Foundation myths, whether of nations,
dynasties or cities, have been at the heart of western culture since classical
times. Europe’s archetypal national foundation myth was the subject of Virgil’s
Aeneid. Present in Virgil’s poem are three key elements which appear
repeatedly in western foundation myths: the wanderer/outsider making good; the
foundation prompted by divine prophecy or visions, and the planting, by the ‘chosen
people’ of their new (and often superior) culture in a foreign land. Most medieval
states, cities and dynasties were comparative newcomers, and many sought to
obscure their uncomfortably recent origins in a cloud of myth.
Troy provided the ideal means to do
this. In medieval England, the Trojan myth received perhaps its most elaborate
and fantastical development. The original source for the English tradition was probably
the 9th century Historia Brittonum, (Pseudo-Nennius). This
original story was greatly expanded by Geoffrey of Monmouth who begins his own work
with an account of Brutus, or Brute, Aeneas’s grandson, who is expelled from
Italy with his followers, and wanders the Mediterranean. In a vision, the
goddess Diana tells Brutus that his destiny is to lead the Trojans to an island
in the west, where he shall found a race of kings. Brutus eventually realises
the prophecy, founding Britain, and supplanting its primitive native giants.
Thus, Brutus’s tale exhibits the ‘Virgilian’ topoi of the outsider,
divine intervention and colonisation.
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| Brutus of Troy, represented here as founder of London |
Blog Question: What are the elements
of the story of Brutus as relayed in the reading from Wace’s Brut, that mark it as the perfect
foundation myth from Britain?
The elements of Wace's poem that mark it as the perfect foundation myth from Britain are that it is a story of riteousness, triumph over adversity, valiance and vengence. Firstly we are told about Brutus's vision/dream about being given good land to inhabit and be heir of by the Goddess Diane, has a similar feel to that in the Bible of Jacob and being given the best land in Egypt by the Pharoh (I think that's the right story). They are riteous in that that resist the temptation of the Sirens of the sea. They have a mighty warrior well two actually, firstly we have Corineus who slew hundreds and spliced me in half from head to foot with his battle axe. There is vengence by Brutus for the death of his nephew in France against the Poitevins and lastly when they arrive in Britain, they claim it as their own and force the resident "Giants" up into the hills. However some time later when the Trojans are feasting and enjoying their new lands, the Giants decide they've had enough and along comes Gogmagog who is said to be the sire since he is the biggest of them. There ensues a David and Goliath like battle between Brutus and Gogmagog with Brutus hauling Gogmagog over a cliff. I do question how big Gogmagog was since they are said to be fighting chest to chest and being able to do scissor leg wrap things, in my mind, and maybe this is fantasical and based on my childhood memories of Jack and the beanstalk, but if a normal man was up against a Giant their chests wouldn't meet as the man would barely come up to the Giant's waist. Maybe a Giant was equivalent of 6foot by todays standards?
ReplyDeleteI am not going to lie for the first 2/3 I struggled to see the relevance of the foundation of Britain and Brutus's story until I got to the last 3 pages and everything started to make sense. The fighting against the Giants to me seemed to be an exaggeration by Brutus. Brutus's depiction of them as 'giants' could be a way of making the Trojans victory seem greater than it actually was, rather than saying they were fighting "unarmed native" this way it makes Brutus seem a more powerful and legitimate ruler rather than one who preys on the weak.
ReplyDeleteNot related to the question but I found the last two pages very interesting in how Wace depicts, how many of the focal cities in England got their name.
Ollie
P.S Sorry this post wasn't what you were looking for, I just found it quite hard to extract valuable information relating to the question.
There are many aspects to the poem that make it a good founding story for britain. Firstly, the format of the poem as an epic poem relates to the format of the founding epics from antiquity and other earlier traditions. The characters featured also have strong links to classicism, particularly the displaced trojans. The heros face and triumph over many adversaries including mythical sirens and giants as well as spaniards and frenchmen, which serve to demonstrate the valour and strength of the founders of Britain.
ReplyDeleteRachael lampe
There are a lot of aspects - it's very epic, and makes those reading it proud to be related to such an excellent warrior and king as Brutus; it links the Britons to the ancient Trojans, which gives them a sense of ancient history and legitimacy; and it's a good story, with magic and valor, so instead of being a boring history that nobody wants to learn, it's the type of story that people would tell each other around the fire at night, or would be made into a play.
ReplyDeleteAli
Wace's Brut would be seen as a great founding story for Britain for many reasons. Brutus himself has so many of the elements that make him a great hero. He is strong, courageous, moral, a great leader. His journey brings up similar elements of both biblical and heroic natures. His journey has fantastical components and follows closely with other great founding myths, such as the heroes quest and triumphing as an underdog. This is a tale that the people can both relate to and rally behind. It is one they would proudly adapt as their founding.
ReplyDeleteThere are a number of elements of the story of Brutus that make it the perfect founding myth for Britain. For a start, Brutus sounds like Britain, so for the medieval mind it is easy to see how Britain came to be named after its founder. Also Brutus is a descendant of the Ancient Trojans, which legitimized Britain's connection to the ancient world, further increasing popularity and acceptance of the story. It means that the Brits did not rise from the swamps and camps, conquered by Romans and and faced by regular raids and occupation from the Anglo Saxons, but were instead an ancient race descendent from mythic heroes of a once great civilization.
ReplyDeleteI also found this question quite difficult to relate to the reading as the style of writing was at times disjointed. I thought it was very interesting that Wace mentions that Brutus travels all over the world in search of this land which is destined for prosperity which reminds me of Britain's unparalleled reign during the colonial period. I also think it is interesting that Wace talks of the conflict and rivalry that Brutus experiences with France and also how he explains how the names of places in Britain transpired to what they are today. As mentionned by others, this myth is indeed glorified and full of many tales that inspire and capture the attention of people.
ReplyDelete