William Wallace
On this date in 1305 the Scottish nationalist and hero William Wallace was executed for treason. Born sometime near 1270, Wallace led Scots in attacking English garrisons after King Edward I declared himself King of Scotland after imprisoning John de Balliol, the Scottish monarch. Though Wallace led Scottish landowners to a brilliant victory over a larger English force at Stirling Castle in 1297, he also was soundly defeated a year later at the Battle of Falkirk and fled to France. He was captured in Glasgow in 1305 and sentenced to death by being drawn and quartered.
Made famous in the Academy Award winning1995 film Braveheart, Wallace has been a symbol of Scottish independence ever since. Given that on September 18 of this year Scots will have the opportunity to vote to become an independent and sovereign nation, I suspect there will be a renewed interest in Wallace and a lot of people on both sides of the pond will watch Braveheart and, especially for those in Scotland, read portions of the poem about his life composed by the fifteenth century poet known as Blind Harry. The poem, based loosely on Wallace’s life and historical events is also embellished in ways that are typical of romantic poetry, particularly when devoted to a hero.
I loved Braveheart, but I’ve always wondered how well we are served by “hero’s tales.” They are certainly inspiring, but given that no one ever lives up to such expectations, also somewhat disappointing. Or, at least real life people can seem rather disappointing compared to the heroic myths we perpetuate.
And I’ve always been struck by the similarities and differences between the typical heroic tale and the Christian gospels. Clearly, execution – as in the case of both Wallace and Christ – neither ensures or rules out heroic status. But perhaps the chief difference is that, unlike most heroic epics, the Christian story does not revolve around the military exploits of its main character. Rather, the crisis early Christian believers faced when the one they called Lord and Messiah was executed was resolved only by reinterpreting the story of Jesus in light of passages from Isaiah and the Psalms which re-imagined conquest via vulnerability and suffering.
Christ, in this sense, is both hero and anti-hero – victorious, yes, but victorious through vulnerability, compassion, and sacrifice, typically not elements associated with the classic hero.
There’s more to muse about this, I’m sure, but given the impending Scottish vote and this date in the history of William Wallace, I thought I’d put below the opening lines of the very long “Acts and Deeds of the Illustrious and Valiant Champion Sir William Wallace,” also known simply as “The Wallace.” For several hundred years after its publication, “The Wallace” was the second most popular book in Scotland behind the Bible.
I’ll put below first the lines in original text and then in English:
Our antecessowris that we suld of reide,
And hald in mynde thar nobille worthi deid,
We lat ourslide throu verray sleuthfulnes,
And castis us ever till uther besynes.
Till honour ennymyis is our haile entent,
It has beyne seyne in thir tymys bywent.
Our ald ennemys cummyn of Saxonys blud,
That nevyr yeit to Scotland wald do gud,
But ever on fors and contrar haile thar will,
Quhow gret kyndnes thar has beyne kyth thaim till.
It is weyle knawyne on mony divers syde,
How they haff wrocht in to thar mychty pryde,
To hald Scotland at undyr evermar,
Bot God abuff has maid thar mycht to par.
Yhit we suld thynk one our bearis befor,
Of that parablys as now I say no mor.
We reide of ane rycht famous of renowne,
Of worthi blude that ryngis in this regioune,
And hensfurth I will my proces hald,
Of Wilyham Wallas yhe haf hard beyne tald.
Of our ancestors, brave true ancient Scots,
Whose glorious scutcheons knew no bars or blots;
But blood untainted circled ev’ry vein,
And ev’ry thing ignoble did disdain;
Of such illustrious patriots and bold,
Who stoutly did maintain our rights of old,
Who their malicious, invet’rate foes,
With sword in hand, did gallantly oppose:
And in their own, and nation’s just defence,
Did briskly check the frequent insolence
Of haughty neighbours, enemies profest,
Picts, Danes, and Saxons, Scotland’s very pest;
Of such, I say, I’ll brag and vaunt so long
As I have power to use my pen or tongue;
And sound their praises in such modern strain
As suiteth best a Scot’s poetic vein,
First, here I honour, in particular,
Sir William Wallace, much renown’d in war,
Whose bold progenitors have long time stood,
Of honourable and true Scottish blood.
Post image: William Wallace statue in Aberdeen, Scotland
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