Hero-Myths & Legends of the British Race

Transcriber's Note The Glossary and Index includes a pronunciation of the Anglo-Saxon names in the text. These include some characters with diacritical marks. These are shown as [=x] for a character with a macron (straight line) above it, and as [)x] for a character with a breve (u-shaped symbol) above it. Also used is the accute accent ('). If this does not display properly, you may need to adjust your font settings. HERO-MYTHS & LEGENDS OF THE BRITISH RACE BY M. I. EBBUTT M. A. WITH FIFTY-ONE FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS BY J. H. F. BACON A.R.A. BYAM SHAW W. H. MARGETSON R.I. GERTRUDE DEMAIN HAMMOND AND OTHERS

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[Illustration]

GEORGE G. HARRAP & COMPANY LTD. LONDON CALCUTTA SYDNEY

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[Illustration: Robin Hood and the Black Monk William Sewell [_Page 331_]]

_First published August 1910_ _by GEORGE G. HARRAP & CO._ _39-41 Parker Street, Kingsway, London, W.C.2_ _Reprinted: October 1910_ _September 1911_ _December 1914_ _May 1916_ _December 1917_ _February 1920_ _June 1924_ _Printed in Great Britain at THE BALLANTYNE PRESS by_ SPOTTISWOODE, BALLANTYNE & CO. LTD. _Colchester, London & Eton_ TO MISS JULIA KENNEDY IN TOKEN OF THE ADMIRATION AND AFFECTION OF AN OLD PUPIL THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED PREFACE In refashioning, for the pleasure of readers of the twentieth century, these versions of ancient tales which have given pleasure to story-lovers of all centuries from the eighth onward, I feel that some explanation of my choice is necessary. Men's conceptions of the heroic change with changing years, and vary with each individual mind; hence it often happens that one person sees in a legend only the central heroism, while another sees only the inartistic details of mediaeval life which tend to disguise and warp the heroic quality. It may be that to some people the heroes I have chosen do not seem heroic, but there is no doubt that to the age and generation which wrote or sang of them they appeared real heroes, worthy of remembrance and celebration, and it has been my object to come as close as possible to the mediaeval mind, with its elementary conceptions of honour, loyalty, devotion, and duty. I have therefore altered the tales as little as I could, and have tried to put them as fairly as possible before modern readers, bearing in mind the altered conditions of things and of intellects to-day. In the work of selecting and retelling these stories I have to acknowledge with most hearty thanks the help and advice of Mr. F. E. Bumby, B.A., of the University College, Nottingham, who has been throughout a most kind and candid censor or critic. His help has been in every way invaluable. I have also to acknowledge the generous permission given me by Mr. W. B. Yeats to write in prose the story of his beautiful play, "The Countess Cathleen," and to adorn it with quotations from that play. The poetical quotations are attributed to the authors from whose works they are taken wherever it is possible. When mediaeval passages occur which are not thus attributed they are my own versions from the original mediaeval poems. M. I. EBBUTT TANGLEWOOD BARNT GREEN _July 1910_ CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE INTRODUCTION xvii I. BEOWULF 1 II. THE DREAM OF MAXEN WLEDIG 42 III. THE STORY OF CONSTANTINE AND ELENE 50 IV. THE COMPASSION OF CONSTANTINE 63 V. HAVELOK THE DANE 73 VI. HOWARD THE HALT 95 VII. ROLAND, THE HERO OF EARLY FRANCE 119 VIII. THE COUNTESS CATHLEEN 156 IX. CUCHULAIN, THE CHAMPION OF IRELAND 184 X. THE TALE OF GAMELYN 204 XI. WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLEE 225 XII. BLACK COLIN OF LOCH AWE 248 XIII. THE MARRIAGE OF SIR GAWAYNE 265 XIV. KING HORN 286 XV. ROBIN HOOD 314 XVI. HEREWARD THE WAKE 334 GLOSSARY AND INDEX 353 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE Robin Hood and the Black Monk (_William Sewell_) _Frontispiece_ _To face page_ "The demon of evil, with his fierce ravening, greedily grasped them" (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._) 4 Beowulf replies haughtily to Hunferth (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._) 12 Beowulf finds the head of Aschere (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._) 22 Beowulf shears off the head of Grendel (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._) 26 The death of Beowulf (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._) 40 The dream of the Emperor (_Byam Shaw_) 46 The Queen's dilemma (_Byam Shaw_) 60 They filled the great vessel of silver with pure water (_Byam Shaw_) 70 "Havelok sat up surprised" (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._) 78 "Havelok again overthrew the porters" (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._) 82 "With great joy they fell on their knees" (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._) 88 Olaf and Sigrid (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._) 98 Howard leaves the house of Thorbiorn (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._) 106 "The silver rolled in all directions from his cloak" (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._) 110 "Thorbiorn lifted the huge stone" (_J. H. F. Bacon, A.R.A._) 116 Charlemagne (_Stella Langdale_) 120 "Here sits Charles the King" (_Byam Shaw_) 124 "Ganelon rode away" (_Byam Shaw_) 130 "Charlemagne heard it again" (_Byam Shaw_) 144 Aude the Fair (_Evelyn Paul_) 154 "Day by day Cathleen went among them" (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._) 162 The peasant's story (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._) 172 "Thieves have broken into the treasure-chamber" (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._) 176 "Cathleen signed the bond" (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._) 180 "All three drove furiously towards Cruachan" (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._) 190 "Three monstrous cats were let into the room" (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._) 192 "The dragon sank towards him, opening its terrible jaws" (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._) 196 "The body of Uath arose" (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._) 200 "Go and do your own baking!" (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._) 206 "Lords, for Christ's sake help poor Gamelyn out of prison!" (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._) 214 "Then cheer thee, Adam" (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._) 218 "Come from the seat of justice!" (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._) 222 "William continued his wonderful archery" (_Patten Wilson_) 232 Adam Bell writes the letter (_Patten Wilson_) 234 The fight at the gate (_Patten Wilson_) 238 William of Cloudeslee and his son (_Patten Wilson_) 244 "Wait for me seven years, dear wife" (_Byam Shaw_) 252 "The King blew a loud note on his bugle" (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._) 268 "Now you have released me from the spell completely" (_W. H. Margetson, R.I._) 282 Queen Godhild prays ever for her son Horn (_Patten Wilson_) 288 Horn kills the Saracen Leader (_Patten Wilson_) 298 Horn and his followers disguised as minstrels (_Patten Wilson_) 312 "Little John caught the horse by the bridle" (_Patten Wilson_) 316 "I have no money worth offering" (_Patten Wilson_) 320 "Sir Richard knelt in courteous salutation" (_Patten Wilson_) 324 "Much shot the monk to the heart" (_Patten Wilson_) 330 "Her pleading won relief for them" (_Gertrude Demain Hammond, R.I._) 334 Alftruda (_Gertrude Demain Hammond, R.I._) 340 Hereward and the Princess (_Gertrude Demain Hammond, R.I._) 344 Hereward and Sigtryg (_Gertrude Demain Hammond, R.I._) 348 INTRODUCTION The writer who would tell again for people of the twentieth century the legends and stories that delighted the folk of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries finds himself confronted with a vast mass of material ready to his hand. Unless he exercises a wise discrimination and has some system of selection, he becomes lost in the mazes of as enchanted a land, "Where Truth and Dream walk hand in hand,"[1] as ever bewildered knights of old in days of romance. Down all the dimly lighted pathways of mediaeval literature mystical figures beckon him in every direction; fairies, goblins, witches, knights and ladies and giants entice him, and unless, like Theseus of old, he follows closely his guiding clue, he will find that he reaches no goal, attains to no clear vision, achieves no quest. He will remain spell-bound, captivated by the Middle Ages-- "The life, the delight, and the sorrow Of troublous and chivalrous years That knew not of night nor of morrow, Of hopes or of fears. The wars and the woes and the glories That quicken, and lighten, and rain