The Bayeux Tapestreye

This lot is pure conjecture and fiction based on Chinese whispers translated and embellished by needle and thread and poetic license.

Every schoolchild knows that Harold Godwinson was killed in the Battle of Hastings in 1066 when William of Normandy decided it might be fun to be King of England.

Supposedly, it was an arrow in the eye, and that is not a good thing for anyone. The reason for the "arrow in the eye" demise myth or legend is that people take the Bayeux Tapestry as gospel, and, being a supposed hard copy, assumptions were made that it was never actually upgraded. It is over a thousand years old, and while you may have T-Shirts that are close to that age, sometimes things can get quite worn, and be subject to repair, sometimes by people who do not really know what they are doing.

Five years after the fight with William being crowned king, and Harold Godwinson was dead and buried, they decided to record the story as a bloody (and I mean bloody) tapestry.

In the eleventh century, writing was an available recording medium, so the decision to do it as a tapestry was odd. Also, for history, it's often the winners that write it, so how Harold died is very questionable.

It is said that originally the tapestry showed Harold with a spear, but apparently during the nineteenth century, repairs (or upgrades) were being done, and someone (deliberately or accidentally) decided that an arrow in the eye would have been a good way for the loser to die.

This was over a thousand years ago, and to paraphrase JRR Tolkien, the tale probably grew in the telling (or sewing, or weaving).

All battles are messes with lots of blood and death, and often any credible observations are lost in the rain of blows by swords, axes, daggers and arrows, and they were just a few of the weapons that were at the soldiers' disposal in that battle.

This is what AI says, although we know how trustworthy that is, and as I stated at the beginning, this is definitely a work of fiction, but I like people to know where some of my ideas come from:

Harold Godwinson died on October 14, 1066, during the Battle of Hastings, marking the end of Anglo-Saxon rule. While famously depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry as having an arrow in his eye, historical accounts vary, with other sources suggesting he was cut down by a group of Norman knights.

Key Details Regarding Harold's Death:

The Arrow Myth: The Bayeux Tapestry shows a figure with an arrow in his eye under the inscription "Hic Harold Rex Interfectus Est" (Here King Harold is killed), though this detail might be a later modification.

Alternative Theories: Some sources, such as the Carmen de Hastingae Proelio, suggest he was killed and dismembered by a group of four Norman knights.

It has also been suggested that in the Tapestry death scene, “that more than one figure is actually Harold and it's almost like two stages”, with the king being both shot in the eye and hacked down.

Confusion in Battle: Other accounts state he died in the "press of battle," making it difficult to identify the exact cause.

Aftermath: His death led to the collapse of his army and the success of the Norman Conquest.

So the probability is that we don't know how Harold met his demise. It could have been an arrow, or he could have been an axe victim, or both, or neither. Who knows?

The tapestry is still with us, and that will probably be the definitive portrayal of this myth, despite being probably wrong.