“And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.”
History is filled with great stories – some of which can be true, and others of which are probably just myths and legends. But even many of the false ones can be important for the history, because they’ve been so fervently believed for such a long time. The mere fact that they’re believed at all is an important part of the history, even if it must sometimes be contended with by the “serious historians” when it’s wrong. Regardless, this documentary is a miscellaneous collection of four great myths and legends, which I will describe shortly. They go from Europe and Asia … to Africa and Arabia, and the first one is the Queen of Sheba.
Episode 1: “The Queen of Sheba”
There is mention of the Queen of Sheba in the Bible. Specifically, she is mentioned in the story of Solomon, as shown in the quote at the beginning of this blog post. The Bible does not comment on whether there was any romantic relationship between the two, inside or outside of a marriage. But we do know that Solomon had many wives, some of which were foreign to his own Hebrew culture. So it is possible that traditions from Ethiopia are true, when they say that the Queen of Sheba had a son by Solomon. They also say that the Queen of Sheba was Black, and that all of the Ethiopian kings can trace their descent to her liaison with Solomon. This documentary quotes from the Ethiopian Book of Kings, the source that gives us this traditional Ethiopian story. They also quote from an Arabian folktale, and even from the Muslim Quran – where she is portrayed somewhat unflatteringly. They depicted her as half-human and half-demon, which is very different from the Ethiopian portrayal. Regardless, the host traces the story of the “Queen of Sheba” to two of the most probable places of her existence. One of them is in Ethiopia, and the other is in Arabia. The host interviews local experts on her, and travels the Red Sea to certain port cities which are sometimes believed to be connected with her. It’s a fascinating story, and it’s possible that it might even be true. The Ethiopians, incidentally, are Christians today. Thus, they fervently believe in the Biblical account. The host even shows one holy Ethiopian place where the Ark of the Covenant is believed to be located. On this part, I cannot comment, although it is possible. Thus, let me turn to the next myth and legend, which is that of Shangri-La.
Solomon and The Queen of Sheba – Giovanni De Min
Episode 2: “The Search for Shangri-La”
Shangri-La is often identified in the West with Frank Capra’s 1937 film “Lost Horizon,” based on James Hilton’s 1933 novel of the same name. But, like many legends, this story goes back much further than this iconic telling. Of all of the episodes of this series, this one is definitely the most Eastern-focused episode. The search starts in India, and then goes to Nepal and Tibet. Much of the episode takes place in Tibet, showing various sacred shrines and sacred landscapes. Michael Wood describes prior Europeans to go in search of Shangri-La, including the Portuguese explorer António de Andrade. Most of Michael Wood’s films are (at least partly) travelogues, but the travelogue element is extremely strong in this episode. You brave the rugged Himalayan mountains along with him, and the freezing temperatures at these high altitudes – in a figurative sense, of course. It’s possible that there may be a kernel of truth in these stories of Shangri-La, but I confess myself suspicious of most “past utopia” stories. Most alleged utopias seem to have a darker side to them. But it’s possible that there was a truly good society at that time, even if it was not a full utopia. Regardless, the episode was a lot of fun, as we visit some of the most plausible of the proposed sites for “Shangri-La.” With this foray into the East concluded, Michael Wood is ready to move on to more European topics. This is because the next topic is “Jason and the Golden Fleece.”
Poster for Frank Capra’s 1937 film Lost Horizon
Episode 3: “Jason and the Golden Fleece”
The story of Jason and the Argo is among the most famous of all of the Greek myths. According to this story, Jason was born a prince, and was going to be killed by the new king for being a potential competitor. But the king spares Jason’s life, when Jason promises to get the legendary “Golden Fleece” for the new king. Thus, Jason sailed to many Mediterranean and Black Sea islands in the famous “Argo” ship, with a crew known simply as the “Argonauts.” As is common in Greek mythology, there are a number of adult themes, as the crew have liaisons with local women along the way. According to the myth, the women of Lemnos had been cursed by the gods for murdering their husbands. Jason eventually marries another woman named Medea, and promises to be faithful to her. But, later on, he marries a princess back in Greece, to inherit his throne. Thus, Medea takes revenge on him by murdering the children that she had earlier borne to Jason. And, eventually, Jason is destroyed as well. There’s a strong element of Greek tragedy here, which often feels to me like a bit of an anticlimax. The Greeks weren’t always big on “happy endings” in their stories. In investigating this story, Michael Wood travels to Turkey and the Eurasian nation of Georgia, as well as Greece itself. And now, let me comment on whether the story is accurate. Some parts of the story are certainly plausible, such as the search for gold – although there are elements of magic and centaurs (not to mention Greek gods) that are now viewed with some skepticism. There were certainly adventurous sea voyages, and the liaisons with local women have unfortunate parallels with many real-life voyages. But it seems unlikely that Jason was ever a real person. This seems like yet another Greek myth, albeit one that has some literary power. After this episode, the host moves to the last (and arguably the greatest) of the myths to be covered here. This is the story of the “King Arthur” legends, which I grew up on in my youth.
Sixteenth-century painting of the Argo
Episode 4: “Arthur: The Once and Future King”
Michael Wood had actually covered the King Arthur legends in an episode of an earlier series. This was “In Search of the Dark Ages,” made in the late seventies and early eighties. (This series, by contrast, is from 2005.) The earlier episode focuses more on the political context of the King Arthur legends. That is, not long before, the Romans had withdrawn their legions from Celtic Britain – giving the Anglo-Saxons an opportunity to invade Britain for themselves. Arthur was a symbol of the Celtic resistance against the new Anglo-Saxon invaders. In this series, Michael Wood focuses more on the history of the legends themselves. That is to say, he talks about how the legends were written, and how they eventually caught on in the Celtic parts of Britain. Later on, even the English found the legends to be appealingly romantic, although King Henry the Second was a bit concerned about the promise that Arthur would “return” to reclaim the throne. Sitting monarchs don’t much care for stories like that. Celtic rulers encouraged the spread of the King Arthur legends to France, who added some layers of their own to the tale. This might surprise people, because we see the King Arthur legends as a quintessentially “British” story. But they are also quite popular in the Celtic parts of France, who adapted them to their own culture. I will not spend much time discussing the legends themselves, since most people in the English-speaking world already know the basics of the story. But suffice it to say that there may be a kernel of truth in certain parts of them, even if there are doubts about whether Arthur, Lancelot, Guinevere, or Merlin ever existed. The magical elements obviously don’t meet with a great reception from historians today, but I grew up on the Disney movie “The Sword and the Stone,” and know that fantasy stories can still be very popular despite this. Just look at Harry Potter, and “Lord of the Rings.” And regardless of the historicity of the tales, they are a great contribution to British literature, and to the literature of Europe more generally. Even today, most people know the basics of the story – with Camelot, Avalon, Excalibur, and the Knights of the Round Table.
The Round Table experiences a vision of the Holy Grail – painting from circa 1475
Conclusion: An entertaining examination of four different myths from different cultures
The history of fiction is taken very seriously in academia, as various departments of literature can attest. Scholars try to put the works into their historical context, and examine the effects of these stories upon real-life history – including the change in people’s attitudes, feelings, and even actions. That may be part of what this series is trying to do. But it’s also trying to examine the historical authenticity of these stories, since (unlike many other myths) these stories are actually claimed by some to be true. Some of these myths may be genuine, while others are probably pure fantasy. But regardless, they’re great contributions to the world’s culture, which tell you a lot about the history of world literature. Whether you like this series will depend somewhat upon your aesthetic preferences. But if you’re interested in any of these great stories, this documentary might be worth the purchase for you, and it may allow you to vicariously experience the host’s expensive search for yourself.
Footnote to this blog post:
Getting this program in the United States can be a little difficult. Thus, I also link to the “Michael Wood Collection,” which includes this program and several others in a British DVD format. In North America, one may need a special DVD player to play it. However, it can still sometimes be cheaper than buying the North American version. Thus, I link to both versions, so that viewers may be presented with multiple options. Viewers may do as they please.
Also available as part of the “Michael Wood Collection”
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