King Canute

[Pajama Girl]

An ABer said that King Canute tried to do something about rising sea waters. What did King Canute try to do? I'm suspecting it was a flat failure, so how badly did his actions fail?

[shaneystar2]

Canute is perhaps best remembered for the legend of how he commanded the waves to go back. According to the legend, he grew tired of flattery from his courtiers. When one such flatterer gushed that the king could even command the obedience of the sea, Canute proved him wrong by practical demonstration (at Southampton or Bosham), to demonstrate that even a king's powers have limits. It is quite possible that the legend is even simply pro-Canute propaganda. Unfortunately, however, this legend is usually misunderstood to mean that he believed himself so powerful that the natural elements would obey him, and that his failure to command the tides only made him look foolish.

[Toureman]

good answer here

http://www.inspirationalstories.com/0/91.html

[Pajama Girl]

Thank you both! Great story ... and good lesson.

[willowman]

Actually King Canute sat on the beach and said "I'll turn this tide back if it takes me 12 hours"
Geddit?