"Deor and Thora had a place of honor in the front rank only a little behind Godric's sword-hand, next to his son and heir Leofric. As honor usually did, it also meant greater peril. The mass behind them added weight, but they were at the point of the spear. Others would step forward to take their place if they fell dead or wounded." (ibid.)
This further account explains more fully the structure of the wedge formation or swine-array.
As they march on, Deor imagines:
"...glimpsing the sae-aelfen in the spray." (p. 319) (See also Elves And The Sea.)
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Hmmm, I think this was when Rudi and his friends were helping the Norrheim of the former state of Maine beat off a raid by Moorish pirates?
That might seem a LONG way for Muslim pirates to go. But I've hear of until at least the 1600s corsairs from the Barbary states of North Africa raided as far as Iceland, seeking loot and slaves. And once the shipping of the new United States was no longer protected by the Royal Navy, it fell prey to the Barbary Corsairs. Combating these pirates was a major reason for the US to build up its own Navy.
Sean
No, the scene he's describing is from THE DESERT AND THE BLADE and it takes place in the area formerly known as California... 8-).
Dear Mr. Stirling,
Darn! That's what I get for being too lazy to go up a flight of stairs to look up the reference Paul gave us. (Smiles)
Sean
Post a Comment