Octa (or Octha) (c. 500 – 543) was The Jutish King of Kent during the 6th century. Octa was the son of the mighty Hengist and famed for pushing the native Britons completely out of Kent. All kings of Kent would claim a familial connection to him and Hengist in the future.
The 9th-century Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, one of the most important sources for this period of history, does mention Hengist and gives Oisc as his sons name (a variant spelling of Octa)
Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People, completed around 731, names Octa as the son of "Orric, the grandson of Hengist. Meanwhile, the 9th-century Cotton Vespasian manuscript indicates that Octa was the son of Hengist and the father of Oisc. As usual with this time period an exact history proves difficult to find.
Octa also appears in the Historia Brittonum, a 9th-century history of the Britons. According to the narrative, Hengist, who had settled in Britain with the consent of the British king Vortigern as defence against the Scots, sends for his sons Octa and Ebusa to supplement his forces. Octa and Ebusa subsequently raid Scotland. After Hengist's death Octa becomes king of Kent. Some manuscripts of the Historia include genealogies of the Saxon kingdoms; the genealogy of the kings of Kent names Octa as the son and successor to Hengist and the father to the subsequent king Ossa.
Octa appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 12th-century pseudohistory Historia Regum Britanniae. In this text Octa seems to lose battles to the king Ambrosius Aurelianus of the Britons that took over from Vortigern. This story is in contrast to recorded history as we later find the descendants of Octa ruling the land that Monmouth claims Ambrosius and later Uther Pendragon took from them and slay them in battle. Uther Pendragon was supposedly Ambrosia's Brother and father to King Arthur........ With Monmouths text we can never be sure if he is talking about real or fictitious characters but it is interesting to read and provides another source that at least confirms certain names and battles.
In the 12 century text 'The Dream of Rhonabwy' Octa is Arthur's (Son of Luther Pendragon) opponent at the Battle of Badon. It is certainly worth mentioning that all non fiction texts don't mention the likes of king Arthur et al. Instead, all non fiction texts show evidence of the descendants of Hengist in the East and Cerdic in the south pushing all Britons out of England save a few who remained as thralls. This is backed up by DNA analysis of skeletons from that time period and in the complete change in culture and language to a Germanic one.
There are also other stories where Octa's knife is said to be wide enough to use as a bridge for an army to cross a river and Octa is also mentioned in an heroic story regarding the hunt of a fierce mythical wild boar. Those who study literature from this time have also noted that there are many similarities between Octa's story and the stories of King Offa of Mercia. This could have just been Offa, or fans of Offa claiming some of Octa's glory or as some folk claim they are one and the same.
During the reign of Octa our Anglo Saxon ancestors worshipped Woden, Thor, Tiw, Frigga and other true Gods of our folk. The first christian missionaries to the southern Anglo-Saxons were sent by Pope Gregory the Great in 597. Augustine converted King Æthelberht of Kent (whose queen, Bertha, a Frankish princess, was already a Christian) An alliance with the Franks seems to have been more of a deciding factor in Kents conversion than any spiritual matters. I wonder if King Octa turned in his grave :-(
Letters between Xtians and the pope stated that King Rædwald of East Anglia (and Kent) installed an altar to Christ alongside one to Thor and Woden in his royal temple.
It is clear that the exact history from this time period has been 'blurred' shall we say by a 1000+ years of xtians who would destroy any evidence of a so called 'demonic' past. It is only called the dark ages because they did their best to destroy the history from that period...... However, we can be glad that some information has survived and we can all hail a great Odinist King of Kent. Hail King Octa and hail the true Gods of England and the English!
Admin Gary
