William Tell: Myth Or Reality?

NOTES ON A STRANGE WORLD] MASSIMO POLIDORO Massimo Polidoro is an investigator of the paranormal, lecturer, and cofounder and head of CICAP, the Italian skeptics group. His website is at www.massimopolidoro.com. William Tell: Myth or Reality? n medieval Switzerland, the ancient bow down to the hat risked death or the his robe he concealed a second arrow, Austrian imperial house of Hapsburg confiscation of his property. one which he planned to use to kill Idominated some regions, including Tell, perhaps distracted or because the tyrant in case he accidentally hit the mountainous canton of Uri, which of his mountaineer pride, ignored the his son. Tell ended up back in custody is rich in forests and glaciers. According hat as he entered the city. Immediately, and was brought to the boat that would to one story, a hunter—an honest fam- he was arrested, and in the square, in take him to prison in Gessler’s castle in ily man and a skilled archer—lived front of everyone, he was compelled Küssnacht. there. His name was William Tell. On to justify his action. The only way to When they reached the lake, though, November 18, 1307, Tell traveled with resolve the situation, Gessler stated, a storm broke and the jailers freed Tell, his son Walter to the regional capital, was if with his crossbow Tell was able a skilled helmsman, in order for him Altdorf. to pierce an apple placed on top of the to help them survive. Arriving on the In the main square, the local repre- hunter’s son’s head. In that case, free- other shore, Tell lept to the ground and sentative of the Hapsburgs, bailiff Hein- dom would be given, otherwise they with an energetic thrust pushed the boat rich Gessler, had a pole on top of which would both die. away and escaped the police. He then he had placed his hat as a symbol of William agreed. He perfectly hit hid behind a tree for three days along imperial authority. Anyone who did not the apple, but it turned out that under the Quarry Road that led from the 18 Volume 40 Issue 5 | Skeptical Inquirer Gotthard Pass to Zurich. Finally, he ploits is the “Song of the Founding saw Gessler approaching on horseback; of the Confederation.” Composed Tell called to him and killed him with in 1477 by an anonymous poet and Tell and the Nazi an arrow from his crossbow. published for the first time in 1545, it Even Adolf Hitler tried to appro- Upon hearing in January 1308 of recounts the birth of the Swiss Con- priate the figure of William Tell Tell’s exploits, the people rose: the federation and quotes the adventures in order to justify his political three cantons of Uri, Schwyz, and Un- of Tell. Curiously, it says that Tell was objectives. He even mentioned terwalden settled an agreement and drowned in Lake Lucerne by the evil him in Mein Kampf and declared Gessler. managed to forever expel the Austrian enthusiastically that the Tell of But the most important work that invaders from their land. Tell became Schiller not only gave a body to presents for the first time the story of a national hero, a universal symbol for the National Socialist Party’s William Tell as a whole is undoubtedly freedom and independence. ideas, but it also gave shape to the Chronicon Helveticum of 1550, the the concept of the community of work of historian Aegidius Tschudi. In The (Little) Historical Evidence nations and to the figure of the his account, Tschudi explains that Tell ideal leader whom he believed The story is compelling, and we under- really drowned in 1354, not because himself to be. However, after a stand how, even today, it is able to he was killed by the bailiff but in order series of failed attacks on the boost national pride among the Swiss. to save a child who fell into the river Führer, including that of the Swiss But the question that historians always Schächen—a true hero to the end. The Maurice Bavaud who was dubbed ask is if this is a true account or just episode is also depicted in a fresco of “the new William Tell,” Hitler a legend. For centuries, scholars have 1582 kept in the chapel of Bürglen, the ordered in 1941 that the work of scoured parish registers and medieval village Tell came from. Schiller had to be stopped from archives, from the Hapsburg’s Austria The Chronicon would become the being represented. At a banquet, up to the canton of Uri, looking for model for all those who later wrote he then exclaimed: “Why in hell references to the name or story of about William Tell, and it became Schiller had to immortalize a William Tell. But the evidence, so far, the main source for the drama of 1804 Swiss sniper!” His Tell ended up has been very scarce. Wilhelm Tell, written by Friedrich being the only German classic text The first written reference to Will- Schiller, in turn adapted as an opera hit by a ban for representation or iam Tell appears in a manuscript dated in 1829 by Gioacchino Rossini for his reading under the Nazi regime. 1470, the White Book of Sarnen, com- Guglielmo Tell. These two works have piled by the provincial chancellor Hans greatly contributed to the renewed Schriber. Another source of Tell’s ex- popularity of the Swiss hero. Skeptical Inquirer | September/October 2016 19 The Places family’s name was Conrad, not Wil- history of Eindridi, who was forced by liam, and he had nothing to do with King Olaf the Holy to hit a tablet of of William Tell the hero. clay resting on his son’s head with a In fact, the legend does not stand dart. From the same era is the story of Even if he never existed, William up to historical facts. The pact between the hunter Hemingr, also a Norwegian, Tell’s traces are scattered all the cantons did not take place in 1308 who agreed to fight in a series of sport- over Switzerland and, in particu- but in 1291, and the expulsion of the ing competitions with King Harald. lar, in the canton of Uri. In the Austrians was not immediate but took Hemingr defeated the king, who was village of Bürglen, you can see many decades and into the fifteenth furious and ordered the hunter, if he the spot where, according to tra- century. But above all, the history of wanted to save his life, to strike a nut dition, the house of Tell stood, the shooter forced to shoot an apple placed on the head of his son. Hemingr which is now a frescoed chapel from his son’s head was not new. does so and soon after, as with Tell and with episodes from the hero’s Toko, takes his revenge by killing the life. Also in Bürglen is based king. the Tell Museum, with hundreds of objects dedicated to him. In A Ubiquitous Hero the square in Altdorf, where the apple challenge is said to have The Swiss national hero, therefore, at taken place, there is a mon- From beer to butter, this point seems more a myth than a ument that was dedicated in passing restaurants man who actually lived—but a myth 1800 to Tell. Nearby, you can still alive and well today. “Too often, see the remains of Gesslerburg, and pharmacies, scholars have been content to say that the castle that the bailiff had in garages and television William Tell did not exist and that Küssnacht. On the Cava road, therefore they were to throw it in the which leads from Küssnacht to stations, the “brand” dustbin of history. And yet, looking at the village of Immensee, there William Tell is the world, I see it everywhere,” says Uli is a chapel that was erected to omnipresent in Windisch (2015), professor of sociol- commemorate the place where ogy at the University of Geneva. Tell’s ambush to Gessler took the Confederacy. From beer to butter, passing restau- place. A third chapel of William rants and pharmacies, garages and tele- Tell ultimately lies on the banks vision stations, the “brand” William of Lake Lucerne, between Flüelen Tell is omnipresent in the Confeder- and Sisikon, just at the point acy. “We live day after day with him,” where Tell was able to abandon continues Windisch. “We can see him, the boat that was leading him to feel him, touch him, wear him, fit him, prison. The Gesta Danorum (History of the drink him, eat him. There are many of Danes), written in the twelfth century us who dislike or worship him.” by Scandinavian monk Sexo Gram- According to the sociologist, the An Old Story maticus, contained several stories, success of Tell is mainly due to the As noted, however, all references to including that of the Danish prince fact that the story of his exploits is easy William Tell appear only 150 years who would later inspire Shakespeare to interpret. And we must not forget after the events and are mainly of a lit- for Hamlet. Among others, he told of that the myth evokes fundamental is- erary nature, if not explicitly fantastic. Toko (or Palnatoke), a skilled hunter sues that affect everyone. “Freedom, There are no contemporary documents who boasted so much of his archery courage, rebellion against a totalitar- showing that a man named William skills that a King Harald forced him ian power: we are all attached to these Tell really lived in the canton of Uri to shoot an apple placed on his son’s values,” concludes Windisch.

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