I mentioned earlier that Harold Godwinson’s night ride from London to Westminster was the original opening chapter to this book, but then, after considering feedback, I changed it the skirmish at Grim’s By. I still very much liked the passages that I had written and, in true recycling mode, found a means to include them later in the story.

King Harold was a religious man. The role of religion in early medieval life was very strong. The Anglo-Saxons had gone from a collection of heathen tribes to a nation of devout Christians. In 1066 they were busy either building new churches or rebuilding older wooden churches in stone. England had more churches than Normandy at this time. My research revealed that King Harold also had a childhood ailment that resurfaced in 1066. His father, Eorl Godwin of Wessex, had taken him as a boy to Waltham Abbey where he appeared to have been cured. The reoccurrence of this ailment drove him back there, and perhaps he also saw an opportunity to escape the busy confines of the court. This episode gave me the opportunity to recount his experiences on the night King Edward died and he took the crown.

A friend spotted that one of the characters who appears in this chapter is based on myself; they are not wrong. Half-foot is me to a large extent. They say that artists put something of themselves into their creations, well, in this case that is absolutely true. It was common in Saxon culture for people of ability to rise above their original social class. Half-foot, his given name is Grendel by the way, is just such an example. Although too lame to become a warrior he has made himself useful by being able to read and write in several languages. For the King of England this is a very important skill for one of his court to possess.

I took the opportunity to portray Harold as the head of his family and as a brother to Edith, the Queen of England as she was before King Edward died. As a writer I think it is important to offer a representation of historical figures that is as fully founded as possible. Obviously, some artistic licence is required as there are no surviving descriptions of Harold made by living persons. The Saxons themselves had a strong oral tradition when it came to both folklore and the passing of news. Wandering poets, known as scops, would tour the country and give recitations of epic poems as well as spreading the news. They probably talked about how King Harold was faring, although the information itself quickly became outdated it was still fresh to the ear in many of the places far from London.

Below is a PDF file of the chapter under discussion. Please, click on the link and enjoy.