****** foreigners!
Published: Sat, 03/26/16
Foreigners with a warlike religion and speaking little or no English. Landing on our shores without permission. Stealing, raiding, allegations (probably well deserved) of rape and murder. Cherished institutions vandalised and robbed. The government more or less powerless to stop them either coming in or behaving badly once here.
Time to get out of the EU and strengthen our borders? A bit late for that I am afraid. In this particular case I am thinking more about the Viking raids, settlements and political machinations which began in the 8th century and didn’t really finish until the Normal conquest. William the Conqueror’s invasion being the most successful Viking raid of all. (Probably made possible by the practically simultaneous invasion of Yorkshire by Harald Hardrada. If Harold Godwinson had not had to previously march to Yorkshire and defeat the Norwegian army at Stamford Bridge then it is more than probable that a rested and prepared Saxon army could have defeated William’s invading army.)
While most of the country fell under the rule of Scandinavian invaders the realm of Wessex managed to remain under Saxon rule. Mainly thanks to the heroic efforts of Alfred the Great who led his army to victory at Edington in 878.
This creates the impression that the Vikings dominated most of what we now call England apart from the West country which was exclusively Saxon. Of course the situation was much more fluid than that. Viking warriors may have dominated much of the country but the vast majority of the population were still the original natives (with the genetic legacy of the Roman occupation for 400 years of course). Neither were the Vikings by any means absent from the West Country. There were numerous raids and settlements and in 838 a Viking army joined the Cornish in fighting against Wessex. They were apparently defeated and no one knows why the Scandinavian warriors got involved in this particular conflict. I suppose that it must have seemed like a good idea at the time. Then, in the first part of the 11th century the Danish king Knut took over the English throne and settled some of his nobles on estates in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall.
And the Viking legacy in South West England now? Hard to see on the surface but still here as part of the rich genetic, cultural, social and linguistic tapestry that makes up our world today.
Migration can seem very unsettling when it seems to threaten a settled community. At the end of the 8th century Christian England was profoundly shocked by the depredations of the Vikings. Yet, by the 11th century the English seem quite resigned to a Dane sitting on the throne of England. Likewise people are shocked at the wave of immigrants entering Europe at the present time. I have no intention of minimising anyone’s disquiet and apprehension at the situation. However, if we take the long view, as shown by the Viking incursions of 1000 years ago, we see that eventually incomers are assimilated and life goes on.
There is also the question of who Stav belongs to. Yes, I know from our visit to Sweden last May that in some respects Stav makes more sense in a Scandinavian country. It is also true that Scandinavia came to where I live too so, for many reasons I feel that Stav belongs here in Somerset as much as it does anywhere.
Which is why we created the Somerset Stav Centre. So, why not come to my course next Saturday, the 2nd of April and see it for yourself. http://somersetstav.co.uk/sd.html
I am also still hoping to get to the USA in May to teach a seminar in Minneapolis, yes the Vikings got there too so why not? More details at http://www.iceandfire.us/events/moreinfo.html
regards
Graham
PS Talking of Vikings coming to Somerset, Ivar Hafskjold was coming to teach for a weekend in early July. Due to unavoidable circumstances this has had to be postponed until the Autumn. I will be sorting out and announcing another date as soon as I can.