Some Common Myths Thought to be True - Myth 120
Myth 120: William Tell Shot an Apple off His Son's head
The legend as told by Tschudi (ca. 1570) goes as follows: William Tell, who
originally came from Bürglen, was known as a strong man, mountain climber,
and
an expert shot with the crossbow. In his time, the Habsburg emperors of Austria
were seeking to dominate Uri. Albrecht (or Hermann) Gessler, the newly
appointed Austrian Vogt of Altdorf, raised a pole in the village's central
square, hung his hat on top of it, and demanded that all the townsfolk bow
before the hat.
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William Tell | |
But Gessler noticed that Tell had removed two crossbow bolts from his quiver,
not one. Before releasing Tell, he asked why. Tell replied that if he had
killed his son, he would have used the second bolt on Gessler himself. Gessler
was angered, and had Tell bound.
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