The Man in the Iron Mask

 

"The Man in the Iron Mask" by Christine Graves via NightCafe Studio

Sometime around 1850, author Alexandre Dumas published a book called The Man in the Iron Mask. According to the story, King Louis XIV of France had a twin brother whom he had imprisoned so he wouldn't have to share the throne. Beautiful work of fiction, right? Well, not exactly. 

I love history documentaries, so I put one on for background noise. I didn't think much about it until I heard the host saying something about the "real" man in the iron mask. Not a total shock to me, as I've heard about this gentleman before. But this time, it sent me down a rabbit hole.

Apparently, there was a prisoner who was never seen by anyone except his jailer, without his mask. But that's where things get...hazy. Nobody knows who that prisoner truly was. And the theory that it was the king's twin isn't exactly a long shot. There were several people who absolutely believed he was the king's brother. He was treated lavishly, ate good food, drank expensive wine, and was called "My Lord" by his jailers. Not something the average prisoner would ever receive.

Another theory is that the prisoner was a former musketeer. The king's father, Louis XIII, was said to be impotent and couldn't produce an heir. The infamous Cardinal Richelieu set up a rendezvous between the musketeer and the queen for her to conceive a child. However, after a few years, the musketeer became greedy and threatened to tell all. It got him put in prison...or so the theory goes.

The man in the iron mask was said to be named "Eustache Dauger". He was imprisoned by the king from 1669 until his death in 1703. Throughout his incarceration, his jailer was a gentleman called Benigne d'Auvergne de Saint-Mars. The masked man was originally placed in a prison called "Pignerol" near the Italian border. Saint-Mars was told to house the prisoner in a place where he couldn't be heard by anyone else if he spoke, and if he did speak, Saint-Mars was to kill him immediately.

The masked prisoner was moved from Pignerol to the Exilles, with Saint-Mars being appointed head jailer. 

Then, in 1687, Saint-Mars was promoted to a prison on the island of Sainte-Marguerite. When he moved to the new prison, he took his infamous prison with him. It was about this time that the locals began to notice the masked prisoner; however, it was said he was the man in the Black Velvet mask. 

Saint-Mars ran Sainte-Marguerite until 1698, when he took over as chief jailer at the Bastille in Paris. Once again, he took his infamous prisoner with him. Eustache Dauger, aka the man in the iron mask, lived out the rest of his life confined to the Bastille, as it was said he died in 1703.

As I watched this show, a strange theory started to form in my own head. What if the prisoner wasn't the king's twin or his biological father, but someone completely different? The king had a lot of enemies throughout the whole of Europe. So, I went Google Diving. 

Turns out, several individuals had upset the Sun King and were subsequently locked up. One of these was an Italian nobleman known as Count Ercole Antonio Mattioli. Count Mattioli was said to have double-crossed the French king. Apparently, the count had promised to sell an Italian fortress to the king for a very large sum of money. However, the count pocketed the money and informed the Spanish and Austrians that the king was trying to edge them out by setting up shop in Italy. 

The king had Count Mattioli hunted down, essentially kidnapped the man, and threw him into a French prison in 1679. Pignerol prison. The same prison as the man in the iron mask. It's not known if the two men ever met, but it's highly unlikely.

Mattioli ended up imprisoned at Sainte-Marguerite around the same time as the man in the iron mask. According to records, he died there in 1694. But what if he didn't?

In 1698, Saint-Mars became governor of the Bastille, a position he held until his death in 1708. It was recorded that the man in the iron mask died at the Bastille in 1703, but here's the strange part. When he died, he was buried under the name "Marchioly". I instantly thought that sounded a lot like Mattioli, and apparently, I'm not alone. 

Scholars have long believed that the closeness in names was enough to prove that the man in the iron mask WAS Mattioli. Unfortunately, there are a lot of discrepancies. 

#1--The man in the iron mask was first documented at Pignerol in 1669. Mattioli wasn't apprehended until 1679.

#2--Mattioli was said to be a madman and died at Sainte-Marguerite in 1694. The man in the iron mask died in Paris in 1703. 

#3--The man in the iron mask was taken to Sainte-Marguerite in 1681, while Mattioli didn't arrive until March of 1694, dying only a month later. 

HOWEVER

What if it was all part of a plan?

Saint-Mars was paid a lot of money to take care of the king's prized prisoner. It's thought his estate was estimated to be around two million livres, which is between $30 and $60 million dollars in today's market. He was rock-star rich. 

My theory is this:

What if the man in the iron mask was actually the one who died on Sainte-Marguerite, and Saint-Mars had to come up with a way to make him "not dead"? Enter, Count Mattioli. It would be the perfect scheme. 

By 1694, the masked man had been in prison for 25 years. Anyone who had known him beforehand probably wouldn't recognize him even if they could have. If the prisoner had died, Saint-Mars could have had Mattioli brought in to take over the masked man's place.

The question is, what would keep Mattioli from shooting his mouth off? (He wasn't exactly trustworthy). How bout the lavish lifestyle of the masked prisoner? He'd be well-fed, drink the best wines from fancy goblets, and even have a personal valet. Go from being just another prisoner on an island fortress, or become an unknown prisoner who was treated like a prince? 

Then there's that other stipulation put on Saint-Mars by the king. If the prisoner talks, kill him immediately. If Mattioli told anyone who he really was, it would be his last confession. Basically, here's the deal. Live like a king but never leave prison, or tell someone what's really going on and die in minutes. Kind of a no-brainer.

So, who died at the Bastille in 1703? The twin brother of King Louis XIV? The musketeer who fathered the heir to the throne? Or an Italian count who double-crossed the king and landed in the middle of one of the greatest mysteries of all time? 

Who do you think it was?

Until next time,
Mom Graves!!!

Could King Arthur and Beowulf be Based on the Same Person?

 

"Beowulf" by Christine Graves via NightCafe Studio

I've always loved stories about great warriors going out on wild quests to win the heart of a fair maiden or gain wealth and power. I was raised on those stories. I loved the tales of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. When I was 12, the movie Excalibur came out. Then, a year later, came Conan the Barbarian. I ate it up with a spoon.

However, I was a freshman in high school before I heard of Beowulf. I'm sure it was something we discussed in English Lit class. However, I was hooked from the moment we started studying. An ancient warrior who goes off and saves a kingdom from a savage beast and its mother. Facing death each and every step of the way. Going on to win the day and was crowned king of his people. It had all the hallmarks of a great epic. But it also made me think. What if the Beowulf and Arthur legends are based on the same faded memory?

According to experts, the story of Beowulf is set between the 5th and 6th centuries, based on historical details found in the poem. Arthur is first named in a text from the early 9th century, but is thought to have taken place shortly after the Romans left Britannia. The oldest known version of the Beowulf epic was written sometime in the 10th century, while the version of the Arthurian legends, as we know them, is thought to have been written in the 12th century. It is therefore thought that the legend of Beowulf is older than Arthur. 

The first mention of Arthur was made by a Welsh monk by the name of Nennius. He didn't call Arthur "king". He called him "Dux Bellorum", meaning "Lord of the Battle". The name Beowulf is thought to mean either "Bee-Wolf" or "Bear Wolf". However, there is another school of thought that says it means "Battle Wolf".  Also, some experts believe that the name "Arthur" has been modernized from the original word "Art", meaning "Bear". So, again, both individuals share an attribute. Their contemporaries may have referred to them as "Bear".

I do need to mention that the story of Beowulf takes place in Denmark, while the legend of Arthur is said to take place in England. Many scholars believe, however, that Arthur is based on a local Welsh hero or deity. Beowulf is probably based on an ancient Scandinavian folklore, or possibly an actual warrior whose name is lost to history.

It would be plausible for both legends to come from a single, distant source. Beowulf was said to be a Geat, a warrior tribe from southern Sweden. In the poem, he travels to the court of Hrothgar, king of the Danes, a tribe from Denmark. With both tribes being seafaring people, it wouldn't have taken much for stories of a great warrior to travel between the region of the Geats and Danes, to Northern Scotland. 

"Northern Europe" courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

If you've read anything about the Celtic tribes, you know they were a vast, warrior society. However, each region had its own cast of larger-than-life characters. Each clan had its own heroes it loved to brag about. Heroes such as Finn McCool, who helped build the Giant's Causeway, and Cu Chulain, who fought against the infamous Queen Medb of Connaught in the Cattle Raid of Cooley. Could Arthur and/or Beowulf be a manifestation of either of these demigods? Or just a local legend that took on a life of its own?

For all the similarities between Arthur and Beowulf, there are just as many differences. Could the legends of both Arthur and Beowulf be long forgotten memories of a mighty warrior? Or several perhaps? Of are they ancient tales of even older stories told around the fires of the Celtic clans? 

Perhaps they are the ancient origins of our modern-day superheroes. Proof that we, as humans, will always be drawn to great heroes who come when we need them most, simply to save the day. 

Until next time,
Miss Chris!!!

Christine Graves has been writing for more than 30 years. She runs several blogs including Priestess of Words, Collected Keepsakes, and Mystic Realms, all of which are part of her company, Graves Publications. She also writes for a platform called Medium.com, in which she runs a few publications.

The Sinister Story of Spring-Heeled Jack

 

"Spring-Heeled Jack" by Christine Graves via Leonardo AI

Though I grew up in Rural Nebraska, I loved the stories of Old England. As an ancient history fanatic, I read all I could about characters such as Boudicca, Queen Maeve, King Arthur, Merlin, and many others. However, I also have a fascination with Victorian London. I can't explain it, but I feel as though I was supposed to be there during that time.

I've probably read every story about Jack the Ripper produced up to the mid-1980s. I was obsessed. As I read a few of those tales, I came across a legend about an individual called Spring-Heeled Jack. He wasn't as popular as Jack the Ripper, but he was a lot more mysterious. 

A few of the things I read claimed that they were one and the same. I find that difficult to believe as the events happened 50 years apart. However, if you subscribe to the theory that he was more than just a man, I guess it could happen.

I hadn't thought of this story for quite some time, then he suddenly leapt into my brain. I decided that I'd let Spring-Heeled Jack lead the way for my first real post. So, here's what I've learned.

The Legend of Spring-Heeled Jack

In the autumn of 1837, a London businessman claimed to have been confronted by a sinister individual dressed in a long cloak with malicious intent. It was said the individual had the ability to leap great distances, had glowing red eyes, and claws for hands. 

Within only a few months, several incidents were to be attributed to Spring-Heeled Jack. Young women were beginning to report that he had attacked them in the night, tearing at their clothes and clawing at their bellies. There were even some reports that claimed he would spray a blue liquid from his mouth onto his victims. 

In early 1838, the mayor of London formally recognized the growing concern in his city. Though he may not have believed every story that came across his desk, he did read a letter during a public session that claimed to have known the possible identity of the individual known as Spring-Heeled Jack. 

The letter described a group of friends who were virtually daring their most adventurous member, to create as much havoc as possible. He was said to have dressed as a bear, a ghost, and even the devil himself. However, from there, the legend grew.

Stories of Spring-Heeled Jack grew more and more exaggerated as time went by. He was said to have been seen throughout the British Isles, including Scotland. There was even some speculation that the gentleman may have been an Irish nobleman who was known for his drunken escapades. 

Though the actual events took place in the early 19th century, stories of Spring-Heeled Jack continued well into the 20th century. He was thought to be everything from a demon to an alien, and even possibly one of the fae folk. He became the monster parents would tell their children about when trying to get them to behave.

As I read through some of the stories of Spring-Heeled Jack, I couldn't help but wonder if Robert Louis Stevenson got the idea of Mr. Hyde from some of these stories. Maybe that's just my more modern outlook and the fact that I thought The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen had the best Mr. Hyde, EVER!!!

"Mr. Hyde" by Christine Graves via Leonardo AI

Though I've always been a lover of ancient tales, there's something to be said for modern mythologies. They remind us that we still believe in dark forces, we still fear monsters, and we still get scared at the things that go bump in the night. 

Now that's something to sleep on. 

Until next time,
Christine Graves--AKA--The Librarian

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Christine Graves has been writing for more than 30 years. She runs several blogs including Priestess of Words, Collected Keepsakes, and Mystic Realms, all of which are part of her company, Graves Publications. She also writes for a platform called Medium.com, in which she runs a few publications.

Christine is also an avid crafter and multi-media artist. She runs two online stores. Prairied Treasures is where she showcases her handmade greeting cards and other multi-media art, and Pathways through the Past is where she sells her AI art creations on a wide variety of products.

If you'd like to stay up to date with everything she's got going on, you can sign up for her Graves Publications newsletter.

Digging a Treasure Out of the Trash

 

Hello everyone. I'd like to introduce myself once again. My name is Christine Graves and I've been writing for more than 30 years. I started this little blog as a place to blow off steam during the Covid lockdown. As you can see, I didn't get a lot done on this site. 

However, I could never bring myself to shut it down. Something told me to just leave it alone as it might come in handy in the future. Well, the future has arrived. 

I've always had a fascination with histories, mysteries, and mythologies. I know more about the ancient world than I do with what's going on in the world today. I love the old stories and the tales from civilizations that no longer exist. The further back in time I can go, the better. 

As such, I've spent decades learning all I can about the ancient world, ancient mysteries, and the paranormal. I won't say I'm totally open-minded to everything I read and/or hear, but I am one of those "why not" type of people.

A few years back, I wrote for a multi-blogging site and compiled tons of information on everything from vampires and werewolves, to gods and aliens. I wanted to compile a library of information that would allow readers to find just about anything they could want to find. I've decided to use this site to do just that.

Now, with that being said, it's not going to happen overnight. I have a bad habit of jumping into these endeavors with both feet only to find out I can't swim. This time, I need to take things slowly and pay attention to details. 

This is also going to be more like an old-school blog. Yes, there will be a lot of my own beliefs in these passages, but I won't expect anyone to change their opinion based on mine. I'll simply state the facts as I find them. Or at least what's deemed as fact right now. 

I invite you to come along as we add new volumes to the library and build minds in the Mystic Realms.

Until next time,
Miss Chris!!!

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Christine Graves has been writing for more than 30 years. She runs several blogs including Priestess of Words, Collected Keepsakes, and Mystic Realms, all of which are part of her company, Graves Publications. She also writes for a platform called Medium.com, in which she runs a few publications.

Christine is also an avid crafter and multi-media artist. She runs two online stores. Prairied Treasures is where she showcases her handmade greeting cards and other multi-media art, and Pathways through the Past is where she sells her AI art creations on a wide variety of products.

If you'd like to stay up to date with everything she's got going on, you can sign up for her Graves Publications newsletter.