![Landesmuseum Zürich 2010-09-20 14-38-14 ShiftN](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Landesmuseum_Z%C3%BCrich_2010-09-20_14-38-14_ShiftN.jpg)
William Tell (german: Wilhelm Tell, ; french: Guillaume Tell; it, Guglielmo Tell; rm, Guglielm Tell) is a
folk hero
A folk hero or national hero is a type of hero – real, fictional or mythological – with their name, personality and deeds embedded in the popular consciousness of a people, mentioned frequently in folk songs, folk tales and other folklore; a ...
of
Switzerland.
According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a
crossbow
A crossbow is a ranged weapon using an elastic launching device consisting of a bow-like assembly called a ''prod'', mounted horizontally on a main frame called a ''tiller'', which is hand-held in a similar fashion to the stock of a long fire ...
who assassinated
Albrecht Gessler
Albrecht Gessler, also known as Hermann, was a legendary 14th-century Habsburg bailiff (german: Landvogt) at Altdorf, whose brutal rule led to the William Tell rebellion and the eventual independence of the Old Swiss Confederacy.
Legend
Accordi ...
, a tyrannical
reeve of the
Austrian dukes of the House of Habsburg positioned in
Altdorf, in the
canton of Uri. Tell's defiance and
tyrannicide
Tyrannicide is the killing or assassination of a tyrant or unjust ruler, purportedly for the common good,
and usually by one of the tyrant's subjects. Tyrannicide was legally permitted and encouraged in the Classical period. Often, the term tyra ...
encouraged the population to
open rebellion and a
pact
A pact, from Latin ''pactum'' ("something agreed upon"), is a formal agreement between two or more parties. In international relations, pacts are usually between two or more sovereign states. In domestic politics, pacts are usually between two or ...
against the foreign rulers with neighbouring
Schwyz
The town of Schwyz (; french: Schwytz; it, Svitto) is the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland.
The Federal Charter of 1291 or ''Bundesbrief'', the charter that eventually led to the foundation of Switzerland, can be seen at the ' ...
and
Unterwalden
Unterwalden, translated from the Latin ''inter silvas''(''between the forests''), is the old name of a forest-canton of the Old Swiss Confederacy in central Switzerland, south of Lake Lucerne, consisting of two valleys or '' Talschaften'', no ...
, marking the
foundation of the Swiss Confederacy. Tell was considered the father of the Swiss Confederacy.
Set in the early 14th century (traditional date 1307, during the rule of
Albert of Habsburg), the first written records of the legend date to the latter part of the 15th century, when the
Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy or Swiss Confederacy ( Modern German: ; historically , after the Reformation also , "Confederation of the Swiss") was a loose confederation of independent small states (, German or In the charters of the 14th century ...
was gaining military and political influence. Tell is a central figure in
Swiss national historiography, along with
Arnold von Winkelried
Arnold von Winkelried or Arnold Winkelried is a legendary hero of Swiss history.
According to 16th-century Swiss historiography, Winkelried's sacrifice brought about the victory of the Old Swiss Confederacy in the Battle of Sempach (1386) over the ...
, the hero of
Sempach
Sempach is a municipality in the district of Sursee in the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland.
History
It has retained some traces of its medieval appearance, especially the main gateway, beneath a watch tower, and reached by a bridge over th ...
(1386). He was important as a symbol during the formative stage of
modern Switzerland in the 19th century, known as the period of
Restoration and Regeneration, as well as in the wider history of 18th- to 19th-century Europe as a symbol of resistance against aristocratic rule, especially in the
Revolutions of 1848
The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europea ...
against the
House of Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
which had ruled
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
for centuries.
Legend
![Stückelberg Tellensprung 1879](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/St%C3%BCckelberg_Tellensprung_1879.jpg)
The first reference to Tell, as yet without a specified given name, appears in the ''
White Book of Sarnen
The ''White Book of Sarnen'' (german: Weisses Buch von Sarnen) is a collection of medieval manuscripts compiled in the late 15th century by Hans Schriber, state secretary (''Landschreiber'') in the Swiss Confederation canton Obwalden. This volum ...
'' (German: ''Weisses Buch von Sarnen''). This volume was written in c. 1474 by Hans Schriber, state secretary (''Landschreiber'')
Obwalden.
It mentions the
Rütli oath (German: ''Rütlischwur'') and names Tell as one of the
conspirators of the Rütli, whose heroic
tyrannicide
Tyrannicide is the killing or assassination of a tyrant or unjust ruler, purportedly for the common good,
and usually by one of the tyrant's subjects. Tyrannicide was legally permitted and encouraged in the Classical period. Often, the term tyra ...
triggered the
Burgenbruch
The Old Swiss Confederacy began as a late medieval alliance between the communities of the valleys in the Central Alps, at the time part of the Holy Roman Empire, to facilitate the management of common interests such as free trade and to ensure ...
rebellion.
[Bergier, p 63.]
An equally early account of Tell is found in the ''
Tellenlied
The ''Bundeslied'' ("Song of the Confederacy") or ''Tellenlied'' ("Song of Tell") is a patriotic song of the Old Swiss Confederacy.
Its original composition dates to the Burgundian Wars period (1470s). The oldest extant manuscript text was written ...
'', a song composed in the 1470s, with its oldest extant manuscript copy dating to 1501. The song begins with the Tell legend, which it presents as the origin of the Confederacy, calling Tell the "first
confederate". The narrative includes Tell's
apple shot, his preparation of a second arrow to shoot Gessler, and his escape, but it does not mention any assassination of Gessler.
Rochus von Liliencron
Rochus Wilhelm Traugott Heinrich Ferdinand Freiherr von Liliencron (born 8 December 1820 in Plön, d. 5 March 1912 in Koblenz) was a Germanist and historian, known for his collection of German ''Volkslieder'' (folk songs), published in five volu ...
, ''Historische Volkslieder der Deutschen'', vol. 2 (1866), no. 147, cited by Rochholz (1877), p. 187; c.f. Bergier, p. 70–71.
The text then enumerates the cantons of the Confederacy, and says was expanded with "current events" during the course of the
Burgundy Wars
The Burgundian Wars (1474–1477) were a conflict between the Burgundian State and the Old Swiss Confederacy and its allies. Open war broke out in 1474, and the Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold, was defeated three times on the battlefield in th ...
, ending with the death of
Charles the Bold
Charles I (Charles Martin; german: Karl Martin; nl, Karel Maarten; 10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), nicknamed the Bold (German: ''der Kühne''; Dutch: ''de Stoute''; french: le Téméraire), was Duke of Burgundy from 1467 to 1477. ...
in 1477.
Aegidius Tschudi
Aegidius (or Giles or Glig) Tschudi (5 February 150528 February 1572) was a Swiss statesman and historian, an eminent member of the Tschudi family of Glarus, Switzerland. His best known work is the Chronicon Helveticum, a history of the earl ...
, writing c. 1570, presents an extended version of the legend. Still essentially based on the account in the ''White Book'', Tschudi adds further detail.
Tschudi is known to habitually have "fleshed out" his sources, so that all detail from Tschudi not found in the earlier accounts may be suspected of being Tschudi's invention.
Such additional detail includes Tell's given name Wilhelm, and his being a native of
Bürglen, Uri in the
Schächental
The Schächental (''Schächen Valley'') is an alpine valley of Uri, Switzerland, formed by the river Schächen. The valley stretches to the east of Altdorf for some 10 km.
Situated in the Schächental are the municipalities of Bürglen ( ...
, the precise date of the apple-shot, given as 18 November 1307 as well as the account of Tell's death in 1354.
It is Tschudi's version that became influential in
early modern Switzerland
The early modern history of the Old Swiss Confederacy ('' Eidgenossenschaft'', also known as the "Swiss Republic" or ''Republica Helvetiorum'') and its constituent Thirteen Cantons encompasses the time of the Thirty Years' War (1618–164 ...
and entered public consciousness as the "William Tell" legend. According to Tschudi's account, William Tell was known as a strong man and an expert shot with the
crossbow
A crossbow is a ranged weapon using an elastic launching device consisting of a bow-like assembly called a ''prod'', mounted horizontally on a main frame called a ''tiller'', which is hand-held in a similar fashion to the stock of a long fire ...
. In his time, the
House of Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
emperors of Austria were seeking to dominate Uri, and Tell became one of the
conspirators of
Werner Stauffacher who vowed to resist Habsburg rule.
Albrecht Gessler
Albrecht Gessler, also known as Hermann, was a legendary 14th-century Habsburg bailiff (german: Landvogt) at Altdorf, whose brutal rule led to the William Tell rebellion and the eventual independence of the Old Swiss Confederacy.
Legend
Accordi ...
was the newly appointed Austrian ''
Vogt
During the Middle Ages, an (sometimes given as modern English: advocate; German: ; French: ) was an office-holder who was legally delegated to perform some of the secular responsibilities of a major feudal lord, or for an institution such as ...
'' of
Altdorf, Switzerland. He raised a pole under the village
lindentree, hung his hat on top of it, and demanded that all the townsfolk bow before it.
In Tschudi's account, on 18 November 1307, Tell visited Altdorf with his young son. He passed by the hat, but publicly refused to bow to it, and was consequently arrested. Gessler was intrigued by Tell's famed marksmanship, but resentful of his defiance, so he devised a cruel punishment. Tell and his son were both to be executed; however, he could redeem his life by shooting an apple off the head of his son Walter in a single attempt. Tell split the apple with a
bolt from his crossbow. Gessler then noticed that Tell had removed two crossbow bolts from his quiver, so he asked why. Tell was reluctant to answer, but Gessler promised that he would not kill him; he replied that, had he killed his son, he would have killed Gessler with the second bolt. Gessler was furious and ordered Tell to be bound, saying that he had promised to spare his life, but would imprison him for the remainder of his life.
Tschudi's continues that Tell was being carried in Gessler's boat to the dungeon in the castle at
Küssnacht
Küssnacht am Rigi (official name since 2004: Küssnacht) is a village and a district and a municipality in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. The municipality consists of three villages Küssnacht, Immensee, and Merlischachen, the hamlet ''Ha ...
when a storm broke on
Lake Lucerne
__NOTOC__
Lake Lucerne (german: Vierwaldstättersee, literally "Lake of the four forested settlements" (in English usually translated as ''forest cantons''), french: lac des Quatre-Cantons, it, lago dei Quattro Cantoni) is a lake in central S ...
, and the guards were afraid that their boat would sink. They begged Gessler to remove Tell's shackles so that he could take the helm and save them. Gessler gave in, but Tell steered the boat to a rocky place and leaped out. The site is known in the "White Book" as the "Tellsplatte" ("Tell's slab"); it has been marked by a
memorial chapel since the 16th century. Tell ran cross-country to Küssnacht with Gessler in pursuit. Tell assassinated him using the second crossbow bolt, along a stretch of the road cut through the rock between Immensee and Küssnacht, which is known as the ''Hohle Gasse.'' Tell's act sparked a
rebellion, which led to the
formation of the Old Swiss Confederacy.
Meyers Konversations-Lexikon
' or ' was a major encyclopedia in the German language that existed in various editions, and by several titles, from 1839 to 1984, when it merged with the '.
Joseph Meyer (1796–1856), who had founded the publishing house in 1826, intended t ...
, Verlag des Bibliographischen Instituts, Leipzig und Wien, Fourth edition, 1885–1892, entry on
Tell
" pp. 576–77 in volume 15. In German. According to Tschudi, Tell fought again against Austria in the 1315
Battle of Morgarten. Tschudi also has an account of Tell's death in 1354, according to which he was killed trying to save a child from drowning in the
Schächental
The Schächental (''Schächen Valley'') is an alpine valley of Uri, Switzerland, formed by the river Schächen. The valley stretches to the east of Altdorf for some 10 km.
Situated in the Schächental are the municipalities of Bürglen ( ...
River in Uri.
Early modern reception
Chronicles
![Tell Deutsch Münster 1554](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Tell_Deutsch_M%C3%BCnster_1554.jpg)
There are a number of sources for the Tell legend later than the earliest account in the ''White Book of Sarnen'' but earlier than Tschudi's version of ca. 1570.
These include the account in the chronicle of
Melchior Russ from
Lucerne. Dated to 1482, this is an incoherent compilation of older writings, including the ''Song of the Founding of the Confederation'',
Conrad Justinger Conrad Justinger was a 14th-century chronicler who was probably born in Strasbourg.Bergier, p. 59.
Justinger, who had learned the trade of a chronicler in his home town, appears to have moved to the city of Bern in the last quarter of the 14th ...
's ''
Bernese Chronicle
The ''Bernese Chronicle'' (German: ''Chronik der Stadt Bern'') contains information about the early history of the city of Bern, Switzerland.
The ''Bernese Chronicle'' was composed in 1430 by Conrad Justinger from Bern.Zahnd, Urs M. “Erläuteru ...
,'' and the ''Chronicle of the State of Bern'' (in German, ''Chronik der Stadt Bern'').
[Bergier, p. 76.]
Another early account is in
Petermann Etterlin
Petermann Etterlin (c. 1430/40 – c. 1509) was born in Lucerne, Switzerland, as the son of Egloff Etterlin, who served as chronicler of the city of Lucerne from 1427 to 1453.Müller, p. 397. Although his parents had destined him for an eccl ...
's ''
Chronicle of the Swiss Confederation'' (German: ''Kronika von der loblichen Eydtgenossenschaft'') of 1507, the earliest printed version of the Tell story.
[Bergier, p. 77.]
The ''
Chronicon Helveticum'' was compiled by
Aegidius Tschudi
Aegidius (or Giles or Glig) Tschudi (5 February 150528 February 1572) was a Swiss statesman and historian, an eminent member of the Tschudi family of Glarus, Switzerland. His best known work is the Chronicon Helveticum, a history of the earl ...
of
Glarus
, neighboring_municipalities= Glarus Nord, Glarus Süd, Muotathal (SZ), Innerthal (SZ)
, twintowns= Wiesbaden-Biebrich (Germany)
}
Glarus (; gsw, Glaris; french: Glaris; it, Glarona; rm, Glaruna) is the capital of the canton of Glarus ...
in the years leading up to his death in early 1572.
For more than 150 years, it existed only in manuscript form, before finally being edited in 1734–1736. Therefore, there is no clear "date of publication" of the chronicle, and its date of composition can only be given approximately, as "ca. 1570", or "before 1572". It is Tschudi's account of the legend, however, which became the major model for later writers, even prior to its edition in print in the 1730s,
[Bergier, p. 16.]
Popular veneration
![Hohle Gasse](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Hohle_Gasse.jpeg)
A widespread veneration of Tell, including sight-seeing excursions to the scenes of his deeds, can be ascertained for the early 16th century.
Heinrich Brennwald in the early 16th century mentions the chapel (''Tellskapelle'') on the site of Tell's leap from his captors' boat. Tschudi mentions a "holy cottage" (''heilig hüslin'') built on the site of Gessler's assassination.
Peter Hagendorf, a soldier in the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...
, mentions a visit to 'the chapel where William Tell escaped' in his diary.
The first recorded
Tell play (''Tellspiel''), known as the ''
Urner Tellspiel'' ("Tell Play of Uri"),
[Head, p. 528.] was probably performed in the winter of either 1512 or 1513 in
Altdorf.
The church of Bürglen had a bell dedicated to Tell from 1581, and a nearby chapel has a fresco dated to 1582 showing Tell's death in the Schächenbach.
[ URL last accessed 6 November 2006.]
The Three Tells
The Three Tells (''die Drei Tellen'', also ''die Drei Telle'') were symbolic figures of the
Swiss Peasant War
The Swiss peasant war of 1653 () was a popular revolt in the Old Swiss Confederacy at the time of the Ancien Régime. A devaluation of Bernese money caused a tax revolt that spread from the Entlebuch valley in the Canton of Lucerne to the Emmen ...
of 1653. They expressed the hope of the subject population to repeat the success story of the rebellion against Habsburg in the early 14th century.
By the 18th century, the Drei Tellen had become associated with a
sleeping hero legend. They were said to be asleep in a cave at the
Rigi
The Rigi (or ''Mount Rigi''; also known as ''Queen of the Mountains'') is a mountain massif of the Alps, located in Central Switzerland. The whole massif is almost entirely surrounded by the water of three different bodies of water: Lake Lucerne ...
. The return of Tell in times of need was already foretold in the Tellenlied of 1653 and symbolically fulfilled in the impersonation of the Three Tells by costumed individuals, in one instance culminating in an actual assassination executed by these impersonators in historical costume.
Tell during the 16th century had become closely associated and eventually merged with the
Rütlischwur legend, and the "Three Tells" represented the three conspirators or ''
Eidgenossen
''Eidgenossenschaft'' () is a German word specific to the political history of Switzerland.
It means "oath commonwealth" or "oath alliance" in reference to the "eternal pacts" formed between the Eight Cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy of th ...
'' Walter Fürst,
Arnold von Melchtal and
Werner Stauffacher.
In 1653, three men dressed in historical costume representing the Three Tells appeared in
Schüpfheim
Schüpfheim is a municipality in the district of Entlebuch in the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland. It is part of the UNESCO Entlebuch Biosphere Reserve since 2001.
Geography
Schüpfheim has an area of . Of this area, 59.7% is used for agricu ...
. Other impersonations of the Three Tells also appeared in the
Freie Ämter and in the
Emmental
The Emmental ( en, Emme Valley) is a valley in west-central Switzerland, forming part of the canton of Bern. It is a hilly landscape comprising the basins of the rivers Emme (river), Emme and Ilfis (river), Ilfis. The region is mostly devoted to ...
.
The first impersonators of the Three Tells were Hans Zemp, Kaspar Unternährer of Schüpfheim and Ueli Dahinden of
Hasle. They appeared at a number of important peasant conferences during the war, symbolizing the continuity of the present rebellion with the resistance movement against the Habsburg overlords at the origin of the
Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy or Swiss Confederacy ( Modern German: ; historically , after the Reformation also , "Confederation of the Swiss") was a loose confederation of independent small states (, German or In the charters of the 14th century ...
. Unternährer and Dahinden fled to the
Entlebuch
Entlebuch is a municipality in the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland. It is the seat of the district of Entlebuch. The area has been designated a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2001.
History
Entlebuch is first mentioned in 1157, as ''Entilibuoch' ...
alps before the arrival of the troops of general Sebastian Peregrin Zwyers; Zemp escaped to the
Alsace
Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...
. After the suppression of the rebellion, the peasants voted for a
tyrannicide
Tyrannicide is the killing or assassination of a tyrant or unjust ruler, purportedly for the common good,
and usually by one of the tyrant's subjects. Tyrannicide was legally permitted and encouraged in the Classical period. Often, the term tyra ...
, directly inspired by the Tell legend, attempting to kill the Lucerne
Schultheiss Ulrich Dulliker.
Dahinden and Unternährer returned in their roles of Tells, joined by Hans Stadelmann replacing Zemp. In an ambush, they managed to injure Dulliker and killed a member of the Lucerne parliament, Caspar Studer. The assassination attempt — an exceptional act in the culture of the Old Swiss Confederacy — was widely recognized and welcomed among the peasant population, but its impact was not sufficient to rekindle the rebellion.
Even though it did not have any direct political effect, its symbolic value was considerable, placing the Lucerne authorities in the role of the tyrant (Habsburg and Gessler) and the peasant population in that of the freedom fighters (Tell). The Three Tells after the deed went to mass, still wearing their costumes, without being molested. Dahinden and Unternährer were eventually killed in October 1653 by Lucerne troops under Colonel Alphons von Sonnenberg. In July 1654, Zemp betrayed his successor Stadelmann in exchange for pardon and Stadelmann was executed on 15 July 1654.
The Three Tells appear in a 1672 comedy by Johann Caspar Weissenbach.
The "sleeping hero" version of the Three Tells legend was published in ''
Deutsche Sagen
''Deutsche Sagen'' ("German Legends") is a publication by the Brothers Grimm, appearing in two volumes in 1816 and 1818. The collection includes 579 short summaries of German folk tales and legends (where "German" refers not just to German-speaki ...
'' by the
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were a brother duo of German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among the ...
in 1816 (no. 298). It is also the subject of
Felicia Hemans
Felicia Dorothea Hemans (25 September 1793 – 16 May 1835) was an English poet (who identified as Welsh by adoption). Two of her opening lines, "The boy stood on the burning deck" and "The stately homes of England", have acquired classic statu ...
's poem ''The Cavern of the Three Tells'' of 1824.
Modern reception
![Wilhelm Tell Denkmal Altdorf um 1900 Detail](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Wilhelm_Tell_Denkmal_Altdorf_um_1900_Detail.jpg)
Throughout the
long nineteenth century
The ''long nineteenth century'' is a term for the 125-year period beginning with the onset of the French Revolution in 1789 and ending with the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It was coined by Russian writer Ilya Ehrenburg and British Marxist his ...
, and into the
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
period, Tell was perceived as a symbol of rebellion against tyranny both in Switzerland and in Europe.
Antoine-Marin Lemierre wrote a play inspired by Tell in 1766 and revived it in 1786. The success of this work established the association of Tell as a fighter against tyranny with the history of the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
.
The French revolutionary fascination with Tell was reflected in Switzerland with the establishment of the
Helvetic Republic. Tell became, as it were, the mascot of the short-lived republic, his figure being featured on its official seal. The
French Navy
The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...
also had a named , which was captured by the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
in 1800.
Benito Juarez Benito may refer to:
Places
* Benito, Kentucky, United States
* Benito, Manitoba, Canada
* Benito River, a river in Equatorial Guinea
Other uses
* Benito (name)
* ''Benito'' (1993), an Italian film
See also
* '' Benito Cereno'', a novella by ...
, President of Mexico and national hero, chose the alias "Guillermo Tell" (the Spanish version of William Tell) when he joined the Freemasons; he picked this name because he liked and admired the story and character of Tell whom he considered a symbol of freedom and resistance.
Tschudi's ''
Chronicon Helveticum'' continued to be taken at face value as a historiographical source well into the 19th century,
so that Tschudi's version of the legend is not only used as a model in
Friedrich Schiller's play ''
William Tell
William Tell (german: Wilhelm Tell, ; french: Guillaume Tell; it, Guglielmo Tell; rm, Guglielm Tell) is a folk hero of Switzerland.
According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Albr ...
'' (1804)
but is also reported in historiographical works of the time, including
Johannes von Müller's ''History of the Swiss Confederation'' (German: ''Geschichte Schweizerischer Eidgenossenschaft'', 1780).
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as t ...
learned of the Tell saga during his travels through Switzerland between 1775 and 1795. He obtained a copy of Tschudi's chronicles and considered writing a play about Tell, but ultimately gave the idea to his friend
Friedrich von Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, and philosopher. During the last seventeen years of his life (1788–1805), Schiller developed a productive, if complicated, friendsh ...
, who in 1803–04 wrote the play ''
Wilhelm Tell,'' first performed on 17 March 1804, in
Weimar
Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...
.
Schiller's Tell is heavily inspired by the political events of the late 18th century, the
French and
American revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...
s, in particular. Schiller's play was performed at
Interlaken
Interlaken (; lit.: ''between lakes'') is a Swiss town and municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern. It is an important and well-known tourist destination in the Bernese Oberland region of the Swiss A ...
(the ''
Tellspiele'') in the summers of 1912 to 1914, 1931 to 1939 and every year since 1947. In 2004 it was first performed in
Altdorf itself.
Gioachino Rossini
Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards ...
used Schiller's play as the basis for his 1829
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...
''
William Tell
William Tell (german: Wilhelm Tell, ; french: Guillaume Tell; it, Guglielmo Tell; rm, Guglielm Tell) is a folk hero of Switzerland.
According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Albr ...
.'' The ''
William Tell Overture
The ''William Tell'' Overture is the overture to the opera '' William Tell'' (original French title ''Guillaume Tell''), whose music was composed by Gioachino Rossini. ''William Tell'' premiered in 1829 and was the last of Rossini's 39 operas, a ...
'' is one of his best-known and most frequently imitated pieces of music; in the 20th century, the
finale of the ''
overture'' became the theme for the radio, television, and motion picture incarnations of
The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture.
He first appeared in 1933 in ...
, a fictional
American frontier hero.
Around 1836 the first
William Tell patterned playing cards were produced in Pest, Hungary. They were inspired by Schiller's play and made during tense relations with the ruling Habsburgs. The cards became popular throughout the
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence ...
during the
Revolution of 1848. Characters and scenes from the opera William Tell are recognisable on the court cards and Aces of
William Tell cards
German-suited playing cards are a very common style of traditional playing card used in many parts of Central Europe characterised by 32- or 36-card packs with the suit (cards), suits of Acorns (suit), Acorns (''Eichel'' or ''Kreuz''), Leaves (s ...
, playing cards that were designed in Hungary around 1835. These cards are still the most common
German-suited playing cards in that part of the world today. Characters from the play portrayed on the
Obers and
Unters include: Hermann Geszler, Walter Fürst, Rudolf Harras and William Tell.
In 1858, the Swiss Colonization Society, a group of Swiss and German immigrants to the United States, founded its first (and only) planned city on the banks of the Ohio River in
Perry County, Indiana
Perry County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 19,338. The county seat is Tell City. It is the hilliest county as well as one of the most forested counties in Indiana as it ...
. The town was originally dubbed Helvetia, but was quickly changed to
Tell City to honor the legendary Swiss hero. The city became known for its manufacturing, especially of fine wood furniture. William Tell and symbols of an apple with an arrow through it are prominent in the town, which includes a bronze statue of Tell and his son, based on the one in Altdorf, Switzerland. The statue was erected on a fountain in front of city hall in 1974.
Tell City High School uses these symbols in its crest or logo, and the sports teams are called "The Marksmen." The William Tell Overture is often played by the school's pep band at high school games. Each August since 1958, Tell City's centennial year, the town has held "Schweizer Fest," a community festival of entertainment, stage productions, historical presentations, carnival rides, beer garden, sporting events and class reunions, to honor its Swiss-German heritage. Many of the activities occur on the grounds of City Hall and Main Street, at the feet of the Tell statue.
John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth (May 10, 1838 – April 26, 1865) was an American stage actor who assassinated United States President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. A member of the prominent 19th-century Booth ...
, the assassin of
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
, was inspired by Tell. Lamenting the negative reaction to his action, Booth wrote in his journal on 21 April 1865 "with every man's hand against me, I am here in despair. And why; For doing what
Brutus
Marcus Junius Brutus (; ; 85 BC – 23 October 42 BC), often referred to simply as Brutus, was a Roman politician, orator, and the most famous of the assassins of Julius Caesar. After being adopted by a relative, he used the name Quintus Serv ...
was honored for and what made Tell a Hero. And yet I for striking down a greater tyrant than they ever knew am looked upon as a common cutthroat."(He himself was shot to death, without standing trial, days later.)
Following a national competition, won by
Richard Kissling
Richard Kissling (15 April 1848 – 19 July 1919) was a Swiss sculptor, and medallist.
Biography
Born in Wolfwil, Switzerland, Kissling went through apprenticeship as a plasterer before moving to Rome for 13 years, studying under the sculptor Fe ...
, Altdorf in 1895 erected a monument to its hero. Kissling casts Tell as a peasant and man of the mountains, with strong features and muscular limbs. His powerful hand rests lovingly on the shoulder of little Walter, but the apple is not shown. The depiction is in marked contrast with that used by the Helvetic Republic, where Tell is shown as a
landsknecht
The (singular: , ), also rendered as Landsknechts or Lansquenets, were Germanic mercenaries used in pike and shot formations during the early modern period. Consisting predominantly of pikemen and supporting foot soldiers, their front lin ...
rather than a peasant, with a sword at his belt and a feathered hat, bending down to pick up his son who is still holding the apple.
![Hodler Tell 1897](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Hodler_Tell_1897.jpg)
The painting of Tell by
Ferdinand Hodler
Ferdinand Hodler (March 14, 1853 – May 19, 1918) was one of the best-known Swiss painters of the nineteenth century.
His early works were portraits, landscapes, and genre paintings in a realistic style. Later, he adopted a personal form of ...
(1897) became iconic. Tell is represented as facing the viewer, with his right hand raised, the left holding the crossbow. The representation was designed as part of a larger scene showing "Gessler's death", one of seven scenes created for the
Swiss National Museum
The Swiss National Museum (german: Landesmuseum)—part of the ''Musée Suisse Group'', itself affiliated with the Federal Office of Culture, is located in the city of Zurich, Switzerland's largest city, next to the Hauptbahnhof.
The museum bu ...
competition.
Hodler's depiction of Tell was often described as sacral, and compared to classical depictionons of God Father, Moses, John the Baptist, Jesus, or the Archangel Michael. In Tell's bearded face, Hodler combines self-portrait with allusion the face of Christ.
The first film about Tell was made by French director
Charles Pathé
Charles Morand Pathé (; 26 December 1863 – 25 December 1957) was a pioneer of the French film and recording industries. As the founder of Pathé, Pathé Frères, its roots lie in 1896 Paris, France, when Pathé and his brothers pioneered ...
in 1900; only a short fragment survives.
A version of the legend was retold in
P.G. Wodehouse's ''
William Tell Told Again'' (1904), written in prose and verse with characteristic Wodehousian flair.
The design of the Federal
5 francs coin issued from 1922 features the bust of a generic "mountain shepherd" designed by
Paul Burkard, but due to a similarity of the bust with Kissling's statue, in spite of the missing beard, it was immediately widely identified as Tell.
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
was enthusiastic about Schiller's play, quoting it in his ''
Mein Kampf
(; ''My Struggle'' or ''My Battle'') is a 1925 autobiographical manifesto by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler. The work describes the process by which Hitler became antisemitic and outlines his political ideology and future plans for Germ ...
,'' and approving of a German/Swiss co-production of the play in which
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German politician, military leader and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1 ...
's mistress
Emmy Sonnemann
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
appeared as Tell's wife. However, on 3 June 1941, Hitler had the play banned. The reason for the ban is not known, but may have been related to the failed assassination attempt on Hitler in 1938 by young Swiss
Maurice Bavaud
Maurice Bavaud (15 January 1916 – 14 May 1941) was a Swiss theology student who attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1938.
Background
Maurice Bavaud was born in on 15 January 1916 in Neuchâtel, the son of Alfred Bavaud, a postal worker, ...
[ dpa: ]
Hitler verbot Schillers "Tell"
'' news agency announcement of a speech by Rolf Hochhuth
Rolf Hochhuth (; 1 April 1931 – 13 May 2020) was a German author and playwright, best known for his 1963 drama '' The Deputy'', which insinuates Pope Pius XII's indifference to Hitler's extermination of the Jews, and he remained a controversial ...
, May 11, 2004. In German. URL last accessed 11 February 2008. (executed on 14 May 1941, and later dubbed "a new William Tell" by
Rolf Hochhuth
Rolf Hochhuth (; 1 April 1931 – 13 May 2020) was a German author and playwright, best known for his 1963 drama '' The Deputy'', which insinuates Pope Pius XII's indifference to Hitler's extermination of the Jews, and he remained a controversial ...
), or the subversive nature of the play.
[Ruppelt, G.: ]
Hitler gegen Tell
,'' Hannover, 2004. In German. URL last accessed 11 February 2008.[Sapan, A.: ]
.'' In German. URL last accessed 11 February 2008. Hitler is reported to have exclaimed at a banquet in 1942: "Why did Schiller have to immortalize that Swiss sniper!"
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...
parodies William Tell in his famous 1928 silent movie ''
The Circus.''
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarr ...
painted ''
The Old Age of William Tell'' and ''
William Tell and Gradiva'' in 1931, and ''
The Enigma of William Tell'' in 1933.
Spanish playwright
Alfonso Sastre
Alfonso Sastre (20 February 1926 – 17 September 2021) was a Spanish playwright, essayist, and critic associated with the Generation of '36 movement. He was an outspoken critic of censorship during the reign of General Francisco Franco and the ...
re-worked the legend in 1955 in his "Guillermo Tell tiene los ojos tristes" (William Tell has sad eyes); it was not performed until the
Franco
Franco may refer to:
Name
* Franco (name)
* Francisco Franco (1892–1975), Spanish general and dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975
* Franco Luambo (1938–1989), Congolese musician, the "Grand Maître"
Prefix
* Franco, a prefix used when ref ...
regime in Spain ended.
![Wilhelm Tell na igraćim kartama](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Wilhelm_Tell_na_igra%C4%87im_kartama.jpg)
In Switzerland, the importance of Tell had declined somewhat by the end of the 19th century, outside of
Altdorf and
Interlaken
Interlaken (; lit.: ''between lakes'') is a Swiss town and municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern. It is an important and well-known tourist destination in the Bernese Oberland region of the Swiss A ...
which established their tradition of performing Schiller's play in regular intervals in 1899 and 1912, respectively.
During the
World Wars
A world war is an international conflict which involves all or most of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World WarI (1914 ...
, Tell was again revived, somewhat artificially, as a national symbol.
For example, in 1923 the
Swiss Post
Swiss Post (french: La Poste suisse, it, La Posta Svizzera, german: Die Schweizerische Post, rm, La Posta Svizra) is the national postal service of Switzerland. A public company owned by the Swiss Confederation, it is the country's second larg ...
introduced horns for their
coach service based on the overture of Rossini's ''Tell'' opera,
and in 1931, the image of a crossbow was introduced as a logo indicating
Swiss products. The ''Tell-Museum'' in
Bürglen, Uri, opened in 1966.
After
1968, with ideological shift of academic mainstream from a
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
-
radical
Radical may refer to:
Politics and ideology Politics
*Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change
*Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...
to a
deconstructivist
Deconstructivism is a movement of postmodern architecture which appeared in the 1980s. It gives the impression of the fragmentation of the constructed building, commonly characterised by an absence of obvious harmony, continuity, or symmetry. ...
leftist
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
outlook,
Swiss historians were looking to dismantle the foundational legends of Swiss statehood as unhistorical
national myth
A national myth is an inspiring narrative or anecdote about a nation's past. Such myths often serve as important national symbols and affirm a set of national values. A national myth may sometimes take the form of a national epic or be incorporate ...
.
Max Frisch
Max Rudolf Frisch (; 15 May 1911 – 4 April 1991) was a Swiss playwright and novelist. Frisch's works focused on problems of identity, individuality, responsibility, morality, and political commitment. The use of irony is a significant featur ...
's "William Tell for Schools" (1971) deconstructs the legend by reversing the characters of the protagonists: Gessler is a well-meaning and patient administrator who is faced with the barbarism of a back-corner of the empire, while Tell is an irascible simpleton.
Tell still remains a popular figure in Swiss culture. According to a 2004 survey, a majority of Swiss believed that he actually existed.
''Schweizer Helden'' ("Swiss Heroes", English title ''Unlikely Heroes'') is a 2014 film about the performance of a simplified version of Schiller's play by asylum seekers in Switzerland.
[. Winner of Prix du Public UBS at ]Locarno International Film Festival
The Locarno Film Festival is an annual film festival, held every August in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narrative, documentary, sh ...
2014.
In the
Manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
Wolfsmund, a Japanese historical fantasy
seinen
is an editorial category of Japanese comics marketed toward young adult men. In Japanese, the word ''seinen'' literally means "youth", but the term "''seinen'' manga" is also used to describe the target audience of magazines like ''Weekly Ma ...
manga series written and illustrated by Mitsuhisa Kuji. Published by
Enterbrain
, formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing founded on 30 January 1987 as . Magazines published by Enterbrain are generally focused on video games and computer entertainment as well as video game and strategy ...
, with eight volumes compiling the chapters released.The story of Wolfsmund is a retelling of the rebellion started William Tell. The story revolves around the oppression that took place in the Middle Ages in the middle
cantons
A canton is a type of administrative division of a country. In general, cantons are relatively small in terms of area and population when compared with other administrative divisions such as counties, departments, or provinces. Internationally, t ...
(states) of
Switzerland.
In the 2019 Spanish comedy film ''
The Little Switzerland'', a Spanish town () discovers the tomb of Tell's son and tries to become a Swiss canton (), affecting a Swiss identity.
Historicity debate
![Schranktür 1782 Tell](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Schrankt%C3%BCr_1782_Tell.jpg)
The
historicity
Historicity is the historical actuality of persons and events, meaning the quality of being part of history instead of being a historical myth, legend, or fiction. The historicity of a claim about the past is its factual status. Historicity denot ...
of William Tell has been subject to debate. François Guillimann, a statesman of
Fribourg
, neighboring_municipalities= Düdingen, Givisiez, Granges-Paccot, Marly, Pierrafortscha, Sankt Ursen, Tafers, Villars-sur-Glâne
, twintowns = Rueil-Malmaison (France)
, website = www.ville-fribourg.ch
, Location of , Location of ()
() o ...
and later historian and advisor of the Habsburg Emperor
Rudolf II
Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg), Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–160 ...
, wrote to
Melchior Goldast in 1607: "I followed popular belief by reporting certain details in my ''Swiss antiquities''
ublished in 1598 but when I examine them closely the whole story seems to me to be pure fable."
In 1760, Simeon Uriel Freudenberger from
Luzern
, neighboring_municipalities= Adligenswil, Ebikon, Emmen, Horw, Kriens, Malters, Meggen, Neuenkirch
Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label=Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a ...
anonymously published a tract arguing that the legend of Tell in all likelihood was based on the Danish saga of
Palnatoki Palnatoke or Palnatoki, sometimes written Palna-Toki or Palna Toki (Old Norse: or ), was a legendary Danish hero and chieftain of the island of Fyn. According to the ''Jómsvíkinga saga'', Palnatoki founded the brotherhood of Jomsvikings and esta ...
. A French edition of his book, written by
Gottlieb Emanuel von Haller (''Guillaume Tell, Fable danoise''), was burnt in
Altdorf.
[Troxler, J. ''et al.'': ''Guillaume Tell'', pp. 43–46; Ketty & Alexandre, Chapelle-sur-Moudon, 1985, . See also]
Le pamphlet de von Haller
" (in French).
The skeptical view of Tell's existence remained very unpopular, especially after the adoption of Tell as depicted in
Schiller's 1804 play as national hero in the nascent Swiss patriotism of the
Restoration and Regeneration period of the
Swiss Confederation
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. In the 1840s, Joseph Eutych Kopp (1793–1866) published skeptical reviews of the folkloristic aspects of the foundational legends of the
Old Confederacy, causing "polemical debates" both within and outside of academia.
De Capitani (2013) cites the controversy surrounding Kopp in the 1840s as the turning point after which doubts in Tell's historicity "could no longer be ignored".
From the second half of the 19th century, it has been largely undisputed among historians that there is no contemporary (14th-century) evidence for Tell as a historical individual, let alone for the apple-shot story.
Debate in the late 19th to 20th centuries mostly surrounded the extent of the "historical nucleus" in the chronistic traditions surrounding the early Confederacy.
The desire to defend the historicity of the ''Befreiungstradition'' ("liberation tradition") of Swiss history had a political component, as since the 17th century its celebration had become mostly confined to the Catholic cantons, so that the declaration of parts of the tradition as ahistorical was seen as an attack by the urban Protestant cantons on the rural Catholic cantons.
The decision, taken in 1891, to make
1 August the
Swiss National Day
The Swiss National Day (german: Schweizer Bundesfeiertag; french: Fête nationale suisse; it, Festa nazionale svizzera; Romansh: Festa naziunala svizra) is the national holiday of Switzerland, set on 1 August. Although the founding of the Swis ...
is to be seen in this context, an ostentative move away from the traditional ''Befreiungstradition'' and the celebration of the deed of Tell to the purely documentary evidence of the
Federal Charter of 1291
The Federal Charter or Letter of Alliance (german: Bundesbrief) is one of the earliest constitutional documents of Switzerland. A treaty of alliance from 1291 between the cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden, the Charter is one of a series ...
. In this context,
Wilhelm Oechsli
Wilhelm Oechsli (6 October 1851, Riesbach – 26 April 1919) was a Swiss historian.
Oechsli studied theology and history at Berlin and Zürich, under Theodor Mommsen among others. In 1887 he took up the new chair of Swiss history at the Swiss Fe ...
was commissioned by the federal government with publishing a "scientific account" of the foundational period of the Confederacy in order to defend the choice of 1291 over 1307 (the traditional date of Tell's deed and the
Rütlischwur) as the foundational date of the Swiss state.
The canton of Uri, in defiant reaction to this decision taken at the federal level, erected the
Tell Monument in Altdorf in 1895, with the date 1307 inscribed prominently on the base of the statue.
Later proposals for the identification of Tell as a historical individual, such as a 1986 publication deriving the name ''Tell'' from the placename ''Tellikon'' (modern
Dällikon
Dällikon is a municipality in the district of Dielsdorf in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.
History
Dällikon is first mentioned in 870 as ''Tellinghovon''.
In 1843 the village of Dänikon left Dällikon to become an independent munici ...
in the
Canton of Zürich
The canton of Zürich (german: Kanton Zürich ; rm, Chantun Turitg; french: Canton de Zurich; it, Canton Zurigo) is a Swiss canton in the northeastern part of the country. With a population of (as of ), it is the most populous canton in the ...
), are outside of the historiographical mainstream.
Comparative mythology
The Tell legend has been compared to a number of other myths or legends, specifically in
Norse mythology
Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern period ...
, involving a magical marksman coming to the aid of a suppressed people under the sway of a tyrant.
The story of a great outlaw successfully shooting an apple from his child's head is an
archetype
The concept of an archetype (; ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, and literary analysis.
An archetype can be any of the following:
# a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main model that ot ...
present in the story of
Egil in the
Thidreks saga (associated with the god
Ullr
In Norse mythology, Ullr (Old Norse: ) is a god associated with archery. Although literary attestations of Ullr are sparse, evidence including relatively ancient place-name evidence from Scandinavia suggests that he was a major god in earlier G ...
in Eddaic tradition) as well as in the stories of
Adam Bell
Adam Bell was a legendary English outlaw. He and his companions William of Cloudsley and Clym of the Clough lived in Inglewood Forest near Carlisle and were figures similar to Robin Hood. Their story is told in Child Ballad 116 entitled ''Ada ...
from
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
,
Palnatoki Palnatoke or Palnatoki, sometimes written Palna-Toki or Palna Toki (Old Norse: or ), was a legendary Danish hero and chieftain of the island of Fyn. According to the ''Jómsvíkinga saga'', Palnatoki founded the brotherhood of Jomsvikings and esta ...
from
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
, and a story from
Holstein
Holstein (; nds, label=Northern Low Saxon, Holsteen; da, Holsten; Latin and historical en, Holsatia, italic=yes) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of German ...
.
Such parallels were pointed out as early as 1760 by Gottlieb Emanuel von Haller and the pastor Simeon Uriel Freudenberger in a book titled "''William Tell, a Danish Fable"'' (German: ''Der Wilhelm Tell, ein dänisches Mährgen'').
[Bergier, p. 80f.] This book offended Swiss citizens, and a copy of it was burnt publicly at the Altdorf square. Von Haller underwent a trial, but the authorities spared his life, as he made abject apologies.
Rochholz (1877) connects the similarity of the Tell legend to the stories of Egil and Palnatoki with the legends of a migration from Sweden to Switzerland during the Middle Ages. He also adduces parallels in folktales among the Finns and the Lapps (Sami). From pre-Christian Norse mythology, Rochholz compares
Ullr
In Norse mythology, Ullr (Old Norse: ) is a god associated with archery. Although literary attestations of Ullr are sparse, evidence including relatively ancient place-name evidence from Scandinavia suggests that he was a major god in earlier G ...
, who bears the epithet of ''Boga-As'' ("bow-god"),
Heimdall
In Norse mythology, Heimdall (from Old Norse Heimdallr) is a god who keeps watch for invaders and the onset of Ragnarök from his dwelling Himinbjörg, where the burning rainbow bridge Bifröst meets the sky. He is attested as possessing for ...
and also
Odin
Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered Æsir, god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, v ...
himself, who according to the ''
Gesta Danorum
''Gesta Danorum'' ("Deeds of the Danes") is a patriotic work of Danish history, by the 12th-century author Saxo Grammaticus ("Saxo the Literate", literally "the Grammarian"). It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark an ...
'' (Book 1, chapter 8.16) assisted
Haddingus
Hadingus was one of the earliest List of legendary kings of Denmark, legendary Danish kings according to Saxo Grammaticus' ''Gesta Danorum'', where he has a detailed biography. Georges Dumézil and others have argued that Hadingus was partially mo ...
by shooting ten bolts from a crossbow in one shot, killing as many foes. Rochholz further compares Indo-European and oriental traditions and concludes (pp. 35–41) that the legend of the master marksman shooting an apple (or similar small target) was known outside the Germanic sphere (Germany, Scandinavia, England) and the adjacent regions (Finland and the Baltic) in India, Arabia, Persia and the Balkans (Serbia).
The
Danish
Danish may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark
People
* A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark
* Culture of Denmark
* Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...
legend of
Palnatoki Palnatoke or Palnatoki, sometimes written Palna-Toki or Palna Toki (Old Norse: or ), was a legendary Danish hero and chieftain of the island of Fyn. According to the ''Jómsvíkinga saga'', Palnatoki founded the brotherhood of Jomsvikings and esta ...
, first attested in the twelfth-century ''
Gesta Danorum
''Gesta Danorum'' ("Deeds of the Danes") is a patriotic work of Danish history, by the 12th-century author Saxo Grammaticus ("Saxo the Literate", literally "the Grammarian"). It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark an ...
'' by
Saxo Grammaticus
Saxo Grammaticus (c. 1150 – c. 1220), also known as Saxo cognomine Longus, was a Danish historian, theologian and author. He is thought to have been a clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, the main advisor to Valdemar I of Denmark. ...
,
[Bergier, p. 82.] is the earliest known parallel to the Tell legend. As with William Tell, Palnatoki is forced by the ruler (in this case King
Harald Bluetooth
Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson ( non, Haraldr Blátǫnn Gormsson; da, Harald Blåtand Gormsen, died c. 985/86) was a king of Denmark and Norway.
He was the son of King Gorm the Old and of Thyra Dannebod. Harald ruled as king of Denmark from c. 95 ...
) to shoot an apple off his son's head as proof of his marksmanship.
[see e.g. Keightley, Thomas. ''Tales and Popular Fictions: Their Resemblance and Transmission from Country to Country''. London: Whittaker, 1834, p. 293.]
A striking similarity between William Tell and Palnatoki is that both heroes take more than one arrow out of their quiver. When asked why he pulled several arrows out of his quiver, Palnatoki, too, replies that if he had struck his son with the first arrow, he would have shot King Harald with the remaining two arrows.
According to Saxo, Palnatoki later joins Harald's son
Swein Forkbeard in a rebellion and kills Harald with an arrow.
See also
*
Arnold Winkelried, Swiss cultural hero
Non-Swiss figures:
*
Punker of Rohrbach
*
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...
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Toni Bajada
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William Wallace
Sir William Wallace ( gd, Uilleam Uallas, ; Norman French: ; 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence.
Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army a ...
General:
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Historiography of Switzerland
The historiography of Switzerland is the study of the history of Switzerland.
Early accounts of the history of the Old Swiss Confederacy are found in the numerous Swiss chronicles of the 14th to 16th centuries.
As elsewhere in Europe, these ...
Notes and references
Bibliography
*Bergier, Jean-François. ''Wilhelm Tell: Realität und Mythos''. München: Paul List Verlag, 1990.
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Everdell, William R. "William Tell: The Failure of Kings in Switzerland," in ''The End of Kings: A History of Republics and Republicans.'' Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
*Fiske, John. ''Myths and Myth-Makers: Old Tales and Superstitions Interpreted by Comparative Mythology'', 1877. Ch. 1:
On-line Quotes
Saxo Grammaticus
Saxo Grammaticus (c. 1150 – c. 1220), also known as Saxo cognomine Longus, was a Danish historian, theologian and author. He is thought to have been a clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, the main advisor to Valdemar I of Denmark. ...
, the ballad of William of Cloudeslee, and instances other independent occurrences.
*Head, Randolph C. "William Tell and His Comrades: Association and Fraternity in the Propaganda of Fifteenth- and Sixteenth-Century Switzerland." in ''The Journal of Modern History'' 67.3 (1995): 527–557.
*Rochholz, Ernst Ludwig, ''Tell und Gessler in Sage und Geschichte. Nach urkundlichen Quellen'', Heilbronn, 1877
online copy.
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Salis, J.-R. v.: ''Ursprung, Gestalt, und Wirkung des schweizerischen Mythos von Tell'', Bern, 1973.
External links
''The Legend of William Tell''by Markus Jud.
''The birth of the Swiss Confederation''Tell City, Indiana"The Contradiction"Wilhelm Tell Festival, New Glarus Coopzeitung 28/2004, interview with historian
Roger Sablonier
Roger Sablonier (16 April 1943 – 8 June 2010) was a Swiss historian and writer of non-fiction publications, and Emeritus (Prof. Dr.) of the faculty of the University of Zürich.
Biography
Born in Uster on 16 April 1941 as the son of Mary Ida ( ...
, Zurich, translated
William Tell, Swissinfo special
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tell, William
14th century in the Old Swiss Confederacy
Fictional archers
Folk saints
Historiography of Switzerland
History of archery
Legendary Swiss people
Medieval Switzerland
People whose existence is disputed
Swiss male archers
Swiss Roman Catholics