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Okay, let's begin.
Mythical heroes make for really good books and movies.
There's just something really cool
about fictional characters
that, of course, could never really exist.
Or could they?
Here are 10 mythical heroes that actually existed.
Number 10 is Theseus.
The story of Theseus and the Minotaur
is one of the most famous myths
from Ancient Greek mythology.
Recent archeological findings
suggest that it might actually be based in fact.
In the myth, King Minos of Crete
had a huge labyrinth built beneath his palace
to house a monstrous half-man/half-bull called a Minotaur.
To pay tribute to the king, the city of Athens
was forced to send young men and women each year
to be slain by the monster.
Theseus was the hero in the story
who finally defeated the Minotaur
in the depths of the labyrinth.
Now, while no one is suggesting
that there was a real (growling) half-monster/half-man,
we know that there was a real king named Minos
and a labyrinth beneath his palace.
Some have suggested that perhaps Theseus himself
is based in fact and ventured beneath the palace
to face off against either a man or a bull in the darkness.
Well, wait a minute, if it was that dark down there,
maybe it was just a man with really thick, hairy legs,
like an Italian!
Number nine is Saint George.
The story of Saint George slaying a dragon may not be true,
but Saint George himself
may have actually been a real person.
While his origins are uncertain,
he appears to have died at the age of 47 in the year 303.
Accounts suggest that he was a Roman soldier
whose duty it was to protect the Roman emperor.
However, he was ordered to renounce
his Christian beliefs and refused.
As a result, he was supposedly sentenced to death.
But because of his bravery,
he was later made a saint by the Catholic Church.
The most famous story surrounding Saint George
is that he defeated a venom-spewing dragon
to save a kingdom under threat.
Interestingly, this story may actually describe
another martyr named Theodore of Amasea.
Either way, while the dragon-slaying portion is suspect,
it's possible that both men existed in real life.
Nah, I don't accept that, sorry.
I live in a fantasy world
where I like to believe that dragons are real, like Smaug.
What are you going to do now, bowmaster?
Number eight is Till Eulenspiegel.
Till Eulenspiegel is a 14th-century figure
from German folklore.
A trickster who punishes hypocrisy and greed,
his exploits spread across Europe, becoming common myth.
But nevertheless, he may have actually been a real person.
He traveled across the Holy Roman Empire,
including North Germany, Bohemia, and Italy.
Living as a vagrant, his exploits became legendary,
with rumors of his presence everywhere.
He would publicly humiliate those who were mean and foolish,
with even the Pope being one of his rumored victims.
Using his guile and wit to show those in power
how destructive their behaviors were,
it's unsurprising that what little documented evidence
survives of this trickster
suggests that he spent much of his time in prison.
Too bad YouTube vlogging didn't exist back then,
'cause that vlog woulda been lit.
Still in prison, subscribe!
Number seven is John Henry.
The story of John Henry
has often been described as a modern myth.
However, there's evidence
that he may have actually been a real person.
John Henry was supposedly an African-American
who had at one time been a slave.
Following the American Civil War,
when slavery was ended, he worked on the railroads.
It was his job to hammer steel drills into the rock
so that explosives could be laid inside.
The rock would then be destroyed,
cutting a path for the railway.
The story goes that John was asked to prove
that he could outperform
a steam-powered hammer in the same job.
Taking pride in what he did,
he accepted and he cut through the rock and won.
But having all of his efforts into this contest,
he died of a heart attack with his hammer in his hand.
John's story of sheer will became legend,
but surviving accounts suggest that he was real.
Number six is Jason.
The legend of Jason and the Golden Fleece
dates back thousands of years, but recent evidence suggests
that there might be truth to the tale.
In the story, Jason went on a perilous journey
to the Svaneti region of modern-day Georgia
to find the pelt of Zeus' winged ram.
The wool from this beast was made of gold
and Jason hoped that by claiming the Golden Fleece,
he would earn the right to reinstate his father
to the throne of Thessaly in Greece.
As it turns out, around 3,500 years ago,
people in that region were using animal skins
to sift gold from local rivers.
This in turn covered the skins in gold
and resulted in the famed Golden Fleece.
Combining this fact with historical sources
depicting Jason's voyage to find the Golden Fleece,
experts now suggest that he very well may have been
a real-life hero.
Too bad things weren't documented a little more back then,
'cause we woulda had documented evidence saying,
"I found a man named Jason.
"He is balleth with the bling-blingeth."
Number five is Merlin.
Merlin is the inspiration for the wise wizard trope
found in modern-day fantasy-fiction,
and it turns out that he was probably real.
The famous depiction of Merlin
is as a powerful wizard or sage
who advises King Arthur on how to best rule Britain.
However, when tracing the story back to its origins,
Merlin is most likely based on Myrddin Wyllt,
who was an advisor to the Welsh lord Gwenddolau.
After watching his lord die in the battle of 573 AD,
Myrddin temporarily lost his mind
and became a hermit in the Caledonian Forest of Scotland,
grieving for the mistakes he and his lord had made.
There, he allegedly uncovered great knowledge
and gained the power to tell the future.
Centuries later, Myrddin's name
was commonly translated into Latin,
giving us the familiar-sounding Merlinus.
Why do names always sound cooler with -us at the end?
I could've been Matthius.
"Hello, Matthius.
"Subscribe to Matthew Matthi--"
Okay, yeah, it's not as good; never mind.
Number four is Odysseus.
See, another name with -us at the end of it
that sounds cool.
Why doesn't mine sound cool?
One of the most famous myths of all time
describes Odysseus' journey home after the fall of Troy.
Not only does the fictionalized version claim
that it took him 10 years,
but Odysseus may have very well been a real person.
The Odyssey, written by an ancient writer known as Homer,
depicts Odysseus as the King of Ithaca who,
after devising the famous Trojan Horse,
which was used to sneak
into the city of Troy and destroy it,
sets off on a legendary journey to return home.
Along the way, he fights a cyclops
and is chased by cannibals and even encounters dead spirits.
Ah, sounds like a day in downtown LA.
While the legend might not be accurate,
archeologists have recently discovered a palace
which perfectly fits Homer's descriptions
of the Odyssey's home.
This raises the possibility that Odysseus
very well may have been a real-life person
and that maybe even some of the stories are true.
Number three is Imhotep.
Imhotep was an Egyptian god who, as it turns out, was real.
Well, kind of.
Imhotep was a god of medicine and healing,
and so he had an important place
in Egypt's ancient religion.
He was also later associated
with the god of mathematics and architecture.
Several myths surround Imhotep and his powers,
including his efforts
to single-handedly end a seven-year drought.
Imhotep was personally credited with several inventions,
including sophisticated methods to build with stone,
and these myths were actually based on a real man.
Imhotep was originally an Egyptian chancellor
who lived in 2700 BC.
He was described as being a physician, astrologer,
engineer, and poet, among other things.
Long after his death, the stories of his accomplishments
were turned into legend.
Number two is King Arthur.
King Arthur is one of the most famous
mythological characters in the world,
but some believe that he was actually a real person.
Much of the Arthurian legend is common knowledge,
that he became King of the Britons
after pulling the magical sword Excalibur from a stone.
He was just and kind, but was fatally wounded
in his fight with Mordred.
Carried away by the angels to the mythical land of Avalon,
it's said that King Arthur will return
to defend Britain in its darkest hour.
Now, there are many versions of this legend
that go back centuries,
and debate still rages over its origins.
Some believe that Arthur was indeed a real man
who led his forces against invading Anglo-Saxons
in the fifth century.
And a few historical documents from the ninth century
support this assertion.
So, very well likely,
the legendary knight was real after all.
Well, if this is myth
and they were trying to be inspirational with the story,
they shoulda made it
that the first time he tried to pull out the stone,
he throw out his back, just like,
"(groaning) Oh god, I'll try again later,"
and he did, he pulled it out.
See, inspiration.
And number one is Robin Hood.
The story of Robin Hood is very well known:
a man who led a merry group of bandits from Sherwood Forest
to steal from the rich and give to the poor.
This heroic outlaw, however, is more than just a myth.
The earliest references to Robin Hood
come from criminal records in the 13th century.
In 1261, there are numerous mentions of Robin Hood
and variations of the name.
Some suggestions for the true identity of Robin Hood
include Robin Hood of York, who became an outlaw
after having his finances confiscated.
Another possibility is Roger Godbird,
whose career as an outlaw mirrors many of the descriptions
of Robin Hood from the 13th century.
So, although no one's sure exactly which guy it is,
it is certain that one of them was Robin Hood.
But whether he stole from the rich
and gave to the poor is debatable.
And that's it.
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Thank you for watching,
and I'mma see you in the next one; goodbye now.