Turning Totally Hawesome

It is a curiosity of the evolution of language that two words should evolve independently to mean the same thing. But when two such words evolve with near-exact spelling and pronunciation — and from such completely different origins, it can be considered a thing unique and therefore worthy of exploration and study.

"Awe" is derived from the Middle English root word "agi," a state of inspiration, stupefaction, or in its very earliest meaning, dread. From the root, the etymology of the word "awesome" is easily understood and well documented. For example, one might consider the Great Pyramids as "awesome to behold," or the construction of Eiffel's Tower in Paris as "an awesome feat of engineering."

In later years, the term has evolved (or devolved, according to linguistic purists) as an exclamation of amazement, wonder, admiration, or general coolness. The word is often enhanced with a modifier, i.e. "totally awesome" or "fucking HAWESOME!"

What is interesting to note — and it is that note of interest to which the remainder of this monograph will devote itself — is that a nigh-identical term has evolved to mean the same thing. I am referring, of course, to the word hawesome. Although considered a term of recent coinage, in fact hawesome entered the lexicon centuries ago and has enjoyed a long if little known history, thanks in large part to the prestigious family whose surname birthed the term.

The name Hawesome first appears in its earliest form in the 11th century Domesday Book, the famous document commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman invasion of England. There we find a listing for "Hawson, Earl Stryker (or Stryper, as it is written in some copies)," with minor land holdings in Devon and Cornwall.

This family next appears in the historical record during the late 13th century, when Lord Paul, Tenth Earl of Hawson, answered the call of King Edward I to assist in quelling the Scottish rebellion. In a well-known but unverified story, during one engagement with the Highlander rebels, Hawson found himself face-to-face with none other than Sir William Wallace, already a famous hero of Scotland and feared by the English for his reputation as a fighter (as depicted in numerous historical accounts and most recently in a popular theatrical film release starring Mel Gibson). Armed with only a broken sword and a strip of moistened cow hide which he used as a whip, Hawson fought Wallace to a draw and the two left the field of battle, still enemies but now with mutual admiration.

It is said that when rallying his Highlanders in later battles, Wallace often entreated his men to "fight like Hawson." Over time, the men under Wallace's command reduced it to a rallying cry of one word--"Hawson!" Eventually, as will happen when thousands of men with accents shout the same term, the word was muddled and became "Hawesome!" In the history of warfare, it has not been uncommon for armies to appropriate the battle songs or rallying cries of its enemies as a way of taunting them (perhaps the best known example is the song "Yankee Doodle" which originated as a British tune to insult the insurgent American colonists, but was later appropriated by the colonists and became so beloved it is considered one of the country's musical treasures). However, this instance does mark the only known occurrence in recorded history when an army used the very name of one of its nobleman foes as a rallying cry.

It is not clear when Lord Hawson learned of this. However, it is known that he considered Wallace's use of his name a signal honor and indeed so admired the man himself that when Wallace was captured in 1305, Hawson personally pleaded with King Edward to spare the rebel leader's life, a plea that was ignored. It is said that Hawson was so incensed by Edward's actions that when the king himself died two years later, the earl changed his name to suit the battle cry (the king's son, Edward II, was a weak king and too busy with other matters--such as finally granting Scotland its freedom--to notice). Thus was born the House of Hawesome.

Chapter 2 - Hawesome New World