the near-worship King Arthur status the Narnians have them (Calormenes have them on King Alfred/Normans level where they still have records of treaties and so on of the time and thus know a bit better what they're more likely to do), but more like... I dunno, Robin Hood? GAH. Why can't the English have more legendary figures so I could do comparison better? But nooooo, we only have two.
Why? Probably because the UK has any number of different mythos cycles that have fed off each other over the years, many of which originated from neighbouring countries or racial groups.
The Arthur mythos has been particularly voracious; there are any number of older or more obscure stories that have been recast to bolster Camelot.
Also: a lot of English mythos is Germanic; whereas what was British mythos remains in some form or another in Wales and the West.
Good book to read (when you're not up to your eyeballs in nano): Charles L Squire's 'Celtic Myths and Legends' (pub. 1905); not the most exacting or up-to-date book, but it does cover a fair bit of the British and Irish mythology well.
Non-Arthurian hero figures?
Bran Taliesin Gwyddno Garanhir (king of the Lowland Hundred - near Aberdyfi) Gwydion Peredur (who possibly got morphed into Percival) Culhwch Beowulf Wayland
(Some of which are used to some degree in Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising)
As for Robin Hood-alikes and historical figures:
Boudicca Owain Glyndŵr
Hereward the Wake (who held the Fens against the Normans for some years).
Jarl Buthar and Aikin the Beloved (who kept Lakeland free of the Normans for 30 years post-invasion - the Viking resistance to the Normans is the backdrop for Sutcliff's 'The Shield Ring'.)
no subject
Why? Probably because the UK has any number of different mythos cycles that have fed off each other over the years, many of which originated from neighbouring countries or racial groups.
The Arthur mythos has been particularly voracious; there are any number of older or more obscure stories that have been recast to bolster Camelot.
Also: a lot of English mythos is Germanic; whereas what was British mythos remains in some form or another in Wales and the West.
Good book to read (when you're not up to your eyeballs in nano): Charles L Squire's 'Celtic Myths and Legends' (pub. 1905); not the most exacting or up-to-date book, but it does cover a fair bit of the British and Irish mythology well.
Non-Arthurian hero figures?
Bran
Taliesin
Gwyddno Garanhir (king of the Lowland Hundred - near Aberdyfi)
Gwydion
Peredur (who possibly got morphed into Percival)
Culhwch
Beowulf
Wayland
(Some of which are used to some degree in Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising)
As for Robin Hood-alikes and historical figures:
Boudicca
Owain Glyndŵr
Hereward the Wake (who held the Fens against the Normans for some years).
Jarl Buthar and Aikin the Beloved (who kept Lakeland free of the Normans for 30 years post-invasion - the Viking resistance to the Normans is the backdrop for Sutcliff's 'The Shield Ring'.)