William Tell

In 14th-century Switzerland, William Tell became notorious for defying authority. Legend tells of an Austrian official demanding reverence to a hatted pole in Altdoft, a directive Tell boldly ignored, setting the stage for his epic challenge.

For his defiance, Tell was forced to shoot an apple off his son’s head or face death. Miraculously, he succeeded, but this tale’s striking resemblance to a Viking myth raises questions about Tell’s existence, blurring the lines between history and folklore.