I’m sure this is a little dumb, because I’m 90% sure contemporary sources never refer to King Arthur as Roman (that’s our modern take), but I was reading how Edward the first used imagery to associate his reign with both Arthur and Byzantine Romans to project legitimacy after conquering wales. Do guys have any further knowledge on the subject? Are my perceptions of the situation wrong?
Ty much in advanced :)
Edit: maybe a more simple question is whether or not the Kingdom/Principality of Gwynedd knew it was a Roman successor state at the point of Edwards reign? And, if they did, did they draw on that Roman lineage as a source of cultural pride?
The Netflix show "The Last Kingdom" tells the story of King Alfred of Wessex fighting the Vikings in the late 9th century. The show is based on the historical fiction book series "The Saxon Stories" by Bernard Cornwell. The main title theme features a female soloist singing a sort of mono-syllabic chant accompanied by various vocal sound effects and drums.
It seems like this "female chanting" theme trend loaded with melismas have become popular since themes like "Now We Are Free" from "Gladiator" and the movie "300". I love the music, I just don't know if there's any historical precedence for it.
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Is "The Last Kingdom" theme representative of music for Anglo-Saxon or Viking cultures of the late 9th century?
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What are some historically accurate representations of Anglo-Saxon or Viking music?
For me, a few of mine:
Watership Down (hence my liking for Scorbunny at the moment, plus the rabbits in that book had a sun god.)
Harry Potter (Pokémon, trainer, location, idc)
Alice in Wonderland, particularly a Ghost/Psychic cat Pokémon based on the Cheshire Cat
Doctor Who—how cool would it be if we got a time-based Pokémon that could regenerate into different forms when its health gets low?
Arthurian legends, which they might be going for with the box legendaries
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
It could be in of all places England if one exists.
It could be a colony anywhere in the world where English culture is presented if one exists.
BEFORE ANYBODY ASKS NO THIS DOES NOT MEAN ANY OTHER CULTURES ARE BEING EXCLUDED. I AM SPECIFICALLY LOOKING FOR ENGLISH CULTURE AND TO SEE ABOUT GOING TO A PLACE WHERE I CAN GET THE ENGLAND EXPERIENCE FIRST HAND. I HAVE ALREADY ALREADY BEEN TO ALL OF THE OTHER MORE DOMINANT CULTURAL ZONES AND AM LOOKING FOR SOMETHING WITH AN ENGLISH FEEL THANKS. ANYTHING FRENCH, GERMAN, CANADIAN, AUSTRALIAN OR EUROPEAN MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTING. ASSUME I AM FULLY ABLE TO TRAVEL.
What do you reckon?
