So warm and comforting was Godwine’s bed. He lay there half awake and half asleep dreaming of Elswith and her beautiful smile. They were walking hand in hand through the meadow with the sun bringing a slight blush to her cheeks. Godwine imagined what he would say to her. This was indeed a pleasant fiction he thought as he hadn’t worked up the courage to even talk to her yet!
Through the mists of Godwine’s dream, he heard a strange noise? Was it a scream? Again, but this time louder, came a blood-curdling scream that ripped Godwine from his bed. He opened his eyes to see his father fall through the door backwards and land on the fire pit. Godwine jumped out of bed, ran into the main hall but stepped back from his father in horror. A dagger was embedded in his eye and he lay perfectly still despite the flames that enveloped his tunic and hair. The smell of burning hair hung sweetly in the air. The smell was so alien, so disgusting. The man before him didn’t look like his father any more like something was missing. Last night’s supper spewed forth all over his feet…..
A man wearing an iron hood with iron eyes was at the door with an axe in his hand. Godwine had never seen such a giant. He must be an Eten. No man could be such a monster. Before Godwine had a chance to think the Eten fell to the floor at his father’s feet with a blade in the back of his neck. A familiar voice shouted at Godwine through the door “Pick up a blade, get out here and fight them boy”. It was kendrik master of the villages Fyrd. The Eten bled red blood, just like a man, he died, just like a man. Godwine pulled himself together, picked up the huge axe from the man’s side. He screamed his father’s name as if he were a rabid bear and ran out into his village which was now a sea of flames, blood and screams. Godwine swung his axe with all his might but struggled with its weight. Instead of striking the enemy to the skull he lunged forward, tripping over and sinking the axe into his opponent’s thigh causing the man to drop to the floor with much blood pouring out from his groin. Godwine would never forget the look of shock on the Etens face. As he looked up, the bright morning light from the rising sun caught Godwine’s eyes as another Eten struck him over the head. Darkness overcame him.
“BOY!! ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME BOY” said a voice from behind the dark curtain. Godwine blinked open his eyes but couldn’t see. “Let me wipe the boys face, he is covered in blood,” said another voice through the blanket of fog that seemed to surround him. Godwine struggled as his face was wiped but his hands were shackled so his efforts only served to make his captors laugh. Now able to see, Godwine was told to stand up and walk. He was with other kin from his village who were also bound by rope.
Godwine had no clue as to how long he had been possessed by darkness. It seems he had missed most of the fight. He wasn’t old enough to train with the villages Fyrd but he was strong and was sure he could have helped. There was a burning anger inside him. Maybe if he had moved faster? Or got up earlier, rather than laying in bed daydreaming he could have saved his village? His father had always told him that if he lost an hour in the morning he would spend all day hunting for it! A single tear fell across Godwine’s cheek thinking of his father. He made an oath right there and then that he would never feel fear again, he would drive it from his body and be ready for what came next. Maybe he could still save some of the women folk or other children that were shackled to him as they were marched from their village towards the river.
Godwine was 13 years old, near enough a man in those days. His people were Angles, a proud, strong tribe in Northumbria. This morning’s bloodshed had stained the ground long before anyone had even dreamt of a place called England. Today Godwine had been taken by the Danes. The village priest had told them about the Danes. The Danes were Godless heathens and foreigners who had no Christian sense of right and wrong. It was our Christian duty to stand against them?
A young girl sat next to Godwine in the boat sobbing into her sleeve. With blood and muck upon her, Godwine thought she was a stranger and wondered where she came from. It shocked him to hear her say his name out loud - “Godwine? Will we ever see Bernicia again”? He looked closer, it was Elswith. Godwine had no comforting words for Elswith, so just held her hand. They sat in the cold, wet boat and stared at their home, shrinking, ever smaller as the ship sailed the whale road.
One of the Etens approached Godwine with a jug of water and told him to drink. “Boy, if you are to be sick, do it over the side. If you’re sick in our boat I will mop it up with your girly hair” causing much laughter to those nearby. Godwine stared at the Eten with a bewildered look on his face. The man asked him if he was ‘simple’ causing even more laughter. “How do you speak the same language as us? Asked Godwine. “Your accent is strange and some words are alien to me but you speak our language”? “haha, stupid Christian. We are the same boy, no matter what your priests and greedy kings have told you. We are the same people, from the same place”. “The difference is that you have abandoned the Gods and your ancestors, thus you have no honour. Because of this, you are a thrall. It’s how we can take you with justice on our side. You only have the rights we give you now. Remember that boy. You see that Raven banner that flies upon our boat. That is our symbol of resistance. We are for Odin. We are the ones fighting back against your power-hungry kings and their Christian ideas. ‘ALL’ of our people will one day soon be true to Odin, our blood and folk ‘again’ as they were meant to be.”
To follow was a long hard journey across sea, river and land. Near a whole season had passed before they reached their destination. Godwine imagined he had landed in hell, albeit, a very cold and icy hell! He left the confines of the boat for the last time. Something halfway to being a man stood upon the shore where only a season ago would have stood a boy. A season of hard rowing, hard work and the elements howling in his face had taken their toll on Godwine’s features. His shoulders and arms had grown broad as if years had passed and his face had a scar or 2. The wide-eyed look of a boy had been replaced with eyes that looked keenly for danger around each corner. These men who belonging to the sea kings lived a hard life.
Godwine was now walking upon the land of the Russ. The Russ were a famed people that are related to the East Danes and the Swedes. Godwine and his fellow thralls were given to the local king along with trunks of silver to settle a debt. To his surprise, the language of the Russ was very similar to his own. Somehow Godwine would miss the boat. It may have been a prison but it was a prison where he was treated well enough and had a good idea as to what each day would bring. Today, he sat in a wagon drawn by an old horse and looked upon the road ahead towards a horizon which sat below an unfamiliar sky and he had no idea what wyrd had install for him.
You may call me Aleks said the man. I am your lord now. You work for me and you will get in life what I give you. You are not my prisoner. However, as a thrall, if you run and are captured by strangers you would likely die a terrible death. Your life would belong to people who care not if you live or die. Only freemen may travel about the land. If you stay with me and do as you are told you will be under my protection and could have a good life as part of my family. The choice is yours? Godwine looked at the man before him. A tall, rugged man with a sword at his waist like none Godwine had ever seen. He was wearing a tunic which left one arm bare showing blue designs under his skin. Aleks looked at his young charge and remarked “you like the blade? You’ll have to earn some measure of honour before you get to carry one of these. Work with me and maybe you can earn your honour.” Godwine paused for a moment, thinking about where he was, at the ends of the world for all he knew. Where would he run to, even if he could get away? “I’ll stay”.
Godwine worked hard over the next five years and Aleks Jarekson was true to his word. Godwine had more and more freedom with each year that passed. The Jarekson family business was to provide timber to the city of Pereyaslavets and its surrounding rural communities. He had spent more hours swinging an axe than he might like but it was good satisfying work. The horrors that he had lived through had affected Godwine. He never spoke a word to anyone but Aleks, and then only what was needed to be said. Aleks Jarekson had seen many wars, it’s how he had earned his land. He told people to leave Godwine alone when they made fun of him. He had seen men older and braver than Godwine who were blood sick in the same way. He understood that violence can stain one's soul in unexpected ways.
It was a hot summer’s day. Both Aleks and Godwine were tired from their day's labour in the Asa’s Great Forest which spanned many acres and was mostly owned by Aleks family. Today they were in a valley that was full of giant fir trees which gave cool shade from the afternoon sun. The trees also shielded the view from across the valley. At first, Aleks only heard horse hoofs as he couldn’t see who was approaching. Out from the tree line came 4 men armed with swords and shields.
Aleks drew his sword and stood ready as the raiders ran towards him. He was about to say ‘arm yourself Godwine’ when an axe flew past him and struck one of the raiders in the chest from a distance. Godwine came by his side, drew his short knife and picked up Aleks axe. Aleks was a skilled swordsman, he fought silently and focused on his opponents. Two men couldn’t best him but he struggled without a shield. Meanwhile, Godwine had run screaming towards his foe striking him so hard with his axe that he fell over backwards and lost his shield. His attempts to get up were squandered as Godwines short knife was drawn across his face in a brutal cut. Godwine turned to his lord and put his axe up the side of the nearest raiders head sending him to the underworld in a single blow. The remaining raider now facing both Godwine and Aleks dropped his sword and shield to surrender. He bent down to kneel and beg for mercy. A second later with a flash of Aleks sword, his head lay on the floor beside him. The cleaved head seemed to look up at Godwine with an enquiring stare as though Godwine might help him somehow. Godwine turned back to the man he had cut across the face who now lay upon the ground holding his wound. In a blind rage, Godwine swung his axe at the raiders groin striking him, again and again, creating a deep red puddle that formed around him. Aleks suggested he calm down. Godwine only realised what he was doing when the smell of the man’s blood and urine hit the air. Aleks took his axe. We are alive boy, let’s go.
Later that week back at home Aleks told Godwine to hitch up the horses as they needed to go into Rasinari, the nearby village which Aleks looked after for his lord. Aleks was keeping something to himself and Godwine was worried. He sharpened his short knife and got ready to ride into town. Once in Rasinari they tied up the horses and walked towards the square. Godwine was now ‘very’ worried. The square is where they kept the stocks and punished criminals. Criminals were always punished in public so everyone knew about their shame and loss to their honour. As they walked into the square Godwine saw all the local freemen and even some of the nobles who must have travelled miles to get here.
Aleks stood front and centre. “ Welcome all you free men and noble alike. Tonight I would tell you of Godwine. Firstly, these last few years Godwine has been coming to blot with my family to worship Perun. Godwine tells me that Perun is the same as Thunor who was once worshipped by his ancestors. That our Gods are his Gods suggests that our people share a common heritage, though many generations removed beyond memory. In the years he has worked for me he has without fail kept his word on every occasion that he gave it. He has fulfilled his responsibilities towards my family with honour at all times. Last year he virtually ran my business whilst I was in my sickbed for a whole season making more profit than I! Today, he saved my life when four bandits attacked the two of us. Three of them fell by Godwines hands! He is fearless!
Godwine, step forward and receive this battle wife – a finer sword I have never held. To hold and carry this sword is a great responsibility. Godwine, to make you a freeman I must accept you into my family. Do you take the name Alekson as your own and will you take the oath to honour our family, our land, our folk, our Gods and lord, making them your own? Godwine hadn’t expected this. He thought he would be in the stocks having rotten cabbage thrown at him by now! He took his new sword and spent some time giving words to the oaths. It had to be done tonight as it was the last night of the full moon and the oaths had to be sworn on the full moon so the Gods could witness. Godwine trembled with pride. It was difficult for thralls to earn honour and become a free man.
Finally, Aleks jarekson spoke to the crowd again and said if any free man or noble present here knows of any reason to doubt Godwine Alekson’s honour let him speak now or forever hold his peace. Godwine looked at the crowd nervously but after a short pause everyone cheered and clapped. Aleks final words to the crowd were let the mead flow which caused more cheers as women bought mead amongst the crowd.
As Godwine walked through the crowd shaking hands with free men and nobles alike he stood before a beautiful young woman who asked if he’d like mead. “It’s been a many a year since I saw you last Godwine, you look well”. “Elswith, can that really be you? You are the first I’ve met from the old world since leaving the boat. It seems like a lifetime ago that we sailed together with the Wikingr. “You still bear the scars on your face from your fights aboard the boat for protecting me! Elswith touched the scars on his face and they embraced each other, drank mead and talked for the rest of the evening. Aleks turned to his brother, looking at Eswith and Godwine. It seems there is someone that he wants to talk to after all as their laughter mingled with that of the crowd.
Over the coming years, Godwines honour was put to the test on many occasions. There was a love story about a beautiful thrall named Elswith that was won from the noble she was in service to. Godwine had two sons and a daughter, living a full life, not just ‘among’ the Russ but as one of them. As Godwine was born an outlander he couldn’t attain the rank of noble as his friend and former lord Aleks Jarekson did but to all who knew him a more noble man didn’t walk the earth. In his twilight years, Godwine was proud to see his sons grow into men. Like their father, before him, their honour was tested on many occasions. His eldest son took control of the village that he had looked after on behalf of Aleks jarekson. It was a proud day indeed standing in the village square in front of all the freemen and nobles when his son was awarded the rank of noble by the king for the service he and his family had given to their folk and the king himself.
Godwine and his sons would always be remembered as men of noble spirit. Godwine’s story would be told by his descendants for generations to come so that they might learn from their ancestors who were brave and lived worthy lives.
This is where storytellers usually write the words ‘The End’. I hope after reading this story you might understand that if we maintain and even improve upon our honour it will live on in our descendants and our story will never end. Who knows, maybe one day, if our people carry on moving forward with honour and in balance with nature we may even walk the same path that our Gods stroll with not even the stars as barriers............
