Giving Birth to a Shieldmaiden.

Giving birth to my Shieldmaiden has been a long, sometimes painful, experience. I always knew I had to write a book about Vikings. It felt like it was my duty as a Scandinavian to educate the British about our shared heritage and rescue these deluded people from the notion that Vikings was all about the ‘rape and pillage’ by wild Northmen of peaceful, Christian Anglo Saxons.

 
It took a long time. Life got in the way; mortgage, career, travel. It took a dream to get me started. I dreamt that I woke up. I opened my eyes, it was dark, I could smell wood-smoke, wet dogs and damp woollen clothes. I could hear the rustle made when mice scurried among the reeds covering the floor. When my eyes got used to the dark I discerned tall rafters supporting a steep roof. I’m Swedish, I know a Viking longhouse when I see one. This was the 10^th Century and I was very old. Aches and pains stopped me going back to sleep and I fell to reminiscing about my life.
 
The next morning, after waking up properly, back in the 21^st Century, I began writing the story of Sigrid Kveldulfsdaughter. I don’t believe in reincarnation or spirits, it was a dream, nothing more. It doesn’t actually matter how it came about and when people ask if Sigrid is me, I just tell them that, although I may look it, I’m not over a thousand years old.
 

I thought my Scandinavian background and my past as a student of History would be enough and I’d get this book written pretty quickly. And the gods in Asgard laughed at my hubris.

 

Why, oh why, did I set the story in Cumbria? Of course I’d been to Buttermere on holiday and loved it there. But describing life there in the 10^th Century threw up some difficult questions. Was it part of Strathclyde or Northumbria? To whom would the Viking settlers there pledge their allegiance? I assumed that the Cumbrian Vikings, being predominantly Norse, would support the Dublin kings in their claims on the crown of what I have called the Kingdom of Jorvik. Above all, I felt safe setting them against the Saxons. But what was their relationship to Strathclyde and the Scots?
 

Forget about nation states, forget about boundaries. This is a time of personal power based on a network of supporters. A centre of power, Jorvik for example, had its sphere of interest where its ruler collected tribute, could call up an army and keep law and order. That influence diminished the further from the centre you got. Several centres worked together as less powerful chieftains added their spheres of interest to the strongest one. A king was only as safe and as powerful as the support he was afforded by his followers. The commitment was based on mutual duties and rewards; the king was supposed to show generosity towards his supporters in the form of gifts of land and gold.

 Sigrid lives in the area of Buttermere and Loweswater. This was a border zone between the interests of Viking Northumbria/Jorvik, Strathclyde and the expanding Saxons intent on conquering all England. It was difficult terrain for an army or even for tax collectors. The Norse Viking communities seem to have had a fair amount of independence or at least choice whom to submit to. There were local Thing gatherings and many of the Thing mounds where they discussed matters of common interest, voted and held law court have been identified. I decided that Sigrid and her family would attend the Thing at Fellfoot in Little Langdale.

 

The first book, Shieldmaiden, features the battle of Brunnanburgh. The problem here is that nobody knows where that took place. Eminent historians differ on the matter and here was I, a mere novelist, having to settle on a place. I did. Then a group including the Professor of Viking Studies at Nottingham University decided on a site on the Wirral. So, assuming they must be right, I re-wrote a whole chapter. I have since learnt about yet another possible site for the battle which I actually find more credible but what’s been put in print has to stand.

 

Historical accuracy is important to me. I learnt a lot of History through fiction and I believe that historical novelists have a duty to present to their readers a scenario that is at the very least not impossible.  But we can only be as accurate as the sources we use. The Vikings had no written language apart from the runes and the inscriptions on stones tell us very little:  “Thorstein went to England with Canute and died there,” for example. So most of the contemporary sources are manuscripts written by monks and priests. The Anglo Saxon Chronicles were commissioned by King Alfred the Great to give his family a history, to justify their claim to power and to generally make them seem good. Much of what’s written there comes under the heading of ‘well, he would say that, wouldn’t he?’

 
There are six versions of the Anglo Saxon Chronicles and they sometimes disagree even about basic facts like the year of an event and the names of people involved. This held me up when I wanted to describe a battle at Leicester. Two separate dates 941 and 943, only the first name of the Viking king given: Anlaf. Unfortunately there were two Anlafs; one was King of Jorvik in 941, the other in 943. I decided there had been two battles, subsequent events made this quite plausible or at least not impossible.
 

Written sources are prone to be biased so you’d have thought that archaeology would provide some certainty. Not so. Finds have to be interpreted. To me and to most Scandinavians the notion of women warriors, shieldmaidens, is neither new nor overly contentious. Many graves contain evidence of powerful women and some of those also contain weapons. The ideas that ‘she must have looked after them for her husband’ or ‘they were ceremonial’ or ‘not actually weapons at all’, were all new to me. I was taught in school that both boys and girls in Viking times learnt to ride, swim and use bow and arrow, that when the men were away trading or raiding women needed to be able to defend the farmstead.

 

Likewise, I find it strange when people explain away the writings by Adam of Bremen or Saxo Grammaticus claiming they were told lies or misunderstood when people told them about warrior women. And that’s before we even get into myths and legends preserved in folk-memory. Most of all I have on occasion been saddened by the vitriol with which some people conduct what should be a grown-up discussion based on evidence. For myself I am satisfied that some women did fight and some women were warriors. As far as I know there’s no evidence for women taking part in raids but we know they accompanied raiding parties and invading armies of Vikings. Maybe it just made sense for them to at least be able to fend for themselves.

So I wrote a novel about a woman who became a warrior. I told it the way I dreamt it when I woke up in that longhouse and remembered a life as Shieldmaiden.

 

Marianne Whiting

 

A Viking Settlement

A Viking Settlement.

Photo by Jon Whiting from Lejre outdoor museum near Roskilde in Denmark.

Most Viking settlements were probably farmsteads inhabited by an extended family or, where the land was fertile enough to support more people, small villages. Where the novel Shieldmaiden is set, around the lakes of Loweswater and  Buttermere in Cumbria, in the mid-10th Century the most likely scenario is that of farmsteads. So this picture could well show something similar to what Sigrid's home looked like; a collection of houses surrounded by a fence.

    Photo by Marianne Whiting of reconstructed Viking longhouse from South Sweden.
There is little archaeological evidence from Viking buildings in Cumbria. There are, as I discussed in an earlier post, lots of place names but the only excavation of a Viking house, outside York, that I know of is the one at Ribblehead. there may of course be many more that are buried under buildings still standing today. Ribblehead consists of three buildings, a main house which looks much like the ones in the picture and two smaller ones used perhaps as dairy and workshop. The walls of the main Ribblehead house are stone-built with a thick layer of soil between the wall and the sides of the roof which almost touches the ground. They knew about insulation and with the central hearth these houses were probably quite cosy.

    Photo as above.

This gives you some idea of the construction with a framework of beams holding up the roof-timbers. The picture is taken about half way along the house. It looks a bit empty and sad but would have been furnished with wall-hangings and benches covered in blankets and furs.

    Photo by Jon Whiting from Ribe Viking Centre in Denmark.

This gives a better impression of what the hearth would look like even if this one is from a larger building. There would also, within the enclosed farmstead, be smaller buildings such as a dairy, a stable, store houses and barns. Well away from other buildings was the smithy.

    Photo by Marianne Whiting from Foteviken Viking Village in Sweden.

Just to show an alternative building technique using horizontal planks and a turf roof. This is a very small house and some of the cooking is likely to have taken place outside as the hearth is quite small.

Photo as above.

A Viking Hall

Photo from Ribe Vikinge Center, Ribe, Denmark by Marianne Whiting.

The above longhouse or chieftain's hall is rather grand but I imagine this to be something like Jarl Sigurd's hall at Lade. Inside there are rooms partitioned off for the chieftain and his family and a great hall.

Photo as above.

The family had beds with curtains to keepout the cold and to give some privacy. I'm never quite sure whether they had sheets. Icelandic sagas speak of bed linen but they were written up 300 years or so after the event and may well reflect life in that time. Woven blankets, cured skins and fleeces are certain as were bolsters filled with straw. In the picture someone has put up a wooden pole to do some tablet weaving from.

photo as above.

This is part of the main hall. a raised hearth in the centre, pots and pans and meat and fish drying out above the fire. On the right hand side are the raised platforms that serve as seating and beds for servants, housekarls and guests. There were also store rooms but in this type of house the byre and stables would be in separate buildings. So imagine the Jarl, his royal guest and his family at the table on the dais to the left, the rest of the household on the seating along the walls with trestle tables full of food and drink.

Shieldmaiden in Cumbria.

Photo by Marianne Whiting

A reader recently asked about the exact location of the places I mention in Shieldmaiden. Not the villages and lakes, they are where they are but Becklund, Buttermere Farm etc and what route did Sigrid take when she walked from Becklund to Swanhill .

First a general admission; I haven't been able to find out exactly what the four lakes, the many rivers and the streams looked like 1000+ years ago. Rivers and streams will have changed their courses and, for some reason, I am convinced that there would also have been more water in the lakes. I have assumed this for three reasons.,

1)                          Travel was so much easier and safer on water and the Norse settlers would surely have come by boat.

2)                           I read somewhere that Crummockwater and Buttermere were one lake and became separated when the bit in the middle silted up, Loweswater was supposedly connected to them by a navigable river, presumably Park Beck and Dub Beck. I don't know when this was though.

3)                          We help ourselves to quite a lot of water from various lakes and rivers. 

All this is conjecture. Was the River Cocker even navigable? I'm still researching this for the sequel to Shieldmaiden.

            The other question is about tree-cover. Generally there were no more trees in England as a whole in the 10th Century than there is now but what was it like in specific localities? Loweswater means leafy lake so that would seem straighforward, Keskadale holds the remains of an ancient oak-forest but around Buttermere and other places I can only guess.

So for the question about locations:

 Becklund. Originally I had the farm down by Loweswater Lake, around where Watergate farm is today but because I didn't know about the water-level in the lake and because the hill behind it seemed a bit steep I changed it to somewhere around Kirkgate Farm. That is elevated enough should Park Beck have been wider in those days and low enough for fields and meadows.

There is another point about Loweswater. Many places beginning in Kirk, Kirkgate, Kirkhill, Kirkgill. This could refer to the site of a heathen temple which may have been later taken over by the Christian Church. The closeness to an ancient earthworks is evocative. More research needed.

Swanhill I have imagined roughly by Whins. I chose that because the footpath from Crummockwater to Ennerdale Water comes out around there. It follows a gap in the hills and is likely to have been well used over the centuries.

Buttermere Farm I think is between the Bridge Hotel and the little chapel on the road to Keskadale. Not too close to the lake of Buttermere, hidden by trees of which I have decided (!) there were more. Mill Beck is today surrounded by trees that look like remains of older woodland and I have imagined this as stretching further in all directions.

The route Sigrid uses from Loweswater along Mosedale is the present footpath along the Western slope of Mellbreak. I have walked it a few times and it looks like it could take a horse whereas on the other side of the valley it looks steeper and the valley floor itself is rather boggy.

The route from Swanhill by Ennerdale Water to Crummockwater follows the footpath marked on the OS map, past Floutern Tarn.

There are remains of a thingmound in Little Langdale by Fell Foot Farm and I settled for that as a likely assembly for Sigrid and her family to attend.

Cumbrian Vikings – places mentioned in Shieldmaiden.

A friend asked about my use of modern English names for places mentioned in Shieldmaiden and to be honest it wasn’t something I had though about. Below is some information I have, very belatedly, dug out from Robert Ferguson, The Northmen in Cumberland and Westmoreland, (1856), a leaflet: Place Names in the Lake District from The National Park Information Service and Wikipedia.

Buttermere. I love the area around Buttermere. The legend about how the Vikings from Manx, on the run from the wrath of Harald Finehair, settled in Buttermere was my inspiration for Shieldmaiden. There are two conflicting explanations for this name.

It could mean "the lake by the dairy pastures".

It could also be "Buthar's mere" and this agrees with the local tradition about the Norse chieftain Jarl Buthar or Boethar who in late 11^th and early 12^th centuries conducted a campaign of running resistance against the Norman invaders. Jarl Buthar is a semi-mythological figure. He is apparently mentioned in 12th century Norman documents, but much of his story appears to be based on local legend and archaeology. Nicholas Size's "The Secret Valley " tells of Jarl Buthar's campaign. For almost half a century it's claimed that the Cumbrians fought a guerrilla war against the Normans, attacking supply wagons, ambushing patrols and inflicting great losses until, in a final battle at Rannerdale ("Ragnar's dale"), the Anglo-Scandinavian Cumbrians were defeated by the Normans.

Legend it may be but it is very attractive except that it creates a problem for me as Shieldmaiden is set in the middle of the 10^th Century, 100 years or more before Jarl Boethar.  So maybe I’ll have to stick to the dairy-pastures as the origin of the name Buttermere while hanging my head in shame at not having checked up on this before. Or could Jarl Boethar have taken his name from where he lived? It happened.

Becklund is a made up name for the farm by Loweswater where Sigrid grew up. There is a Becklund in Sweden and I spent my childhood’s summers there. Beck means stream and a lund is a grove, possibly a holy place for worship and sacrifice. It’s a perfectly respectable name for a farm.

Loweswater ‘Laufsasaervatn’ means leafy lake.

Honister comes from Hogni, a man’s name and ter from tadir meaning place. It doesn’t necessarily mean that Hogni lived there, he may have been buried there as the Vikings liked to be buried, or at least have their stones and/or mounds, in prominent places where they could be seen by lots of people who would then remember them and their great deeds ( or villainous exploits, depending on your point of view).

Honister Hause. Hause, from ‘hals’ meaning neck and its derivative haw means a low area between hills ie a pass.

Swanhill. I have to apologise for this one, not only is it made up but it isn’t even a Viking place-name. It should have been Heltrehaugr from heltre, swan, and haugr, one of several words for hill. My imaginary Swanhill is near the end of the footpath from Crummockwater to Ennerdale Water.

Ennerdale, early  spelling Ananderdale from the personal name Anund and dale which means valley.

Floutern Tarn. There’s more than one of these in the Lake District but the one I have in mind lies between Crummockwater and Ennerdale. The footpath passes quite close to it.

Crummockwater. Crooked lake or could be Cromboc or Crumbeck from the man’s name Krumr and beck. It was connected to Buttermere until a narrow stretch silted up and divided them.

Keswick in the Dark Ages and the early medieval period was part of the Kingdom of Strathclyde. The Vikings arrived in the 10th century and are thought to have come as invited settlers rather than as invaders, perhaps for economic reasons or possibly to bolster Strathclyde’s southern border against incursion by the Northumbrians. The Norsemen were great traders and farmers, and are thought to have introduced the Herdwik sheep whose ancestors doubtless provided milk for the industry that gave Keswick its name: it means ‘cheese town’ from Cese and wic.

Keskadale, I have not been able to find a translation for but it is in the Newlands valley which until 13^th century was known as Rogersat or Rogersyde which was derived from “Roger-Saetr”, which translates as Summer pasture belonging to Roger. My own thought on Keskadale is that it could be to do with cese, cheese, same as Keswick.

Jorvik/York. I never even considered using the modern name, thinking Jorvik is familiar to most people. When describing Sigrid and Ansgar’s visit I made good use of ‘Jorvik a Viking City’ from York Archaeological Trust.

Scarborough, Skarthi’s fort, an indulgence on my part as it is another place I like to visit and the legend of Skarthi building the settlement on the slope of the old Roman fort is well established. Skarthi was a nick-name for someone with a hare-lip.

Blog entry by Emma Keir from the Grassroutes Project about the launch of Shieldmaiden.

Picture by Rod Duncan

Book Launch: Shieldmaiden by Marianne Whiting

            On Thursday 6^th December Marianne Whiting, poet, novelist and member of Leicester writer's club released her novel Shieldmaiden. The evening, at Leicester Adult Eduction College, consisted of Marianne's witty introduction to her novel, readings from the manuscript and an intriguing historical background into its context.

            Marianne begins her talk by telling the audience about her Scandinavian heritage. The author grew up on historical fiction, yet she felt frustrated that most roles allocated to women were limited. The exception seemed to be the Viking era. She tells us her usual responses to her Scandinavian heritage: a joke about Vikings, “either a leer or sneer but always the same words: Vikings, oh yes, rape and pillage”.

            Marianne had always intended to write a book about Vikings, and Shieldmaiden has taken years in the making. She tells the room “when I first began writing Shieldmaiden I was very arrogant thinking that being Scandinavian and a student of history I wouldn't really need to do much research”. Yet as the evening goes on, her dedication to her formed research is clear for all to see.

            The gap in her knowledge, she tells us, turned out to be about Viking settlers in Cumbria. The novelist continues to give us an interesting background into British history. Marianne explains she was a historian before becoming a novelist, but she was, as she puts it: “a lousy historian because I had so much imagination”. However, she has evidently maintained an impressive vat of historical knowledge, which keeps everyone in the room fascinated. Even after her launch, the room is buzzing with excited listeners sharing their appreciation of the novel and its author.

            I too, became a new fan of Marianne and couldn't wait to get my hands on a signed copy of Shieldmaiden. I explained to her I was from Grassroutes writing team and she helpfully offered me her transcript from the evening. I gratefully accepted it and eagerly took my seat with my new novel. Within ten minutes, I had already read two chapters and I can tell you now, I cannot wait to read twenty eight more.

By Emma Keir

(Member of Grassroutes writing team and proud owner of Shieldmaiden by Marianne Whiting)

Shieldmaiden is available as e-book and paperback from www.troubador.co.uk/matadorand www.amazon.co.uk ,as e-book from WH Smith and the paperback can be ordered from major book stores if it's not on their shelves.

Cumbrian Vikings, sources and research.

Cumbrian Vikings.

 When I first began writing Shieldmaiden I was very arrogant thinking that being Scandinavian, growing up with legends and sagas and being a student of History I wouldn’t really need to do much research. Please insert hollow laughter here!

The first enormous gap in my knowledge was of course about the Viking settlers in Cumbria. While staying at the Bridge Hotel in Buttermere I came across the tale of the Vikings from the Isle of Man who got a bit uppety and refused to pay tribute to Harald Finehair of Norway. Well, that must be one of the worst miscalculations ever. Harald Finehair’s punishment expeditions were legendary and, when they heard that he’d set sail and was on his way, the Manx Vikings left in a hurry taking their families, animals and all they could carry on their ships. Some of them ended up in Buttermere and Rannerdale.

Jarl Sweyn and his family are based on this tale but here I have exercised the novelist’s prerogative and shaped the events to suit me. Otherwise I have made every effort to stay true to actual events.

The Vikings left practically no written records. The Anglo Saxon Chronicle was written by monks who weren’t over-fond of Vikings and anyway don’t deal with everyday life. So I have used what sources I found, the Anglo Saxon Chronicle, Icelandic Sagas, reports from archaeological digs and secondary sources such as the writing of W.G. Colloingwood and Nicholas Size.

They were both scholars, specialists on the Viking settlers in Cumbria. Collingwood wrote Thorstein of the Mere, a Saga of the Northmen in Lakeland. This saga fills in the gaps that the Historian has to leave alone due to lack of unambiguous evidence or simply lack of any evidence at all. Nicholas Size writes about his novel The Secret Valley, the Real Romance of Unconquered Lakeland : “There are details to imagine and suggestions to make in order to cover points which have not been recorded; and as life is too short for most of us, it seems best to put the facts into the form of a readable story appreciated by the many, instead of into a dry handbook appreciated by the very few.” I couldn’t agree more.

The novelist can continue where the historian must stop and admit that we don’t know.  But to use conjecture and create fiction carries responsibility and, like Collingwood and Size, although I am no longer an academic, I do take that seriously. More about sources and inspiration in my next blog.