The final part of my series on Saxon society. As you would expect with any society that was characterised by a hierarchical class system there would be the top class who were defined by their wealth and by the power that they wielded. In the Anglo-Saxon world the upper class were known as the aethelings, … Continue reading The Social World of the Anglo-Saxons: The Aethelings and the Eoldermen – Revisited
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The Social World of the Anglo-Saxons: The Theigns – Revisited
Following on from my post, The Social World of the Anglo-Saxons: the Peasants - Revisited, I decided to continue with the Theigns. Above the ceorls, the peasants of the Anglo-Saxon world, sat the ‘theigns’. They were to all intents and purposes the middle class. To qualify as a theign a man needed to own a … Continue reading The Social World of the Anglo-Saxons: The Theigns – Revisited
The Social World of the Anglo-Saxons: The Peasants – Revisited
I originally wrote this post back in 2013 and it proved to be very popular. It was part of a series that resulted from the research that I did for the book, The War Wolf. As well as peasants the series covered the Theigns and the Eorldermen, the middle and upper class of Saxon society … Continue reading The Social World of the Anglo-Saxons: The Peasants – Revisited
When Your Book is more than One Book
The Queen of the Mountain Kingdom should be finished by now, but I am still struggling to complete it. I think that I have realised the problem; it is not just one book. I do not know exactly how many books it is, to be honest, possibly three. Maybe four. I do not know. I … Continue reading When Your Book is more than One Book
Writing the Big Battle Scenes
One of the things that really annoys me as both a writer and a reader is poorly executed battle scenes. So often I find them to be disappointing. Many authors seem to adopt a vague approach to writing these scenes, as if vagueness on their part some how conveys the confusion of battle to the … Continue reading Writing the Big Battle Scenes
A Little Goes a Long Way
Over the weekend I got some cheering news. First, a reader posted a 5 Star Review of ‘Eugenica’, which is always uplifting. As I wrote recently, this is my most personal book and it means an awful lot to me. I have struggled to find a readership for it, however. Despite the lack of uptake … Continue reading A Little Goes a Long Way
Fiction is an Escape from Reality
Fiction, any kind of fiction is an escape from reality. It is not a question of genre it is a question of need. Human beings need to escape every once and a while into their own imagination. This is hardly earth-shattering news, it has been discussed previously by more eminent commentators than me but it … Continue reading Fiction is an Escape from Reality
Fantasy is not an easy option
My son is a big fan of ‘Game of Thrones’, not just the television series, he reads the books as well. He had hoped that I would enjoy the series with him but after the first season I just lost interest. The fact is that I am bored with medieval based fantasy. When I told … Continue reading Fantasy is not an easy option
Peter C Whitaker 