4. Canute and the Waves.

Raglan, Lord

doi:10.2307/2797899

Cited by 24 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…Indeed, arguably they show precisely how a legend such as this might have emerged without Canute ever issuing any instructions (genuine or otherwise) for the waves to retreat. Yet they do suggest that some variant of the story might just have some basis in fact; and it is here interesting to note that, following earlier bouts of scepticism (Birley, 1955; Raglan, 1960), this does now seem to be the balance of opinion among recent historians of the period (see, for instance, Lawson, 2004, p. 125, p. 202; Trow, 2005). Yet if the above analysis does serve to suggest the potential credibility of the story of Canute and the waves, it also serves to suggest that some versions of that story are far more credible than others.…”

Section: ‘Thus Far and No Farther’: The Origins Of The Legend Of mentioning

confidence: 85%

“…The point is that there is no hint of any of this in Henry's account. Indeed, as Lord Raglan notes, Henry makes no reference whatsoever to Canute's courtiers and is ambiguous, even, as to whether Canute had an audience for what all subsequent accounts assume to be a public spectacle (Raglan, 1960, p. 7). Seemingly, the first written version of the story to accord such a key role to ‘the adulation of his courtiers’, as he puts it, is David Hume's comprehensive History of England of 1767.…”

Section: ‘Thus Far and No Farther’: The Origins Of The Legend Of mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For the fawning courtiers appear to be a later detail added by others to augment Henry of Huntingdon's original account. Moreover, as an arch‐sceptic in such matters, Lord Raglan, suggests, ‘the praise of kings was never mere flattery, but originated in ritual formulae intended to reinforce the king's powers ... an ancient king would no more object to such praise than would a modern sovereign to the wording of the national anthem’ (Raglan, 1960, p. 8). The argument may well be overstated, but there is surely something to it.…”

Section: Rehabilitating Canute: a Triumph Of Agency Over Structure?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…8A fact invariably taken as exhibit A for the case that the story is an elaborate fiction concocted by later clerical historians eager to depict Canute as a pious and honourable monarch (see, for instance, Raglan, 1960). The key reference points here are the Encomium Emmae Reginae (a record of the life and achievements of Canute's wife, Emma, written – with her authorisation and sponsorship – by a cleric during the reign of Canute's son, Harthacanute) and the (albeit rather sparse) entries for Canute's reign in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle itself.…”

Section: Notesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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King Canute and the ‘Problem’ of Structure and Agency: On Times, Tides and Heresthetics

Hay

2009

Political Studies

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The story of King Canute (Cnut) is well known. Indeed, in perhaps its most familiar form it exists as an oral historical tradition passed from generation to generation. In this almost legendary account, King Canute is depicted as an arrogant ruler, so confident as to his own omnipotence that he takes on the forces of nature, pitting his own powers against those of the rising tide – his wet robes paying testament to his powerlessness in the face of potent material forces and to the triumph of (natural) structures over (human) agency. Or so it might seem. In this article I suggest that even in this, the simplest depiction of the story of Canute, the relationship between structure and agency is more complex and involved than it appears. This complexity is only accentuated if we turn from the legend to the historical evidence. Moreover, by reflecting on Canute's practical negotiation of the ‘problem’ of structure and agency we can not only gain an interesting political analytical purchase on a seemingly familiar tale, but we can also generate a series of valuable and more general insights into our understanding of the structure–agency relationship. In particular, the (various) stories of King Canute and the waves alert us to the need: (1) to maintain a clear distinction between the empirical and the ontological; (2) to resist the temptation to attempt an empirical adjudication of ontological issues (or, indeed, an ontological adjudication of empirical issues); (3) to differentiate clearly between the capacities of agents with respect to material/physical structures on the one hand, and social/political structures on the other; (4) to acknowledge the significance of unintended consequences; (5) to attend to the ‘performative’ dimensions of agency; and (6) to recognise the dangers inherent in an overly instrumental view of actors' motivations and intentions.

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Section: ‘Thus Far and No Farther’: The Origins Of The Legend Of mentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: ‘Thus Far and No Farther’: The Origins Of The Legend Of mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Rehabilitating Canute: a Triumph Of Agency Over Structure?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Notesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations