I remembered what finally happened with Erland. I caught the lines I had missed at Bjornsthwaite and again at the end. This time it was not just an adventure, but I saw more clearly the struggle and the growth of Bjorn. Even the onomatopeia-ic beauty of the word “holmganging”. There were so many key pieces of the story I had forgotten. I didn’t realize how much until this re-read. Bjorn and Frytha, Aikin the Beloved and Garm, Gille and Ari Knudson, and the mazelin have shaped me and my ideals and my writing much. Is it the idea of a last stronghold in the hearts of men? A hero who is brave in more ways than the battle kind? A young woman who loves him with the fierce love of deep loyalty? Or the sprinkling throughout of music to express loneliness and stir hearts? I can’t quite put a finger on what makes this book so timeless for me. “The story of a young Viking boy who wishes to prove himself a worthy warrior at the time of the Norman invasion.” ( from Goodreads)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |