Athelston

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Detail of King Æthelstan (whose life Athelston may be based on) from a stained-glass window at the chapel of All Souls College, Oxford

Athelston is an anonymous

C. H. Hartshorne included it in his Ancient Metrical Tales.[6]

Synopsis

Four messengers meet by chance in a forest and swear an oath of brotherhood to each other. Their names are Wymound, Egeland, Alryke and Athelston, cousin to the king of England. Athelston succeeds to the throne, and takes the opportunity to make Wymound and Egeland earls, and Alryke archbishop of Canterbury. He also marries his sister Edyff to Egeland. Wymound responds to his sworn brother's good fortune by going to the king and accusing Egeland of treachery. Athelston imprisons Egeland, Edyff and their sons, and resolves to kill them. However the archbishop, Alryke, arrives on the scene having been summoned by Athelston's wife. Athelston threatens to banish Alryke, and Alryke threatens to excommunicate Athelston. The people side with the archbishop, and Athelston is forced to offer the accused parties the chance to clear themselves by undergoing the ordeal by fire. They pass the test, and Athelston responds by naming Egeland and Edyff's son St. Edmund as his own heir. Wymound fails a similar ordeal and is executed.

Identity of Athelston

Several legends about the historical

Eadwine to an almost certain death because of a false accusation that Eadwine was conspiring against him, and that, repenting too late, Æthelstan had the accuser executed.[12]

Bibliography

Modern editions

Translations

Notes

  1. ISBN 0313300542
    .
  2. ISBN 978-0-19-280687-1. Retrieved 10 April 2012. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help
    )
  3. ISBN 0669033510
    .
  4. ISBN 0833721445
    .
  5. ISBN 9781843842194
    .
  6. ^ Ronald B. Herzman, Graham Drake and Eve Salisbury (1999). "Athelston: Introduction". University of Rochester. Archived from the original on 2012-08-04. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  7. ISBN 0416170005
    .
  8. ISBN 9781843842194
    .
  9. ISBN 0833721445
    .
  10. ISBN 9780313300547
    .
  11. ^ Rickert, Edith (1967) [1908]. Early English Romances in Verse. New York: Cooper Square Publishers. p. 177.
  12. ISBN 0416170005
    .
  13. ^ Ronald B. Herzman, Graham Drake and Eve Salisbury (1999). "Athelston: Introduction". University of Rochester. Archived from the original on 2012-08-04. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  14. ^ Ronald B. Herzman, Graham Drake and Eve Salisbury (1999). "Athelston: Introduction". University of Rochester. Archived from the original on 2012-08-04. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  15. ^ "Catalogue entry". COPAC. Retrieved 10 April 2012.

External links

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