Better Than Gold, by Theresa Tomlinson. Book review

A & C Black 2014. ISBN 978-1-4729-0782-0. 124 pages.

Better Than Gold is set around 655 AD in Northumbria (in what is now north-east England) and Mercia (in what is now the Midlands). The main character, Egfrid, is a historical figure, and his time as a hostage at the royal court of Mercia is a historical event, although the details are not known. Other historical figures who feature as important characters in the novel include King Penda and Queen Cynewise of Mercia and their children, Egfrid’s father King Oswy of Bernicia and his queen Eanflaeda, Egfrid’s cousin Ethelwold and the Christian monk Chad (later St Chad, if I have identified him correctly).

Egfrid, son of the King of Bernicia, is aged ten when he is taken hostage by Penda, King of Mercia, in a raid. Mercia and Bernicia are bitter enemies; Penda has previously slaughtered Egfrid’s paternal uncle and his maternal grandfather and uncle. Egfrid’s father Oswy has so far escaped a similar fate by avoiding battle, which leads Penda to despise him as a coward. Unlike the Christian kings of Bernicia, Penda is a pagan and his religion practices human sacrifice, so when Egfrid is captured he fears the worst. But his courage and loyalty to his nursemaid and tutor, both captured with him, earns him Penda’s respect. He finds himself treated with honour and even kindness, particularly by Penda’s queen Cynewise, who is working to weave a peace treaty between the kingdoms. But when the old feud breaks out into war once more, Egfrid is faced with a dilemma – whose side should he be on?

I enjoyed Theresa Tomlinson’s mystery novels, Wolf Girl for young adult readers (review here) and A Swarming of Bees for adults (review here), both set in the Northumbrian royal abbey at Whitby in the seventh century, and her novel about Acha of Deira set in the late sixth century, The Tribute Bride (review here). Better Than Gold is a children’s book set a few years earlier than Wolf Girl or A Swarming of Bees.

Part of the inspiration for Better Than Gold was the discovery of the Staffordshire Hoard near Hammerwich in the territory of the old kingdom of Mercia in 2009. This is the largest collection of early English (Anglo-Saxon) precious metalwork ever found, and consists almost entirely of gold and silver objects associated with military equipment, for example the decorative fittings from sword hilts and fragments of at least one helmet. For details of the Staffordshire Hoard, see the official website. This overwhelming focus on martial items is extremely unusual, as most Anglo-Saxon precious metalwork consists of dress fittings such as strap-ends, buckles and brooches, or luxury tableware such as plates or cups, and immediately suggests that there ought to be a dramatic story behind the Staffordshire Hoard. How might it have been assembled, who owned it, what did it signify, why are the items almost all military, who might have buried it, and why might it have been buried and never recovered?  (For a discussion, see my blog post at the time and the associated comments thread). We will probably never know the answers for sure. In Better Than Gold, Theresa Tomlinson has drawn on an episode recorded in Bede’s History and the rather enigmatic Restoration of Iudeu mentioned in Historia Brittonum to imagine a scenario that might lie behind the hoard.

Better Than Gold also imagines how life might have been for a ten-year-old noble boy in the society that produced the Staffordshire Hoard. What would a boy at a royal court eat and wear, what would he be expected to learn, how would he spend his time? This focus on the details of daily life was one of the features I liked about The Tribute Bride and A Swarming of Bees, and it was pleasant to see it again here.

Better Than Gold has the same gentle tone as The Tribute Bride and A Swarming of Bees. Most of the people, most of the time, treat each other decently. There is violence – human sacrifice and battles with many casualties – but because of Egfrid’s age he is rarely directly involved and most of the violence happens in the background. Like the author’s other books, the women are very much to the fore. Queen Cynewise has much authority at the Mercian court, ruling the kingdom while Penda is away on campaign and exercising considerable influence when he is back. Their rule of Mercia seems to be very much a joint enterprise. Like Acha in The Tribute Bride, the royal women in Better Than Gold play a crucial role as peaceweavers, both by formal marriage alliance and in the day-to-day management of court life, ever alert to the need to head off situations where drink and ego threaten to spark conflict and even war.

Better Than Gold is a much simpler and shorter story than the young adult mystery Wolf Girl. I’d estimate its length at around 20,000–25,000 words, roughly a quarter of the length of a ‘standard’ adult novel. I would guess it is aimed at a younger audience, perhaps about the same age as the ten-year-old protagonist. The complex political rivalries and feuds between the various kingdoms are seen mainly in family terms – appropriately, since the conventions of blood-feud and vengeance for a kinsman meant that early English warfare could have a personal as well as a political dimension. It’s clearly written in straightforward modern English, with some archaic terms to add a period flavour, such as the Old English names for the months (Blood-month, Offerings-month, etc. More information on the Old English calendar and the month-names can be found in my article here). I was pleased to see that the original Old English personal names have been kept, e.g. Egfrid, Cynewise. Some names have been replaced by nicknames to avoid potential confusion between similar names within a family, e.g. Egfrid’s dead uncle Oswald is referred to by his (historically documented) nickname of Whiteblade to avoid confusion with his brother Oswy.

A short Author’s Note at the end briefly outlines some of the underlying history and provides a link to learn more about the Staffordshire Hoard. Unfortunately there’s no map on which a reader could follow Egfrid’s travels, although as most of the place names are given in their modern forms (Bamburgh rather than Bebbanburgh, Tamworth rather than Tameworthig) they could be identified on a modern map.

Charming tale about life at the royal courts of seventh-century England and the sort of events that might lie behind the burial of the magnificent Staffordshire Hoard.

The Tribute Bride, by Theresa Tomlinson. Book review

Acorn Digital Press, 2014. ISBN 978-1-909122-63-5. 261 pages.

The Tribute Bride is set at the beginning of the seventh century AD in Deira and Bernicia, the two kingdoms that later became Northumbria in what is now north-east England. The central character, Acha, is a historical figure, as are her husband Athelfrid, her father Aelle and brother Edwin, the Deiran chief priest Coifi and Athelfrid’s queen Bebba. Other main characters are fictional.

Disclosure: Seventh-century Britain is an area of particular interest to me, and my own novel Paths of Exile has the same setting and includes some of the same characters as The Tribute Bride. Theresa and I had several email discussions about the possible life and career of the historical Acha, who is recorded in just one line in Bede’s History. 

Acha is the daughter of Aelle, the ageing king of Deira, and has just reached marriageable age when severe flooding destroys most of the harvest. Aelle cannot pay the tribute of grain to his overlord, the fearsome Athelfrid of Bernicia, so he sends Acha instead. Athelfrid already has a queen, the magnificent Bebba of the Picts, but they have no living child and Athelfrid wants an heir for his ever-expanding empire. He accepts Acha as a secondary wife – officially married to Athelfrid, but not his queen – and soon she is pregnant with his child. But how will Bebba react to a younger, fertile rival? And does the ruthless and cunning Athelfrid plan to obtain more from Acha than a child?

I very much enjoyed Theresa Tomlinson’s mystery novels, Wolf Girl (for young adult readers) and A Swarming of Bees (for adults), both set in the Northumbrian royal abbey at Whitby. The Tribute Bride is set half a century earlier, when the later kingdom of Northumbria was still two separate kingdoms, each with its own dynasty. Acha’s life bridged both dynasties. What role she played in combining the two kingdoms (if any), is not known – which is what historical fiction is for. I summarised what is known about the historical Acha (not very much), in an earlier article Acha of Deira and Bernicia: daughter, sister, wife and mother of kings. So I was very pleased to see a novel devoted to her.

Considering that The Tribute Bride features murder, betrayal, war and massacre, it is a surprisingly gentle read. Most of it is told through the eyes of Acha, who is still only a girl at the beginning of the novel – mid-teens, I would guess – and has a sunny-natured tendency to think the best of people and to make the best of any situation. Her generous and open-hearted character helps her to find unexpected friendships in Bernicia, friendships that stand her in good stead in the long term. However, it also means that she is largely oblivious to the darker undercurrents of court life. Indeed, the older and wiser Bebba tries to warn Acha that Athelfrid is not nicknamed ‘The Trickster’ for nothing and that Acha should be wary of his intentions, but Acha does not understand the warning until it is too late. Even when the worst has happened, Acha’s determination to make the best of things probably contributes a lot to making the consequences of Athelfrid’s actions much less adverse than they might otherwise have been.

Peaceweaver brides like Acha, married to their families’ rivals and enemies, must have had to do a lot of smoothing down of conflicts if they were to be successful. This perhaps explains why The Tribute Bride was so much more placid than I had expected for a novel set at the heart of early medieval court life; the whole focus of the book is about defusing and preventing conflict.

Athelfrid’s historical nickname Flesaurs, usually translated as ‘The Twister’ or ‘The Artful’ is here rendered as ‘The Trickster’ and cleverly linked with the deceitful thief-god Loki. Whether the early English had an equivalent of the Norse god Loki is unknown, but equivalents of some of the Norse gods are recorded in Old English place names, so it seems not implausible that other characters from the Norse pantheon may also have had early English counterparts.

The main characters are all women – Acha herself, Bebba, the elderly midwife, Acha’s maids. I particularly liked the relationship between Acha and Bebba, which develops in an unexpected direction. The male characters tend to be secondary, even Athelfrid (perhaps because Acha at first does not know him very well and then later does not wish to). The preponderance of strong female characters was similar in Wolf Girl and A Swarming of Bees. It makes for a domestic focus, with plenty of detail of buildings, travel, food and textile crafts. The variety of languages, cultures and religions among the plethora of small kingdoms is well captured.

A map and glossary of place names at the front are useful to follow the geography, and a character list at the front may be helpful to readers unfamiliar with the period. An Author’s Note and reference list at the back outlines the underlying history and source material (I am flattered to see that I get a mention).

Gentle tale of kindness and friendships found in unexpected places, set against the background of early seventh-century Northumbria.

Rhun son of Urien

Rhun (also spelled Run, Rum) was a son of the warrior-king Urien of Rheged (see post on Urien Rheged).  Unlike the more famous Owain son of Urien (see post on Owain son of Urien) , Rhun did not become a hero of medieval Arthurian romance.  He is mentioned in Historia Brittonum and Annales Cambriae as an important churchman. What can we say about him?

Evidence

Genealogies

Both the Harleian and the Bonedd Gwyr y Gogledd (Descent of the Men of the North) genealogies end with Urien and do not mention any descendants:

[U]rbgen map Cinmarc map Merchianum map Gurgust map Coilhen

--Harleian Genealogies, available online 

Vryen uab Kynuarch m Meirchavn m Gorust Letlvm m Keneu m Coel

--Bonedd Gwyr y Gogledd, available online 

Historia Brittonum

The following Easter Edwin himself received baptism, and twelve thousand of his subjects with him. If any one wishes to know who baptized them, it was Rum Map Urbgen: he was engaged forty days in baptizing all classes of the Saxons, and by his preaching many believed on Christ.

 --Historia Brittonum, chapter 63, available online

Urbgen is the spelling of Urien used in the Harleian genealogies. Rum (also spelled Rhun) son of Urien was presumably a churchman, if he was engaged in baptism and preaching. 

Readers familiar with Bede will have spotted that Bede gives a different account of Edwin/Eadwine’s baptism. More on this in another post.

The Chartres manuscript of Historia Brittonum says in its preface that the compiler used as a source ‘excerpts made by the son of Urien from the Book of St Germanus’ (Clarkson 2010, p 120). Rum or Rhun is the only son of Urien mentioned in the text of Historia Brittonum, so presumably this comment refers to him.

Annales Cambriae

626   Edwin is baptized, and Rhun son of Urien baptized him

--Annales Cambriae, available online

This entry agrees with the statement in Historia Brittonum. The date differs from that given in Bede, who says that the baptism took place in 627 (Book II, Ch. 14). It may be that the compiler of Annales Cambriae copied the information from Historia Brittonum (or vice versa), or that both were drawing on material about Eadwine’s baptism that was not available to, or not used by, Bede.

Llywarch Hen poetry

The medieval manuscript ‘The Red Book of Hergest’ contains several poems attributed to Llywarch Hen (Llywarch the Old).  According to the genealogies, Llywarch was a cousin and approximate contemporary or Urien, and the poem ‘The Death of Urien’ describes Llywarch carrying Urien’s severed head after Urien had been assassinated.  The poem also mentions warfare in the aftermath of Urien’s death:

On Friday I saw great anxiety
Among the hosts of Baptism,
Like a swarm without a hive, bold in despair.

Were there not given to me by Run, greatly fond of war,
A hundred swarms and a hundred shields ?
But one swarm was better far than all.

Were there not given to me by Run, the famous chief,
A cantrev, and a hundred oxen?
But one gift was better far than those.

In the lifetime of Run, the peaceless ranger,
The unjust will wallow in dangers;
May there be irons on the steeds of rapine.

 --Llywarch Hen, The Death of Urien, translation available online 

This passage is followed by a stanza describing attacks on Owain, the son of Urien celebrated in the Taliesin poetry (see post on Owain son of Urien), so it seems likely that Run is also to be understood as a son of Urien, facing enemies after Urien’s death.

Triads

Three Fair Womb Burdens of the Island of Britain:

The second, Owain and Morfudd daughter of Urien and Anarun archbishop of Llydaw, by Modron daughter of Afallach their mother

-- Welsh Triads, available online 

‘Anarun archbishop of Llydaw’ could be a reference to Rum or Rhun ap Urien, who appears as a churchman in Historia Brittonum and Annales Cambriae.  ‘Llydaw’ is the Welsh name for Brittany.  However, an alternative variation of the same Triad mentions only Owain and Morfudd, without ‘Anarun’, so he may be a late addition.

Interpretation

Role

Two sources refer to Rhun in contexts that associate him with the Christian church:

• Historia Brittonum and Annales Cambriae say that he conducted a high-profile baptism;
• Historia Brittonum says he preached Christianity and made many converts;
• The preface of the Chartres manuscript of Historia Brittonum says that it includes extracts made by the son of Urien from the Book of St Germanus.

The consistency between the two sources may indicate no more than copying from each other during the centuries between the events of the late sixth and early seventh century and the final writing of the medieval manuscripts in which both sources have come down to us. Or it may indicate that both were drawing on information preserved in other sources about Rhun’s career.

In addition, one of the Triads refers to a son of Urien (brother of Owain and Morfudd) called ‘Anarun archbishop of Llydaw’.  ‘Anarun’ may be a variant of Rhun or Rum, and describing him as ‘archbishop’ is also consistent with the idea that he was considered to be an important figure in the Christian church. However, ‘Llydaw’ is the Welsh name for Brittany, a curious (although not impossible) location for the son of a north British king. Furthermore, an alternative variation of the same Triad refers only to Morfudd and Owain, without mentioning ‘Anarun’, so I would be cautious about this Triad.  If ‘Anarun’ is intended to be the same figure as the Rhun/Rum mentioned in Historia Brittonum, it is consistent with Rhun having been a churchman of some importance, but I would not put too much weight on it.

Although ‘the son of Urien’ referred to in the preface to the Chartres manuscript is not named, the only son of Urien referred to in the text is Rhun, suggesting that the preface also refers to Rhun.  If so, it would indicate that he was a scholar, which is also consistent with his having been a churchman. 

The poem attributed to Llywarch Hen apparently portrays Rhun in the role of a warrior and ruler, describing him as ‘peaceless ranger’ and ‘the famous chief’.  This is not necessarily inconsistent with Rhun having also had a position in the Christian church. Sigeberht of East Anglia retired to a monastery after he had reigned for a while, and was later recalled for an important battle (Bede Book III Ch. 18). Aldfrith, who became king of Northumbria after Ecgfrith’s death in 685, was also a religious scholar, described by Bede as ‘well-read in the Scriptures’ (Book IV Ch. 26).  Gildas says that Maglocunus (usually identified as Maelgwn of Gwynedd) had entered a monastery for a while before renouncing his vows and becoming king. 

Rhun may also have been both secular ruler and churchman at different times in his life.  Perhaps, like Aldfrith, he was a churchman who was pressed into service at a time of crisis; or perhaps he sought an alternative career in the church after Urien’s death.

The account of Eadwine’s baptism differs from that given by Bede (more on this issue in another post).

Family

Assuming that Rhun son of Urien is also the Rhun named as grandfather of Rhianmellth in Historia Brittonum, Rhun fathered at least one child.  This is also not inconsistent with his having held an important position in the church.  If he entered the church late in life, he may have married and established a family before entering the church. Also, although monks were not permitted to marry, other Christian clergy in post-Roman Britain were allowed to marry and raise families; St Patrick says in his Confessio that his father was a deacon and his grandfather was a priest.

More on Rhianmellth in a later post.

Age

The Llywarch Hen poetry portrays Run as a chieftain and fighter in the aftermath of Urien’s death, implying that he was of fighting age when Urien was killed.  The date of Urien’s death is not known, although as Urien was fighting the sons of Ida at the time, it presumably occurred before Ida’s grandson Aethelferth became king of Bernicia in 593. 

If Rhun was involved in the baptism of Eadwine of Deira/Northumbria in 627, he must have been an adult at the time. As this was a high-profile event and would presumably have been conducted by someone senior, he was probably well into middle age.

This is consistent with a birth date for Rhun somewhere in the third quarter of the sixth century. He cannot have been born much before 550, as otherwise he would have been too old to participate in Eadwine’s baptism in 627 (if he was born in, say, 550, Rhun would have been 77 at the time of Eadwine’s baptism, which would make him a venerable figure but not necessarily too old to take part in a religious ceremony).  At the other end of the range, if Urien’s death occurred close to 593, Rhun would have had to have been born no later than about 578 to be of fighting age by then (if he was born in, say, 578, he would be 15 in 593).  If Urien’s death was earlier, Rhun’s latest plausible birth date would be correspondingly earlier.

It is not known when or how Rhun died.

Conclusion

It seems clear that Rhun son of Urien was considered to have been an important churchman in the early seventh century.  The Llywarch Hen poem implies that he was also a secular ruler and warrior.  He may have held both roles at different times in his life.

It is not known what position Rhun held in the Christian church. If the ‘Anarun archbishop of Llydaw’ in the Triad refers to Rhun, it may indicate that he held a senior position.  This would also be consistent with his involvement in a high-profile baptism ceremony, and with his status as a member of a royal dynasty. He may have been a bishop.  Depending on his age and when he embarked on his clerical career, he could perhaps have been one of the bishops or ‘learned men’ who attended the Synod at Chester in the early seventh century (see earlier post A bishop of Chester? for more information on the synod).

The Llywarch Hen poetry suggests that Rhun was a ruler and warrior in the aftermath of Urien’s death. Whether he was a king of Rheged, and if so, whether he ruled jointly with one or more of Urien’s other sons, is not known.  The political status of Rheged after Urien’s death is uncertain.  It may be significant that the genealogies stop at Urien, which may indicate that he was considered the last significant ruler. Conversely, it may indicate that they were compiled in Urien’s time and not subsequently updated to reflect his descendants. If Rhianmellth was Rhun’s grand-daughter, her marriage to Oswy of Northumbria suggests that the Rheged dynasty still retained a high status in the early seventh century, and may also have retained at least some political and military power.

References

Annales Cambriae, available online

Bede.  Ecclesiastical History of the English People.  Translated by Leo Sherley-Price, Penguin Classics, 1968, ISBN 0-14-044565-X

Bonedd Gwyr y Gogledd, available online 

Clarkson T. The Men of the North. Birlinn, 2010. ISBN 978-1-906566-18-0.

Gildas, On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain, available online

Harleian genealogies, available online 

Historia Brittonum, available online 

Llywarch Hen, The Death of Urien, available online 

St Patrick, Confessio, available online

Welsh Triads, available online