Readingas = Reading
Sceaftesburh = Shaftesbury
Snotingaham = Nottingham
Sumorsaet = Somerset
Swanawic = Swanage
Turcesig = Torksey
Wedmor = Wedmore
Witanceaster (where the Witan, the King’s advisors, met) = Winchester
Frankland = France
Haithabu = Hedeby
Land of the Svear = Sweden
Aros = Aarhus, Denmark
Glossary of Terms
Bova: a seventh century saint of Frankland, known today as Ste Beuve.
brewster: the female form of brewer (and, interestingly enough, the female form of baker is baxter…so many common names are rooted in professions and trades…).
browis: a cereal-based stew, often made with fowl or pork.
chaff: the husks of grain after being separated from the usable kernel.
cooper: a maker of casks and barrels.
cresset: stone, bronze, or iron lamp fitted with a wick that burnt oil.
dísir: female household spirits, celebrated at Winter’s Nights feasts.
ealdorman: a nobleman with jurisdiction over given lands; the rank was generally appointed by the King and not necessarily inherited from generation to generation. The modern derivative alderman in no way conveys the esteem and power of the Anglo-Saxon term.
fulltrúi: the Norse deity patron that one felt called to dedicate oneself to.
fylgja: a Norse guardian spirit, always female, unique to each family.
hackle: the splitting and combing of fibres of flax or hemp with opposing brush-like tools.
hamingja: the Norse “luck-spirit” which each person is born with.
joik: (also, yoik) A chant-like Sámi song, evoking the essence and spirituality of a person, animal, or landscape element, and unique to each recipient.
Judith: in the Old Testament Book of Judith, the beautiful Hebrew slayer of the enemy Assyrian general Holofernes, who had put her town to siege.
kith and kine: kin – family members – and cattle.
Máttaráhkká: The Sámi mother Goddess, creator of human bodies, who lives under the floor boards of Sámi dwellings. She is the mother of Sáráhkká, patron of female fetuses, menstruating women, and those in child-birth, whose domain was under the hearth fire; Juksáhká, guardian of male fetuses; and Uksáhkká, patron of children. These last two Goddesses lived by a door.
morgen-gyfu: literally, “morning-gift”; in Angle-land, a gift given by a husband to his new wife the first morning they awake together.
nålbinding: a form of early knitting or crochet, using one’s thumb and threaded needle to form interlocking loops.
rauk: the striking sea- and wind-formed limestone towers on the coast of Gotland; the one on the cover of Book Four, The Hall of Tyr is at Fårö, Gotland.
seax: the angle-bladed dagger which gave its name to the Saxons; all freemen carried one.
scop: (“shope”) a poet, saga-teller, or bard, responsible not only for entertainment but seen as a collective cultural historian. A talented scop would be greatly valued by his lord and receive land, gold and silver jewellery, costly clothing and other riches as his reward.
skep: a bee hive formed of coils of plaited straw, built up into a conical shape.
skeggox: steel battle-axe favoured by the Danes.
skirrets: a sweet root vegetable similar to carrots, but cream-coloured, and having several fingers on each plant.
skogkatt: “forest cat”; the ancestor of the modern Norwegian Forest Cat, known for its large size, climbing ability, and thick and water-shedding coat.
skogsrå: “Lady of the Forest”; a womanly wood spirit who protected woodland animals, and yet guided hunters she favoured.
strakes: overlapping wooden planks, running horizontally, making up a ship’s hull.
symbel: a ceremonial high occasion for the Angle-Saxons, marked by the giving of gifts, making of oaths, swearing of fidelity, and (of course) drinking ale.
tæfl or Cyningtæfl (“King’s table”): a board game of strategy.
thegn: (“thane”) a freeborn warrior-retainer of a lord; thegns were housed, fed and armed in exchange for complete fidelity to their sworn lord. Booty won in battle by a thegn was generally offered to their lord, and in return the lord was expected to bestow handsome gifts of arms, horses, arm-rings, and so on to his best champions.
thrummy: from the noun “thrum”, meaning the rough, uneven ends of the warp strings left behind on the loom when the fabric is cut free. “Thrummy hair” would then be tousled, uncombed, or uneven.
trev: a settlement of a few huts, smaller than a village.
wadmal: the Norse name for the coarse and durable woven woollen fabric that was a chief export in the Viking age.
verjuice: “green juice”; an acidic juice from unripe grapes or crabapples, much used as we would vinegar.
woad: a free-growing herbaceous perennial plant, its leaves used for its astringent, antiseptic, and blood-staunching properties, and to produce the colour blue for fabric dying.
wither: the highest point at the top of the shoulder of a horse or deer, marked by a projecting knob.
withy: a willow or willow wand; withy-man: a figure woven from such wands.
wool-wax: (also wool-oil, wool-fat) All earlier names for lanolin. Lanolin was extracted from sheep's wool by boiling washed wool in water. When the pan was left to cool, a milky white grease would be floating on top - the sheep's waterproofing. The globules were further refined by squeezing them through linen cloths. Lanolin was invaluable as a simple remedy for chapped and roughened skin. Blended with powdered or crushed herbs, it served as a medicinal salve.
Acknowledgments
This novel was begun in the lilac-ringed garden of Ängen, part of the Ingmar Bergman Estate on the Baltic island of Fårö. The month I spent there as an Artistic Fellow in 2016 will stand as a highpoint in my creative life. I express my sincere gratitude to the Board of Directors of the Bergman Estate, and to Kerstin Kalström of Fårö, for a magical and productive stay.
Three readers have distinguished themselves during the creation of this book, and are owed special thanks: Ellen Rudd, whose discerning eye and feel for the psychological moment occasioned many discussions between us; Suzanne Gunter-Sheppard, Texas Star, for bringing me to an image of the Staffordshire Cross (c 675-725 CE) which became the model for the gold cross which Ceric wears; and Kimberly Gerber Spina, for all past favours and the gift of the old word “thrummy”.
Silver Hammer, Golden Cross benefitted from an exceptionally dedicated, articulate, and passionate group of First Readers. Your feedback and encouragement made this a richer book, and I am indeed grateful for your continuing loyalty to my work. Carla Aeiker, Anne Malphrus Bailey, Jeanne Dorsey, Angela Elder, Dawn Fernald-Spruill, Lisa Graham, Sylvia Melancon, Cyndi Messina, Barbara Odgers, Mary Ann Quirk, Ellen Rudd, Suzanne Gunter-Sheppard, Tina Simmons, Cheryl Anne Snider, Nina Snyder, Kimberly Gerber Spina, Jennifer Stetson, Ali Teague, Frances C. Yancey, and Beth Garison Wylie – my deep and sincere thanks.
About the Author
Octavia Randolph has long been fascinated with the development, dominance, and decline of the Anglo-Saxon peoples. The path of her research has included disciplines as varied as the study of Anglo-Saxon and Norse runes, and learning to spin with a drop spindle. Her interests have led to extensive on-site research in England, Denmark, Sweden, and Gotland. In addition to the Circle Saga, she is the author of the novella The Tale of Melkorka, taken from the Icelandic Sagas; the novella Ride, a retelling of the story of Lady Godiva, first published in Narrative Magazine; and Light, Descending, a biographical novel about the great John Ruskin. She has been awarded Artistic Fellowships at the Ingmar Bergman Estate on Fårö, Sweden; MacDowell Colony; Ledig House International; and Byrdcliffe.
She answers all fan mail and loves to stay in touch with her readers. Join her maili
ng list and read more on Anglo-Saxon and Viking life at www.octavia.net.
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