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Knight of the week
Sir John of Felsenbau:
I confess, I did buy the outfit, but altered it. The shielf of course I made as well as adding to the bare helmet.
Sir John of Felsenbau:
Knight of the week : Sir Helyas of Lothringen - The legend of the "swan knight" is based on a real knight. Helyas was born about 1020 in Normandy, France. His father, and the father before him, we guardians of the holy grail. Helyas was the 40th and the last of the Grail Knights. He was married three times: 1st- the family of Bouillion where he recieved the fifedom of Bouillion. His son from this marriage was Godfrey of Bouillion. (I already did a set on him) When the child was young, they made a pigrimage to Jerusalem and the holy grail was placed in the Holy Seplicuhre. (the grail was eveantually taken out of Jerusalem around 1244 and taken to Acre, after which it dissapeared. In 1910 it was found in the ruins of the church at Antioch, eventually wound up at the Cloister's Museum in New York, and now is privately owned by the Metroplolitan Museum of New York.)
Helyas started two other famous families by marriage...One was the Counts of Oldenburg and the other the Fiefdom of Kleve. Kleve castle was noted for its many swans and the coat of arms seems to have been based on this. It has been said that he was murdered by armed men sent by one of his ex-wives. The Legend was embellished quite a bit, but was based on this knight.
Sir William:
Sir John, how is Helyas related to the legend of the Swan Knight?
Sir John of Felsenbau:
Well, his coat of arms as well as his wives are both real and in the saga of the swan knight. The legend fantisizes though...about him coming to his first wife in a swan boat, which is supposed to be his brother. It's kind of involves, the legend, so it's best to check it out on the web. But, like I said, my research showed it was based on a re4al knight.
Sir John of Felsenbau:
This week's knight: "Sir Botond" - He was a knight and a chieftan of one of the 7 tribes of Magyars. In 910 he led one of the armies at the battle of Augsburg. From 937 to 955 he was involved in attacks against the Germans. In 950, King Otto of Germany vowed to wipe out the Maygars and devistated their land. But in 954, Botond, Bulcsu and Sur launched a campaign with an estimate of 35,000. The campaign had a shocking effect in Europe. In all the churches of Europe, people prayed: "Lord, deliver us from the arrows of the Maygars." Finally in 955 was the Battle of Lechfeld. The Maygars were outnumberd and the Germans said they would not negotiate unless the Magyars laid down their arms, which they did, but instead the Germans butchered them all. Botond's army was unable to save them, but he ran down those responsible and decapitated them all.
The Magyar succsessful retaliation after the battle of Lechfeld was 3 times more devistating then their defeat at Lechfeld. This was the end of the German attempts to conquer the Magyars by force. After this, the Magyars directed their campaigns south toward the Balkins and Byzantium. In 958 they arrived at the gates of Contananople. Botond challanged to fight their bravest knight to combat to settle the attack. A gigantic greek (named Scrubs) came out against the small Botond.They began a duel which lasted about an hour, when Botond ran him through with his sword. From that time on the Hungarian symbol of human power was "Botond." Soon after the magyars looted Greece. Shortly after the successful campaign, the healthy Botond mysteriously lost all his strengh and died. (There were rumors that he was poisioned.)
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