In many languages, the same word is used for “history” and
“story,” and obviously the two derive from the same linguistic
root in English. The importance of strong narrative is not lost
on many historians – Britisher Robert Lacey being one of them.
His book Great Tales from English History: the Truth about King
Arthur, Lady Godiva, Richard the Lionheart, and More stirs “the
blood with the old stories” – some really old – but (being a
researcher and historian) he checks the tales against the latest
evidence. The book starts out in 7150 B.C.E., before the British
Isles were islands. The would-be Great Britain was connected to
what today is continental Europe, and humans and animals crossed
to and fro. Eventually, Celtic tribes settled in the area and
“Britannia” has its root in pretani, the Celtic word for
“painted people,” for when going into battle the islanders
“stripped down to their coarse woven undershorts and painted
themselves.” The Romans learned that the Celts were friendly and
always happy to do busi