A Vengeful Wind: A Novel of Viking Age Ireland (The Norsemen Saga Book 8)

by Nelson, James L.

  stem – the curved timber that forms the bow of the ship. On Viking ships the stem extended well above the upper edge of the ship and the figurehead was mounted there.

  strake – one of the wooden planks that make up the hull of a ship. The construction technique, used by the Norsemen, in which one strake overlaps the one below it is called lapstrake construction .

  swine array - a viking battle formation consisting of a wedge-shaped arrangement of men used to attack a shield wall or other defensive position.

  tánaise ríg – Gaelic term for heir apparent, the man assumed to be next in line for a kingship.

  thegn – a minor noble or a land-holder above the peasant class who also served the king in a military capacity.

  thing - a communal assembly

  Thor - Norse god of storms and wind, but also the protector of humans and the other gods. Thor’s chosen weapon was a hammer. Hammer amulets were popular with Norsemen in the same way that crosses are popular with Christians.

  thrall - Norse term for a slave. Origin of the English word “enthrall”.

  thwart - a rower’s seat in a boat. From the old Norse term meaning “across”.

  tuath – a minor kingdom in medieval Ireland that consisted of several túaithe .

  túaithe – a further subdivision of a kindom, ruled by a rí túaithe

  Ulfberht – a particular make of sword crafted in the Germanic countries and inscribed with the name Ulfberht or some varient. Though it is not clear who Ulfberht was, the swords that bore his name were of the highest quality and much prized.

  unstep – to take a mast down. To put a mast in place is to step the mast.

  Valhalla - a great hall in Asgard where slain warriors would go to feast, drink and fight until the coming of Ragnarok .

  Valkyrie - female spirits of Norse mythology who gathered the spirits of the dead from the battle field and escorted them to Valhalla . They were the Choosers of the Slain, and though later romantically portrayed as Odin’s warrior handmaidens, they were originally viewed more demonically, as spirits who devoured the corpses of the dead.

  vantnale – a wooden lever attached to the lower end of a shroud and used to make the shroud fast and to tension it.

  varonn – spring time. Literally “spring work” in Old Norse.

  Vik - An area of Norway south of modern-day Oslo. The name is possibly the origin of the term Viking .

  wattle and daub - common medieval technique for building walls. Small sticks were woven through larger uprights to form the wattle, and the structure was plastered with mud or plaster, the daub.

  weather – closest to the direction from which the wind is blowing, when used to indicate the position of something relative to the wind.

  wergild - the fine imposed for taking a man’s life. The amount of the wergild was dependant on the victim’s social standing.

  witan — a council of the greater nobles and bishops of a region, generally assembled to advise the king.

  yard - a long, tapered timber from which a sail was suspended. When a Viking ship was not under sail, the yard was turned lengthwise and lowered to near the deck with the sail lashed to it.

  Acknowledgements

  It has been an honor and a delight for me to see how well the Norsemen Saga has been received. The books have allowed me to immerse myself in all things Viking, which has been a wonderful journey. And I will be the first to say that the series’ success has been the result of a lot of hard work by a number of very talented people. As ever, I have the team to thank: Steve Cromwell for his eye-catching covers and (with many past books, if not this one) Alistair Corbett for his photography. Alicia Street at iProofread and More has once again saved me from numerous embarrassments, and Chris Boyle has again brought his cartographic skills to bear. Nat Sobel, Judith Weber and all the folks at Sobel Weber Associates, Inc. have continued their efforts to bring the series to an international audience.

  And of course, my first mate, my beloved, Lisa.

  I often get e-mails from readers asking how long I will continue the series. My answer as of now is, as long as the books meet with the sort of enthusiasm they are currently finding, I’ll keep writing them. And so for that, I must thank the folks to whom I have reason to be most grateful – the readers who continue to follow the adventures of Thorgrim and company. Thank you.