The Re-Enactor Issue 14, February 2010
Vedan Kolod
110 Groups listed 91 Traders Listed 74 Events Listed
Readership 590
Greetings all Welcome to issue 14
An increase of 3% for the readership, nearly 600 people receive this ezine every month I was at The Unconventional Market in Northampton recently, it was great to meet up with a few people, some old friends and to make a few new ones too. I will next be at The History Boot camp in April and look forward to meeting a few more of you there! Two competitions in this issue with more to come in future issues with the support of such authors as Dilip Sarkar MBE and Stephen Davis Vedan Kolod Pass on any details of groups,
Features This Month 1: Dilip Sarkambe, “The Few�. Available now! 2: History Boot Camp 3: Vedan Kolod (A group profile) 4: Competitions 5: Interview with Justin Pollard 6: War by Saul David 7: Event Listings 8: Volunteers Wanted! 9: Hell on Earth by Stephen Davis +Book Review 10: The Old Tales
traders and events to me and I will add them to the listings! Contact: jason.okeefe@btopenworld.com http://thereenactor.webs.com Thank you to all those that are supporting this magazine, without your support I could not
Competitions: Win 3 books by Justin Pollard Win War by Saul David
continue to produce the magazine. Please do keep sending me your articles, stories, pictures and details.
AMBERLEY The history of the Battle of Britain in the words of the pilots from a unique archive of first hand accounts.
Available to buy now!
T: 01285 760030 F: 01285 760031
THE FEW The Story of the Battle of Britain in the Words of the Pilots DILIP SARKAR
Author has interviewed more Battle of Britain pilots than any other historian. ‘Dilip knows more about me and the pilots with whom I flew during the Battle of Britain than we do! If anyone ever needs to know anything about the RAF during the summer of 1940, don’t ask the Few, ask him!’ GEORGE ‘GRUMPY’ UNWIN, Battle of Britain fighter ace. ‘Dilip Sarkar understands perfectly the mysteries of air tactics and strategy, enabling him write authoritatively, lively and deeply touching stories of those days when friend and foe met in the air’ PETER TOWNSEND, Battle of Britain fighter ace. Over 100 historic photographs, most originate from the personal albums of Battle of Britain veterans and have never been reproduced before.
In 1940, the world was shaken when Hitler conquered France and the Low Countries in just six weeks. As Hitler prepared a seaborne invasion of England, only RAF Fighter Command stood against the Nazi dictator, and the world literally held its breath. BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION Publication:
June 2009
Price:
£25
ISBN: 84868-215-3
978-1-
Size: 172mm
248
Binding:
Hardback
Extent:
336 pages
x
100 photos Rights:
PRAISE SARKAR
World, all languages FOR
DILIP
T HE BATTLE OF B RITAIN : T HE P HOTOGRAPHIC KALEIDOSCOPE ‘An excellent book’ LADY BADER Bader’s Tangmere Spitfires ‘A most diligent and carefully researched account‘ JOHNNY JOHNSON, the RAF’s top scoring fighter ace in WW2 Fighter Pilot ‘This book deserves to achieve success’ DAME VERA LYNN
The Battle of Britain started on 10th July 1940, ending 16 weeks later on 31st October 1940. The Luftwaffe’s intention was to destroy Fighter Command, domination of the skies being crucial to Hitler’s invasion plan. During that fateful summer, young RAF fighter pilots, flying Spitfires and Hurricanes, were scrambled time and time again to face insuperable odds - and the Luftwaffe was, until that point, unbeaten. The enemy fighter pilots, in their brightly painted Messerschmitt 109s, were the most experienced in the world. But somehow the RAF pilots, fighting desperately in a spider’s web of intricate vapour trails, and with sudden and violent death an ever present companion, prevailed. Afterwards, Churchill paid homage to them all: ‘Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few’. A legend had been born. Dilip Sarkar has been fascinated by the Battle of Britain since childhood and began seriously researching the subject in the 1970s. He wrote thousands of letters and travelled extensively over the UK interviewing the fabled ‘Few’. Over the last 30 years he has interviewed more Battle of Britain survivors than any other author and his archive is a unique collection of veterans ‘voices’. In this new book Dilip Sarkar chronicles the Battle of Britain from start to finish, drawing extensively from his interviews with pilots and support staff.
MARKETING, PUBLICITY, PRESS
Author is an acknowledged expert on the Battle of Britain with over 20 books on the subject to his credit.
Book signings at several major air shows in 2009 are planned.
Reviews in the aviation and history press to include Flypast, RAF News and BBC History Magazine.
Endorsement expected from Professor Richard Overy, author of The Battle of Britain (Penguin) and The Bombing War (forthcoming Penguin 2009).
Endorsement expected from Lady Bader.
THE AUTHOR Fascinated by the Battle of Britain since childhood, Dilip Sarkar remains both moved and inspired by the story of Churchill’s fabled Few, those young airmen who stood between freedom and a Britain dominated by Nazi Germany. Since the 1970s he has met and interviewed more Battle of Britain pilots than any other historian. He has researched the subject thoroughly and has published over twenty books, titles which include the only biographical works formally endorsed by the families of both Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader and Air Vice-Marshal Johnnie Johnson. In 2003, Dilip was made an MBE for services to aviation history, and elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Historical Society in 2006. He lives in Worcester.
History Boot Camp April 9th & 10th and 11th 2010 will see the third multi-period History Boot Camp take place at Phasels Wood Scout Camp near Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire. A completely new and unique concept, it features Master Classes in such useful and interesting topics for re-enactors as fire-lighting with flint and steel, the history of make-up, book-binding, calligraphy, forge-work, cooking, and the medicinal and culinary uses of herbs, as well as archery competitions, lessons and archery improvement, you can even take the fletching seminar as well as sword fighting, and the safe use of black powder weapons. Retail therapy is at hand, as are good food and subsidised beer, together with hot showers, plenty of proper toilets, even dormitory accommodation for those who prefer it, and the exclusive use 96 acres of playground – really the only limit is imagination! Set up and run by Laurie Wignall and David Smith, it has proved massively popular with those re-enactors who have already tried it, and re-bookings are already at record levels. The whole thing is financed by charging a modest £23 per adult camping fee, which includes most of the classes although some have a small charge for the materials used. Traders, many of whom are providing the master classes, get free pitches. Laurie runs his Trollsbottom Bar from the centrally located “Storm Hut” and is considering erecting his 12m by 6m Party Tent adjacent to this, as it can get rather crowded of an evening! Add in a huge log fire just outside, tarpaulins strung from the trees as wind breaks, the subsidised beer, and you can see why the social side of the camp is as highly praised as are the varied and useful classes. Add to this the excellent food offer situated onsite, not to mention the food available after the cooking seminars “It‟s a great kick start to the re-enactment season,” said Mr Wignall, “it gives everyone a chance to shake out the cobwebs and get some wood smoke into their lungs!” A dedicated web site at www.history-boot-camp.co.uk has the details and Booking Forms.
SLAVIC ETHNO-BAND “Vedan Kolod” «Vedan Kolod! Your music is really full of Slavonic spirit, respect of tradition and Slavonic culture. When a man is listening your music on the forest clearing even in the deep melancholy, your music cheering up and rising spirit like a musical anaesthetic. When a man is traveling along in the forest and in his ears plays your musical magic, he has a feeling like he is back to the ancient times, times of ancestries and he’s walking on paths, where ancestries walked and lived. All the nature and the world which is dead now born again with your music. Slava for you!» – Dmitrii Pochinski (Poland)
Slavic ethno-band Vedan Kolod (meaning „Prophetic tree‟) was created in 2005 in Siberia, Russia, by Tatyana Naryshkina. Already in July of 2005 Vedan Kolod won the prize as the best Russian folk band in the International World Music Festival Ustuu-Huree. “Vedan Kolod” in it‟s creative work gives clear root in an ancient tradition and based on the last investigations and analysis of archaeologists and folklore specialists, music of ancient and pagan Russia before Christian‟s coming. “Vedan Kolod” shows the culture of original Russian traditions and songs in author‟s acoustic working. During the time of its existence, “Vedan Kolod” had revived numerous almost forgotten Russian Folk instruments – gusli, okarina, Slavonic drums, Scythian horn, sharkuncy and other, restored and reconstructed by musical Master Valerii Naryshkin. All this ancient kinds of instruments are used actually in a program of band, as a low throat style of singing which is existed in native for Siberian musicians Siberia. All songs played without any electronic processing just live sound. Slavonic ethno-band "Vedan Kolod" has in its repertoire tradition folk songs, author‟s songs, stylized as folklore with real historical and legend material. Members: Tatyana Naryshkina – group leader. Main vocal, plays flutes, Slavonic drums, ocarina, fuyara, vargan and others. Valerii Naryshkin – musical instrument maker, on vocals, two kinds of gusli, Scythian horn, ocarina, Slavonic drums, vargan, zhaleika, Slav bagpipe, fuyara, gudok and others Daryana Antipova – Art-manager, on vocal, Slavonic big and small drums, fuyara, sharkuncy Polina Lisitsa – Slavonic small drum, vocal, lozhki, sharkuncy, flutes, vargan.
Contacts: Daryana Antipova Phone: +79268783197 (Moscow) e-mail: vedan.kolod@gmail.ru Official web site: www.vedan-kolod.org.ru, www.myspace.com/naryshkiny Discography: “Tribes” (2007, The Panfiloff music) “The dance of the wood spirits” (2007, The Sketis Music) “Wolf‟s path” (2008, The Slav rise) Similar music:Folk, New age, World music, Ethnic music, Pagan music, Psychedelic music.
A few events from 2009 March 2009 - festival "March Folk", Krasnoyarsk, Russia May 2009 - Festival with Vladiswar Nadishana (Germany), Krasnoyarsk, Russia Juy 2009 - Re-enactor festival of Ancient Russian Culture "Gorodetskoe Gulbische", Moscow August 2009 - Open Air Music Festival "Trutnov", Czech Republic August 2009 - International folklore festival "Polessko kolo" and "Kievska Rus", Ukraine, Chernigov and Lubetch September 2009 - Festival Mediaval, Germany, Selb September 2009 - Re-enactor festival "Echo of ages", Russia, Krasnoyarsk
Competition One To be in with a chance of winning 3 books by Justin Pollard just read The Fairy Flag of Dunvegan (below) and answer this Question: What was the name of Harald Hardrada's battle flag? This Competition will run until February 15th, the 3 books sit upon Justin‟s desk just waiting to be signed or dedicated to the lucky winner. Send your answer and your full postal address to the usual email address Jason.okeefe@btopenworld.com
The Fairy Flag of Dunvegan" from my book 'Secret Britain Whilst there is, to be honest, very little hard evidence for the presence of fairies in Britain, at Dunvegan Castle on Skye is a relic whose supposed fairy origins have, it is said, protected a clan for a thousand years and whose true, secret history may be just as remarkable as the legend. The fragment of tattered yellow silk known as the Fairy Flag of Dunvegan was said to have been given to the clan MacLeod by the wife of the fourth chief of that clan, Iain. He, as legend has it, was lucky enough to marry the daughter of the fairy king. When the couple returned to this mortal realm after their nuptials to rule the clan, it was only on the understanding that after seven years she would have to return to her own world. Of course time flew by; when the seven years were up she tearfully bade goodbye to her husband and the baby she had just borne. As the couple parted on the fairy bridge she asked Iain to promise that the child would never be left alone, as the one thing she would be unable to bear was to hear it cry. That night there was a great feast to take the clan chief‟s mind off a rather depressing day and, being a man, he completely forgot about his promise. So too did the nurse sent to tend the baby, as she had sneaked out of the nursery to hear the singing and pipe playing in the hall. The lonely baby had duly cried and when Iain spotted the nurse in the hall he suddenly remembered his vow and dashed to the nursery. He was just in time to glimpse his wife who, having heard the cries, was rocking the baby back to sleep and singing what is now known as the Dunvegan lullaby. The moment he entered the room she vanished forever but on the baby‟s cot she left a silken blanket. This fairy flag was said to be able to protect the clan from danger when waved but could be invoked only three times, on the last of which both the flag and its bearer would disappear. Since then the flag has been waved twice but, not surprisingly, no one is too keen to wave it again, although Dame Flora MacLeod of MacLeod valiantly offered to wave it over the white cliffs of Dover during the Second World War, should an invasion seem imminent. MacLeod pilots in the war were also given fragments of the flag (or pictures of it) to carry with them for protection.
Although all this may seem a shade fanciful, the flag is undoubtedly a mystery. Made of yellow silk spotted with red, it appears to be of Mediterranean origin and is around a thousand years old. One suggestion is that this is the flag known as „land-waster‟, once owned by Harald Hardrada, who was defeated by Harold II at Stamford Bridge in 1066, shortly before the Norman invasion. He picked up this „magical‟ flag when captain of the Varangian guard in Byzantium and, according to Snorri Sturluson‟s saga Heimskringla, flew it in the battle. Such magical „raven banners‟ were often used by Viking warlords, not least against Alfred the Great whose forces are recorded capturing just such a talisman, although in 1066 it seems to have malfunctioned and Hardrada was killed. Passing to Godred Crovan, later king of the Isle of Man, it may possibly have come down to the MacLeods. That certainly is the view of eminent Scottish historian Sir Iain Moncreiffe. So the fairy flag may have more bloody origins, not as an elfin cot blanket but as a war banner. Perhaps the last word on the subject should be given to a MacLeod. When Sir Reginald MacLeod had the flag inspected by the Victoria and Albert Museum and was told it might well be the remains of „land-waster‟, he politely thanked the curators for their opinion but pointed out that he had it directly from family sources that the flag had been given to them by the fairies.
Competition Two To be in with a chance of winning a signed copy of WAR by Saul David all you need do is send me an email with your name and address (including Postcode) to the usual email address. This competition will run until March 15th The competition is free to enter and open to all those that receive this ezine Email: Jason.okeefe@btopenworld.com
I would like to extend by gratitude to Justin Pollard and DK for their support of this ezine and the offer of the books.
An Interview with Justin Pollard (As published in a Brazilian Newspaper)
1) Was Henry VIII that handsome? The paintings show, always, a fat man. Could you please explain it? Henry was considered very handsome when he was a young man. He was a true Renaissance Prince, an author, musician, sportsman, hunter and poet – everything that a Prince should be. He was also of course very wealthy and powerful, both attractions in themselves. The image we commonly have today of Henry is from copies of a lost mural by Hans Holbein the Younger that shows the king. The mural distorted perspective to make the king look impressive and powerful and perhaps on the large side although he is portrayed as younger than he was at that time (he was 46). Following a jousting accident in 1536 Henry did become very overweight, partly due to his inability to exercise as much. This was exacerbated by gout. At his fattest he had a waist measurement of 137 cm and due to this and his illnesses found movement difficult. The weeping boils on his legs, the gout and his huge girth certainly didn‟t make him very attractive by this point.
2) There are lots of sex in the series. Was the English aristocracy so promiscuous? Prosmiscuity amongst the aristocracy is a mixed story. The nobility had the opportunity for it and the power to get away with it which certainly helped so some nobles were very promiscuous. Others of course were very devout and so not. Generally young princes through the ages have had mistresses and Henry was no different although many of his liaisons are difficult to prove. In fact we can only be absolutely certain about 2 but there were likely many more. Royal courts were sexually charged places - the people in power were often much younger than our rulers today – king‟s could be teenagers and the youngest Pope was 18 so hormones played a larger part in life! At the other end of the scale we have no real idea how promiscuous ordinary people were as little of their lives was recorded. When lives were short and you were an old man at 40 I don‟t think Victorian prudery would have been much in evidence.
3) What is the major legacy of Henry VIII as a king? Henry‟s greatest legacy was the break with Rome in 1533/4 which would usher in the English Reformation. Henry took the church, it‟s lands and wealth – which was huge – out of the control of what he considered a foreign prince and into his own hands. The Dissolution of the monasteries had a incalculable impact on British life. The wealth it freed up allowed him to reward his followers and turn Britain into a European power – something it very much had not been before. It also changed the physical and spiritual shape of the countryside. Monasteries were demolished and replaced with private houses. The whole of the religious welfare system (by which the rich were encouraged to acts of charity to save their souls) was removed, leaving the very poor with no means of support. The ritual calendar bu which
ordinary people had for centuries lived, which was based on the church calendar, was torn up. Not all these things came to pass in Henry;‟s lifetime, but he set them in motion.
4) I read somewhere that about 85% of the series is true. Which 15% is fiction and why? As you might imagine we get a few complaints from some historians about the „accuracy‟ of the Tudors but I think in this they often miss the point. The Tudors is not a documentary, nor is it a time machine by which we can visit the past. It is a drama based on the past. Taking Henry‟s story and turning it into four 10 hour series requires a lot of editing. There are many elements of his life we have to leave out – some because we don‟t think they‟re very engaging, some because they‟d be too expensive and some because they‟d be too confusing. One example is Henry‟s sisters. When we only showed Henry as having one sister there were complaints from some historians that we had stupidly „forgotten‟ that he had two. Of course we knew he had two but in our narrative the sisters had a minor role and as one was called Mary Tudor - the same name as Henry‟s daughter who would appear a lot in, later episodes, – we thought it easier and less confusing to put elements of both sisters into the other sister Margaret.
As well as editing, there are times when we had added details that we can‟t historically be sure of – such as our depiction of the death of Wolsey as suicide. This is a distinct possibility but there is no direct evidence that his death was anything other than natural.
Finally we also conflate time in the series. Events are juxtaposed that really happened some time apart and obviously our Henry is played by the same actor for the whole series rather than being replaced each series with someone ten years older. These time effects are simply a product of taking a 38 year reign and compressing it into a few hours of television.
5) In your blog you wrote a piece about the son that Henry VIII had of a mistress. Why not to recognize him as an heir, once the king was so obsessed with a son? One more thing in this department: in the series he dies when as a child. Why? At the time Henry fitzRoy died the Act was going through Parliament which disinherited Henry‟s legitimate daughters and allowed him to chose whoever he wished as his heir. Perhaps if fitzRoy hadn‟t died then Henry would have legitimized him? There was certainly talk of making him King of Ireland although this was eventually dropped when Henry VIII‟s advisors warned that this might create a dangerous dynasty opposed to England, much as existed in Scotland. In truth though I don‟t think Henry was about to legitimize fitzRoy simply because he was illegitimate and Henry might still have a legitimate son. Whilst that was a possibility there was no point in starting a pro-fitzRoy faction that he might come to regret later. The Tudors were always worried about their legitimacy – they had taken the crown on the battlefield, not inherited it – so an illegitimate heir could make for a very turbulent succession.
In The Tudors we weren‟t making a big story of fitzRoy, largely because the story of the succession was complicated enough and so we killed him off rather prematurely, using his death of the sweating sickness to drive Henry‟s character forward.
6) Why, in your opinion, are people so mesmerized about The Tudors? I mean, the dinasty itself. The Tudors were the first great propagandists in English Royal History,. They publically projected an image of kingship that was powerful and magnificent. Henry himself was the first English king to demand to be called „Your Majesty‟. The Tudors controlled how their image was presented, only allowing certain approved portraits to circulate (this is why you rarely see a picture of an old and enfeebled Elizabeth) and controlled other popular media like the theatre. Shakespeare‟s history plays go to great lengths to push the legitimacy of the Tudor dynasty and have a writer like Shakespeare on your side is no bad thing. Then there is the personal story. Henry is the powerful man who can have whatever he likes and will go to any length to get it – in his case it‟s a legitimate male heir and he leaves a trail of devastation behind him in that quest, not least in the lives of his six queens.
7) Which one of the wives is your favorite, and why? Could you please say a few words about each one? Henry‟s wives are an extraordinary mix and are as much the reason why Henry‟s story is so powerful today as he is. Katherine of Aragon, had expected to marry Henry‟s older brother (who suddenly died) and found herself stuck in what was then a fairly rough country without supporters whilst Henry VII tried to rearrange her marriage to Henry the new heir. We often forget she went on to be Queen of England for nearly 24 years and after her replacement remains dignified although appallingly treated. Anne Boleyn has a particular place in my affections having made the two „Elizabeth‟ movies which of course star her daughter. Anne was clever and outspoken, something Henry had adored in a mistress but which was considered inappropriate for a wife and queen. In particular she seems to have been hostile to Cromwell‟s influence on the King and the progress of the Dissolution. This may be why she was removed an executed, as much as her „failure‟ to produce a male heir. Her trial was an utter sham and she died quite innocent of the charges, again with great dignity. Jane Seymour was Henry‟s favourite wife, indeed he‟s buried next to her. She produced the longed for male heir. She seems to have been more discrete than Anne and less political although we can‟t say much about her as she was queen for such a short time. Some historians have claimed she took an active role in the downfall of Anne Boleyn but this has never been proven. Her death was a great blow to Henry.
Anne of Cleves gets a tough press and only lasted 6 months as Queen. Just why Henry didn‟t get on with her is uncertain – perhaps he really didn‟t find her physically attractive enough. Certainly their marriage was never consummated and after 6 months Henry asked for an annulment on those grounds which Anne agreed to. Anne remained in England and behaved with great decorum despite the snub. She received a generous settlement and was welcome at court, being referred to as „The King‟s Beloved Sister‟. Catherine Howard only managed 16 months as Henry‟s Queen and was perhaps his mid-life crisis. He was approaching 50 and she was probably 19. She was certainly very indiscrete and admitted to having affairs before her marriage to the king including one precontract of marriage which would invalidate the King‟s marriage). There is also good reason to believe the charges that she continued having affairs whilst queen and was forced to take various people on her staff to prevent them from telling the King. She was young, naïve and hopelessly compromised – tragically she paid for this with her head. Catherine Parr was perhaps the woman Henry should have married all along. She was moral, clever and loyal, using her intelligence to further her beliefs but understanding the dangerous world in which she operated and not antagonizing the powerful people about her, not least the king himself. Although Anne Boleyn‟s story is perhaps the most engaging, I would have to say Catherine Parr must be my favourite – she understood the game she was playing.
8) Thomas Cromwell: a villain or a martyr, a unlikely hero or a cold hearted killer? Cromwell was a brilliant man, a humanist and, unusually for the time, someone who had come from very humble origins (his father was a cloth worker, or possibly a pub landlord) and risen to the top of society. He was also very politically astute and the great „spin-doctor‟ behind the break with Rome, providing the intellectual ammunition for the move. Of course this made his very unpopular in some circles, not least with the Duke of Norfolk, and there is no doubt that, like most people put in positions of great power, he could be cruel. His execution was, like so many in Henry‟s reign, entirely unnecessary and from Henry‟s point of view had little more cause than the disastrous marriage to Anne of Cleves which Cromwell had orchestrated. It did however give the necessary ammunition to the enemies of the Reformation Cromwell had pioneered and his fate was sealed. Personally I don‟t see him as a villain or a martyr – the Reformation had its roots in genuine belief but Cromwell didn‟t really „die for his faith‟ – he died playing the hugely dangerous game of advising Henry.
9) Was Henry VIII more interested in the properties of the Church or in Ann Boleyn when he decided to found a new religion? Henry had no intention of founding a new religion and considered himself a good Catholic. Certainly he, like many English monarchs before him, resented the influence of the papacy in his realm, and enjoyed the obvious benefits that the solution suggested by his advisors offered. He liked being head of his own church, he liked the money, land and patronage that the Dissolution of the Monasteries gave him but, most of all, he liked the way it gave him an
exit strategy from his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. At heart Henry‟s main concern was every monarchs concern – to have a legitimate male heir and ensure your dynasty‟s survival on the throne. This, at the end of the day, was the mark of Royal success. He saw a new marriage as the only way to achieve this. Of course those advising Henry had more complex motives and some were certainly interested in replacing Catholicism with the new Protestantism – but Henry always thought himself a good Catholic.
10) Charles Brandon and Thomas Morus: what was the real influence of each one? Brandon was a huge influence on Henry although not really in an academic way. Charles had been brought up at Henry VIIs court, and his ancestry appealed to the Tudors – his father had been Henry VII‟s standard bearer and was killed by Richard II at the battle of Bosworth Field. AS such his family had been in the Tudor project from the beginning. Brandon was also a good soldier and sportsman, which Henry liked, and vigourously supported his marriage to Anne Boleyn. As such he benefited from huge estates which fell to the king after the Dissolution. Despite a dispute over Brandon‟s marriage to Henry‟s sister (which the king didn‟t approve) Brandon was perhaps Henry‟s only real life-long friend. More was a interesting, conflicted character. At one level a brilliant thinker and a gentle humanist and yet unyielding, indeed, savage in his persecution of those he believed to be heretics. His influence on Henry quickly faded I think as his initial support for Henry‟s annulment waned.
11) One especialist said that Ann Cleeves was a beautiful woman, and showed some paintings to try to prove it. Is it true that Henry VIII thought about remarrying her? Was history unfair to label her as the woman that even Henry VIII didn't desire? Henry certainly doesn‟t have seemed to have been impressed when he first saw Anne, saying “She is nothing so fair as she hath been reported.” But looks were not everything and the value of the match had to be taken into account. However Henry had always liked educated and outspoken women but of course expected docile obedience in marriage. Anne was calm, gentle and obedient but she was very poorly educated and only spoke German. This may have added to Henry‟s dismay. Henry wanted everything and Anne couldn‟t offer that. They did however remain friends after the annulment and Henry may certainly have later wished he had stayed married to someone so faithful.
12) How was tennis played? How was Henry VIII as a player? Did he have to give up after the fall during the jostling? Any of the wives could play well? The Tudor game was what we today call Real Tennis, rather than the modern Lawn Tennis, although Henry just called it „tennis‟. The rules are similar to lawn tennis but complicated by the fact that the game is played in an asymmetric indoor court. Scoring is by fifteens (with the
exception of 40 and six games wins a set, even if the opponent has five games. A match is typically best of three sets.
Henry loved playing tennis and had courts built at Hampton Court, Whitehall and elsewhere. The courts were bespoke buildings, very large and hence expensive to build so this was very much a noble game.
The first mention of a woman playing real tennis is in Paris in 1421 but I’m not aware of any recorded instances of Henry’s Queens playing. This was a very athletic game that ladies watched rather than played.
13) Did you expect such success of the series? You always hope that whatever TV series or film you work on will be a success but I think we were all surprised by just how much interest there was in the US for a 500 year old episode in English history. Having said that, if there was ever a period of European history to catch the imagination it is this one. Henry‟s propaganda machine works as well today as it did then!
14) How would you define the relanshionship of Henry VIII with others European kings? Henry wished to be considered an equal amongst European monarchs, many of whom considered England to be a fairly barbarous backwater – not without some reason. He went to great length to compete, particularly with the French throne and there was an element of perceived inadequacy about this. Henry wasn‟t simply all words however. He fortified the coast and built up the navy, laying the foundations of England as a sea power. Many European rulers, notably in Spain, underestimated him in this and whilst they might have dismissed his claims of equality, by the end of the century there was little doubt that England was the rising power, so perhaps he had the last laugh.
15) Which one is your favorite season? Why? I like the season we‟re shooting best – mainly because as a historian it‟s simply magical to see something you‟ve read about brought to life for the first time. When the dust has settled and the show is over and I go back through all those DVDs? I think perhaps the first series will be my favourite. No-one knew what a success it would be then – everyone was just young and eager and just trying their best – like the young Henry‟s court really.
WAR FROM ANCIENT EGYPT TO IRAQ Editorial consultant: Saul David To be published in hardback by Dorling Kindersley on 22nd October 2009, priced ÂŁ30 FOR NOVEMBER/DECEMBER ISSUES Q. Who is the most decorated military hero in history? Q. What is the most bizarre weapon ever used in warfare? Q. What was it like to be held captive in Vietnam for almost 2,000 days? Q. What was the greatest feat of military engineering?
Combining a clear and compelling historical narrative with hundreds of outstanding paintings and photographs, WAR is an unsurpassed visual history of every major conflict over the past 5,000 years, from the earliest battles to the War on Terror. With a wealth of supporting features including eyewitness accounts, detailed galleries, and an exhaustive directory of battles and military miscellanea, WAR guides the reader through the strategies, tactics, warriors, weapons, technology and individuals that have shaped human warfare. From sword and shield to shock and awe, this is the story of war with all its momentous, world-changing impact and extraordinary human stories. Saul David is Professor of War Studies at the University of Buckingham, and a writer and broadcaster. He is the author of several critically-acclaimed books, including The Indian Mutiny : 1857 (shortlisted for the Westminster Medal for Military Literature), Zulu: The Heroism and Tragedy of the Zulu War of 1879 (a Waterstone's Military History Book of the Year) and Victoria's Wars: The Rise of Empire . He is also the author of the acclaimed historical novel, Zulu Hart . An experienced broadcaster, Saul has presented and appeared in history programmes for all the major TV channels and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4.
Saul David is available for interview and to write features. For further information, please contact Anwen Hooson at Riot Communications on 020 3174 0118 / 07899 798885 / anwen@riotcommunications.com
Events Listing February 2010 6th & 7th Foreign Fields Northern Reenactment Kit Fair, Building 21, Elsecar Heritage Centre, Barnsley www.foreign-fields.co.uk/renfair.html 26th, 27th & 28th International Living History Fair, Warwickshire Exhibition Centre, UK http://www.livinghistoryfairs.com/
March 2010 7th MSS Spring Clout Shoot at Bodium Castle, Sussex, UK For information: http://www.medieval-seige-society.co.uk 19th, 20th & 21st The Original Re-enactors market (TORM) Sports Connexion, Ryton on Dunsmorre www.reenactorsmarket.co.uk
April 2010 3rd MSS at Hedingham Castle, UK For information: http://www.medieval-seige-society.co.uk 4th & 5th The Knights of Royal England at Knebworth House, Hertfordshire, UK www.knightsroyal.co.uk 9th - 11th History Boot Camp, Phasels Wood, Hemel Hempstead, UK Seminars, workshops, traders, re-enactors For more information or to book your place visit: www.history-boot-camp.co.uk/ 13th -16th Ealdfaeder at Ipswich Museum, Suffolk, UK For information contact: pete@gippeswic.demon.co.uk 22nd – 25th 5th Reenactment Commemorating the Defense San Juan during the British Siege of 1797 For information: http://sites.google.com/site/sanjuan1797/home 24th MSS at Cressing Temple Barns, Cressing Temple, UK For information: http://www.medieval-seige-society.co.uk
May 2010 1st - 3rd The Knights of Royal England at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, UK www.knightsroyal.co.uk 1st – 3rd Cosmeston Battle weekend, Cosmeston Medieval Village, nr Cardiff, Wales www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk/ 1st & 2nd Margam Park South Wales, Multi-Period Event www.webster.uk.net 8th & 9th Two day Costume and Textile Fair, Rodber Suite at Northamapton Saints Rugby Club, UK Contact for information: david.smith34@ntlworld.com or smcnern@googlemail.com
8th & 9th Snailwell Medieval Festival, Snailwell, Uk, CB8 7LX www.yayevents.co.uk 21st – 24th KMM: Copenhagen Medieval Market For Information: http://www.kmm.dk/default.asp?pid=49 29th 30th Traquair House, Innerleithen, Scotland Medieval entertainment, traders and a tournament before King James IV (1491) http://www.traquair.co.uk/medieval.html Contact: ahmuir@hotmail.co.uk 30th & 31st The Knights of Royal England at Hedlingham Castle, Essex, UK www.knightsroyal.co.uk 29th – 4th June. 2010 Pirate Festival at Lulworth Castle, Wareham, Dorset, UK http://pikeandshot.com 29th – 31st Ealdfaeder at West Stow Anglo Saxon Village, Suffolk, UK For information contact: pete@gippeswic.demon.co.uk
June 2010 1st -6th The Knights of Royal England at Leeds Castle, Kent, UK www.knightsroyal.co.uk 5th & 6th Ealdfaeder at Sutton Hoo, near Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK For information contact: pete@gippeswic.demon.co.uk 6th & 7th Templecombe Medieval fayre, Templecombe, Dorset, UK 12th & 13th The Knights of Royal England at Royal Gunpowder Mills, Essex, UK www.knightsroyal.co.uk 18th – 20th The Knights of Royal England at Cardiff Castle, Wales www.knightsroyal.co.uk 19th & 20th Tatton Park, UK Contact: plantychrisb@yahoo.co.uk 25th, 26th & 27th Chatteris Historic Festival, Chatteris, Cambridgeshire, UK For information contact: thebeardeddragon30@hotmail.com 26th & 27th The Knights of Royal England at Ruthin Castle, Wales www.knightsroyal.co.uk 26th & 27th The Winslowshire Festival, Winslowshire animal sanctuary, 37 Eddy St, Norton, MA, USA See more details and RSVP on RenaissancePerformers: http://renaissanceperformers.ning.com/events/event/show?id=2212446%3AEvent%3A5017&xgi=5SBQFRLZc2bLIZ&xg_so urce=msg_invite_event
July 2010 3rd & 4th The Knights of Royal England at Linlithgow Palace nr Edinburgh, Scotland www.knightsroyal.co.uk 3rd & 4th Chetwynd Medieval Fair. Commemorating an actual historical market and Chetwynd, Shropshire in1318. The current location is at Shropshire Lavender http://www.shropshirelavender.co.uk
3rd & 4th Dorset Medieval Festival, Winterbourne Came, Dorchester, Dorset, UK http://www.facebook.com/l/4c0b0;www.dorsetmedievalfestival.co.uk 10th & 11th The Knights of Royal England at Linlithgow Palace nr Edinburgh, Scotland www.knightsroyal.co.uk 10th & 11th Tewkesbury Medieval Festival, Tewkesbury, UK www.tewkesburymedievalfestival.org/ 13th – 18th Viking Market in Gudvangen http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=592381455&ref=name#/pages/Gudvangen-Norway/Gudvangen-mostbeautiful-spot-on-planet-earth/331462555230 17th & 18th MSS at Royal Gunpowder Mills, UK For information: http://www.medieval-seige-society.co.uk 17th & 18th The Knights of Royal England at Hever Castle, Kent, UK www.knightsroyal.co.uk 17th & 18th Kelmarsh Hall, Northamptonshire, UK Multi-Period event 17th & 18th Ealdfaeder at Sutton Hoo near Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK For information contact: pete@gippeswic.demon.co.uk 23rd – 24th The Knights of Royal Engalnd at Hever Castle, Kent, UK www.knightsroyal.co.uk 24th & 25th Berkeley Castle Skirmish, Gloucestershire, UK www.berkeley-castle.com/reenactments.php 24th & 25th The Battle of Azincourt, France www.azincourt-alliance.org.uk 24th & 25th MSS at Appuldurcombe House, Ventnor, Isle of Wight, UK For information: http://www.medieval-seige-society.co.uk 31st & 1st The Knights of Royal England at Hever Castle, Kent, UK www.knightsroyal.co.uk 31st & 1st The Tournament of Walraversijde, Oostende, Belgium http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=152000491459&mid=1ada4fcG2a41059eG39aaf51G7 31st & 1st Ealdfaeder at Sutton Hoo near Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK For information contact: pete@gippeswic.demon.co.uk
August 2010 6th – 8th The Knights of Royal England at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, UK www.knightsroyal.co.uk 7th & 8th Midlands History Festival at Stratford Armouries, Stratford, UK http://www.stratfordarmouries.co.uk 13th – 15th The Knights of Royal England at Hever Castle, Kent, uk www.knightsroyal.co.uk
14th & 15th Spetchley Park-Multi-period event, Worcester, UK www.lhiw.org.uk 14th & 15th Bodelwyddan Castle, North Wales 14th & 15th Lincoln Castle, Lincoln, UK For information contact: plantychrisb@yahoo.co.uk 14th & 15th Ealdfaeder at Sutton Hoo near Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK For information contact: pete@gippeswic.demon.co.uk 14th & 15th MSS at Bodium Castle, Sussex, UK For information: http://www.medieval-seige-society.co.uk 21st & 22nd Scotlands Festival of History, The Royal Borough of Lanark, UK http://www.scotlandsfestivalofhistory.co.uk 21st & 22nd The Knights of Royal England at Hever Castle, Kent, UK www.knightsroyal.co.uk 27th & 28th The Knights of Royal England at Hever Castle, Kent, UK www.knightsroyal.co.uk 28th – 30th Herstmonceaux Medieval Festival, Herstmonceaux Castle, East Sussex, UK 28th – 30th Military Odyssy, Kent Show Ground, Detling, Kent, UK. http://www.military-odyssey.com/ 28th – 30th Medieval Spectacular at Pensthorpe Park, Fakenham, Norfolk http://www.blackknighthistorical.co.uk 29th & 30th The Knights of Royal England at Hedingham Castle, Essex, UK www.knightsroyal.co.uk 28th – 29th September 10 Jahre mim IG Mensch im Mittelalter e.V (63165 Mulheim am Main) http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=273595664687&mid=1ac1308G2a41059eG3974e7dG7
September 2010 4th & 5th Campaign of La Boissiere-Ecole 1815 The village of La Boissiere-Ecole situated 17km west of Rambouillet near Paris 5th The Knights of Royal England at Knebworth House, Hertfordshire, UK www.knightsroyal.co.uk 11th & 12th Early Medieval Alliance (EMA) event at Caldicot Castle, Wales, UK 11th & 12th MSS at Battle of Edgecote & Tournament Spectacular, Chipping Warden, Banbury, UK For information: http://www.medieval-seige-society.co.uk 18th & 19th The Knights of Royal England at Leeds Castle, Kent, UK www.knightsroyal.co.uk 25th & 26th The 17th International Napoleonic Fair 2010 www.internationalnapoleonicfair.co.uk
October 17th MSS Autumn Clout Shoot, Bodium Castle, Sussex, UK For information: http://www.medieval-seige-society.co.uk 29th-31st The Living History Fair, Warwickshire Exhibition Centre, UK http://www.livinghistoryfairs.com/ 30th & 31st Medieval Fair & Market, Tutbury Castle, Staffordshire, UK Contact: david.smith34@ntlworld.com
November 27th & 28th Ludlow Castle Medieval Christmas fair, Ludlow, Shropshire, UK Craft fair, medieval traders, combat, have a go archery http://www.ludlowcastle.com/
December 12th MSS Christmas Clout Shoot at Bodium Castle, Sussex, UK For information: http://www.medieval-seige-society.co.uk
Volunteers wanted Would you like to get involved in our exciting new project at Mary Ardenâ€&#x;s Farm? We have a wonderful opportunity for people of all ages and backgrounds to become part of the Shakespeare birthplace trust team. Volunteering is an ideal way to meet new people, learn more about Shakespeare, his work, life and times. Tudor household skills such as bread baking, open-hearth cooking, dairying, spinning and herbal medicine. Rural craft and trade demonstrations, including splitting wood, foggot making, threshing and winnowing. Gardening, from maintaining the gardens to explaining gardening methods from Shakespeareâ€&#x;s time. Farm work, assisting the farm manager with the care of animals and maintenance of the site. Music and dancing Demonstrating Tudor games Leading nature walks Meeting, greeting and directing the visitor What qualifications do you need to become a volunteer? No specialist knowledge is required but a general interest in Shakespeare or the Tudor period would be practically welcome, or you may have an interest in history, re-enactment or rural life. We provide a full induction programme and specialist training. Volunteers will be in constant contact with visitors so it is important that you feel confident in dealing with people from all walks of life. Some roles, particularly those involving Tudor household and rural/trade skills will require volunteers to wear period dress. This will be provided free of charge To find out more by contacting us on 01789 204016 or by e-mailing volunteering@Shakespeare.org.uk
HELL ON EARTH Stephen Davis
This book is a record of a time in history which no one alive today has witnessed. This is a true story written by a young man from a midland town which under the conscription act, immediately after his eighteenth birthday joined the army and went over to France in April 1918, just after the big German offensive. His regiment was sent to a spot where the British line had been broken, and soon they were in retreat. First told over 70 years ago the story has finally made its way back to where it belongs. This book is only available direct from the website: www.hellonearth.org.uk Or via email: srddavis@hotmail.com
Read on for review of this book! A copy of this book will soon be up for grabs in a competition!
Hell on Earth by Stephen Davis On one level this is a very easy book to read – within its 260-odd pages lies a story told in such a straightforward style, almost conversational in tone, it speaks directly to us. Written entirely in the first person, this book recounts the tale of one soldier‟s experiences in the Great War written shortly after he returned from France and untold to a wider audience for over 70 years. Although the soldier is not named beyond a reference to himself as “Private F Smith”, a name is really superfluous as throughout the telling of his story we learn so much more about him than this – of the horrors he saw and endured, of the weariness and hunger of himself and his companions (especially his particular friend Fred, with his rheumaticky knee), of the comradeship and determination of the ordinary soldier caught up in this terrible conflict. On another level then, this book makes for difficult reading. There can be no-one who is not aware of the great toll of the First World War; how those fighting on both sides suffered and the unimaginable numbers of casualties, but this book takes that knowledge to another level. It pulls no punches, it does not flinch away from describing what was witnessed and felt, but sets it down with a raw honesty that is as compelling as it is uncomfortable. It is far different in tone to the history books that I have read on the war, with their academic apportioning of blame and cause, or again from the letters home from the Front that present another poignant side of the story. Whether this account was written as a personal catharsis, or to ensure that the knowledge of what happened survived to be passed on to later generations, or simply in order to try to make some sense of what had been lived through, we can benefit from its reading. Last year saw the deaths of the final two British men who fought in this campaign, but that does not mean that Britain‟s link with the Great War is over – no, it remains, in village war memorials all over the country, in remembering Great Uncles and Great Grandfathers who we never even met. “Hell on Earth” is another of those links – uncompromisingly ensuring that we will remember what the young men of Europe experienced over 90 years ago. E.S O‟K
THE OLD TALES 008 The Sea Bride There is a story, which comes from the Western Isles, of the far North of this island realm. In truth, there are many stories from that land, but this particular story is called „The Sea Bride‟. It illustrates not only the authority of the lady, but the influence of her family, and why it is wise to be careful not to offend. Even if she has no training or skill in household management, she is still the one who is in charge of the home. A young fisherman had spent his life casting his net from the shore, drawing in his meagre catch on to the stony beach then casting the net once more. He was taught by his father, who had learnt from his father, going further back in time than anyone could remember. Every day was the same, and he saw no great changes in his future. Indeed, he sought no great changes. One day, the fisherman was plying his trade upon the water‟s edge, and keeping a close eye upon the weather. The sky was darkening beyond the sea, and he needed to determine which way the weather was headed. While he watched the horizon sky he noticed movement in the sea spray and he saw a seal swimming and playing in the deeper water as it slowly approached the shore. It was only a short distance along the shore from where he was and he could see it quite clearly. Seals are very fine to look upon, so the young man paused in his labours to watch the fair creature's games. After a while, the seal ceased its graceful play in the surf and the fisherman watched as it swam to the shore. It pulled itself up on to the beach then disappeared behind some nearby rocks. The young man was about to return to his duties, when a tall and graceful maiden stood up from behind the rocks. Her hair had the colour and radiance of electrum and was glistening with sea water in the full noon light. Her skin seemed light yet strong, as through a life spent in the open wilds. The fisherman now realised the truth. This maiden was a Selkie, one of the seal people. A Selkie can take on the shape and nature of a seal, by donning a very special, charmed cloak. Many Selkie spend their whole lives in the sea, coming ashore only rarely, and only for short periods. By her appearance and bearing, here was a lady of some standing amongst her people. He walked over to where she stood and they both sat upon the moss strewn rocks of the foreshore. They fell into sociable conversation about their lives and the sea that connected them. During the months that followed, they met often upon that beach and the time they spent together became something they would both look forward to. In time, love grew between them.
One day, the young fisherman took the maid in his arms. They looked into each otherâ€&#x;s eyes for a time that could not be counted. Then he spoke briefly, yet solemnly to her. "My love, I would have you as my wife." She smiled, and spoke softly to him. "I am willing, my love. But first you must ask my father. Come to the beach tomorrow forenoon. We shall meet with him and ask of his consent. In the morning, the fisherman walked down to the beach. No nets or high boots on this day. He wore the finest clothes he owned, as one would, the first time you meet the man who may soon be your father-in-law. When he came to the beach, it was deserted, yet he saw an old man standing tall upon a rocky islet a little way off from the shore. This noble man was clad in a rich robe and his long silver hair was bound back by a silver circlet. He carried himself proudly, yet the pride about him was that granted by authority through many generations of his family. This was most obviously one of the greater Lords of the Selkie folk, and the lady, as his daughter, was indeed a true Lady. Upon either side of the old Lord stood an identical maiden, his twin daughters. He gave a nod of greeting to the fisherman, yet his expression was grim, as though this had happened many times before. Then he spoke. "You wish to take the hand of my daughter in marriage. This is fine, and you will have my consent and my blessing. But, which of these twain girls is your chosen love?" The fisherman looked from one to the other of the two maidens. They were as alike as two pressed mackerel in a tin. The poor man despaired of how he could possibly make the right choice. He knew that if he made the wrong choice, he would lose both of them, and that he would never be granted another chance. After a short time, one of the maidens thrust her foot forward from beneath her flowing gown. He recognized the way in which she had laced her sandal, and he smiled at her. "She is the one." The Selkie Lord nodded his approval. "Your choice is true and reflects your true love. You may take her as your wife and you may have my blessing. But hear me well. The third time that you strike her she shall return to me. Upon that day you shall lose her forever." The fisherman protested against this suggestion. "My Lord, I protest. I wish to love her and to keep her comfortable and safe. I do not wish ever to hit her."
The Selkie Lord made no reply to this, but his smile was once more grim. It was as though he knew many things of which he could not speak. Such folk may not only have understanding of things that occurred before they were, but of things that may not yet have occurred. Regardless, a date was fixed for the wedding. The guests were invited of the Selkie folk and of the fisher folk. Although it is not spoken of, that I have seen, I like to think that it would have been a joint ceremony. Perhaps it would have been carried out by the High Priestess of the Selkie and the High Priest of the Isles. Perhaps it would have bound the sacred traditions of the two peoples into a single ritual. Perhaps we will never know for truth. Upon the day that was set for the wedding, all was prepared and all the guests were waiting. The prospective bride of course was taking her time to get herself ready. Gentlemen may note that ladies always seem to take forever to get ready, when going out or attending a function. Ladies are by their nature perfectionists and perfection, as any craftsman will attest, takes time. The fisherman went to his love and spoke sternly to her. "Come on, dear. The priest and the priestess wait and the guests are gathered. Please make haste." He slapped her playfully upon the bottom. She turned and fixed upon him with an expression not unlike a thunder cloud. He drew back, confused and fearful. When she spoke, her voice was like North Sea ice. "That was the first blow." The marriage went ahead as planned and they lived in bliss for many years. She bore him three fine sons in that time as well as two fair daughters. She went to see her own people sometimes, taking her seal-cloak. She could be gone for an hour only or as long as several days. This he did not begrudge her, for she was a delightful companion, loved by all who knew her. Of course it is only right that a lady be allowed to visit her only family when she should choose to do so. The only cause of contention within the estate of the fisherman was the plain and simple fact that his Selkie spouse was a terrible housekeeper. He had tried to explain how a household need to be kept. He had spent many days showing her the skills that she needed to learn. But, she never did learn. The house by this time was in a dreadful state. The husband, now not so young, picked up a dirty ladle from the floor, and remonstrated with his wife. "Come now, sweetheart. I know as a Lady you would have servants to do such work, but can you not at least make some sort of effort with this? You know I have to work as well and I cannot do everything."
Then he tapped her across the knuckles with the ladle. Again she fixed him with that cold gaze that she was so good at. He realised what he had done and again he drew back from her. "You have now struck the second blow." From that day, the bond between them was stretched to its limits. The great love they once had known seemed to fade away and their life together became something of a burden. Her tongue grew as sharp as thorns and bitter like a medicine. From the day he chastised her it seemed that he could do nothing right. He took to the ale house to try to gain some refuge from the endless torrent of acidulous words. But there is no shelter to be found in an ale barrel. There is only darkness, solitude and a headache. He foolishly tried to ensure that she could not leave him by locking her seal cloak away in a heavy iron-bound chest. It was a chest to which he alone had a key but he did not allow for faery magick. Some folk do not need keys to gain access to things that may seem to be lock against them. One dark and chilly night, he returned home from the ale house very late indeed. He was really quite drunk, and his wife tore into him like a raven attacking a corpse. She charged him with wasting his later years, with behaving like an oaf, and consorting with peasants. Of course, these were all fair charges and true, but at that hour he really did not need such trouble. He struck her a back handed blow upon the jaw which threw her across the room. It was the first and only time that he had struck her in earnest, yet in his drunken rage, he meant it. The stricken Lady went suddenly very quiet. She drew herself up to her full height in majesty, wiped the blood from her mouth, and gave him such a look as froze him into utter silence. She walked to the chest and spoke a silent rune over the ancient lock. The chest sprang open, yielding her seal cloak. She paused for a moment caressing the soft fur of her own second skin. Then she walked silently from the house. At the door she stopped and half turned to the fisherman. She spoke to him for the very last time. "Our children shall see me again, but you never shall." She walked forever form that house, and from his life. There were odd times when one or more of the children disappeared for hour or days at a time. It is not certain, but it is quite possible that they were given the blessing of the seal cloaks by their grandfather. After all, they were the children and grandchildren of a royal house of the sea. Each day that the fisherman cast his nets upon the cold waters off the shore he looked for some sign of his lady. He never saw her or her folk again.
It is told that many of the clans in the Isles hold their descent from that marriage. Such people may be known by the characteristics of the Selkie race. Round head, soft brown eyes, a silver sheen in the hair, and a superb skill in swimming. Though few now possess the seal cloak of their ancestors, I would say that none do. If you have Isles blood in your family line and you should meet with a seal, be civil. It may be a kinsman.