Editing Prince Valiant (section)

==History and myth==
The historical and mythological elements of ''Prince Valiant'' were initially haphazard, but soon Foster attempted to bring the facts into order. Many elements of the story place it in the fifth century, such as the death of [[Attila]] the Hun in 453 and [[Geiseric]]'s sacking of [[Rome]] in 455, which Prince Valiant and Aleta witness. The murder of [[Flavius Aëtius|Aëtius]] in 454 differs from the historical version; Valiant and Gawain are blamed for the murder and must flee.

Slightly fantastic elements, like "marsh monsters" (a dinosaur-like creature) and witches, were present in the early years but were later downplayed (as was Merlin's and [[Morgan le Fay]]'s use of magic), so that by 1942, the story became more realistic.<ref name=companion/>

The storyline is by no means historically accurate. While obviously meant to take place during the [[Late Antiquity|Later Roman Empire]], Foster incorporated [[Anachronism|anachronistic]] elements: [[Viking]] [[longship]]s, [[knight]]s, [[Muslim]]s, [[alchemy|alchemist]]s and technological advances not made before the [[Renaissance]]. The fortifications, dresses, armor and armament resemble the [[High Middle Ages]] rather than the fifth century.<ref name=companion/>