Oh that was really good. Great question, great hints, great answer!

DreamTrawler wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 05, 2024 6:20 pm

Hominidae wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 05, 2024 6:11 pm

Prester John

Yup, there it is!

Mentioned once in Much Ado About Nothing, and sometimes said to be a descendant of one of the Three Magi. First appearance either in a Latin chronicle by a German priest in 1145, or in a letter addressed to the Byzantine emperor in 1165.

The last clue really helped. I decided that Christianity was the main reason for medieval northwestern Europeans thinking about other continents, so I looked up "Christian folklore" and found him in the Wikipedia category.

Next thread will be up soon!

Hominidae wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 05, 2024 6:11 pm

Prester John

Yup, there it is!

Mentioned once in Much Ado About Nothing, and sometimes said to be a descendant of one of the Three Magi. First appearance either in a Latin chronicle by a German priest in 1145, or in a letter addressed to the Byzantine emperor in 1165.

Prester John

These are all good hints, but still leave me baffled.

Alright, I have a final hint that I think will be very helpful: though this figure originated in Europe, he is not a European himself.

DreamTrawler wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 03, 2024 10:42 pm

Here’s my hint - though this figure is certainly fictional, I would not say he originated in a “work of fiction” per se.

Bumping this hint as well.

Hint 2: This figure is sometimes said to be *descended from* a character that is commemorated on an annual holiday or cultural practice

Hominidae wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 04, 2024 7:40 pm

I have to say, it has been fun trawling folklore articles on Wikipedia for potential answers.

Here is another approach you can use. Take a look at:

https://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/concordance/

This is a list of every word that appears in one (or more) Shakespeare plays. Presumably the answer is somewhere in these lists.

You would presumably want to search at the bottom of each list (for the words that only appear once or twice).

Caution: proper names are not capitalized in the list.

Hominidae wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 04, 2024 7:40 pm

I have to say, it has been fun trawling folklore articles on Wikipedia for potential answers.

Trawling dreams, perhaps?

I have to say, it has been fun trawling folklore articles on Wikipedia for potential answers.

Hint 1: While I do not think this figure has appeared in an English language poem, he is mentioned very briefly in a Shakespeare play.

1,2,3,4,6,9,10,12. Fictional human first introduced 1199 or earlier
5,7,8. Not first introduced in a book, graphic novel, comic, movie, or TV show
11, 19. Male Christian
13. Originated in the folklore or mythology of a place in Europe
14, 15. Not from Greek, Roman, Norse, or Celtic mythology
16. Does not have supernatural powers
17. Not commemorated on an annual holiday or cultural practice
18. Not featured in a well-known musical work
20. Not written down for the first time in a Romance language, or by a native speaker of a Romance language (not including Latin)

Passed:
Did this character originate in what is now Western Europe (under the UN geoscheme) or Ireland?
Did this character appear in an English-language poem? (though I think the answer is no)

NOT:
King Arthur (Hominidae)
Roland (Hanging Rook)
Renaud de Montauban (cdngooner)

Hominidae wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 04, 2024 6:27 pm

Was this character's story written down for the first time in a Romance language, or by a native speaker of a Romance language? (Latin is not a Romance language.)

No to the best of my knowledge. Also I think this is the 20th question, so perhaps I will give some hints

Was this character's story written down for the first time in a Romance language, or by a native speaker of a Romance language? (Latin is not a Romance language.)

cdngooner wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 04, 2024 5:06 pm

I'm very interested to see who this will be. The same time period as Roland would be the High Middle Ages, and the folkloric characters I can think of have been eliminated: Tristan (and Isolde) is clearly Celtic, so no pass. Abelard (and Eloise) is a real person (I was surprised to find out). Lohengrin was the subject of a famous opera.

I'm going to guess Renaud de Montauban, and after that I'm probably tapped out.

Not Renaud.

I'm very interested to see who this will be. The same time period as Roland would be the High Middle Ages, and the folkloric characters I can think of have been eliminated: Tristan (and Isolde) is clearly Celtic, so no pass. Abelard (and Eloise) is a real person (I was surprised to find out). Lohengrin was the subject of a famous opera.

I'm going to guess Renaud de Montauban, and after that I'm probably tapped out.

Hanging Rook wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 04, 2024 4:47 pm

Male christian?

Yes.

Male christian?

Spartaculous wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 04, 2024 3:32 pm

Is there a well-known musical work featuring this character?

If yes, I guess Siegfried.

No (using my own judgment for well-known).