The Flowering of the May (Author's Notes)
Feb. 1st, 2004 08:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rosipheleePlease note that this page contains major spoilers for The Flowering of the May. I cannot recommend enough that you read the story first.
As a lot of you will know, Arthuriana is my intellectual passion. I've had a lifelong fascination with Arthurian literature and legends, and I was lucky enough to have the chance to study a number of texts in depths as part of my degree. Until I tackled this, though, I'd never managed to put down my own interpretation. Almost as soon as I began to plan the story I was faced with a number of choices. I thought it might be interesting to explain why I made the choices I did, and to provide a little more information about some of the places Rhys and the others travel through.
I also want to make it clear that, with the exception of the final scene, every step of their journey can be retraced. All these places exist and you are more than welcome to follow along with a map/aerial photograph. For that reason I'm going to plug Google Earth, because I could never have written this without having access to their aerial photographs.
I have divided the notes into sections by day.
Day 1: Westminster to Burnham
Behind her head he could see a vaulted ceiling... - Nim and Rhys are in the Chapter House of Westminster Abbey. The Abbey was originally built on an marshy area between tributaries of the Tyburn River , known as Thorney Island. The original shrine was built during the Anglo-Saxon period after a local fisherman saw a vision of St John floating above the island. The Abbey itself was founded in 1065. It is not traditionally a site for Merlin's grave, but I selected it as the most appropriate site within London.
The Westminster area of London is the oldest settled area, and overlaps with the location of Roman Londinium. The Roman city fell into disrepair at some point during the post-Roman period. The Londinium of Artur's era would have been this Roman city.
Rhys Ambrose - a simple modernisation. The Merlin of popular legend was a combination of two legendary figures. The more significant of the two was Myrddin Emrys, a warrior bard. The name translates to Ambrose of Carmarthen (the mighty wizard Ambrose just doesn't have the same ring, does it?). This name was translated into Latin as Merlinus Ambrosius (the more correct Latinisation - Merdinus - was rejected because it might sound rude to Norman audiences).
Architectural Consultant, Vortiger Practice. - Tennyson characterises Merlin as Arthur's architect, and as builder of Camelot. He took this inspiration from the legend about Merlin having transported Stonehenge from Ireland, and from the story of Merlin and Vortigern, where the weak British king Vortigern seeks the advice of a young Merlin to discover why his new fort keeps collapsing overnight (dragons in the foundations, pesky things). Vortiger is an alternate spelling of Vortigern.
The Chapter House; the back of the Houses of Parliament from behind the Abbey
As he watched another wave came spilling out of the lower windows - the river laps against the walls of Parliament. In a catastrophic situation the water would come through as well as around.
Some island blew up. - Although I've kept the details vague I'm working on a La Palma type situation, wherein a volcanic eruption leads to the collapse or partial collapse of a island. The resulting waves would be up to 25m high when they reached the American coast. The UK would experience lower waves, of between 5 - 7m. This would be enough to overwhelm current flood defences.
Sea defences can’t even hold back a storm these days. - the combination of rising sea levels and the gradual sinking of the south-east of the UK has significantly increased the flood risk for London. The city is built on drained marshlands, and as the city has grown the ground has become more and more compacted. London's sinking.
The current Thames Barrier at Greenwich is due to be replaced in 2030, when it will no longer be fully effective (not through any design flaw - it's a gorgeous bit of engineering). Studies are underway about what should be built to replace it. The most recent suggestion is for a solid barrier further downriver.
Some studies have suggested that, in a worse case scenario, London will not be inhabitable after around 2250.
...grabbed for the doorway as the water dragged at him. - six inches of water is enough to knock a grown man off his feet.
The summer country. - the county of Somerset. The Somerset Levels, around Glastonbury, are barely above sea level. Before they were drained in the 18th century they were underwater in winter and it was only possible to graze cattle on them during the summer, hence the name.
Its driver wore a yellow life-jacket with Metropolitan Police... - the river police have a small number of dinghies for use in flood situations.
"West End’s still dry. Last I heard there were still trains out of Euston and King’s Cross.” - the ground slopes significantly as you leave the river. Euston and King's Cross are high enough not to be affected by flooding of the Thames. Their underground stations may be flooded if the underground River Fleet, which empties into the Thames, became overwhelmed. The Fleet currently passes under King's Cross in a large pipe.
she’s in Brixton - I've taken the flood line as the 10m contour. Brixton, in south London, is just outside this low-lying area.
Leonie Rance. - a play on the name of King Leodegrance, the father of Guinevere in Arthurian Romance.
Wapping’s flooded... - a number of British newspapers have their headquarters in Wapping, on the riverbank, including those owned by Rupert Murdoch (nyah :P)
...the Thames Gateway – it’s just gone. - a yet unbuilt housing project. London has problems providing homes for key workers. The Thames Gateway project will be built on the floodplain east of London to provide affordable homes. Yes, we're going to house our teachers, nurses and emergency workers on a flood plain. No comment.
The cabinet war rooms... - all correct. The areas of London most at risk are the government and financial districts.
Hyde Park and across Holborn and Camden - all far enough north to be out of the flood zone.
Orders are coming through from Hendon... - the police college at Hendon (north London) would assume command of the Metropolitan police in the event of a major terrorist strike or nuclear attack which incapitated central London.
Queen Victoria’s statue regarded the drowned vista with stern disapproval. - all statues of Queen Victoria look disapproving.
Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace.
They used to run them every few minutes for the festival - the Glastonbury festival actually takes place in the village of Pilton (we'll get there later), outside Glastonbury, but she's right about the buses. I've checked.
Jennifer – my daughter – she’s at school in the Barbican. - Jennifer is a modern version of the name Guinevere/Gwenhwyfar. The Barbican is in north London.
as they left the water at their backs halfway up Constitution Hill. - the ground slopes steeply here:
Looking back along Green Park from Constitution Hill.
The Civil Contingency Committee have taken over the Guards Barracks. - Triple C are the body who assume command in an emergency. They include the PM, senior members of the cabinet, senior civil servants, army officers and police commanders.
I say, more crowded than the sales - Oxford Street is one of London's major shopping streets. It's also a major throughfare. It eventually becomes High Holborn and continues into the City in the East. It's entire length would be dry.
They’re only running diesels. - Paddington is the only London terminus which wouldn't be completely shut down by power failures. I was intending to make them walk the whole way until my Mum pointed this out.
someone was reading The Evening Standard. - London's evening paper. It's an appalling tabloid and is on sale everywhere within the greater London area. Everyone reads it (though some pretend they don't). The headline was inspired by the front page on July 07 last year.
The Grand Union Canal... - runs through London and is fed from the Thames.
...muttering about buses to Windsor. - trains do run directly to Windsor from London, but from Waterloo, which would be flooded.
Bridge at Maidenhead - I am a bad person. I have bad-mouthed Brunel. The railway bridge at Maidenhead is one of his and probably wouldn't be washed away by a flood.
Burnham to Stonor Park
Morgan Cornwallis - Morgan is, of course, Arthur's half-sister and the daughter of Gorlois of Cornwall.
Morgan's students - all of the students have Arthurian names, or modern varients on them:
Anna - a common name in the late Roman period. Traditionally the name of Arthur's eldest half-sister.
Gary - Gareth of Orkney, younger brother of Gawain - I've previously written him as Gwalchafed in Such A Sleep.
Gavin - Gawain of Orkney, Arthur's nephew and right-hand man. Also known as Gwalchmai (see Such A Sleep)
Izzy March - Iseult, Queen of Cornwall, wife of King Mark, in love with his nephew Tristan. Tristan's wife was also called Iseult.
Lindsey - Lynnette/Linnet, wife of Sir Gareth of Orkney. I've previously written her as Llinos in Such A Sleep
Niddie - Enid, wife of Geraint.
Rex quondam, rexque futurus. - according to Malory, this inscription could be found on the tomb erected for Arthur at Glastonbury.
...before Ceawlin broke the British. - Ceawlin was the second Saxon Bretwalda (warleader) of Britain from 560 - 591. Aelle of Sussex, the previous warleader, was Bretwalda from (488 - c.514). The dates are from Bede, and that gap is interesting.
No one can get in to stop the fires. - fire engines have low exhausts. They can't drive through water. At the moment there are two aircraft in the UK which can fight fires and they're both based on the coast.
COBRA - another name for the Civil Contingencies Committee.
The king. He’s summoned a fragment of the privy council to Windsor... - constitutionally correct, though how it would work in practice is anyone's guess. Parliament is a function of the monarch's privy council. In the event that no senior members of the government are available, the monarch would be obliged to appoint a new government. Privy Councillors include various ex-prime ministers and senior civil servants, generals etc. If the king was in Windsor, he would be cut off from London but probably accessible by those members of the Privy Council who lived in the south of England.
Ynys Witrin - the old name for Glastonbury. Both names mean Isle/Town of Glass. (Glas - glass, ton - town, bury - fort)
The shelves of the supermarket were empty of bread and milk. - always the first things to go when people panic buy. *rolls eyes*
The old order changeth, yielding place to new - Tennyson, The Death of Arthur:
Then loudly cried the bold Sir Bedivere:
"Ah! my Lord Arthur, whither shall I go?
Where shall I hide my forehead and my eyes?
For now I see the true old times are dead,
When every morning brought a noble chance,
And every chance brought out a noble knight.
Such times have been not since the light that led
The holy Elders with the gift of myrrh.
But now the whole Round Table is dissolved
Which was an image of the mighty world,
And I, the last, go forth companionless,
And the days darken round me, and the years,
Among new men, strange faces, other minds."
And slowly answered Arthur from the barge:
"The old order changeth, yielding place to new,
And God fulfils himself in many ways,
Lest one good custom should corrupt the world.
Comfort thyself: what comfort is in me?
I have lived my life, and that which I have done
May He within himself make pure! but thou,
If thou shouldst never see my face again,
Pray for my soul. More things are wrought by prayer
Than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice
Rise like a fountain for me night and day.
For what are men better than sheep or goats
That nourish a blind life within the brain,
If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer
Both for themselves and those who call them friend?
For so the whole round earth is every way
Bound by gold chains about the feet of God.
But now farewell. I am going a long way
With these thou seëst--if indeed I go
(For all my mind is clouded with a doubt)--
To the island-valley of Avilion;
Where falls not hail, or rain, or any snow,
Nor ever wind blows loudly; but it lies
Deep-meadowed, happy, fair with orchard lawns
And bowery hollows crowned with summer sea,
Where I will heal me of my grievous wound."
Day 3: Stonor Park to Langdon Hill
...the road continued to rise into a long stone bridge. - the bridge over the Thames at Wallingford is over 900 feet long. There's been a bridge here since 1141. It was at Wallingford that William the Conqueror forded the Thames on his way to London after the battle of Hastings. The remains of Saxon fortifications survive in the town.
Day 4: Langdon Hill to Letcombe Bassett
The Ridgeway - the Ridgeway is a prehistoric chalk track which runs for 85 miles from Tring to Avebury. It may have existed since Britain was part of mainland Europe. The path runs along the highest ground all the way, avoiding what would have been marshy or forested land in the valleys below. It's still clearly maintained along its entire length. Although it's popular with off-road drivers, it remains a path and bridleway rather than a road.
They lunched at Scutchamer Knob... - said to be the burial place of Cwichelm of Wessex, a ruthless excavation in the mid nineteenth century has left the mound crescent shaped. It used to be the moot point of the men of Berkshire. And of course I didn't include it just because of the name. No, really ;)
We’ll pass Dragon Hill tomorrow... - Dragon Hill is below the White Horse at Uffington. No grass grows on the hilltop, which is exposed chalk. It is said to be the place where St George killed the dragon, whose blood was so toxic it poisoned the ground forevermore. Alternatively, it marks an English victory over the Danes, whose blood poisoned the earth. At one point, Uther Pendragon was believed to be buried under the hill.
She was dressed in layers of tunics... - Morgan's outfit is based on woman's clothing of the late Roman Empire.
Go back to the Dumnonii... - the Dumnonii were the British tribe of Devon and Cornwall, where Gorlois would have lived. I have posited that Gorlois, like others of his generation, was a Romano-British military governor who remained when the legions left.
Day 5: Letcombe Bassett to Wayland's Smithy
[Pa oedd] tri hael enys Prydein?
Nud Hael mab Senyllt,
Mordaf Hael mab Seruan,
Ryderch Hael mab Tudwal Tutclyt.
Ac Arthur ehun oedd haelach no’r tri!
Adapted from the Welsh of the Red Book of Carmarthen. This is one of the oldest of the Triads and means:
[Who are] the three generous men of Britain?
Nud the Generous, son of Senyllt,
Mordaf the Generous, son of Seruan,
Ryderch the Generous, son of Tudwal Tutclyt.
But Arthur himself was more generous than the three!
Please forgive any errors in my Welsh. I don't speak the modern language, let alone the medieval one.
By midday they had circled Uffington Castle... - an ancient British hill fort. A possible site for Badon. The White Horse is cut into the chalk on the hillside below. Lindsey's story is a genuine local one.
Weyland, Volundr, the old Saxon Smith God. - the Smith God Weyland married a swan wife. Unfortunately and inevitably, she found her wings and flew away, leaving him distraught. He turned all his skill to forging rings, copies of the one she had left him. When word of this reached King Nidud he had the smith captured and hamstrung, and then imprisoned him on an island to forge treasures. Weyland continued to make rings and obey the king until the king's daughter stole one of the rings. In vengeance, Weyland tempted each of the king's children to his island. He killed the sons, making their skulls into goblets for the king and their teeth into a string of pearls for the queen. He then raped and impregnated the girl. His revenge complete, he made himself wings and flew away from his imprisonment.
The Smithy is an ancient burial chamber which has become associated with Weyland. Over the centuries he has come to be seen as a kinder figure. Local lore has it that if you leave your horse and a silver coin outside the smithy, it will be shod by morning. The Smith is notoriously unfond of company, though.
There were dragons there, black-winged and vast... - Merlin's great prophecy told of a battle between the White Dragon of the Saxons and the Red Dragon of the British, who was Arthur.
he turned in time to see two ravens coast down... - we're not in Celtic myth any more.
He made the sword. The old man. - another Berkshire tradition has it that Weyland forged Excalibur.
You’ll dream ghost-dreams.” - numerous British traditions say that someone who sleeps on a burial mound or among standing stones will awake a poet or a madman.
cunning-man - an ancient term for a folk-healer or wise man. There have been cunning-folk recorded in Britain since the early medieval period.
His teeth, long and crooked, had grooves filed into them. - Viking skeletons have been found with this feature. Weyland's a Viking God too and I thought it suited him. They are probably a symbol of strength and endurance (think how much it would hurt).
Day 6: Waylands Smithy to Barbury Castle
She blushed a little. “Not the original one." - she threw it in a lake. :)
Don’t you know who his uncle is? - I couldn't work out exactly how Weyland fitted into the Germanic pantheon but they're all related to Woden somehow. And I don't need to explain about Woden and mead, do I?
Liddington Castle - another Iron Age hill fort. Also a possible site of Badon.
Barbury Castle, another hill fort. - also a possible site for Badon. Definitely the site of the Battle of Beranburh :(
Why do you think the Wild Hunt ride? - they ride from Herne's Oak in Windsor, anyway.
Artur is three years older than your Lanslod there. - Lancelot was traditionally the foster child of the first Lady of the Lake.
Day 7: Barbury castle to Avebury
Don’t start about the bloody monoliths - there's lots of them in Avebury. Avebury is one of the major Neolithic sites in Europe. It consists of a great henge containing three circles of stones and avenues leading into the henge. Almost no stones are still standing in the inner circles. The village is sited within the circle.
It was an old routemaster - routemaster buses are the traditional red London buses which have recently been discontinued. They have an iconic status in the UK and a devoted fanbase. The most notable things about them are the seperate driver's cab and the open platform at the back of the bus which allows people to jump on and off, often while the bus is in motion.
Road blocks across half Salisbury Plain. - Salisbury Plain is army country. It's the main training area of the British army and most of the settlements on the plain are army towns.
the boy and his dog had come rushing across the fields - Arthur's dog is traditionally called Cafal. His pawprint can be found on rocks all over Wales.
I’ve come to see Caius Ectorius. - Arthur's guardian is Sir Ector. Ector's eldest son is called Cei/Kay. Working on the assumption that the local governors are still following a Romano-British model, it was an easy jump to the Roman name.
Day 8: Avebury to Glastonbury
Colonel de Vere... - Bedivere/Bedwyr. The last survivor of Arthur's court. I've written about him in Such A Sleep.
they lowered a Welsh flag... - the flag of Wales derives from the Tudor flag of the Red Dragon of Britain. The Tudors got a great deal of political mileage out of claiming to be descended from Arthur.
Or the dead. They’re the same thing, if you go back far enough. - an interesting example of this is the Middle English romance Sir Orfeo. It retells the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, but Orfeo becomes king of Winchester. When Herodis is snatched away by the fairies the king has to journey into their land of bone palaces to claim her back.
Depends how bad the Whitelake is - the Whitelake River flooded at the 2005 Glastonbury festival - tents in the river.
Signal Sergeant Moore. - Sir Sagramour.
As a lot of you will know, Arthuriana is my intellectual passion. I've had a lifelong fascination with Arthurian literature and legends, and I was lucky enough to have the chance to study a number of texts in depths as part of my degree. Until I tackled this, though, I'd never managed to put down my own interpretation. Almost as soon as I began to plan the story I was faced with a number of choices. I thought it might be interesting to explain why I made the choices I did, and to provide a little more information about some of the places Rhys and the others travel through.
I also want to make it clear that, with the exception of the final scene, every step of their journey can be retraced. All these places exist and you are more than welcome to follow along with a map/aerial photograph. For that reason I'm going to plug Google Earth, because I could never have written this without having access to their aerial photographs.
I have divided the notes into sections by day.
Day 1: Westminster to Burnham
Behind her head he could see a vaulted ceiling... - Nim and Rhys are in the Chapter House of Westminster Abbey. The Abbey was originally built on an marshy area between tributaries of the Tyburn River , known as Thorney Island. The original shrine was built during the Anglo-Saxon period after a local fisherman saw a vision of St John floating above the island. The Abbey itself was founded in 1065. It is not traditionally a site for Merlin's grave, but I selected it as the most appropriate site within London.
The Westminster area of London is the oldest settled area, and overlaps with the location of Roman Londinium. The Roman city fell into disrepair at some point during the post-Roman period. The Londinium of Artur's era would have been this Roman city.
Rhys Ambrose - a simple modernisation. The Merlin of popular legend was a combination of two legendary figures. The more significant of the two was Myrddin Emrys, a warrior bard. The name translates to Ambrose of Carmarthen (the mighty wizard Ambrose just doesn't have the same ring, does it?). This name was translated into Latin as Merlinus Ambrosius (the more correct Latinisation - Merdinus - was rejected because it might sound rude to Norman audiences).
Architectural Consultant, Vortiger Practice. - Tennyson characterises Merlin as Arthur's architect, and as builder of Camelot. He took this inspiration from the legend about Merlin having transported Stonehenge from Ireland, and from the story of Merlin and Vortigern, where the weak British king Vortigern seeks the advice of a young Merlin to discover why his new fort keeps collapsing overnight (dragons in the foundations, pesky things). Vortiger is an alternate spelling of Vortigern.
The Chapter House; the back of the Houses of Parliament from behind the Abbey
As he watched another wave came spilling out of the lower windows - the river laps against the walls of Parliament. In a catastrophic situation the water would come through as well as around.
Some island blew up. - Although I've kept the details vague I'm working on a La Palma type situation, wherein a volcanic eruption leads to the collapse or partial collapse of a island. The resulting waves would be up to 25m high when they reached the American coast. The UK would experience lower waves, of between 5 - 7m. This would be enough to overwhelm current flood defences.
Sea defences can’t even hold back a storm these days. - the combination of rising sea levels and the gradual sinking of the south-east of the UK has significantly increased the flood risk for London. The city is built on drained marshlands, and as the city has grown the ground has become more and more compacted. London's sinking.
The current Thames Barrier at Greenwich is due to be replaced in 2030, when it will no longer be fully effective (not through any design flaw - it's a gorgeous bit of engineering). Studies are underway about what should be built to replace it. The most recent suggestion is for a solid barrier further downriver.
Some studies have suggested that, in a worse case scenario, London will not be inhabitable after around 2250.
...grabbed for the doorway as the water dragged at him. - six inches of water is enough to knock a grown man off his feet.
The summer country. - the county of Somerset. The Somerset Levels, around Glastonbury, are barely above sea level. Before they were drained in the 18th century they were underwater in winter and it was only possible to graze cattle on them during the summer, hence the name.
Its driver wore a yellow life-jacket with Metropolitan Police... - the river police have a small number of dinghies for use in flood situations.
"West End’s still dry. Last I heard there were still trains out of Euston and King’s Cross.” - the ground slopes significantly as you leave the river. Euston and King's Cross are high enough not to be affected by flooding of the Thames. Their underground stations may be flooded if the underground River Fleet, which empties into the Thames, became overwhelmed. The Fleet currently passes under King's Cross in a large pipe.
she’s in Brixton - I've taken the flood line as the 10m contour. Brixton, in south London, is just outside this low-lying area.
Leonie Rance. - a play on the name of King Leodegrance, the father of Guinevere in Arthurian Romance.
Wapping’s flooded... - a number of British newspapers have their headquarters in Wapping, on the riverbank, including those owned by Rupert Murdoch (nyah :P)
...the Thames Gateway – it’s just gone. - a yet unbuilt housing project. London has problems providing homes for key workers. The Thames Gateway project will be built on the floodplain east of London to provide affordable homes. Yes, we're going to house our teachers, nurses and emergency workers on a flood plain. No comment.
The cabinet war rooms... - all correct. The areas of London most at risk are the government and financial districts.
Hyde Park and across Holborn and Camden - all far enough north to be out of the flood zone.
Orders are coming through from Hendon... - the police college at Hendon (north London) would assume command of the Metropolitan police in the event of a major terrorist strike or nuclear attack which incapitated central London.
Queen Victoria’s statue regarded the drowned vista with stern disapproval. - all statues of Queen Victoria look disapproving.
Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace.
They used to run them every few minutes for the festival - the Glastonbury festival actually takes place in the village of Pilton (we'll get there later), outside Glastonbury, but she's right about the buses. I've checked.
Jennifer – my daughter – she’s at school in the Barbican. - Jennifer is a modern version of the name Guinevere/Gwenhwyfar. The Barbican is in north London.
as they left the water at their backs halfway up Constitution Hill. - the ground slopes steeply here:
Looking back along Green Park from Constitution Hill.
The Civil Contingency Committee have taken over the Guards Barracks. - Triple C are the body who assume command in an emergency. They include the PM, senior members of the cabinet, senior civil servants, army officers and police commanders.
I say, more crowded than the sales - Oxford Street is one of London's major shopping streets. It's also a major throughfare. It eventually becomes High Holborn and continues into the City in the East. It's entire length would be dry.
They’re only running diesels. - Paddington is the only London terminus which wouldn't be completely shut down by power failures. I was intending to make them walk the whole way until my Mum pointed this out.
someone was reading The Evening Standard. - London's evening paper. It's an appalling tabloid and is on sale everywhere within the greater London area. Everyone reads it (though some pretend they don't). The headline was inspired by the front page on July 07 last year.
The Grand Union Canal... - runs through London and is fed from the Thames.
...muttering about buses to Windsor. - trains do run directly to Windsor from London, but from Waterloo, which would be flooded.
Bridge at Maidenhead - I am a bad person. I have bad-mouthed Brunel. The railway bridge at Maidenhead is one of his and probably wouldn't be washed away by a flood.
Burnham to Stonor Park
Morgan Cornwallis - Morgan is, of course, Arthur's half-sister and the daughter of Gorlois of Cornwall.
Morgan's students - all of the students have Arthurian names, or modern varients on them:
Anna - a common name in the late Roman period. Traditionally the name of Arthur's eldest half-sister.
Gary - Gareth of Orkney, younger brother of Gawain - I've previously written him as Gwalchafed in Such A Sleep.
Gavin - Gawain of Orkney, Arthur's nephew and right-hand man. Also known as Gwalchmai (see Such A Sleep)
Izzy March - Iseult, Queen of Cornwall, wife of King Mark, in love with his nephew Tristan. Tristan's wife was also called Iseult.
Lindsey - Lynnette/Linnet, wife of Sir Gareth of Orkney. I've previously written her as Llinos in Such A Sleep
Niddie - Enid, wife of Geraint.
Rex quondam, rexque futurus. - according to Malory, this inscription could be found on the tomb erected for Arthur at Glastonbury.
...before Ceawlin broke the British. - Ceawlin was the second Saxon Bretwalda (warleader) of Britain from 560 - 591. Aelle of Sussex, the previous warleader, was Bretwalda from (488 - c.514). The dates are from Bede, and that gap is interesting.
No one can get in to stop the fires. - fire engines have low exhausts. They can't drive through water. At the moment there are two aircraft in the UK which can fight fires and they're both based on the coast.
COBRA - another name for the Civil Contingencies Committee.
The king. He’s summoned a fragment of the privy council to Windsor... - constitutionally correct, though how it would work in practice is anyone's guess. Parliament is a function of the monarch's privy council. In the event that no senior members of the government are available, the monarch would be obliged to appoint a new government. Privy Councillors include various ex-prime ministers and senior civil servants, generals etc. If the king was in Windsor, he would be cut off from London but probably accessible by those members of the Privy Council who lived in the south of England.
Ynys Witrin - the old name for Glastonbury. Both names mean Isle/Town of Glass. (Glas - glass, ton - town, bury - fort)
The shelves of the supermarket were empty of bread and milk. - always the first things to go when people panic buy. *rolls eyes*
The old order changeth, yielding place to new - Tennyson, The Death of Arthur:
Then loudly cried the bold Sir Bedivere:
"Ah! my Lord Arthur, whither shall I go?
Where shall I hide my forehead and my eyes?
For now I see the true old times are dead,
When every morning brought a noble chance,
And every chance brought out a noble knight.
Such times have been not since the light that led
The holy Elders with the gift of myrrh.
But now the whole Round Table is dissolved
Which was an image of the mighty world,
And I, the last, go forth companionless,
And the days darken round me, and the years,
Among new men, strange faces, other minds."
And slowly answered Arthur from the barge:
"The old order changeth, yielding place to new,
And God fulfils himself in many ways,
Lest one good custom should corrupt the world.
Comfort thyself: what comfort is in me?
I have lived my life, and that which I have done
May He within himself make pure! but thou,
If thou shouldst never see my face again,
Pray for my soul. More things are wrought by prayer
Than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice
Rise like a fountain for me night and day.
For what are men better than sheep or goats
That nourish a blind life within the brain,
If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer
Both for themselves and those who call them friend?
For so the whole round earth is every way
Bound by gold chains about the feet of God.
But now farewell. I am going a long way
With these thou seëst--if indeed I go
(For all my mind is clouded with a doubt)--
To the island-valley of Avilion;
Where falls not hail, or rain, or any snow,
Nor ever wind blows loudly; but it lies
Deep-meadowed, happy, fair with orchard lawns
And bowery hollows crowned with summer sea,
Where I will heal me of my grievous wound."
Day 3: Stonor Park to Langdon Hill
...the road continued to rise into a long stone bridge. - the bridge over the Thames at Wallingford is over 900 feet long. There's been a bridge here since 1141. It was at Wallingford that William the Conqueror forded the Thames on his way to London after the battle of Hastings. The remains of Saxon fortifications survive in the town.
Day 4: Langdon Hill to Letcombe Bassett
The Ridgeway - the Ridgeway is a prehistoric chalk track which runs for 85 miles from Tring to Avebury. It may have existed since Britain was part of mainland Europe. The path runs along the highest ground all the way, avoiding what would have been marshy or forested land in the valleys below. It's still clearly maintained along its entire length. Although it's popular with off-road drivers, it remains a path and bridleway rather than a road.
They lunched at Scutchamer Knob... - said to be the burial place of Cwichelm of Wessex, a ruthless excavation in the mid nineteenth century has left the mound crescent shaped. It used to be the moot point of the men of Berkshire. And of course I didn't include it just because of the name. No, really ;)
We’ll pass Dragon Hill tomorrow... - Dragon Hill is below the White Horse at Uffington. No grass grows on the hilltop, which is exposed chalk. It is said to be the place where St George killed the dragon, whose blood was so toxic it poisoned the ground forevermore. Alternatively, it marks an English victory over the Danes, whose blood poisoned the earth. At one point, Uther Pendragon was believed to be buried under the hill.
She was dressed in layers of tunics... - Morgan's outfit is based on woman's clothing of the late Roman Empire.
Go back to the Dumnonii... - the Dumnonii were the British tribe of Devon and Cornwall, where Gorlois would have lived. I have posited that Gorlois, like others of his generation, was a Romano-British military governor who remained when the legions left.
Day 5: Letcombe Bassett to Wayland's Smithy
[Pa oedd] tri hael enys Prydein?
Nud Hael mab Senyllt,
Mordaf Hael mab Seruan,
Ryderch Hael mab Tudwal Tutclyt.
Ac Arthur ehun oedd haelach no’r tri!
Adapted from the Welsh of the Red Book of Carmarthen. This is one of the oldest of the Triads and means:
[Who are] the three generous men of Britain?
Nud the Generous, son of Senyllt,
Mordaf the Generous, son of Seruan,
Ryderch the Generous, son of Tudwal Tutclyt.
But Arthur himself was more generous than the three!
Please forgive any errors in my Welsh. I don't speak the modern language, let alone the medieval one.
By midday they had circled Uffington Castle... - an ancient British hill fort. A possible site for Badon. The White Horse is cut into the chalk on the hillside below. Lindsey's story is a genuine local one.
Weyland, Volundr, the old Saxon Smith God. - the Smith God Weyland married a swan wife. Unfortunately and inevitably, she found her wings and flew away, leaving him distraught. He turned all his skill to forging rings, copies of the one she had left him. When word of this reached King Nidud he had the smith captured and hamstrung, and then imprisoned him on an island to forge treasures. Weyland continued to make rings and obey the king until the king's daughter stole one of the rings. In vengeance, Weyland tempted each of the king's children to his island. He killed the sons, making their skulls into goblets for the king and their teeth into a string of pearls for the queen. He then raped and impregnated the girl. His revenge complete, he made himself wings and flew away from his imprisonment.
The Smithy is an ancient burial chamber which has become associated with Weyland. Over the centuries he has come to be seen as a kinder figure. Local lore has it that if you leave your horse and a silver coin outside the smithy, it will be shod by morning. The Smith is notoriously unfond of company, though.
There were dragons there, black-winged and vast... - Merlin's great prophecy told of a battle between the White Dragon of the Saxons and the Red Dragon of the British, who was Arthur.
he turned in time to see two ravens coast down... - we're not in Celtic myth any more.
He made the sword. The old man. - another Berkshire tradition has it that Weyland forged Excalibur.
You’ll dream ghost-dreams.” - numerous British traditions say that someone who sleeps on a burial mound or among standing stones will awake a poet or a madman.
cunning-man - an ancient term for a folk-healer or wise man. There have been cunning-folk recorded in Britain since the early medieval period.
His teeth, long and crooked, had grooves filed into them. - Viking skeletons have been found with this feature. Weyland's a Viking God too and I thought it suited him. They are probably a symbol of strength and endurance (think how much it would hurt).
Day 6: Waylands Smithy to Barbury Castle
She blushed a little. “Not the original one." - she threw it in a lake. :)
Don’t you know who his uncle is? - I couldn't work out exactly how Weyland fitted into the Germanic pantheon but they're all related to Woden somehow. And I don't need to explain about Woden and mead, do I?
Liddington Castle - another Iron Age hill fort. Also a possible site of Badon.
Barbury Castle, another hill fort. - also a possible site for Badon. Definitely the site of the Battle of Beranburh :(
Why do you think the Wild Hunt ride? - they ride from Herne's Oak in Windsor, anyway.
Artur is three years older than your Lanslod there. - Lancelot was traditionally the foster child of the first Lady of the Lake.
Day 7: Barbury castle to Avebury
Don’t start about the bloody monoliths - there's lots of them in Avebury. Avebury is one of the major Neolithic sites in Europe. It consists of a great henge containing three circles of stones and avenues leading into the henge. Almost no stones are still standing in the inner circles. The village is sited within the circle.
It was an old routemaster - routemaster buses are the traditional red London buses which have recently been discontinued. They have an iconic status in the UK and a devoted fanbase. The most notable things about them are the seperate driver's cab and the open platform at the back of the bus which allows people to jump on and off, often while the bus is in motion.
Road blocks across half Salisbury Plain. - Salisbury Plain is army country. It's the main training area of the British army and most of the settlements on the plain are army towns.
the boy and his dog had come rushing across the fields - Arthur's dog is traditionally called Cafal. His pawprint can be found on rocks all over Wales.
I’ve come to see Caius Ectorius. - Arthur's guardian is Sir Ector. Ector's eldest son is called Cei/Kay. Working on the assumption that the local governors are still following a Romano-British model, it was an easy jump to the Roman name.
Day 8: Avebury to Glastonbury
Colonel de Vere... - Bedivere/Bedwyr. The last survivor of Arthur's court. I've written about him in Such A Sleep.
they lowered a Welsh flag... - the flag of Wales derives from the Tudor flag of the Red Dragon of Britain. The Tudors got a great deal of political mileage out of claiming to be descended from Arthur.
Or the dead. They’re the same thing, if you go back far enough. - an interesting example of this is the Middle English romance Sir Orfeo. It retells the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, but Orfeo becomes king of Winchester. When Herodis is snatched away by the fairies the king has to journey into their land of bone palaces to claim her back.
Depends how bad the Whitelake is - the Whitelake River flooded at the 2005 Glastonbury festival - tents in the river.
Signal Sergeant Moore. - Sir Sagramour.
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Date: 2006-02-20 02:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-21 01:00 pm (UTC)*huggles*
Brilliant. *dances* Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!
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Date: 2006-03-23 03:58 am (UTC)Gah! You drove me mad with her. XD I let Jennifer/Guinevere go straight through to the keeper, too.
Even the notes are great reading. Love those photos, too. *sigh*