There are three legends of three knights in three different countries around the world. The first is the well-known legend of King Arthur and how he pulled the sword from stone. The second legend is the story of Sir Galgano, a knight who became a saint. The last legend is of Sir James Gunn, the knight of prince Henry Sinclair. All three of these stories involve a knight, a sword, and the legend they left behind.
Although many have heard different stories of King Arthur, this story comes from Le Morte d’Arthur by Thomas Malory. As the story goes, Arthur, before he became the king, was raised by Sir Ector. Sir Kay and Sir Ector, his foster-brother, were planning to take part in a New Year’s joust. Sir Kay forgot his sword. Arthur goes back to their lodging to get Sir Kay’s sword and return it to him. When he arrives at the lodging he finds the placed locked with no one inside, so instead Arthur goes to a churchyard where he finds a sword in a stone. He “lightly and fiercely pulled it out of the stone” (Malory). This sword however was special; it can only be pulled from the sword by the true and rightful king of England. Many tried to pull the sword, but to no avail. This is the story of how Arthur becomes King. People see that he is able to pull the sword from the stone and realize he must be the king. This legend is an iconic one. While this story originates from England, a similar legend exists in Italy.
The story of Sir Galgano is one of a knight who becomes a saint. The story goes that Sir Galgano was a famous knight, who was contacted by Archangel Michael in a dream. Michael leads this knight reluctantly to a hill in Monte Siepi, where a small circular church stood. Michael asked him to renounce all worldly pleasure. Being the short-tempered knight that he is, he says, “Indeed, I would gladly follow your order, but doing so for me would be as easy as splitting rocks with a sword.” Galgano draws his sword and strikes the rock to prove a point. Sir Galgano was expecting the sword to break, but the sword “penetrated the rock like a hot knife through butter” (O’Reilly). His story spread far and wide. The devil sent an evil man disguised as a monk to kill Galgano. The wolves he befriended killed this evil man protecting Galgano. A year after sinking the sword into the stone Galgano died. His story was so well-known that bishops and abbots attended the funeral. The sword can be seen even today, protruding from the jagged rock, surrounded by the Monte Siepi Chapel. His canonization, the process for someone to officially become a saint, began a few years after his death, in 1185. It was “suggested by some as the inspiration for the British legend,” the story of King Arthur in Britain (Horty). While these stories come from countries on the other side of the world, there is a legend of a knight in New England.
Prince Henry Sinclair led an expedition to explore Nova Scotia and Massachusetts in 1398, 90 years before Columbus! The Westford knight is a carving of a knight with a cracked sword and a shield. This knight was one of Prince Sinclair’s knights. While he was exploring Massachusetts, the loyal attendant, by the name of Sir James Gunn, died. In memory of Sir James Gunn they carved an effigy into a rock. This rock had scratches on it previously and “were incorporated into the man-made design” ("The Westford Knight"). This carving was not always believed to be from a Scottish explorer. It was believed to be a Native American carving or a colonial one.
These stories all have their differences and similarities. All originated in different countries, telling tales of three separate times. These stories, and the physical remnants they left behind, are important. They connect the history from every country.
Giovanni Boccaccio wrote Day 10, Story 10, also known as the story of Griselda, as the final tale in his Decameron. This story takes place in a town south of Turin, Italy, and revolves around the tale of an Italian Marquis of Saluzzo named Gualtieri, who is plagued with the responsibility to produce an heir to continue his bloodline as the leader of his people, a problem that he chooses to solve by marrying a peasant woman named Griselda.
Certaldo, Italy - Casa del Boccaccio; Giovanni Boccaccio [1313-1375]
Much like Gualtieri, Italian writer and poet, Giovanni Boccaccio managed to create his own legacy through his life and works which since then have become some of the greatest historical features of his hometown of Certaldo, Italy. Found on Via Boccaccio, within the heart of Certaldo, buildings such as Boccaccio’s very own home have been turned into museums to pay homage to one of Italy’s most prominent literary figures. Casa del Boccaccio was Boccaccio’s childhood home since the early 13th century. It was restored in 1823, although the original structure of the home was damaged on January 15, 1944, due to an airstrike during World War II. Since then, the house has been rebuilt and renovated to preserve the illustrious works of the poet, including furniture and various illustrated editions of the Decameron that survived the war. Other objects that can be found within the small museum include a collection of late 14th to early 15th-century women’s shoes, the fresco painting of Boccaccio by painter Benvenuti housed within “the poet’s room," and various geographical, historical, and cultural exhibitions dedicated to Boccaccio’s time. Lastly, housed within Boccaccio’s home is the tombstone plate of the poet, although the actual poet’s remains reside in another tomb located in the Chiese dei Santi Jacopo e Filippo, known as the Church of St. Jacopo and Filippo, also located in Certaldo.
Fitchburg, MA - Fitchburg Art Museum; Eleanor Norcross [1854-1923]
New England, though in many ways different from Certaldo, Italy, contains many museums that house a tremendous amount of history. One such museum is the Fitchburg Art Museum, located in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Like many other cultural heritage sites like Casa del Boccaccio, we can thank legacy for its existence. The Fitchburg Art Museum owes its creation to its founder, Ella Augusta, better known as Eleanor Norcross. Eleanor Norcross much like Boccaccio grew up in the town for which she is famous. From an early age her parents, who were also influential Fitchburg residents, supported her pursuits in the arts, painting, and art collecting. Her father, Amasa Norcross, survived both Eleanor’s mother and younger brother, resulting in a strong relationship with his only daughter. Due to his influence, Eleanor went on to study fine arts in Paris, France, through which she then became the avid painter we know today. This was not enough, however. Eleanor wanted to share her appreciation for the arts and the collections that inspired her with all her fellow Fitchburg residents. It was through this goal that the Fitchburg Art Museum was born, first as the Fitchburg Art Center (1929) and later on as the current museum. Much like Boccaccio, though Eleanor never lived to see the result of her dream realized, or the effects of her inspiration, her legacy lives on through those who have chosen to preserve her memory and work. As a result, through a translation of her vision, her collection has grown and will continue to do so, so long as cultural heritage continues to be of importance.
Giovanni Boccaccio is the author of the famous Decameron. He was born in 1313 in Certaldo or Florence, Italy; the exact location is unknown. He died December 21st, 1375. His gravestone is located inside the Church of Saints Jacob and Filippo in Certaldo, Italy. After the death of his father and stepmother due to the plague, Boccaccio began the composition of the Decameron. In the Decameron, Boccaccio focuses on numerous ideas throughout, but one specific idea is the focus on fortune and disability in Day 2, Story 1. Day 2, Story 1 is a story about a man named Martellino, who pretends to be visibly crippled in order to enter a heavily-packed church of a saint who has just deceased. Everyone makes a pathway for Martellino in order for him to be ‘healed’ by the saint for his disability, but someone in the crowd notices him and everyone starts to kick and fight him for lying about his disability.
Joseph Palmer was born in 1789 in a village between Leominster and Fitchburg, Massachusetts. He was persecuted at the age of forty because of his beard. Palmer died in 1873. This persecution made such an impact on his life and is so widely known that it is engraved on his gravestone. Boccaccio also has writing on his gravestone, which he composed himself before he died. Palmer was persecuted because in the year 1830 citizens went as far as attacking Palmer with razor blades outside of a hotel in an attempt to cut off his beard. Palmer defended himself, rightfully so, and was sent to Worcester County Jail. During this time period, beards were considered the mark of lunatics. It is interesting how going against the social norms and having a beard enraged people enough to attack him and try to cut off his beard. Palmer was also attacked while in jail and continuously defended himself; they placed him in solitary confinement numerous times. During the Medieval period, disability was sometimes something that needed correction or needed to be cured. It is also known for using the “religious model,” which replaces medicine with religion.
The connection Palmer and the character Martellino in the Decameron is how both were attacked due to not following social norms, but there are complex differences in their situations. In the Decameron, Martellino is only attacked because he lied about his disability; the civilians wanted Martellino to be healed. They wanted Martellino to be healed because it goes against the social norm during that time period of accepting someone who is a cripple. They relied on religion as medicine in order to change that. Their beliefs in this method were very strong, so the fact that someone would mock their beliefs and not respect the process they believed in was problematic. In Joseph Palmer’s case, not only was he considered to be a lunatic just because of his long facial hair, he was also accused of communing with the devil by his local preacher. It is interesting how hundreds of years later you can still be attacked for not following the social norms of the time period and how society takes action into their own hands in order to correct what they believe to be wrong, even authorities.
A saint named Giulia della Rena was brought to my attention during my research into another saint, Mary of Egypt. Mary was a very complicated lady in her youth. She was tempted by sexual activity and could not give up her desire to pursue these activities. Even though Saint Giulia did not have the same problems, they do have something in common. Giulia was a very selfless lady. One day there was a building that had caught on fire, and she went into that building to rescue a child from death. In Mary's case she went off into the desert to free herself from sexual temptations. She spent 47 years alone in the desert until one night she "burned" in the desert all alone and was finally free and put out of her misery.
Both of these women were selfless and just wanted to do what was right in their respective situations. Mary’s might be a bit more dramatic, but they both had good intentions.
Rose Hawthorne, who was Nathaniel Hawthorne's youngest daughter, became a candidate to be a Catholic saint. Rose was born on May 20, 1851, in Lenox, Massachusetts. She spent 50 years of her life as expected of a well-to-do daughter of a literary man. She got married, traveled to Europe, and mingled with the literati and East Coast society. After those 50 years she wanted something more in life. She wanted to create a new identity. After her closest family member passed away and her marriage crumbled, she took the vow to be a nun. She relates to both Giulia and Mary because all they wanted was to be something valuable to others.
Saints and their shrines are very important to today's society. They are a place of worship that people go to were they can seek advice. It is very tragic when a shrine gets tampered with. Saints are important to learn about because they make mistakes just like everyone else, but they go an extra step to prove that they can become better people.
It has often been believed that great bodies of water house fantastic creatures of all kinds. Nowadays, we often see myths of serpentine creatures hiding below the surface of which we are uninformed, but through the study of different cultures of different times we can trace how we’ve used fantasy to fill in gaps in knowledge. The photograph is of Giant’s Causeway, a span of basalt columns located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It resulted from an old volcanic eruption, but the Gaelic legend has it that Scottish giant Bennandonner challenged Irish giant Fionn to a duel, and so Fionn built the causeway for their meeting. Fionn defeated Benandonner by pretending to be an infant of the real Fionn. When Benandonner saw this and imagined the colossal size of the real Fionn, he fled back to Scotland and destroyed the bridge behind him so he wouldn’t be followed. More of the hexagonal basalts can be seen on the Scottish isle of Scaffa, which likely led to the existence of such a story. With legends such as this from the medieval North, we can draw parallels to modern day New England’s own brand of fantasy and how it, too, has a way of seeping into reality.
The Connecticut River is practically an exhibit for local undersea legends here in New England, home to monsters such as the Glowing Thing of Moore Lake and the 200 foot long Big Conn. The Big Conn, or “Connie” as locals call it, is rumored to have more of its kind residing in the Hog River in a concrete tunnel below Hartford, Connecticut. The possibility of such colossal sea creature has terrified and intrigued residents who have braved the dark tunnel since the 1800s.
The Viking poet Egil Skalligrimsson, depicted in Egil’s Saga, product of a family line of werewolves and trolls, represents a culture that instead of fearing legends, chose to integrate them into Icelandic society through stories. Medieval Icelanders saw the world differently than we do today. Where we tend to see bodies of water as masses of scary, unbreathable spaces, to Icelanders sea travel was the basis of society, ships being their vehicles. Egil, his father Skalligrim, the bony-faced berserk, and grandfather Kveldulf, a werewolf, who “was still only a youth when he became a Viking and went raiding,” all lived lives pirating and traveling by ship. When they weren’t at sea, they were at home on the coast until their next voyage to Norway or Ireland. The waters in which they traversed were as familiar to them as local roads are to us, and so Skalligrim founded Borg by the shoreline in Iceland for ease of travel, just as Fionn created the rocky bridge in the Irish sea. We can argue that the legend of Connie, although not having founded her home, still dominates the waters she inhabits for her sheer size. So when we think of fantastic beasts now, we may picture images of giant, terrifying snakes swimming beneath the brine, but Iceland’s medieval legends were only terrifying if you threatened their home.
The lives of giants are certainly eccentric ones of adventure and valor, anchored only by the ocean’s reach. It is when two giants of different lands clash that land becomes a valid medium. Giant’s Causeway is a hybrid of the societal giants of Egil’s Saga and the local sightings of Connie. Fionn and Bellandonner are giants living in the same world as humanity like Egil’s family, different to Connie who dwells beneath unknown waters. Medieval Icelandic tales depict giants realistically to capture the strength of their country in living beings, but Giant’s Causeway proves that these large beings of fiction compel us to question the physical world.
Giant creatures have long been in our imagination. Where once they stood as a symbol of strength, thought to have shaped the world with their titanic power over the seas, they are now often believed to swim beneath it. Humanity has grown to understand more about the dry land on which we live, but we realize that much of our water is still unexplored. This mysterious space below us has fueled the belief of modern sea monsters, but nothing like the patriotic hulks that would once walk over them. And so the legends of colossi inevitably sank below the causeways.
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“Excavations at Glastonbury Abbey: Reassessing the Medieval Monastery.” medievalists.net, 9 Nov. 2017, http://www.medievalists.net/2017/11/excavations-glastonbury-abbey-1908-79-reassessing-medieval-monastery/.
Urbanus, Jason. “Legends of Glastonbury Abbey.” Archaeology Magazine, 16 Feb. 2016, www.archaeology.org/issues/208-1603/trenches/4172-trenches-england-glastonbury-abbey.
Ades, David. "Boudicca." Social Alternatives, vol. 29, no. 1, 2010, pp. 48, ProQuest Central, https://web.fitchburgstate.edu:2443/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/213966314?accountid=10896.
McGunigal, Lisa. "The criminal trial of Anne Hutchinson: ritual, religion, and law." Mosaic: An interdisciplinary critical journal, vol. 49, no. 2, 2016, p. 149. General OneFile, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A462327512/ITOF?u=mlin_c_fitchcol&sid=ITOF&xid=75f74d22.
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