#ard rí

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in 1014 – Battle of Clontarf | The Dublin Norse and the king of Leinster, with Viking allies from overseas, are defeated by Brian Boru’s army at Clontarf.

The bounds between Irish Legend and Irish Myth has often been blurred, especially as the retelling of heroic deeds has been passed on through generations. Brian Boru was no legend although his life deeds were legendary. He was very much a real man and was in fact the last great High King of Ireland and perhaps the greatest military leader the country has ever known. Brian Boru was born Brian Mac…

[alchemisland]

Gaelic chieftains called to war

Praying away the sun

Wearing no plate

Neither glistening nor glimmering

Shriving before all-knowing Dagda

Lorefather seated at Síd in Broga.

.

Highest casement descried

Ancient hyperbole starchasing

Charting firmaments blaze-gazed

Bending royal Boyne thereby parades

Men from lost continents

Atlantean fashion and knowledge

Heart center in our missing province

High kings crowned

Stone screaming sent up

Steel shivering with summoned fire

Shimmering in flaxen chieftain’s hand

Long simmering, long suffering.

.

Long-haired dale men reared

On fox milk and stonesucking

Stoop from steeds kneeling by rockeries

Alive with mockeries of wild garlic

Healing herb stocks, to pluck Michaelmas Daisies.

.

To war to war to war

Tomorrow no thing to adore

Whore who pries eye’s diamond from today

Daycent portion of muscle-contorting mushrooms,

Foreshortening flesh, cleaving distance

Dissolving density, messing with measure and propensity

Delinearizing agent ameliorating

Mycoidal alchemy highlighting destiny’s imminence

Enabling men to whip quickly, ripping from rigid armatures

Becoming creatures of pure havoc and harm, ten or one armed

Flexile chimerism born of root and charm, word and leaf.

.

Throat-clappered bells

World’s truss replays tenfold

Sky backpeeling to announce victories fated

Naming today’s ever-changing favours.

[ailichi]

love the medievalism of this Oasis headline from 1997

[obitv]

getting jumpscared watching a genshin video i look over at my screen bc shes talking about a chinese wiki page she was looking at to see about translations and in the middle of the chinese characters i see "ard rí" amd get scared

[athingofvikings]

A Thing Of Vikings Chapter 47: Do You Hear Something?

Chapter 47: Do You Hear Something?

Pre-Viking Eirish society was, in technical terms, a sophisticated primitive society; it had formalized law, culture and social structures, but also lacked several elements associated with complex societies, specifically a written language, urban centers, and currency.  The social structure of the Eirish, in particular, was based on three axes, and where the individual Eirish person fell on them.

The primary axis was familial; an Eirish family was all of the related members living under one roof (a fine), and then extending out to one-degree extended family (sept), and there to blood-tied clan.  Related clans would come together to form a tribe (a tuath), related tribes would form a kingdom (dál), and geographically proximate kingdoms would form a province (coiced), of which there were classically five.

The second axis was occupational, and consisted of three groups: the warriors (láech / láecheanna), the craftsmen (cerd / cerdí), and the laborer farmers (aithech / aithecheanna).  The farmers produced the food required to survive, and were protected by the warriors.  The warriors protected the other two groups, but also ruled over them.  And the craftsmen produced the goods and services needed to keep the society running; this group included not only smiths, carpenters, masons and others, but also the lawkeepers, priests, musicians, scholars, monks, physicians and other such individuals.

The third axis was social class, consisting of five ranks. 

At the top were the rulers, the kings (ríthe), ranging from clan chief (rí) to tribal chief (rí tuaithe) to king of the kingdom (rí ruirí), to province king (rí ruírech), and then to High King (ard rí).

Second in rank were the privileged (flaith), essentially the aristocracy.  These individuals were the designated managers of the land, and controlled who settled where and did what.  While legally the land was held by the tribe as a whole and the privileged class merely managed it on their behalf, they still historically received the bulk of of the arable land, controlled who worked it, and worked the public resources for their private benefit. 

Third in rank were the non-noble freemen with property (aire), usually land or flocks.  There were two subclasses, both related to the occupations in the second axis—warriors and professionals, who engaged in privileged, trained crafts and skills, such as priest, law-keeper, physician, fili or other such skill.

Fourth in rank were the freemen without property (aithech); they were not privileged themselves and did not hold property, and worked the land or flocks granted by the upper ranks as tenants. 

Fifth in rank were the non-free.  There were three subdivisions of this category:sen-cleith, bothach & fuidir.  Bothach were essentially clanless individuals allowed to squat on tribal lands at the sufferance of the tribe.  Sen-Cleith were the personal servants and laborers of the Flaith classes, and the flaith members treated them as little better than the daer-fuidiri.  The fuidir was the lowest of the low, bound to the land and desires of their owning Flaith.  The daer-fuidiri being composed of debt-thralls, war-captives, and other human chattel, The daer-fuidiri were little more than property—indeed, female thralls, referred to as bondsmaids (cumhal), were a standard unit of currency against which other valuable items were measured in Eirish law. Finally, there were rare exceptions in the form of tribeless individuals, saer-fuidir, who were allowed to squat on unsettled land at the sufferance of the local Flaith, but otherwise had no rights before the law to speak of.

—A History Of The Isles, Oxford, England, 1591

AO3 Chapter Link

~~~

My Original Fiction | Original Fiction Patreon

[scotianostra]

November 25th 1034 saw the death of Malcolm II at Glamis.

There's a lot to take in here, and a lot of supposition, it gets like that when you're delving into the history almost a thousand years ago.

Malcolm had been King since 1005, at this time Scotland was far from the nation we know it to be today, according to the Irish annals which recorded his death, Malcolm was ard rí Alban, High King of Scotland, this was a title given to what was probably the most powerful of the rulers, his fellow kings included the king of Strathclyde, who ruled much of the south-west, various Norse-Gael kings of the western coasts and the Hebrides and, nearest and most dangerous rivals, the Kings or Mormaers of Moray.

To the south, in the kingdom of England, the Earls of Bernicia and Northumbria, whose predecessors as kings of Northumbria had once ruled most of southern Scotland, still controlled large parts of the south-east.

Malcolm, or Máel Coluim mac Cináeda, to give him his ancient name, was ruthless, he sought to make sure to secure his family’s right of succession to throne, to do this he set about eliminating any possible claimants to the throne. There are scant details of the exact circumstances, but notable casualties included the grandson of Kenneth III, in 997, the killer of Constantine III is credited as being Cináed mac Maíl Coluim, “Kenneth son of Malcolm”. Now the historians debate whether this was “oor” Malcolm here, but don’t fully discount it.

John of Fordun a chronicler who we rely on a lot, writes that Malcolm defeated a Norwegian army in almost the first days after his coronation, but this is not reported elsewhere. Fordun says that the Bishopric of Mortlach (later moved to Aberdeen) was founded in thanks for this victory over the Norwegians, but this claim appears to have no foundation, so although Fordun is a very respected base for historians to delve into, I think we can probably put this down to a more modern phenomenon-Fake News!

The first reliable report of Malcolm’s reign is of an invasion of Bernicia, which is now south-eastern Scotland and North East England. It resulted in a heavy defeat, by the Northumbrians led by Uchtred the Bold, later Earl of Bernicia, which was reported by the Annals of Ulster. A second war in Bernicia, probably in 1018, was more successful. The Battle of Carham, by the River Tweed, was a victory for the Scots led by Malcolm and the men of Strathclyde led by their king, Eógan II, so the neighbouring Kings were not afraid of getting together for some English bashing, this was a time England was having to deal with heavy interference from the Norsemen.

Meanwhile during The Battle of Carham, in modern day Strathclyde down to the Tweed, King Eógan the Bald was killed, this is generally thought to have been when Malcolm, know by the southern tribes as Forranach’ meaning the destroyer took Strathclyde under his wing as part of the Kingdom of a growing “Scotland” but it was not fully part of the nation until Malcolm III, ( Canmore )

The good work he had done for his sons may have been for nothing, there is no evidence either survived after the year 1030, so the crown would pass to his grandchild. Truth be told the evidence he actually had sons is quite flimsy. He was a canny man though, and had married his daughters off wisely, to the Norse Earl Sigurd of Orkney., thus staking a claim for his forebears to the northern regions.

Strathclyde was to come back and haunt him though, Malcolm tried to place his grandson Duncan (later Duncan I of Alba) on the throne of Strathclyde. This displeased the Britons who had taken their eye off the ball while dealing with those pesky Vikings, but they it led to Malcolm’s assassination at Glamis on this day in 1034.

As per usual there are differing stories about how he died, on say fighting off bandits, another he was killed by the sons of Máel Brigte of Moray, a notable Pictish leader

He was buried in the graveyard at Saint Oran’s Chapel on the Isle of Iona.

Of his Dynasty, and his daughters he had placed in powerful families, the one wed to Earl Sigurd of Orkney, and their son Earl Thorfinn went on to bring much of Caithness and Sutherland into Scotland. One married Crínán, the Abbot of Dunkeld, and their son Duncan went on to succeed Malcolm II as Duncan I. And the third married Findlàech, the sub-king of Moray, and their son Macbeth went on to kill Duncan and become King Macbeth.

It’s all a bit complicated trying to piece things together through so many different sources but I hope the post makes some some sort of sense. A stone at Glamis is said to mark where he died, but another source tells me it is his gravestone contradicting the source that said he is buried on Iona! Such is the plight of trying to put a post like this together…….

[maevefinnartist]

my coloring book was vulture culture themed with Irish mythology elements to it, now I'm working on a tarot deck with an Irish mythology theme and vulture culture elements to it

so if anyone has any ideas about which cards could represent which myths I'd love to hear them ♡ I'm going to switch some things up, like instead of Emperor/Empress I'm doing Ard Rí/Ard Banríon, instead of The Hierophant I'm going to do The Saint, etc. An Ard Banríon is going to be Macha Mong Ruaid but I can't decide which High King I should draw. Or which saint. The Chariot is obviously going to be Laeg & Cú Chulainn (or maybe a scene from Táin Bó Regamna?)

Any input or ideas are completely welcome!

edit to add: I've already done Death, High Priestess, The Magician, The Moon & Star, and The Hermit. I'm focusing on the Major Arcana for now and then doing one suit at a time once I finish those (it's going to take foreverrrrr)

[panoramicireland]

A fine view in Waterford, one of the small city's most famous buildings, the former Ard Rí Hotel with street art by Joe Caslin.

The hotel is set to be redeveloped, at some point, alongside the construction of a new city quarter along the North Quays.

[etfuturus]

am i being too secretive? ( from gwen )

❛ not at all. ❜  arthur smiles, and presses a kiss to guinevere’s hair, and hopes she can’t tell how worried he is. something about her behaviour has been… off, the wrong side of strange. at first, he’d thought it was grief — the loss of elyan, all she had lived through. he had thought she was mourning her brother, processing how to begin recovering from the ordeal she’d been put through. 

but the strangeness has gone past that — he is not fool enough to think everyone grieves as he does, but he has seen guinevere’s grief before, for all that he wishes he hadn’t. and this — this odd emptiness behind her eyes when she smiles, the way he can feel her freeze when he wraps his arms around her — this isn’t that. 

❛ you know i like your surprises, ❜  arthur murmurs, and fervently ignores the fear worming its way into his heart. there are some things he hasn’t broached, not with anyone other than his own thoughts — but he has been on the wrong side of a charm, himself, and he has known guinevere long enough to know when she is not herself. if he has to have an uncomfortable conversation with merlin and gaius, then so be it. if someone’s done this to guinevere— arthur’s willing to do whatever it takes to make things right. 

arthur settles his hands on her waist, and leans in to kiss her, quick and gentle. he loves guinevere more than anything.  ❛ i’ll make myself scarce for a while, shall i? i don’t want to stick my nose into your secrets too much. ❜ 

MEME  ||  @moltolavoro

[inky-duchess]

Hi Inky! Do you have any info on how to write a clan/leadership system (for example something like what the celts had going on) in a fantasy world? I'm really struggling with the research, don't really know where to start

In Celtic tradition, each clan was a large extended family who was headed by a patriarch (or in some insistances a matriarch) who owed their allegiance to the Rí (King) and then to the Ard Rí (High King). The clan would all be related to one another in done way either through marriage or blood, living on the same area of land. The clan acted as one large familial community with the chief at the head, acting as leader with their chosen heir acting as deputy.

[teatitty]

Rí, or commonly ríg is an ancient Gaelic word meaning “King/Ruler”, and while the modern Irish word is still the same the modern Scots word is rìgh;  Rí has the same meaning as the Sanskrit raja, and the Latin rex/regis for comparison.

There were multiple levels of Rí; rí benn (king of peaks) or rí tuaithe (king of a single tribe) was commonly a petty king of a single territory, who held no legal authority outside of that territory. The size of the territory may differ but an example of what I mean would be Umhaill, which had 20 rulers, including the famous Grace O’Malley

Rí buiden (king of bands), also rí tuath (king of [many] tribes) was a regional King to which several other territories and rí benn were subordinate. While still a “petty king” in a sense, a rí tuath (also known as a ruirí or “overking” though apparently a ruirí was also superior to a rí tuath so /shrugs/) was capable of getting provincial-level prominence, and in some rare cases even a provincial kingship (more on that in a bit). Regardless, he was considered fully sovereign in any case. Examples of a rí tuath would be the Kings of Breifne or the Kings of Moylurg

And then we have the rí ruirech, the “king of over-kings”. These were the provincial Kings that ruled over the provinces of Ireland; Munster, Connacht, Leinster, Ulster and Mide (according to the Ulster legends these were the main five). These kings were also referred to as ri bunaid cach cinn ("ultimate king of every individual") which is one heck of a mouthful

And, finally, we have the ard rí; the High King (of Ireland), the supreme ruler of all provinces, who answered to no higher authority (except the Gods probably lol). Now in theory the rí ruirech were subordinate to the High King, however the power of the High King varies considerably in Irish stories and Mythology, and he was usually no more than a figurehead. 

According to tradition, the High King was crowned on the Lia Fáil (Stone of Destiny) upon the Hill of Tara in Meath, Leinster. When a candidate for the throne stood upon it, the monument would let forth a loud roar of joy. Supposedly this monument ended up getting split in half by Cu Chulainn (he used his sword uwu) when it didn’t recognize Cu’s chosen candidate as the High King. Said chosen candidate was his foster-son, Lugaid Riab nDerg (there’s a lot of incest involved with this guy’s story just a warning, but hey at least it’s all consensual?) though he did end up becoming a High King after this event, proooobably because nobody wanted to get on Cu’s bad side lmao. Regardless, Lia Fáil never roared again except under Conn of the Hundred Battles

(Also as an aside, there’s a lot of conflicting thoughts about Lugaid, as there are multiple Lugaid’s in the mythos and supposedly this Lugaid ruled for over 20 years which can’t be possible considering that Cu dies when he was 17 but was also there when Lugaid died. [Also this is where the “pissing contest” story came from though it wasn’t Cu doing the pissing it was a bunch of women anyWAY]

Granted though there are two separate stories about his death but again there is some debate over whether the second story was actually him or if he simply got confused with a separate, minor character from the Ulster Cycle who was associated with Cu Chulainn. Fun times for us mythos bitches I guess)

[alchemisland]

Devil’s Loop

When times are tough my magic ring gets me out of sight

Now when times are tough, it withholds from me delight

Indulge indulge the swelling lungs invoke invoke the gifting tongues

Really it confuses me, essentially contuses me, extinguishes fuse of me

When I wear it they can’t see but something else does clear

It makes me visit again and again, harnessing my leashlike fear.

No fire forged your circumference, two crescent moons in conference

Slows from rush to trudge my inner confluence; conflict ends; zens.

Ends in the ey-em bong-dry tongues, waking at three coughing up lungs,

Forgetting in real time, forgetting what’s old,

Forgetting the real me, green for the gold

Parts of me lost forever, my lissome frame host to sunken Atlantis

The Western Incontinent visits R’lyeh, the crap of a fantasist 

Literary cease desist literally cease exist penning verse is breathing, nurse.

Roads to Rome lead and hard picks to nose bleeds bad things from bad seeds

Wisdom in every creed, darkness in all good deeds, but I am overlong in smoke-wreathed

Too much encanting smoke-breathed, cut me and I bud bleed I got something called weed greed

Call it weed need, doc, it’s my essential feed now part of me 

Stopping myself from becoming an Ard Rí

Tawdry beaded goddess sternum my ring burns them

Titanic sank deep and Mariana met, Stella Maris the shadows of Paris haunted by rebels

I panic, sunk deep in the dank deep, outcreep my last peeps, up-kicking legs through bubbles 

I’m like Gawain, green-haunted and seemingly chapel-bound

Nonethewiser for my gamesmanship, green games proved violently unverdant

Green priest’s detailed censer-tendrils lend my myths verisimilitude 

With each agonised inhalation the king is killed and the lodge celebrates

The self-kindled pyre overcomes the kiln’s boundaries.

I poise for marriage, golden boundless endless

My ward in warning clasps my elbow, eyes beseeching

Danger knowing despite defiant bores the golden circuit

Circletted, circling myself as if from air

Swept by urge I defy myself to ignore it

Will my swooping spirit to dwell in the self,

Animating the hand.

So long I spend submerging urge’s cold embers of urge fit for coal buckets.

Boiled bottom from sitting, boils on gums; Boyle’s law in action; inaction.

Oils my barrels, oils my wheels, oils my needing, squeaking doors

Oils even condemnatory tracts

I cannot hate it without it, though it may seem obvious I state it (knowing another knows).

[honestsycrets]

Rus | Sy’s Resource

Timeline

793 | Viking attack on Lindisfarne.

Late 8th-9th c  | Vikings attacks on Europe- leading out into the Baltic sea, resulting in exploration through the Dvina river.

859-862 |The arrival of first Rus in E. Europe as raiders then leaders.

873 | Ivar the Boneless dies.

882 | Oleg expands from Novgorod to Kiev.

907 | Oleg attacks Constantinople, success. Results in a trading treaty giving Rus privileges in Constantinople.

912 | Oleg dies.

941 | Igor’s failed attacks Constantinople: failure, Byzantines has more success.

988-989 | Vladmier converts to Christianity in order to marry a Byzantine daughter. Upon his return he forcibly baptized Kiev.

1018-1054 | Golden age of the Rus: Interconnections with Europe, more Christianization.

Who were the Rus?

Most likely, Swedish Vikings, lasting from late 800s to early 1200s. In The Primary Chronicle, written by some monks est eleventh century, Slavics invited a Varangian Rurik and his brothers to rule over them. Sound funny? Yeah, probably is. This was probably written to legitimize their rule.

Rus Vikings popped up around 8th-9th c in Novgorod (hi Rurik)! But, these (most likely) Swedish Vikings interbred with Finns, Bals, Slavs, and Volga Bulgars. They concerned themselves with furs, slaves, and silver.

Lifestyle

Princes | Nobles | Merchants | Artisans | Peasants | Kinda Free (you really tho?) People | Slaves

Most of the Kievan Rus were probably farmers, hunters, trappers, beekeepers, and herdsmen with simple lives. They probably ate what they produced, got their wee butts taxed. Their goods included furs, honey, animal hides, and wax with trade to other areas like the Byzantines.

Kievan Rus were often banded together in farming families, sort of like most Viking communities, including extended families since farming ain’t no easy work. Especially when you have crap tools. 

boyars | fighting men of Kiev. Nobles.

Slavic upper class. Small amount of members but important for the prince, towns, and states.

Merchants | Had a good amount of influence. At times political power. Often imported the luxury items: silk, fruit, spices, wines, metal, and pretty things.

Smerdy | peasants.

can i say this means “stinkers?”

Slaves | Important to early Kievan Rus.

Trade Route with Scandinavian Vikings

General trade during the Viking age included:

From Russia, as preciously stated, exports of slaves, furs, wax, and honey.

From Norway timber, iron, soapstone, whetstone, barley, tar.

From Sweden, Iron and Furs.

From Iceland: Fish, Animal Fat, Wool, Sulfur, FALCONS.

From England: Tin, What, Honey, Silver, Barley, Linen.

Most trading was done in short distances. as trading grew, Norse traders would trade widely. In trading to Russia, there were two main routes as well as two through central Europe to the Baltic. Both would drag ships up rapids and over land. Traders would begin in the Gulf of Finland, to Lake Ladoga (a major trading center c 9th-10th c), Then they would sail along the Volkhov river to the Lake Ilmen to Novgorod. Then the ships would row up rivers to be hauled to either Volga (to Caspian Sea) or the Dneiper (to the Black Sea).

Religion

Kievan Rus converted to Christianity in 988 after Vladmir smashed all pagan idols and uh, you know, forcibly baptized fuckers (The Primary Chronicle). But, heathen belief and practices still floated around after that. The Christian church was still one church. But in 1054, the Church split into the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Orthodox Christianity enjoyed building churches, forming saints, and mass. many old pagan practices were adapted into Christianity. Most arts were religious.

Women and Marriage

Queen Olga rules in 855: the first female ruler, a Christian, but did not adopt Christianity for all the Christians. Well respected for legislation reform of the tribute system. She had a seal, indicating her power.

Most women were homebodies preoccupied with bringing up children and managing the household. Women could control lands in her dowry, lend money, donate to the church, buy or sell slaves. Women could speak on their own behalf or appear as witness. Restrictions depended more on class than gender. Princesses could be judges. Women could hire fighters if a duel came to pass, but if they were both women, they would do this themselves. There was intermarriage with families in German areas and Scandinavia.

Male infidelity was not grounds for divorce, but it was expected when a female was unfaithful female. Men could also divorce women for attempted murder or theft as well as a wife eating or sleeping, visiting public entertainment against her husband’s wishes. Rape and lying was grounds for a woman to divorce her husband. Being unable to conceive was also grounds for divorce. Physical abuse was not alone grounds for divorce.

Orthodox Church forbid marriage between social class, heathens, or those not of faith. Rape would result in the same fine as murder, as was infantcide, abortion, beating a pregnant woman which results in child loss. Birth control was also punished by the church.

Fashion

Previous Resource

Women’s Clothing in Early Rus

Women’s Clothing in Kievan Rus: Medieval Textiles

Writing

Tiiiinnnnny section of population was literate. They might use birch-bark for manuscript codices or waxed wooden tablets. They might use coins and seals, pictures to label or caption, and also had graffiti. Parchment was made from animal skin, birch bark (scraped and boiled) and wooden tablets. Writing included a stylus and ink. Wooden tablets could be reused by smoothing wax with the flat end of the stylus to renew the tablet. Literacy often related to the church; the purpose of books was often devotional. It was also used by rulers and traders to conduct their businesses.

Terminology

kniaz’ | prince or duke.

There is some debate on this term in relation to other ruling classes as it’s debated Rus rulers were not ‘kings’ in the sense of say English kingship so this titlature can be inconsistent.

The etymology of kniaz: comes from Germanic root *kun-ingaz, same roots for “konungr,” and English “king”. Kniaz often were rules of city based territories (Kiev, Novgorod) with surrounding regional control. Stress upon a right to rule rather than a birth right (later did become this).

 Roles of kniazia: ruler, military leader, lawgiver, tax collector.

velikii kniaz’ | grand prince

Scholars disagree with its use. It’s not used frequently but may mean eldest member of kindred, regards a deceased ruler, or is similar to a tsar.

konungr | ruler (old norse) chief, king.

Problematic use of word as there was about 45 kings at one point who bore this title est 800. This word seems to have a loose meaning that can be applied to lesser known people and more well known such as Harald Bluetooth.

gardariki | name given to the Rus in Old Norse.

rex, reges p. | ruler (in relation to anglo-saxon england but also poland (who also used the term dux)).

Also another area where there was an excess of kings in areas like Wessex and Mercia.

rí | king (in relation to ireland).

More than 150 kings during the 5th-12th c. A rí would rule over his own people and were responsible for them. Another term of consideration is an ard-rí, a high king, but that concept is under debate.

How does Vikings (tv) fit into this?

In short, it doesn’t really fit well. But that’s TV for you. While Hirst does use important figures to pull a more well rounded experience for viewers, these dates do not correlate with the people who indeed lived within them. Christinization was not until 988, and when we start with Ragnar in the late 8th century, there would have been no successful wide spread Christianity. In conclusion, Hirst does bring important elements in... but its a bit disconnected over all.

Works Cited

Duczko, Wladyslaw. Viking Rus Studies on the Presence of Scandinavians in Eastern Europe. Leiden ; Boston: Brill, 2004. Northern World ; v. 12. Web.

Franklin, Simon. Writing, Society and Culture in Early Rus, c.950–1300, Cambridge University Press, 2002. ProQuest Ebook Central.

“Land Travel in the Viking Age.” Hurstwic, www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/manufacturing/text/land_travel.htm.

Thompson, John. Russia : A Historical Introduction from Kievan Rus' to the Present, Routledge, 2017. ProQuest Ebook Central.

Young, Matthew. Folk Epics and the Role of Gender in Medieval Kievan Rus. Simmons College, beatleyweb.simmons.edu/scholar/files/original/aea362ec44e5d72e3014bd40a9d07c6f.pdf.

[srvphm]

Cruachan is the only valid pagan folk band

[withinycu-arch]

Tugging softly at the queen's robe, Leo took advantage of their being alone. "Can I ask you something, please? How..how are you able to trust them? I understand Ailill..but the other men. I know Ailill I can trust, but I don't know about my brothers.." Guilt was plain on the child's face as she looked up to her queen.

A Thing I asked For | See Rules

She was quiet for a long time, as she gently combed her fingers through the child’s hair. She had three brothers once. All three of them where dead, having tried to take the throne of the Ard Rí from their father by force. And that somehow seemed the least of their sins compared to what they had done to their sister…   “Then don’t,” she said at last as she stopped stroking the child’s hair. 

[scotianostra]

November 25th 1034 saw the death of Malcolm II at Glamis.

There's a lot to take in here, and a lot of supposition, it gets like that when you're delving into the history almost a thousand years ago.

Malcolm had been King since 1005, at this time Scotland was far from the nation we know it to be today, according to the Irish annals which recorded his death, Malcolm was ard rí Alban, High King of Scotland, this was a title given to what was probably the most powerful of the rulers, his fellow kings included the king of Strathclyde,  who ruled much of the south-west,  various Norse-Gael kings of the western coasts and the Hebrides and, nearest and most dangerous rivals, the Kings or Mormaers of Moray.

To the south, in the kingdom of England, the Earls of Bernicia and Northumbria, whose predecessors as kings of Northumbria had once ruled most of southern Scotland, still controlled large parts of the south-east.

Malcolm, or Máel Coluim mac Cináeda, to give him his ancient name, was ruthless, he sought to make sure to secure his family’s right of succession to throne, to do this he set about eliminating any possible claimants to the throne. There are scant details of the exact circumstances, but notable casualties included the grandson of Kenneth III, in 997, the killer of Constantine III  is credited as being Cináed mac Maíl Coluim, “Kenneth son of Malcolm”.  Now the historians debate whether this was “oor” Malcolm here, but don’t fully discount it.

John of Fordun a chronicler who we rely on a lot, writes that Malcolm defeated a Norwegian army  in almost the first days after his coronation, but this is not reported elsewhere. Fordun says that the Bishopric of Mortlach (later moved to Aberdeen) was founded in thanks for this victory over the Norwegians, but this claim appears to have no foundation, so although Fordun is a very respected base for historians to delve into, I think we can probably put this down to a more modern phenomenon-Fake News!

The first reliable report of Malcolm’s reign is of an invasion of Bernicia, which is now south-eastern Scotland and North East England. It resulted in a heavy defeat, by the Northumbrians led by Uchtred the Bold, later Earl of Bernicia, which was reported by the Annals of Ulster.  A second war in Bernicia, probably in 1018, was more successful. The Battle of Carham, by the River Tweed, was a victory for the Scots led by Malcolm and the men of Strathclyde led by their king, Eógan II, so the neighbouring Kings were not afraid of getting together for some English bashing, this was a time England was having to deal with heavy interference from the Norsemen.

Meanwhile during The Battle of Carham, in modern day Strathclyde down to the Tweed, King Eógan the Bald was killed, this is generally thought to have been when Malcolm, know by the southern tribes as Forranach’ meaning the destroyer took Strathclyde under his wing as part of the Kingdom of a growing “Scotland” but it was not fully part of the nation until Malcolm III, ( Canmore )

The good work he had done for his sons may have been for nothing, there is no evidence either survived after the year 1030, so the crown would pass to his grandchild.  Truth be told the evidence he actually had sons is quite flimsy.  He was a canny man though, and had married his daughters off wisely,  to the Norse Earl Sigurd of Orkney., thus staking a claim for his forebears to the northern regions.

Strathclyde was to come back and haunt him though, Malcolm tried to place his grandson Duncan (later Duncan I of Alba) on the throne of Strathclyde. This displeased the Britons who had taken their eye off the ball while dealing with those pesky Vikings, but they it led to Malcolm’s assassination at Glamis on this day in 1034.

As per usual there are differing stories about how he died, on say fighting off bandits, another  he was killed by the sons of Máel Brigte of Moray, a notable Pictish leader

He was buried in the graveyard at Saint Oran’s Chapel on the Isle of Iona. Of his Dynasty, and his daughters he had placed in powerful families, the one wed to Earl Sigurd of Orkney, and their son Earl Thorfinn went on to bring much of Caithness and Sutherland into Scotland. One married Crínán, the Abbot of Dunkeld, and their son Duncan went on to succeed Malcolm II as Duncan I. And the third married Findlàech, the sub-king of Moray, and their son Macbeth went on to kill Duncan and become King Macbeth.

It’s all a bit complicated trying to piece things together through so many different sources but I hope the post makes some some sort of sense. A stone at Glamis is said to mark where he died, but another source tells me it is his gravestone contradicting the source that said he is buried on Iona! Such is the plight of trying to put a post like this together…….