SearchWith thanks to Macaulay’s Lays of Ancient Rome for the inspiration and the verse-form
This story is adapted from Layamon’s Brut, a 12th century verse chronicle which combines legend with history. The background to the story is, briefly: In 449 AD, King Vortigern invited Anglo-Saxon mercenaries, led by Hengest and his brother Horsa, to help him fight against the Picts. However, he becomes enamoured of Hengest’s beautiful daughter, Rowena with dire consequences.
I
Hengest told his daughter
To dress up in her best,
“Because this evening at the feast*
The king must be impressed!”
Rowena was a beauty
In the old Saxon style,
With braided hair so soft and fair,
And a bewitching smile.
Her skin was pale but tinted
With roses in her cheek,
Her eyes were blue like drops of dew,
And her waist was so sleek.
Her gown revealed some cleavage
Hinting of other fruits,
Her voice was soft upon the air,
Like music of sweet lutes.
And when she’d finished dressing
She looked like a goddess;
Not Venus or the Valkyries
Or Frigg* could so impress.
II
King Vortigern was moody
Because of Hengest’s trick*
To take more land than he had planned,
What realpolitik!
But when he saw Rowena
Bringing the welcome cup,
It seemed as though a new sun shone
On him to cheer him up.
She said in Anglo-Saxon,
“Lauerd king wæs hæil!”*
He didn’t understand a word;
She spoke to no avail.
But Ceredic translated,
“It is the custom here
To say, ‘Wassail!’ and reply, ‘Drink hail!’
And share the wine or beer.
And when the cup is empty,
You kiss each other thrice.
We should respect their customs,
If you’ll take my advice.”
When Vortigern heard of kissing
And looked at fair Rowenne,
He understood, and thought it good
To kiss her there and then.
So many times he kissed her,
So many times he quaffed,
The custom was forgotten,
Lost in her lips so soft.
Hengest observed him, smiling,
Seeing he was betrayed
By the sweet face and soft embrace
Of this slip of a maid.
III
At last the feast was over,
It was time to retire
She rose to go, but he said no,
And whispered his desire.
She looked up to her father
To see what he would say.
He nodded, as if saying,
“Just let him have his way.”
So upstairs to the Solar
She followed in his tread,
Took of her gown and snuggled down
With Vortigern in bed.
I would describe their revels
In every lewd detail,
But better not, ’cause they’re so hot
That I’d end up in jail!
Suffice to say Rowena
Performed so well in bed
And Vortigern was so satisfied
That he vowed to be wed!
No thought for poor Sevira,
The wife he’d always had,
Or for the Church, or for the State,
For he was mad and bad!
He knew how to get round it,
He’d wed by Pagan lore;
Making his marriage promise
To Woden and to Thor!
IV
Great gifts he gave to please her
(Hengest was well content):
A queen’s gold crown, and London town,
And the county of Kent.
The king’s three sons were angry,
Especially Vortimer;
And Garengan, the earl of Kent,
Vowed his revenge on her.
The Bishop, too, was angered
Because the church was mocked
By this embrace of heathendom;
The people, too, were shocked.
And so they rose against him
At Rhyd Yr Afael,
Vortigern and the Saxons lost
And Hengest’s brother fell.
Hengest fled to Saxland
And Vortigern to Wales,
And Vortimer was proclaimed king,
So say the ancient tales.
V
The power of a woman
Is not in strength of arms,
But Rowena brought down a king
With softer, sweeter charms.
And Vortigern deserved it;
He put love before duty,
And sacrificed the British race
For blue-eyed, blonde-haired beauty!
He sold out his religion,
His own faith did betray,
And bowed down to non-Christian gods,
Like our archbishop today*.
And he freely invited
A foreign power to do
Just what he liked in British realms
(Today it’s the EU)*.
So don’t forget the people
Who feared not to attack!
If we dare do the same today
We’ll win our freedom back!
Notes
*The feast took place at ‘Thong Castle’ (modern Caistor) c. 500 AD.
*Frigg – the Nordic equivalent to Venus, sometimes called Freyja.
*Vortigern promised Hengest as much land as he could encircle with a cow hide, but he cut it into such fine strips that he got much more than Vortigern intended.
*“Lord king, good health!” The word ‘wassail’ survives in some old Christmas carols.
*In February 2008, Dr Rowan Williams said: "the application of sharia in certain circumstances - if we want to achieve this cohesion and take seriously peoples' religion - seems unavoidable."
*The EU Constitution, rejected by referenda in France and Denmark in 2005, is being pushed through undemocratically by renaming it a ‘treaty’ (The ‘Lisbon Treaty’).
© Arthur. All rights reserved by the author.
Print Article
Send to a friend
Save as PDF