Excerpts from
The Journals of Somerild Rite.
Translated from the old English by Edwin Sulis
As available from the Global Free Media Foundation
Absolvence Day, 866
Axea, Humbeside
Winter is finally coming to an end. The marshes are thawing and returning to their former,hellish selves, just as our foes are surely waking up from their cold slumber and the lord’s glory is returning to the land. May it bring victory, justice and the end to heathens. A few days ago we had a few new arrivals from the north side of the Don to Gairulf’s farm. They say, though we only have their word, the king seeks to strike at Lindun and drive the Vikings from Angland before marching south. First to liberate first the lands of the East Angles, Alfred the King of whom I am told is the brother by marriage of Aethelred by his elder sister.
With this news we are preparing to head south along the north shore of the Humber, much as we did before the vikings crossed north. We shall bring as much wrath as we can to make the heathens think we bring the force of the King’s army itself
Five days later
Axea
The south of the Humber is scarred with the wounds of our blades but I fear it is for nothing. We set off from Axea before dawn on the first day of lent, crossing the Trent into what some would call Daneland but which, in my heart and in the minds of all good Christianity is and shall be Lindsay. We put camps and heathen temples alike to the torch and reclaimed much which was taken from Christian altars in the hopes of returning it to its rightful place when this land is liberated.
The people if Lindsay support us. When we could not find a place to camp or return home we were sheltered by local people who had not or could not flee north. Some returned with us to Axea. We faced and slew many vikings and though we lost several their deaths were not in vain.
We capture stores and put buildings to the torch at Barton, where Sveyn the pale’s body lay barely cold in the ground and I led some fifty or moremen east to Barrow then down the old roman road to Stamford where we were awaited and we engaged in the perhaps the closest thing to a battle we’ve faced since we left Wessex. Outside the simple walls of Stamford we faced twice our number in vikings who we whittled down with hails of practiced archery before I led our centre into a charge. My axe found its mark on a dozen heathens before I faced their Thegn, a man with flaming red beard patterned wth beads and the hair on his head sharpened with lime into a long narrow ridge. He swung at me with his sword which was buried in the haft of my axe. As he tried to pull it free he pulled both from our hands and they landed some distance away. Without pause I brought my hands up to protect myself and my left foot up into his side. He was stunned by this. I kicked him again before backing off. Angrily he roared and beat his chest and ran at me, bringing his boot up so high it would’ve hit me in the face if it weren’t for my ducking out the way. Another run at him as he pivoted round to face me, I silently prayed and brought my knee up with a leap and connected with his jaw. As he stumbled back, an arrow found him in the chest and fell him.
After the battle, Egbert the archer admitted the arrow that fell the ridged man and apologised for taking my kill. I waved him away. “I do not know if that would be greed or pride but I do not seek glory. We all face the same foe and fight for the same cause
Exhausted and many bloody we retreated to Axea. taking many with villagers, facing minimal counter attacks. It would seem we were successful in defeating the Danes in the area but another thought came over me. What of those men who would defend here had gone south to face the approaching army of the king. I prayed they were not aware of Aethelred’s attack.
I would later find that Indeed the king had faced the Norsemen. Having crossed the Trent at Niweorc (1) The king faced the so-called Dane-landers not far west of Lindun. The battle was long and bloody and I hope that our efforts made it easier for the king. However despite what positive effect I hoped we had the king was defeated and retreated back into Mercia. What small mercy granted to Angland was that my countrymen drew so much blood from the vikings that they did not pursuit, instead
We have had some men defeated at Lindun flee north into the marshes around Axea where they were found by our scouts and taken here. Some seek to rejoin the king at perhaps Repton or Tamworig. Others have said they will remain here to continue our fight. Our pack grows and so do my hopes of eventual victory. Now the light grows dim and so I shall attend to evening prayers
- Newark, Nottinghamshire