Historical fiction should stick to historical fact

Robin Hood, starring Russell Crowe

As a history buff and novelist, I respect history. I love historical fiction – how a writer weaves a fictional story amidst historical fact. But when that fact is fudge for dramatic effect – well, I have a problem with that.

Take the latest contribution to the many Robin Hood flicks starring Russell Crowe. The story is a prequel to the Robin Hood tales depicted in other films and shows – sort of telling how Robin became “Robin Hood”.

The whole Robin Hood story is just that – a tale. Historians have tried to find a “real” Robin Hood, but all we know is that the tales, legends, folklore, ballads and stories began being told not at the turn of the 12th century when they take place, but in the 15th and 16th centuries. Robin Hood was a literary creation.

One thing all the Robin stories have in common is that Robin was a friend and loyal subject of King Richard I of England, aka Richard the Lionheart. Richard spent many years fighting in the Crusades in the Middle East and on the way home, stopped to reconquer Normandy in France.

The latest Robin Hood movie starts at this point with Robin serving in the King’s army storming a castle in France. It has the king dying in battle. That’s where they fudged the historical fact for drama’s sake. King Richard did die in France, but in a castle he had already taken over. He was walking one morning without his armor and was shot with an arrow by a boy seeking revenge for his father’s death during one of the castle plunderings. Richard’s mother was there and he died in her arms on April 6, 1199.*

Robin’s mission in life was to avenge the poor from Richard’s tyrannical brother, John. Hollywood has told the story and will continue to do so since that period in history with knights and ladies in peril will always be romantic. But, please, stick to the historical facts – since Robin’s story is fiction, it can be twisted around for dramatic effect, but history is history.

After seeing the latest Robin movie, I watched some of it’s predecessors – some for the first time and some again with an open mind.

Here’s a short list of Robin Hood movies:

Robin Hood, starting Russel Crowe, 2010

Robin Hood, TV series, 2006

Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner, 2003

Robin Hood, Men in Tights, starring Mel Brooks, 1993

Robin Hood – made for TV, starring Uma Thurman as Maid Marion, 1991

Robin and Marion, starring Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn, 1976

Robin Hood, TV series, starring Richard Greene, 1955-1960

The Adventures of Robin Hood, starring Errol Flynn, 1938 – this particular DVD set has a documentary on the history of Robin Hood movies.

Robin Hood, starring Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., 1922 – the one that started it all

They all vary in one way or another, but here are some stories that most have in common:

• The poaching of the king’s deer
• The river fight with Little John
• Saving Maid Marion or a maiden from life of servitude and marrying her true love. In the case of Marion, Robin was the true love.
• Jumping from a castle tower into a hay cart.

Not all have a Friar Tuck, not all have Marion as Robin’s love interest. One thing, they are all fun to watch and wonder if there ever was a Robin Hood or was it all really just folklore.

Giselle
Soli Deo Gloria
www.giselleaguiar.com

*Wikipedia

On Historical Research: Seeing People in a New Light

I am American. I am also Puertorican because I was born there. I am a New Yorker, because I was raised there. I am Portuguese because my great-grandfather Aguiar was came from Portugal. I am Spanish because the rest of my great-grandparents were Spaniards.

Other than the Native American Indians, everybody else here in America—or their ancestors—came from somewhere else. However, since I started the research on my second novel, I have discovered that nationalities are not that cut-and-dried. Part of my second book takes place in the Iberian Peninsula (what is now Spain and Portugal) in the second century A.D. which the Romans called “Hispania” and I’ve learned what true “melting pots” are.

New York has always been known as America’s melting pot. I lived for some time in Miami and you could say that about South Florida also. Forget that! All of America is one big melting pot!

My eye-opening research came when I was studying the native Iberians. I needed to know who my characters were, what they believed, their customs, culture and who their ancestors were. What I learned surprised me.

For instance, I always thought that Celtic equaled Irish and Irish equaled Celtic. How wrong I was. The Celts came from northern Europe and spread all over Europe and Asia Minor. They looked more like Vikings—tall and fair. Did you know that the Galatians of biblical fame were a Celtic tribe that came over the Balkans? I didn’t. For me they were all Middle Asian or Greek.

When the Celts invaded the Iberian Peninsula, they mixed with the Iberians who had migrated from northern Africa. They were short and dark. They became the Celtiberains. That explains the difference in complexion between many Spaniards. (I always thought it was the Moorish invaders in later centuries that brought the darker skin tones).

But the Celtiberians didn’t have the peninsula to themselves for long. Soon the Phoenicians came seeking new resources for trade. Later the Carthaginians and the Greeks arrived. All three settled and founded various cities on the coastline. Then along came the Romans. By the early second century, Rome had control of the whole peninsula. The Romans drove the Celts out of most of mainland Europe (except for a small area in northwestern France) and let them stay in the northern British Isles. That’s where we get the Celtic/Irish analogies.

Therefore, I’m back to me again. I have dark hair, dark eyes and light skin that tans nicely. Do I have Celtic blood in me? Maybe. I somehow think that I must have Roman blood in me. As a child, when I would tell folks that I was Puerto Rican, they would say, “You don’t look Puerto Rican.”

My reply was, “What does a Puerto Rican look like?”

They then said I looked Italian. That was fine with me—I’ll be Italian. Several of my best friends growing up were Italian. Consequently, I spent more time hanging out with Italians then Hispanics. I love Italian food—more so than Latin food. I had the opportunity to work with Italians on a cruise ship years ago and tour Italy. I even learned the language with relative ease being fluent in Spanish. However, in Italy, I started to mix the two of them. I created my own language of “Spantalian.” Somehow, I managed to be understood. I would relocate to Italy in a heartbeat. (Maybe after I sell a few books, I’ll get myself a nice villa overlooking the Amalfi Coast. Hey, I can dream, can’t I?)

The novel also takes place in Alexandria, Egypt. That was another melting pot in the second century. Talk about a cosmopolitan city. It was a Greek city in Egypt ruled by the Romans—three very different cultures. It boasted the greatest library of ancient times with copies of scholarly writings from all over the known world. Unfortunately, it burned down in the 600’s. The city was wealthy because of its strategic location at the center of trade routes between Europe, Asia Minor, Africa, India and the Far East. Beside the Greeks and Romans, there were people from all those areas living in Alexandria. Of course, they intermarried.

So who are our ancestors? A few years ago, I started doing my family tree. I recommend that everyone try to go back several generations to better understand who they are. Culture is handed down from generation to generation and one’s environment plays a part in it. Invaders and immigrants all bring in their own culture and customs and blend it with the culture and customs that are already there.

As a result, if I’m “people watching” at the mall or when I hear a foreign last name, instead of judging the book by its cover, ­­I now consider that if we go back far enough, we all may have the same ancestors. We are all our own little melting pots.

So what am I? That’s easy—I am American.

God Bless,
Giselle
E-mail: deovolente_love1@gmail.com
www.giselleaguiar.com