The statue is a memorial to Byrhtnoth. He was the leader of the English (Anglo-Saxon) forces at the Battle of Maldon in 991 AD.
Records declare he was six feet 9 inches tall. Holy wow!
During this period in time, Vikings were coming from north to plunder the English country. It was customary for the English army to dismount and have their horses taken away from the battleground for safe keeping.
A cad stole By's trusty steed and rode away. Several men witnessed the horse galloping away and thought that it was the leader retreating, so they ran, too.
Poor By was not retreating and he perished at the Battle of Maldon. It does not specify where he was first buried but he was dug up and moved several times. It was during one of these moves (1769) that the bones were measured and it was determined he was 6 feet 9 inches tall.
Fun fact (well not fun exactly) - the reason a sword has that long groove down the complete body of the weapon is to create an air pocket in the victim so it is easier to pull the sword back out. I wonder if this is what happens when you read where somebody twisted the knife after they stab them. Are they creating a pocket of air so they can pull the blade back out?
The book I was reading was "The Year 1000" by Robert Lacey. I had been looking for material to find out what kind of clothing/dress was available in that time frame. The book has so much more, though.
Next up: "Agent Sonya" by Ben MacIntyre. I've been waiting to be able to check this one out. I am getting restless like the rest of the world is. Tired of the quarantine. Going places I probably should not be going. Sigh. It's just that I love the fall weather. All the area festivals have been canceled this year. I don't really go to them anymore, anyway. Too much walking for me.
Once the cold weather really sets in, it will be easier to hibernate.
1 comment:
The more i read about "the good old days," the happier i am that i live now.
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