This was a fun read! I actually came across Eustace (not in-person) when I was writing my dissertation many years ago, so it's great to see a more detailed breakdown of his biography and what we actually know from records. I also had no idea he was the subject of a romance, let alone such a wacky one! Your conjectures re. his early life, why he was sent to a monastery and why he left (/was expelled?) are also interesting and credible.
Thank you so much Ashlander. I’m really glad you enjoyed reading it. Eustache is so dastardly I feel he’s deserving of his own take in modern fiction. He puts GoT’s Euron Greyjoy to shame (if not an inspiration?)
Eh, in the oldest tales we've got -- *Robin Hood And The Monk* for instance -- Robin Hood could be a pretty hard character, too.
There's a whole slew of ballads where Robin tries to rob someone poor, gets beaten, and recruits the man. What happens when the man can't beat him doesn't make it into the ballads.
This was a fun read! I actually came across Eustace (not in-person) when I was writing my dissertation many years ago, so it's great to see a more detailed breakdown of his biography and what we actually know from records. I also had no idea he was the subject of a romance, let alone such a wacky one! Your conjectures re. his early life, why he was sent to a monastery and why he left (/was expelled?) are also interesting and credible.
Thank you so much Ashlander. I’m really glad you enjoyed reading it. Eustache is so dastardly I feel he’s deserving of his own take in modern fiction. He puts GoT’s Euron Greyjoy to shame (if not an inspiration?)
Eh, in the oldest tales we've got -- *Robin Hood And The Monk* for instance -- Robin Hood could be a pretty hard character, too.
There's a whole slew of ballads where Robin tries to rob someone poor, gets beaten, and recruits the man. What happens when the man can't beat him doesn't make it into the ballads.