> Sartar is around 120 years ago. That =
> seems long enough that it's no longer considered history.
Jane Williams:
> You're American, aren't you?
> I think it would have to be a case of YGWV, but around
> here we'd think of something only a hundred years old
> as pretty modern. Given some very elderly relatives,
> that's within living memory.
True, but in the RW it can well happen that some quite recent event becom=
es
myth and is talked about as though it happened a long time ago. Meg Davi=
s
once attended a conference on folk song and found one of the speakers
talking about her 'Captain Jack and the Mermaid' as though it was
traditional. I don't have the references, but I've read of multiple case=
s
where folklorists have spotted stories originating in contemporary events=
that are told as though they happened centuries ago.
Politicians and rulers can seek to create myths so effectively that I'm
having trouble coming up with current examples that aren't liable to star=
t
flame wars. The Shah of Persia in the last century held a formal parade
including troops wearing the gear of Persian Immortals from the time of t=
he
battle of Marathon to suggest that his dynasty had historical roots.
Andrew
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