Mythological stories are exactly that. Merely myths. Only stories. Sorry to disappoint you, but there was no actual King Arthur. Or Robin Hood. No Trojan Horse. Lady Godiva, though an actual 11th-century noblewoman, never rode through a crowded market naked on horseback. However, there are plenty of tales that would seem to be nothing more than legends but were actually a thing! Here are 8 stories that you probably assumed were fictional but were based on real people and events.
The Braveheart Heart
This one is a bit convoluted, but bear with us. In the 1995 Academy Award-winning film Braveheart, Mel Gibson portrays the protagonist William Wallace, a commoner-turned-commander who leads the initial uprising against King Edward I of England. Wallace was indeed a historical figure, but he was not the actual “Braveheart” as implied in the movie. That honor was actually bestowed upon Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, who played a supporting role in the movie itself. Robert the Bruce had vowed to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Lands, but upon realizing he was on death’s door, he arranged for his friend Sir James Douglas to carry his embalmed heart to Jerusalem in a casket. However, Douglas died during a battle in Spain, and so the heart never reached its intended destination. Instead, the Braveheart was returned to Scotland, where it was buried at Melrose Abbey.
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