoming king and it passed to his brother who became the well known Henry VIII.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday November 26 2015, @03:29PM
Most likely it's a bit of propaganda
It's a story. Everyone has stories and nobody really cares all that much how true they are. Now excuse me, but I need to get back to this documentary about dudes riding flying reptiles and protecting the world from space fungus that eats everything.
(Score: 2) by n1 on Thursday November 26 2015, @05:57PM
I was not aware of the 'Arthurian Legend' but that perhaps says more about my engagement in formal education than the topic being omitted.
Saying that, I don't think anything to do with the life and origins of Jesus is taught as historical fact in UK classrooms.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 27 2015, @05:02PM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Arthur [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 2) by deadstick on Thursday November 26 2015, @06:04PM
and that there's no Platform 9¾ at Kings Cross...
Of course there is. That's the one Boudicca's buried under...;-)
(Score: 2) by opinionated_science on Thursday November 26 2015, @03:26PM
This is interesting, because although it is widely (!) believed to be a legend, many of the memes have persisted in our culture. A bit like the bible, another legend story with grander themes.
The thing is , I don't trust something printed 1 hour ago that I cannot independently verify....
So perhaps it is a testament to the power of the artistic industry for keeping "not quite real" stories alive for reflection, and not instruction!!
(Score: 2) by deadstick on Thursday November 26 2015, @06:08PM
There was a 1972 movie, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, that began with the caveat "This may not be exactly the way things happened...but it should have been."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 26 2015, @04:12PM
Apparently, the tourist traps were much better made back in those days, compared to what we see now.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 26 2015, @05:01PM
have similar motivations behind them?
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 26 2015, @08:31PM
we need java multicore to debunk the 8th century tourist trap. java multicore can debunk things, because it uses multiple cores. it's available on arm, too!