Our society is so informative that today it is not difficult for us to find biographies of the persons of interest to us. Currently, each of us can contribute to history by becoming someone's chronicler. Let's look back, in those days when people did not even think about the bottomless resources of the Internet space.
When the only historical evidence is records in ancient books, and eyewitnesses of events have long left this world, over the centuries the facts can be distorted. In addition, famous people of the past were distinguished by their desire to hide whole sections of their own lives from the public. Metamorphoses happened, when records could be absent for several decades or centuries, and then magically reappear. Below we will give the names of historical characters that could be fictional.
Homer
The ancient Greek poet, who wrote only two books, is known to schoolchildren around the world. The hypothesis that Homer never existed is based on the popularity of the mythological epics The Iliad and The Odyssey. The very identity of the alleged author is shrouded in mystery, and according to some historians, the folk epic kept these subjects for a thousand years before the birth of the ancient Greek poet. Homer was the first to write these stories on paper. Many historians attribute blindness to him, some believe that a whole group of ancient Greek philosophers was hiding behind him. There is a version that Homer could actually be a woman.
King Arthur
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There are historical figures who are familiar to everyone, even when it comes to the culture of another country. You've probably heard about the exploits of King Arthur, who defended Britain from the attacks of the Saxon tribes, and about the sword stuck in a stone. Any reasonable person will immediately say that such a feat contains a mythological character. Other testimonies regarding King Arthur are legends with an admixture of folklore, because they are not mentioned in any of the surviving chronicles. Could this almost fairy-tale character really exist? Modern historians are inclined to this version: the brave British monarch is a collective image based on the heroism of personalities who lived earlier. The prototypes for the hero of the folk epic could serve as the Roman commander Lucius Artorius Cast and the king Ambrose Aurelian.
Robin Hood
Legendary English folk hero Robin Hood is known for robbing the rich in Sherwood Forest. According to legends, unheard of nobility was attributed to the robber and his gang. Robin Hood gave his loot to the poor and beautifully looked after the Virgin Marianne. All stories connected with our next hero are fictional. Historians are wondering: did Robin Hood have a real prototype? For the first time, poems and ballads about him appeared in the 13-14 centuries. The identification of a specific prototype is complicated by the fact that robbers flourished in the English forests in the Middle Ages. In parallel with the popularization of the fictional character, every real criminal strove to call himself Robin Hood in order to gain some fame.
However, one historical figure deserves our close attention. Shortly before the mention of Robin Hood appeared in folklore, a certain nobleman Folk Fitzuoren rebelled against King John. The further life of the disgraced nobleman bears some resemblance to the stories about the noble robber.
Wilhelm Tell
Our next hero has Swiss roots. The skilled marksman and fighter for Swiss independence bears some resemblance to the personality of Robin Hood. Everyone knows the myth of how Tell refused to bow to the hat of the Austrian duke that hung in the square of the city of Altdorf. And as a cruel governor, as punishment for disobedience, he made William shoot with a crossbow at an apple placed on the head of his own son. He was sent to prison, but escaped along the way, and then gathered a popular militia that rebelled against the Austrians. The story of the apple is very similar to the tales of Viking entertainment. Some experts tend to think that the character was created to inspire Swiss patriots to fight for their independence.
Jesus Christ (Jesus of Nazareth)
Historians cannot come to a consensus as to whether the religious leader Jesus of Nazareth was a real person. There are some doubts about the fact of his life. According to a recent opinion poll in the UK, 40 percent of the population does not believe that Christ was a real person. If this character actually existed, he would have lived in the territory of modern Israel during the Roman occupation. As a Jewish preacher, he gathered followers and survived the execution. All other religious exploits are rather mythological in nature, but nevertheless make him the most influential historical figure.
Inga Kaisina