Cerdic of Wessex (c. 467-534), was
the King of Wessex (519-534), and was regarded as the
ancestors to all subsequent Kings of Wessex. He is first
mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle when he landed in
Hampshire in 495 and in 519 gained a great victory at
Charford. Hengest and Adelle's men had touched
hardly more than the coast, and the true conquest of
Southern Britain was reserved for a fresh band of
Saxons, a tribe known as the Gewissas, who landed under
Cerdic and his son Cynric on the shores of the
Southampton Water, and pushed in 495 to the great Downs
of Gwent where Winchester offered so rich a prize.
In 519 came the West-Saxons into Britain, with three
ships, at the place that is called Cerdic's-ore. Stuf
and Wihtgar fought with the Britons, and put them to
flight. Nowhere was the strife fiercer than here; and it
was not till 519 that a decisive victory at Charford
ended the struggle for the "Gwent" and set the crown of
the West-Saxons on the head of Cerdic."
The West Saxons also fought a British
king named Natanleod in Wiltshire and slew him. Under
his leadership the West Saxons also advanced into Dorset
and Somerset. The conquest of the Isle of Wight is also
mentioned among his campaigns, and it was later given to
his nephew Wihtgar. Whitgar ruled until his death
in 544. His descendants bear the name of Whitacre
or Whittaker. The song is a chronicle of his victory
over the Britons with his cousins Stuf and Cynric and
Uncle Cerdic at the battle of Cerdic's-ore.
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The land over which Brian Boru had made himself High
King, or Ard Ri was a heavily forested and rich land.
Brian the son of Cinneide, prince of the Dal Caid, was
undeniably a man ahead of his time. Dreamer,
opportunist, ruthless pragmatist , skilled harper,
accomplished scholar, accomplished warrior.
Living in close proximity, the Irish warriors and
Vikings fought constantly, with tribal factions joining
one side or the other as circumstances dictated.
From such violent relations, blood feuds developed over
the generations. In time Brian Boru realized that the
Scandinavians - who did not call themselves Vikings, as
Viking was a verb describing raiding and plunder - had
been in Ireland for centuries. They were well
established, they had put down roots and intermarried.
Their art forms had enriched indigenous art forms, their
trade had become important to Ireland's economy. In
short, they could not simply be driven out.
The
Irish High King wanted to unite his people, but his
enemies - including the Viking Brodir of Man - plotted
to disrupt his plans to divide Ireland for themselves.
More important to the Viking Brodir than such sacrosanct
niceties were the treasures he would possess after he
had destroyed the Irish armies. Not only the
wealth of the kingdom but also the high kingship itself
might be his.
Brian Boru led an army
across the midsection of Ireland, drawing additional
supporters as he went.
Brian Boru's army mustered 7,000 warriors to face the
8,000 Vikings from Dublin. Not only were Brian
Boru's Irish troops present, but there were also
warriors from "Alba" (Scotland) and Norway and a
contingent of newly Christianized Manx Vikings - all of
whom prepared to fight the more heavily armored
allied-Viking force.
In
spite of his efforts he had made to introduce a form
of cavalry, most warriors still fought on foot,
and barefoot at that. Battle-dress was as
individualistic as the men themselves. Some wore simple
saffron-dried tunics with woollen cloaks or shaggy
mantles. Others had body protection in the form of
boiled leather fitted to the torso, or the occasional
set of chain links taken from a dead Dane. Weapons also
varied. Brian Boru himself had mastered the battle-axe,
but short swords and spears and slings and clubs were
very much in evidence. Then as now, many thought there
was no substitute for a stout blackthorn cudgel.
As
the dreaded Viking longboats cut sleekly toward the
shore dimly outlined in the evening dusk, the lights of
the Irish army's distant campfires could be seen a mile
or so inland. The ruse had worked for Brodir of
Man. The Vikings had fooled Irish High King Brian
Boru into thinking they had deserted their allies at the
fortress of Dublin.
In
reality, the Vikings had simply sailed out of sight, to
return in the darkness in hopes of catching the Irish
unprepared for the enemy's reappearance the next
morning. The Vikings also knew that the pious
Brian Boru would be loath to do battle on such a holy
day as April 23, 1014, Good Friday.
Brian Boru rode before his assembling forces, carrying a
crucifix in one hand and a sword in the other. He
gave a short but inspiring speech to his warriors
assembled to do battle and then retired to the rear,
accompanied by a number of personal escorting guards,
who formed a shield wall around him. The Irish,
incensed by years of bloody skirmishes, of loved ones
being killed or captured and homes destroyed, prepared
to destroy the hated Vikings and their renegade Irish
allies.
During the course of the long battle, the tide had come
in, cutting the Vikings off from the safety of their
ships. The choice being Irish blades or a
hazardous swim, most elected to run into the sea.
As the Vikings fled into the water, Brian Boru's
15-year-old grandson Tordhelbach, caught up in the fury
of battle, chased two Danes into the ocean and dragged
them under, drowning himself in the process. Every
invading Viking leader was killed during the Battle of
Clontarf.
It
seems Brodir, hiding in the woods, saw Brian Boru just
outside, lightly guarded while most of his men were off
in furious pursuit of the fugitives. The Vikings
fell upon the few Irish retainers, decapitating Brian
Boru with one blow. Then they retreated, Brodir
yelling, "Now let man tell man that Brodir felled Brian
Boru," and were quickly subdued and taken prisoner by
the enraged Irish. According to the Viking sagas,
Wolf the Quarrelsome ordered that Brodir's men be killed
and that Brodir himself should die a lingering coward's
death.
So died Brian Boru,
the first High King of the Irish and the uniter of its
people.
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s.
We're
celebrating our celtic heritage, the gaelic culture,
the soul of brittany, the origins of menhirs and
mystic rocks, shadows of enchanted kingdoms and
pathways to heavenly discoveries. Oh, and there's a
whole lot more to it too. Somehow there's a connection
between everything, from the fierce, proud tribes who
speak Navajo and fly with the eagle across Monument
Valley, to the Aborigenes of Australia, the Aztecs,
Moais of Easter Island, the tall proud people who
speak Suahili, just like the short and equally blessed
people from Cornwall to the tip of Scottland who may
have witnessed more than the wonders of Nessie, gazing
at a sunset to the end of the seas. What if their
Druids and Mages had their potions and magical powers
gifted to them by a universal force, hundreds of years
ago? What if extra-terrestrials, yes, them, what if
they came back to Stonehenge, and came to visit their
old friends. Yes, there's a connection somewhere.
Maybe we'll find it, some day.
e
don't quite know yet what will come out of it. Perhaps
just some freebies for everyone to enjoy? Or John's
next CD? Perhaps even a download-only project, to honour
the many pioneers of mp3 players and internet
delivery-based music? For us it's a whole new look at old
music, new music, celtic music, classic compositions, with
a 21st century's touch of Trance and Electronica. Will it
work? Is there a name for it?
