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Miller, Douglas. The Swiss at War 1300-1500. No. 94 (London, Osprey Publishing, 1979).
Admin moved page Was William Tell a real person? to Was William Tell a real person
====The mythological theory====
[[File:William Tell One.jpg|200px350px|thumb|left|A mural showing William Tell’s arrest by Gessler]]
In the 19th century, many academics began the comparative study of myths. They found that many legends, fables, and folktales were similar, and this was because of cultural exchanges between societies. Many researchers who have studied the story of William Tell believe that it is only a myth. There are many similar myths throughout Europe. In these stories, some heroes displayed great marksmanship, and they shot an apple off the head of a person, typically a relative.
Much of the alleged facts about the hero are probably later inventions. There was no historical figure called William Tell. It seems that the origin of the story was in a myth that was popular in Europe, and which was adopted by the people of the Alpine Valleys. It later was used as a foundation myth, by successive Swiss governments to explain the development of the Swiss Federation.
====Further Reading====Puhvel, Jaan. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0801839386/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0801839386&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=e33314f4f62746d9143cb9eb2598a762 Comparative mythology ] (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987).
Wilson, John. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1602061173/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1602061173&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=478b20bb7c7f1d0bd2ce6be18bdb2a0a The history History of Switzerland ] (New York, Cosimo, Inc., 2007). Miller, Douglas. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0850453348/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0850453348&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=af2da98d3bb1b6ebf9b260a057dfe327 The Swiss at War 1300-1500]. No. 94 (London, Osprey Publishing, 1979).
====References====
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[[Category:Wikis]][[Category:European History]] [[Category:Historically Accurate]] [[Category:History of the Middle Ages]]
