The Angry Mermaid 92 or Y Morforwyn Dicllon 92

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Drustina completes her 'Tour of Inspection' of the Saxon and Mercian realms then makes preparations to espy the western Celtic seas and realms to ascertain what can be done to thwart the growing Norse threat.

The Angry Mermaid 92
Or
Y Morforwyn Dicllon 92.

After Sonala’s wedding celebrations were eventually completed Drustina and Althred returned to Sotona where they commenced preparations for Drustina’s departure to the Celtic sea. The plan was to circumnavigate the toe of Dumnoniia and enter Celtic waters a few weeks after mid-summer, ideally before the 7th month of July was completed. Her plan was to call at as many Dumnoniian and Cambrian townships as the weather allowed. She was taking four of her fastest ships with Carl and Althred as her lieutenants. The more she could teach them of the Celtic Sea the better it would be for any plans or battles that would invariably ensue when she commenced her August Tactics against Viking traders up and down the Celtic sea and the Scottish islands. Her intention was to send a loud message to the Norsemen that the west was no longer theirs’ to treat as their own private fiefdom.

In preparation for Drustina’s expedition she spent a week with Althred out on the waters around Ynys Wit and demonstrated just what the Angry Mermaid was capable of. He was impressed and said so when they returned to meet Carl on the quay at Sotona. He had been in long talks with Ethelred and Edrinor about plans to deal with the Viking threat.
Althred was glad to see the Saxon and he leapt ashore to chat enthusiastically.

“Drustina’s ship, The Angry Mermaid, her speed is unbelievable and the punishment she withstands, ‘tis scarce to be described. Thrice I thought we were done for as she slammed into a wave at a speed that would have shattered the timbers of a longboat, Norse or Saxon!”

As Carl just smiled enigmatically, Drustina explained.

“It’s the wood Althred; ‘Derwen Cymraeg’ or Welsh Oak to you. The tree is very slow growing for the soil is poor, the climate harsh and the altitude high were the mountain winds test and bend and twist the tree even as it grows. The tree must compensate for this cruel treatment thus the grain of the wood is as close and tight as any you’ll find. Take a piece that’s been seasoning for five years or more and you’ll scarce drive an iron nail into it. Weight for weight it is one of the toughest and most enduring woods there is. The great irony is this, to work such wood a shipwright needs the hardest sharpest iron in the box and only in the very north of Svenland does the best such iron lie. The Norsemen are too dumb to realise they have the best iron right on their doorstep. So rich is the ore that even the very rock from which it is torn is attracted to the Norse goddess Freya whose wondrous lights set the northern skies on fire. I showed you that lode-stone that always pointed to Freya’s eye. The iron to work the Mermaid’s timbers came only from such a stone. There is magic we do not understand right throughout the Mermaid’s bones.”

“Such Magic must make men affeared.” Althred hazarded.

“Why should they be affeared? I worked with such magic as you call it when I built this ship as a child, it never harmed me. Once my land is returned to me, I’ll work with it again so do not call me a sorceress. There is no evil in this ship or her captain. Not all magic is evil.”

For want of better knowledge, Althred was forced to accept Drustina’s wisdom.

After all,’ he told himself, ‘she is half man and half woman herself. There could be no stranger being throughout all Christendom.

In thoughtful silence he followed Carl and Drustina as they chatted about Ethelred’s ideas to meet the Viking invaders at a time and place of Saxon choosing. Drustina nodded then intimated that she would speak privately with Ethelred. She accepted Ethelred’s ideas about battle tactics but she had a strategy that was every bit as vital to victory as all of Ethelred’s training and preparation.

For the present, she kept her battle plan firmly in her own head. Even Carl and Althred were precluded until she had sounded out the degree of Ethelred’s commitment to fight a major battle outside his own kingdom. The Wirral peninsular technically lay in Edrinor’s realm while the giant fortress of Deva was almost a self-governing entity insofar as it survived essentially by denying Vikings sea-born access to the rich lush plains of the County Palinate of Cheshire. The garrison however was costly and thus required the farmers and peasants of those plains to contribute to the supply and support of the men in Deva. Fortunately the Mercians and Saxons who depended on Deva’s might for protection were more than willing to deal with the fortress city for it secured their peace from Irish and Norse attacks.

Realising that Deva was a lynch pin to securing victory in the North West Drustina had formulated her plan to repel the Vikings.
The Saxons and Mercians would have to trap the Viking Army in a small area like say the Wirral peninsular and force them to stand either with their backs to the sea on any one of three sides or trapped against the ramparts of the mighty Roman fortress of Deva. On these tactics Drustina had based her plan and it required good co-operation from Ethelred’s forces.

Two days after leaving Carl and Althred to supervise military training for all of Ethelred’s forces in Sotona, Drustina at long last managed to get the Wessex king alone in his Winchester palace.

It was the night that Edrinor had finally decided to return to Nottingham after drinking deep of Ethelred’s hospitality.
That evening Drustina found Ethelred in his chancery ruefully counting the cost of the royal wedding and the subsequent hospitality. She approached softly as he lay bent over the books; so softly that she startled him when she spoke.

“Costly business?” She asked softly.

Ethelred lurched backwards with fright before he realised it was his finest ally.

“God forbid Drustina! You startled me!”

Drustina chuckled as she apologised.

Sorry Eth’ I would have thought the cost of all these celebrations might have startled you more.”

Ethelred sighed and wagged his head.

“By god you are not wrong! Those Mercian’s know how to celebrate, just look at these figures.”

“I’ll wager your own Saxons can compare with them. I saw plenty of booze pouring down plenty of necks this last month or so.”

“Not down mine you didn’t. It wouldn’t have been fair on my new bride.”

Drustina’s eyes widened with admiration.

“Well I’m very glad to hear of that Your Majesty, it’s not many grooms who’ll consider their bride’s wishes even on the nuptial night.”

“My mother warned me, no bride likes her groom coming to the bed drunk and incapable.”

“Very wise words Eth and my respect for you has increased commensurately. But enough of your wedding night, you and I have other considerations, namely the Viking threat from the north.”

Ethelred sighed.

“Yes, I know, everybody knows they have designs on the south and centre of this island. I know that the inevitable war is going to cost me dear? Have you any further thoughts?” He asked.

Drustina paused as she debated how to put her ideas to Ethelred.

“Well, I don’t think they’re going to attack immediately; not for a year anyway. But I’m sure you will be facing a battle if not a war within two years.”

Ethelred nodded with a sigh.

“Aaaahhyye! On that I think we can both agree, what are your thoughts about dealing with them?”

Drustina smiled inwardly. ‘At least the man was prepared to listen’ she thought. After considering the way forward she presented her ideas.

“I think I have a plan that might firstly give you time to prepare and secondly spread the cost so as to reduce the financial burden.”

Having just lamented the cost of his wedding, Ethelred was more than prepared to look at any plan that might reduce the costs to his exchequer. he looked at Drustina quizzically.

“This sounds as though you’ve thought about things more than most. My earls and lieutenants just never seem to realise the cost of war. They are full of bombast and swagger but they never realise that these campaigns cost money.

It’s refreshing to hear ideas from somebody who has obviously had to count the cost of war. That is something of a relief for me because all my earls talk of is your military prowess; they never think of your other qualities. You are sensible Drustina and I need good advisors around me at this difficult time. So what do you propose?”

Drustina laid out her plan in stages firstly to allow the Wessex king to digest it all and secondly to elicit objections.

“Well firstly, we have to buy time. Edrinor might be our Ally but he is hopelessly ill-equipped to conduct any naval campaign so I’m afraid that is down to us. Basically, we can delay the Norsemen if we can weaken their holdings to the North of Deva. That is above a line joining the Deevus Estuary to the Umbre estuary.”

“Go on; I’m with you so far, how do you intend to achieve it?”

“We start a campaign of attrition and piracy in the Celtic seas. I choose that area because I know the waters well and I can expect good support from my fellow Celts; that is Cambrian, Hibernian and Manx.

Once we have disrupted trade, just as the Vikings did; then that forces Harald Cold-blood, King Constin of Scotia and Forden of Hibernia to act to defend themselves. If they don’t we will have re-opened the sea route to Deva down the estuary of the Deevus and that adds both to our economic and military capabilities.”

“Can you do that Lioness? Have we ships enough?”

“I don’t know yet. That is why I wish to sail to the Celtic sea now. I need firstly to assess their defences and preparations and secondly to evaluate what support the Celts can offer me. Any assistance they can give will ultimately help you.”

“Is this not a bit late in the year to start your campaign? I know it’s high summer now, but by the time you get organised in those waters, autumn will be upon us then you won’t have much time. The storms will seriously hamper your activities.”

Drustina nodded slowly and smiled knowingly.

“The storms are an essential part of my plan. The mermaid class of ships are infinitely better equipped to handle the western seas and their great waves. I have sailed those waters since childhood. The seaworthiness and seeking qualities of the Mermaid class ships will enable our campaign to outlast any longship activities by at least a month, possibly two. I’m depending on that to enable me to sail freely on the Celtic sea when the longships have difficulty setting sail from harbour. The weather will be rough I grant you, and conditions will be brutally hard for my crews but that’s something they and I will have to endure. Besides, it will make seamen of them.

If I fail and the storms overwhelm me, then I will be dead or captive; you will have to make your own alternative plans.”

“I’m not sure I can afford to lose you. Can you not send your commanders Carl and Heliox in your stead?”

“They have never sailed those waters. In truth Eth, nobody from my fleet has ever sailed those waters. I am alone in this for only I have the knowledge. Furthermore, whilst my Celtic countrymen would almost certainly follow me, I think they would be loath to follow a Saxon. You would be hard put to forge an alliance with the Celts, too much has gone before.”

Ethelred nodded resignedly. The Lioness’s words were simply too true.

Having mostly convinced the Wessex king that her plan was sound, she then set about beating out the details. The most important item being the establishment of good lines of communication. They spent an afternoon creating a code for locations, salient features, headlands, tidal conditions and other important aspects like weather conditions and conditions of readiness in various Viking strongholds like Bael ar y Claidd before finally retiring for dinner. The following day they completed their arrangements and two days later Drustina set sail to the west with four of her best Mermaid class ships and her most reliable commanders namely Carl, Heliox and Althred. She also took along Harald Cold-blood’s daughter Gisela after reasoning there might be some occasion when the girl’s presence might serve some advantage.

~~oo000oo~~

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Comments

Magic ....

Drustina has seemed to constantly use or fight the idea. Her duality is viewed by many as evil magic. Her ship seems to have magical properties. Even Drustina herself has survivied and recovered from injuries that might have killed a lesser person. Yup, magic.

So what of Gisela? Where are her loyalties? Does she see Drustina as a protector? A captor? A parent? A friend?

Drustina is winning

Dru is winning the hearts and minds of her much needed allies. She certainly won't defeat the Vikings alone. She has developed plans and codes. These must be protected at all costs. Should Harald learn of her plans then they could be defeated.

You are spinning an interesting yarn, Bev. The details show of your knowledge and research. We do appreciate your efforts.

Our thoughts go to you and yours.

Much Love,

Valerie R

Just finished reading this great

Just finished reading this
great story.
Reminds me of the hector lynch stories by Tim Severn.

The Adventures of Hector Lynch, Pirate
Volume 1 - CORSAIR
The Adventures of Hector Lynch, Pirate
Volume 2 - BUCCANEER
The Adventures of Hector Lynch, Pirate
Volume 3 - SEA ROBBER

Boats like the on below were used by Irish monks like St Brendan the navigator.
Brendan Voyage

De Navigatio Tim SEVERIN :"THE BRENDAN VOYAGE" part 1 /5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB2EsZhzVtE

Hands Curragh Makers Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLKQgTCVinE

Women in Early Ireland

Under The Brehon Laws (ancient laws of Ireland dated back to 714 BC), women occupied a unique place. The Irish law gave more rights and protection to women than any other political system before or since Women were considered equal to men in all things.
They could and did aspire to all offices and professions as equal to men. They could be political leaders, local magistrates, poets, artisans, physicians, warriors judges and lawyers. The names of some women judges have survived from these early year, such as Aine Ingue Iugaire, Brig Briugaid and Dari who left behind a noted law text written in the sixth century AD
In the early Celtic church women where consecrated Priests on an equal footing with men. Indeed St Brigid herself was ordained a Bishop by Mel a nephew of St Patrick and she was not alone. In the sixth century Rome protested against women being allowed to celebrate the mass in the Celtic church. Between the ninth and the eleventh centuries the Celtic church was subsumed into the Roman church much to the detriment of Christian women through out succeeding history.
Having said all that what we have to remember is that early societies made extensive use of slave labour, it is probably safe to assume that women who were slaves would not have enjoyed the same privileges afforded to the higher classes.
Women had protection in law from sexual harassment; from rape; from discrimination; they had the right of divorce from their husbands on an equal footing, with equitable separation rights, they could demand part of their husbands property as a divorce settlement. They had the right to inherit personal property. They had the right of sickness benefits when ill or in hospital. Ancient Ireland had Europe oldest recorded hospital system. Seen from today the Brehon Laws provided an almost feminist utopia.

links on Brehon law

http://www.irish-society.org/home/hedgemaster-archives-2/his...

http://web.archive.org/web/20130511121956/http://www.tirnasa...

Private Law in the Emerald Isle

http://mises.org/daily/6060/Private-Law-in-the-Emerald-Isle

http://www.alia.ie/tirnanog/sochis/iv.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Irish_law

http://www.danann.org/library/law/breh.html

http://www.irishcentral.com/roots/-Irelands-Brehon-laws-were...

Hello Belfast City

Thank you tremendously for your timely and opportune communique.

You are of course, absolutely right about women being held equal to men in early Celtic culture. Indeed in Wales, the old custums survived right up to Henry the 7th's time in 1480 AD. insofar as Henry adopted many, many Welsh customs and styles when he introduced the rule of Law to England after he defeated the last Plantagenate king (Richard third of York,). Up until the battle of Bosworth Fields, all the Plantagenates, just like Richard the third, had treated England (and Wales) as little more than a private fiefdom, when they constantly fought their private battles known historically as 'The Wars of the Roses'. Henry Tudor's laws were very much based upon repairing damages and restituting rights rather than butchering the offenders.

Sadly, Henry did not go far enough in copying Celtic laws but then he was up against enforcing the rule of law, albeit the king's law, upon the unruly plantagenate robber barons. He had to be cruel towards them to bring them to heel and sadly those cruelties 'trickled down' to the common man through 'common law'.

Old Celtic Laws were far more equitable and gentle to offenders than ever where the brutal laws and punishments of the Normans. Indeed, even the old Saxon laws were more equitable to the common man insofar as the death penalty was far less widespread and only used for major crimes. (Not for stealing a sheep or shooting a deer, those were Norman cruelties.)

I have also loved the extracts describing St Brendan's voyages and I truly believe that they might well have made the crossing exactly as shown in the articles I have just seen and read.

I especially liked the point where the mast wood was chosen from the north side of the tree because the annual rings were tighter and denser. This I know to be true; I mention 'Derwen Cymraeg' (Very slow-growing mountain oak) in my story and much of the technology illustrated in your articles is identical to what I have learned before from other sources and my own experiences. It is nice however, to have it proven again from other sources.

I didn't use leather though; mainly because the Angry mermaid is after all, a war ship built and sailed for and in troubled times.

As to future chapters, I was thinking of somehow introducing a well-travelled, Celtic, Christian monk into the series as and when Drustina eventually joins with her Wessex and Mercean allies when she defeats the Norsemen on the Wirral peninsular with the help of Celtic Allies from Wales, Ireland and Mann.

You will have realised by now that I am writing this story 'On the Hoof' as it were and as new researches come to light, I use what I deem to be plausible, practical and realistic.

Thank you once again for your contributions.

Beverly Taff.

Your pen name intrigues me are you one of us insofar as being 'gender variant'?

Once again, thanks for the note.

Bevs.

X

bev_1.jpg

I use the name Belfastcity

I use the name Belfastcity from a time in my life when I lived in that city.
As for my gender status I have a strong female part to me. Being born in 1962 in Ireland there was not much chance for me to do anything about it.
At my age changing gender, I think is a bit too late for me.

You might want to look at this film by Bob Quinn. on the links and trade route of the people who travelled by sea from Ireland to Spain and North Africa.

Where I live in Dublin the local shop the Mascot is run by Egyptian Coptic Christian.

Atlantean
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqabDHMQczk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrVO-JKXpZQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI-LFQeKkUg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npx-oVgnOGs

Atlantean (documentary series)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantean_%28documentary_series%29

book
http://conamara.org/index.php?page=atlantean

Firstly about changing sex.

Hey-up. I was born 1946 in pious, bigoted, bible thumping North Wales. Much the same religious intolerance as Ireland during those years. As to changing sex well, I'm contemplating an orchiectomy and breast enhancement next year, possibly a full transition but my gender identity is very complex (and confusing,) so nothing is certain just yet. You're certainly not too old to transition at 51 years of age. I've got a friend going through it right now and she is 48.

As to the cotton sails, they were made of Egyptian cotton when the Mermaid got into the Mediterranean. Before that she had woollen sails like3 the Viking ships. Cotton doesn't last long in damp climates like northern Europe but in the Mediterranean where bright sunlight quickly dries them out, they last quite a long time. The best sails during those times for Northern Europe however were well oiled or greased leather using animal oils and fats.

Flax makes good linen doesn't it. Belfast used to have a thriving flax spinning industry.

bev_1.jpg

the disadvantage cotton has

the disadvantage cotton has is the length fibre is short making it weaker.
Hemp has longer fibre making it stronger.

Steenstra had a hemp twill fabric tested for tensile and tear strength at Greenwood Mills, and compared the results with Greenwood’s 12-oz cotton denim. Hemp beat cotton every time. Overall, the 100% hemp fabric had 62% greater tear strength and 102% greater tensile strength. In tensile strength tests, the hemp warp endured 266 lb of pressure While the cotton only 204 lb, and the hemp filling endured 178 lb of pressure while the cotton fill only 100. In the test for tear strength, the hemp warp tested at 19.9 lb of pressure with the cotton at 12.7, and the hemp filling tested at 22 lb with the cotton filling at 7.6.
http://www.globalhemp.com/1997/11/hemp-historic-fiber-remain...

Belfast was big in linen using Flax and hemp.
Originally cotton was the big one in Belfast until competition from English mills made it unprofitable and they switched to Linen.

My grand father on my mother side grow flax in Longford. In limerick my grand father on my father side had a small linen mill beside his house in Rathkeale co limerick.
Photo below is my grandfather house in Rathkeale. No not the castle the one beside it.
house

Doek is Dutch for cloth, which was evolved into the English word “duck” in reference to sail canvas. Duck was typically made from cotton or linen (flax), with some use of hemp. These natural fibers have poor resistance to rot, UV light and water absorption. Linen is stronger, but cotton is lighter. Linen was the traditional fiber of sails until it was supplanted by cotton during the 19th century
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailcloth#History

I was born in County Limerick. No bible bashing just lots of Roman Catholics.
I had 3 uncles who were priests and 3 aunts who were Nuns.
One of my uncles(Séan)died in Colwyn bay.