Viking Clan Read online

  Hetaereiarch – Byzantine general

  Hí- Iona (Gaelic)

  Hjáp - Shap- Cumbria (Norse for stone circle)

  Hoggs or Hogging- when the pressure of the wind causes the stern or the bow to droop

  Hrams-a – Ramsey, Isle of Man

  Hrofecester -Rochester (Kent)

  Hundred- Saxon military organisation. (One hundred men from an area-led by a thegn or gesith)

  Hwitebi - Norse for Whitby, North Yorkshire

  Hywel ap Rhodri Molwynog- King of Gwynedd 814-825

  Icaunis- British river god

  Issicauna- Gaulish for the lower Seine

  Itouna- River Eden Cumbria

  Jarl- Norse earl or lord

  Joro-goddess of the earth

  kjerringa - Old Woman- the solid block in which the mast rested

  Karrek Loos yn Koos -St Michael’s Mount (Cornwall)

  Kerkyra- Corfu

  Knarr- a merchant ship or a coastal vessel

  Kriti- Crete

  Kyrtle-woven top

  Lambehitha- Lambeth

  Leathes Water- Thirlmere

  Legacaestir- Anglo Saxon for Chester

  Ljoðhús- Lewis

  Lochlannach – Irish for Northerners (Vikings)

  Lothuwistoft- Lowestoft

  Lough- Irish lake

  Louis the Pious- King of the Franks and son of Charlemagne

  Lundenburh/Lundenburgh- the walled burh built around the old Roman fort

  Lundenwic - London

  Maeldun- Maldon Essex

  Maeresea- River Mersey

  Mammceaster- Manchester

  Manau/Mann – The Isle of Man(n) (Saxon)

  Marcia Hispanic- Spanish Marches (the land around Barcelona)

  Mast fish- two large racks on a ship designed to store the mast when not required

  Melita- Malta

  Midden- a place where they dumped human waste

  Miklagård - Constantinople

  Mörsugur - December 13th -January 12th (the fat sucker month!)

  Musselmen- the followers of Islam

  Njörðr- God of the sea

  Nithing- A man without honour (Saxon)

  Odin - The "All Father" God of war, also associated with wisdom, poetry, and magic (The Ruler of the gods).

  Olissipo- Lisbon

  Orkneyjar-Orkney

  Pecheham- Peckham

  Peny-cwm-cuic -Falmouth

  Pennryhd – Penrith Cumbria

  Pennsans – Penzance (Cornwall)

  Poor john- a dried and shrivelled fish (disparaging slang for a male member- Shakespeare)

  Þorri -January 13th -February 12th- midwinter

  Portesmūða -Portsmouth

  Porth Ia- St. Ives

  Portus Cale- Porto (Portugal)

  Pillars of Hercules- Straits of Gibraltar

  Prittleuuella- Prittwell in Essex. Southend was originally known as the South End of Prittwell

  Pyrlweall -Thirwell, Cumbria

  Qādis- Cadiz

  Ran- Goddess of the sea

  Roof rock- slate

  Rinaz –The Rhine

  Sabrina- Latin and Celtic for the River Severn. Also, the name of a female Celtic deity

  Saami- the people who live in what is now Northern Norway/Sweden

  Sabatton- Saturday in the Byzantine calendar

  Samhain- a Celtic festival of the dead between 31st October and 1st November (Halloween)

  St. Cybi- Holyhead

  Scree- loose rocks in a glacial valley

  Seax – short sword

  Sennight- seven nights- a week

  Sheerstrake- the uppermost strake in the hull

  Sheet- a rope fastened to the lower corner of a sail

  Shroud- a rope from the masthead to the hull amidships

  Skeggox – an axe with a shorter beard on one side of the blade

  Skreið- stock fish (any fish which is preserved)

  Skutatos- Byzantine soldier armed with an oval shield, a spear, a sword and a short mail shirt

  Seouenaca -Sevenoaks (Kent)

  South Folk- Suffolk

  Stad- Norse settlement

  Stays- ropes running from the mast-head to the bow

  Strake- the wood on the side of a drekar

  Streanæshalc- Saxon for Whitby, North Yorkshire

  Stybbanhype – Stepney (London)

  Suthriganaworc - Southwark (London)

  Syllingar Insula, Syllingar- Scilly Isles

  Tarn- small lake (Norse)

  Tella- River Béthune which empties near to Dieppe

  Temese- River Thames

  Theme- Provincial Army Corps

  The Norns- The three sisters who weave webs of intrigue for men

  Thing-Norse for a parliament or a debate (Tynwald)

  Thor’s day- Thursday

  Threttanessa- a drekar with 13 oars on each side.

  Thuni- Tunis

  Tinea- Tyne

  Tilaburg – Tilbury

  Tintaieol- Tintagel (Cornwall)

  Thrall- slave

  Trenail- a round wooden peg used to secure strakes

  Tynwald- the Parliament on the Isle of Man

  Tvímánuður -Hay time-August 15th -September 15th

  Úlfarrberg- Helvellyn

  Úlfarrland- Cumbria

  Úlfarr- Wolf Warrior

  Úlfarrston- Ulverston

  Ullr-Norse God of Hunting

  Ulfheonar-an elite Norse warrior who wore a wolf skin over his armour

  Vectis- The Isle of Wight

  Veisafjǫrðr – Wexford (Ireland)

  Volva- a witch or healing woman in Norse culture

  Waeclinga Straet- Watling Street (A5)

  Walhaz -Norse for the Welsh (foreigners)

  Windlesore-Windsor

  Waite- a Viking word for farm

  Werham -Wareham (Dorset)

  Western Sea- the Atlantic

  Wintan-ceastre -Winchester

  Withy- the mechanism connecting the steering board to the ship

  Wihtwara- Isle of White

  Woden’s day- Wednesday

  Wulfhere-Old English for Wolf Army

  Wyddfa-Snowdon

  Wykinglo- Wicklow (Ireland)

  Wyrd- Fate

  Wyrme- Norse for Dragon

  Yard- a timber from which the sail is suspended

  Ynys Enlli- Bardsey Island

  Ynys Môn -Anglesey

  Maps and drawings

  Stad on the Eden- a typical Viking settlement

  A wedge formation (each circle represents a warrior)

  0

  0 0

  0 0 0

  0 0 0 0

  0 0 0 0 0

  0 0 0 0 0 0

  The boar’s snout formation

  A boar’s snout had two wedges and up to five ranks of men behind.

  Roman Roads in Britain courtesy of Wikipedia

  Historical note

  My regular readers will notice that this section is much shorter than in previous novels. Some of my readers do not like the lengthy historical note section. You can find it on my website.

  What I will say is that like them or hate them the Vikings were a unique race. Their descendants were the Normans but they were not the same as that hybrid of Norse and Frank. The true Vikings were pagans. They sailed further than any man. Columbus made the West Indies. The Vikings landed in New England and Canada! They were an uncompromising people and I hope that I have done them justice.

  Some have questioned Jarl Dragonheart’s longevity. There were examples of Vikings who lived as long. Harald Hadrada was one. They were hard men and their lives were violent. It was war which killed them and not the way they lived when at home. They were active and their diet seemed to make them live a little longer than might be expected. Meat, fish, cheese and ale must be a good combination! I think a vegan Viking would be a contradiction in terms!

  The Vikings used foster fathers for younger warriors. When the first Vikings went across the Atlantic there
was a German Viking who was a foster father to the leader of one the expeditions.

  I used the following books for research:

  Vikings- Life and Legends -British Museum

  Saxon, Norman and Viking by Terence Wise (Osprey)

  The Vikings (Osprey) -Ian Heath

  Byzantine Armies 668-1118 (Osprey)-Ian Heath

  Romano-Byzantine Armies 4th- 9th Century (Osprey) -David Nicholle

  The Walls of Constantinople AD 324-1453 (Osprey) -Stephen Turnbull

  Viking Longship (Osprey) - Keith Durham

  The Vikings- David Wernick (Time-Life)

  The Vikings in England Anglo-Danish Project

  Anglo Saxon Thegn AD 449-1066- Mark Harrison (Osprey)

  Viking Hersir- 793-1066 AD - Mark Harrison (Osprey)

  Hadrian's Wall- David Breeze (English Heritage)

  National Geographic- March 2017

  The Tower of London – Lapper and Parnell (Osprey)

  Griff Hosker December 2018

  Other books

  by

  Griff Hosker

  If you enjoyed reading this book, then why not read another one by the author?

  Ancient History

  The Sword of Cartimandua Series

  (Germania and Britannia 50– 128 A.D.)

  Ulpius Felix- Roman Warrior (prequel)

  Book 1 The Sword of Cartimandua

  Book 2 The Horse Warriors

  Book 3 Invasion Caledonia

  Book 4 Roman Retreat

  Book 5 Revolt of the Red Witch

  Book 6 Druid’s Gold

  Book 7 Trajan’s Hunters

  Book 8 The Last Frontier

  Book 9 Hero of Rome

  Book 10 Roman Hawk

  Book 11 Roman Treachery

  Book 12 Roman Wall

  Book 13 Roman Courage

  The Aelfraed Series

  (Britain and Byzantium 1050 A.D. - 1085 A.D.)

  Book 1 Housecarl

  Book 2 Outlaw

  Book 3 Varangian

  The Wolf Warrior series

  (Britain in the late 6th Century)

  Book 1 Saxon Dawn

  Book 2 Saxon Revenge

  Book 3 Saxon England

  Book 4 Saxon Blood

  Book 5 Saxon Slayer

  Book 6 Saxon Slaughter

  Book 7 Saxon Bane

  Book 8 Saxon Fall: Rise of the Warlord

  Book 9 Saxon Throne

  Book 10 Saxon Sword

  The Dragon Heart Series

  Book 1 Viking Slave

  Book 2 Viking Warrior

  Book 3 Viking Jarl

  Book 4 Viking Kingdom

  Book 5 Viking Wolf

  Book 6 Viking War

  Book 7 Viking Sword

  Book 8 Viking Wrath

  Book 9 Viking Raid

  Book 10 Viking Legend

  Book 11 Viking Vengeance

  Book 12 Viking Dragon

  Book 13 Viking Treasure

  Book 14 Viking Enemy

  Book 15 Viking Witch

  Book 16 Viking Blood

  Book 17 Viking Weregeld

  Book 18 Viking Storm

  Book 19 Viking Warband

  Book 20 Viking Shadow

  Book 21 Viking Legacy

  Book 22 Viking Clan

  The Norman Genesis Series

  Hrolf the Viking

  Horseman

  The Battle for a Home

  Revenge of the Franks

  The Land of the Northmen

  Ragnvald Hrolfsson

  Brothers in Blood

  Lord of Rouen

  Drekar in the Seine

  Duke of Normandy

  New World Series

  (Iceland and America- 10th- 11th Century)

  Blood on the Blade

  The Anarchy Series

  (England 1120-1180)

  English Knight

  Knight of the Empress

  Northern Knight

  Baron of the North

  Earl

  King Henry’s Champion

  The King is Dead

  Warlord of the North

  Enemy at the Gate

  The Fallen Crown

  Warlord's War

  Kingmaker

  Henry II

  Crusader

  The Welsh Marches

  Irish War

  Poisonous Plots

  Prince’s Revolt

  Earl Marshal

  Border Knight

  1182-1300

  Sword for Hire

  Return of the Knight

  Baron’s War

  Magna Carta

  Welsh War

  Henry III

  Struggle for a Crown

  1360- 1485

  Blood on the Crown

  To Murder a King

  Modern History

  The Napoleonic Horseman Series

  Book 1 Chasseur a Cheval

  Book 2 Napoleon’s Guard

  Book 3 British Light Dragoon

  Book 4 Soldier Spy

  Book 5 1808: The Road to Corunna

  Waterloo

  The Lucky Jack American Civil War series

  Rebel Raiders

  Confederate Rangers

  The Road to Gettysburg

  The British Ace Series

  1914

  1915 Fokker Scourge

  1916 Angels over the Somme

  1917 Eagles Fall

  1918 We will remember them

  From Arctic Snow to Desert Sand

  Wings over Persia

  Combined Operations series

  1940-1945

  Commando

  Raider

  Behind Enemy Lines

  Dieppe

  Toehold in Europe

  Sword Beach

  Breakout

  The Battle for Antwerp

  King Tiger

  Beyond the Rhine

  Korea

  Other Books

  Carnage at Cannes (a thriller)

  Great Granny’s Ghost (Aimed at 9-14-year-old young people)

  Adventure at 63-Backpacking to Istanbul

  For more information on all of the books then please visit the author’s web site at http://www.griffhosker.com where there is a link to contact him.