Awfully Artful Arthur or should that be Clever Cunning Cerdic?

By Geoff Boxell

After almost three years 21stC schoolboy Jamie meets up with Grimm again and this time Grimm finally tells Jamie the true story of King Arthur - well almost true, as true as his memory recalls, for he is no longer the young man, but the old man. The story he tells is far from that told in the legends.
The unexpected reunion is at the annual re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings where Jamie is with the Anglo-Saxon group he has joined and Grimm has had too much to drink.
This is the final installment of Grimm Tales, that is unless the old man decides otherwise.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Geoff Boxell
• Release date: Feb 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9780473345372

Geoff Boxell

G'day,At the age of seven I asked my mother about King Richard the Lion Heart. Her response was to give me an historical text book she was reading on the subject and tell him to find out for myself! From then on I have been addicted to English history. After leaving school, where the history topics I studied were dictated by my need to pass exams, I concentrated my efforts on the 17th century, with especial interest in the Civil War and Cromwell's Protectorate. However, in the mid '90's I changed direction and began studying Anglo-Saxon history. Since then the Hundred Years War, in particular the events in the reigns of Edward III and Richard II have caught my interest. As a result of this I am now involved with the SCA Canton of Cluain, Barony of Ildhafn, Kingdom of Lochac. I have more than one persona, but my usual one is that of a yeoman archer in the retinue of Sir Allan de Buxhall, KG, Constable of the Tower of London. I run my own Household within the Barony - The Wulfings.Until Government cut backs I regularly acted as a guest lecturer for the Waikato University covering English history topics from the coming of the English to the Restoration.Whilst I spent most of my early career in telecommunications, I later joined the University of Waikato running an experimental ‘virtual’ unit providing education in technology management and innovation. After leaving the University I worked on various technology related contracts but am now retired.I am active Christian and attend the Te Awamutu Bible Chapel. For many years I have been involved in youth work for the church.Born in England, my wife and I moved to New Zealand in 1969. We have three sons and five grandchildren. We live on a large section with lots of trees and flowers and spend a lot of our time working in the garden. Naturally, as an archer, I have an archery butt at the bottom of the grounds.

Book preview

Awfully Artful Arthur;

or is it,

Clever Cunning Cerdic?

(an almost true story)

by

Geoff Boxell

A Wendlewulf Productions Book.

ISBN: 978-0-473-34537-2

PUBLISHING HISTORY:

Published by Wendlewulf Productions at Smashwords in 2015

Copyright GR Boxell 2015

Cover by John Clark ( [e-mail] ).

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, or hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the purchaser.

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Dedication

To all those who have already written an Arthur story:

Sorry, but Grimm Wendlewulf, the old man, who is also a young man – he of the one eye; friend of wolves and ravens; the old uninvited guest at your mead bench – he says you have it all wrong – and he says he was there so he should know!

This is also in memory of Kim Siddorn, founder & Ealdorman of the Regia Anglorum re-enactment group.

Foreword

There are few primary sources for Arthur, and of those not all mention him by name. Most of the sources were written years after his possibly being around. De Excidio Britanniae, written c. 540 A. D., by a monk called Gildas: Arthur is mentioned, but not named, in this document. The Battle of Llongborth, c. 480 – an English translation of a sixth century Welsh poem, called Elegy for Geraint – mentions Arthur. Historia Brittonum, written c. 830 by a monk called Nennius, gives special emphasis to Arthur. Then there is the Annales Cambriae, written c. 970, which contains two interesting references to King Arthur. Lastly there is the Legend of St. Goeznovius, written c. 1019, from Brittany, in which Arthur is called King of the Britons. Many have questioned if this last document was in fact written as early as it is claimed to have been.

Grimm’s tale is inspired by Arthur, Cerdic & the formation of Wessex (http://levigilant.com/Bulfinch_Mythology/bulfinch.englishatheist.org/arthur/Caradoc-Vreichvras.htm) by John C. Rudmin, 864 Chicago Avenue, Harrisonburg, and Joseph W. Rudmin, Physics Dept., James Madison Univ., Harrisonburg.

Old English letters used are:

Æ, æ: Asc – pronounced as a flat a as in Alfred.

Ð, ð: Eth – pronounced as a th with the tongue behind the teeth as in teeth.

Þ, þ: Thorn – pronounced as a th with the tongue between the teeth as in thorn.

Chapter 1: Happy Hastings Holiday

‘Young Leofwine.’

The youth looked at the speaker.

‘Don’t you step on my blue suede baldric! You can do anything, but keep off of my blue suede baldric.’ The large bearded man encased in a chain-maille byrnie gave a grin to the gangly youth entering the coolness of the geteld tent where warriors were armouring up ready for the day’s re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings.

Leofwine, or Jamie as the Wimbledon youth was normally known outside of the re-enactment group, gave a shy smile as he stepped over the leather sword-harness at his feet. ‘You could make a song of that,’ he re-joined.

‘Bit old fashioned that song,’ contributed a muscular young man, as his red-haired head emerged from the neck of the maille byrnie that he was wriggling into.

‘So is wearing this gear and going out to fight the Norman invader,’ the bearded man reminded the redhead.

Another armoured man came and stood in front