Editing English mythology

{{Short description|none}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2018}}
[[File:Holy-grail-round-table-ms-fr-112-3-f5r-1470-detail.jpg|thumb|[[King Arthur]] and the [[Knights of the Round Table]]]]
'''English mythology''' is the collection of [[Mythology|myths]] that have emerged throughout the [[history of England]], sometimes being elaborated upon by successive generations, and at other times being rejected and replaced by other explanatory narratives. These narratives consist of folk traditions developed in [[England]] after the [[Norman conquest of England|Norman Conquest]], integrated with traditions from [[Anglo-Saxon paganism#Mythology|Anglo-Saxon mythology]], [[Christian mythology]], and [[Celtic mythology]]. Elements of the [[Matter of Britain]], [[Welsh mythology]] and [[Cornish mythology]] which relate directly to England are included, such as the foundation myth of [[Brutus of Troy]] and the [[King Arthur|Arthurian legends]], but these are combined with narratives from the [[Matter of England]] and traditions from [[English folklore]].

== Notable figures ==

=== Before the Norman conquest ===

[[5th century in England|5th]] century:

* [[Hengist and Horsa]]: Legendary brothers said to have led the [[Angles (tribe)|Angles]], [[Saxons]] and [[Jutes]] in their invasion of Britain in the 5th century; Horsa was killed fighting the Britons, but Hengist successfully conquered [[Kingdom of Kent|Kent]], becoming the forefather of its Jutish kings. A figure named Hengest appears in the [[Finnesburg Fragment]] and in ''[[Beowulf]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/saxon_34.html |title=Hengist and Horsa |date=2018 |publisher=English Monarchs |access-date=11 March 2018}}</ref>

[[6th century in England|6th]] century: 

* [[Sceafa]] (date uncertain): Ancient [[List of kings of the Lombards|Lombardic king]] in English legend. The story has Sceafa appearing mysteriously as a child, coming out of the sea in an empty [[skiff]]. The name has historically been modernized ''Shava''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.johnlearn.com/p/sceafa-was-an-ancient-lombardic-king |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180312204815/https://www.johnlearn.com/p/sceafa-was-an-ancient-lombardic-king |url-status=usurped |archive-date=12 March 2018 |title=Sceafa was an ancient Lombardic king |date=2017 |publisher=John Learn |access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref>

[[8th century in England|8th]] century:

* [[Wayland the Smith]]: Legendary master [[blacksmith]] who appears in ''[[Deor]]'', ''[[Waldere]]'', and ''[[Beowulf]]''; the legend is depicted on the [[Franks Casket]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Wayland-the-Smith |title=Wayland the Smith |date=2018 |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref>
* ''[[Beowulf]]'' (between the 8th and the early [[England in the Middle Ages|11th]] centuries): [[Epic poetry|Epic poem]] in [[Old English]]. The original manuscript has no title, but the story it tells has become known by the name of its [[protagonist]]. ''Beowulf'' may be the oldest surviving long poem in Old English and is commonly cited as one of the most important works of [[Old English literature|Anglo-Saxon literature]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.culture24.org.uk/history-and-heritage/literary-history/art68965 |title=British Library Beowulf manuscript is star of BBC documentary |date=2009 |publisher=[[Culture24]] |access-date=11 March 2018}}</ref>

[[9th century in England|9th]] century:

* [[Alfred the Great]] (849–899): In 878, supposedly burnt the cakes in [[Athelney]], [[Somerset]] before defeating the [[Great Heathen Army]] at the [[Battle of Edington]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/trail/conquest/wessex_kings/birth_england_wessex_05.shtml |title=Birth of England: The Wessex Kings – Alfred the Great |date=2004 |work=[[BBC Online]] |access-date=7 March 2018}}</ref>
* [[Brutus of Troy]], or Brute of Troy: Legendary descendant of the [[Troy|Trojan]] hero [[Aeneas]], known in [[Britain in the Middle Ages|medieval British history]] as the eponymous founder and first king of [[Great Britain|Britain]]. Brutus first appears in the ''[[Historia Brittonum]]'', but is best known from [[Geoffrey of Monmouth]]'s ''[[Historia Regum Britanniae]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://anthonyadolph.co.uk/brutus-of-troy/ |title=Brutus of Troy |date=2015 |publisher=anthonyadolph.co.uk |access-date=11 March 2018}}</ref>

=== After the Norman conquest ===

12th century: 

* [[King Arthur]] ([[Matter of Britain]]): Legendary leader, according to [[Middle Ages|medieval]] histories and [[Chivalric romance|romance]]s, of the [[Knights of the Round Table]] in the defence of Britain against [[Saxon]] (English) invaders.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/anglo_saxons/arthur_01.shtml |title=King Arthur, 'Once and Future King' |date=2017 |work=[[BBC Online]] |access-date=7 March 2018}}</ref> (see also: [[Welsh mythology|Welsh]], [[Cornish mythology|Cornish]], and [[Breton mythology|Breton mythologies]])
* [[Waltheof of Melrose]] (c. 1095 – 1159): [[England in the Middle Ages|12th]] century English [[abbot]] and [[saint]]; born to the English nobility, Waltheof is noted for his severe, self-imposed austerities and kindness to the poor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://catholic.net/op/articles/3008/cat/1205/st-waltheof-of-melrose.html |title=St. Waltheof of Melrose |date=2017 |publisher=catholic.net |access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref>

13th century: 

* [[Angul (king)|Angul]]: Legendary founder and king of the [[Angles (tribe)|Angles]].
* Sir [[Bevis of Hampton]] (first half of the [[England in the Middle Ages|13th]] century): Legendary English hero; the subject of [[Middle Ages|medieval]] metrical [[Chivalric romance|romance]]s which bear his name.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://bevisofhampton.wordpress.com/the-travels-of-sir-bevis-of-hampton/ |title=The Travels of Sir Bevis of Hampton |date=2015 |publisher=Bevis of Hampton |access-date=7 March 2018}}</ref>
* [[Fulk FitzWarin]] (c. 1160–1258): Subject of the medieval legend ''[[Fouke le Fitz Waryn]]'', which relates the story of Fulk's life as an [[outlaw]] and his struggle to regain his familial right to [[Whittington Castle]] from [[John, King of England|King John]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.berkshirehistory.com/bios/ffitzwarin.html |title=Brutus of Troy |date=2006 |publisher=berkshirehistory.com |access-date=11 March 2018}}</ref>
* ''[[Guy of Warwick]]'': Legendary English hero of [[Chivalric romance|Romance]] popular in England and France from the 13th to 17th centuries; considered to be part of the [[Matter of England]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/myths_legends/england/coventry_warwick/article_1.shtml |title=Sir Guy of Warwick |date=2018 |work=[[BBC Online]] |access-date=11 March 2018}}</ref>
* ''[[Havelok the Dane]]'', or ''Lay of Havelok the Dane'' (between [[1280s in England|1280]] and [[1290s in England|1290]]): [[Middle English]] [[Chivalric romance|Romance]] considered to be part of the [[Matter of England]]; the story derives from two earlier [[Anglo-Norman literature|Anglo-Norman]] texts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/text/salisbury-havelok-the-dane-introduction |title=Havelok the Dane: Introduction |date=1997 |publisher=[[University of Rochester]] |access-date=11 March 2018}}</ref>
* ''[[King Horn]]'' (middle of the 13th century): [[Chivalric romance]] in [[Middle English]]; considered part of the [[Matter of England]]. Believed to be the oldest extant romance in Middle English.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/text/salisbury-king-horn-introduction |title=King Horn: Introduction |date=1997 |publisher=[[University of Rochester]] |access-date=11 March 2018}}</ref>
* [[Lady Godiva]] (13th century, possibly earlier): English noblewoman who, according to legend, rode naked – covered only in her long hair – through the streets of [[Coventry]] to gain a [[Pardon|remission]] of the oppressive [[taxation]] that her husband imposed on his tenants.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/uk/2000/newsmakers/1507606.stm |title=Lady Godiva: The naked truth |date=2001 |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref>

14th century: 

* ''[[Athelston]]'' (mid- or late [[England in the Middle Ages|14th]] century): Anonymous [[Middle English]] verse [[Chivalric romance|romance]], often classified as a [[Matter of England]] text. Its themes of kingship, justice and the rule of law relate to the politics of [[Richard II of England|Richard II]]'s reign.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/text/salisbury-athelston-introduction |title=Athelston: Introduction |date=1997 |publisher=[[University of Rochester]] |access-date=7 March 2018}}</ref>
* ''[[The Tale of Gamelyn]]'' (c. [[1350s in England|1350]]): Romance taking place during the reign of [[Edward I of England|King Edward I]], telling the story of Gamelyn and the various obstacles he must overcome in order to retrieve his rightful inheritance from his older brother. Written in a dialect of [[Middle English]] and considered part of the [[Matter of England]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/text/tale-of-gamelyn-introduction |title=The Tale of Gamelyn: Introduction |date=1997 |publisher=[[University of Rochester]] |access-date=11 March 2018}}</ref>
* ''[[Robin Hood]]'' ([[1370s in England|1370s]]): Heroic [[outlaw]] of English folklore who, according to legend, was a highly skilled [[Archery|archer]] and [[Swordsmanship|swordsman]]. Traditionally depicted dressed in [[Lincoln green]], he is said to rob from the rich and give to the poor. Alongside his band of [[Merry Men]] in [[Sherwood Forest]] and against the [[Sheriff of Nottingham]], he became a popular folk figure in the [[England in the Late Middle Ages|Late Middle Ages]], and continues to be represented in literature, film and television.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8013179.stm |title=Why does Robin Hood keep coming back? |date=2009 |work=[[BBC Online]] |access-date=11 March 2018}}</ref>

==Legacy of English mythology in English literature==
* [[List of works based on Arthurian legends|Arthurian tales]]: see [[King Arthur]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zgryrdm |title=Why do we love the legend of King Arthur? |date=2018 |publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref>
* The Tales of Robin Hood and his Merry Men: see [[Robin Hood]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2010/may/01/robin-hood-ridley-scott-outlaw |title=Men in Green |date=2018 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref>
* The works of [[C. S. Lewis]] (1898–1963).<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2005/dec/31/cslewis |title=Right Thinking |date=2005 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref>
* The [[Complete Works of Shakespeare|works]] of [[William Shakespeare]] (1564–1616).<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/william-shakespeare/9542146/Shakespeares-histories-are-no-more-than-legends-but-they-live.html |title=Shakespeare’s histories are no more than legends, but they live |date=2012 |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref>
* The works of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] (1892–1973), whose legendarium has been called [[a mythology for England]].<ref>{{ME-ref|Carpenter}} page 67.</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/9575599/The-Hobbit-unearths-a-hoard-of-myths.html |title=The Hobbit unearths a hoard of myths |date=2012 |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [http://blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2013/01/alfred-the-great-not-a-domestic-god-but-no-slouch-either.html Alfred the Great – British Library]
* [http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/englit/malory/ Thomas Malory's ''Le Morte Darthur'' – British Library] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803023047/http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/englit/malory/ |date=3 August 2020 }}
* [https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/beowulf ''Beowulf'' – British Library] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112021307/https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/beowulf |date=12 November 2020 }}
* [https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/layamons-roman-de-brut Layamon's ''Roman de Brut'' – British Library] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123170124/https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/layamons-roman-de-brut |date=23 November 2020 }}

{{Anglo-SaxonPaganism}}
{{Germanic mythology}}
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[[Category:English mythology| ]]