When was havelok the dane written

We are nearly dead from hunger! Whoever saw it felt sorrow for the children lying sprawled in the blood. But he knelt before that Judas and cried for mercy:. I will swear on the book that I will never bear shield, spear or any other weapon against you. Have mercy on me! I will flee from Denmark today and never return, and swear that I was not begotten of Birkabeyn. It was a miracle that he did not kill Havelok, but withdrew out of pity. He wanted him dead, but not by his own hand, the foul fiend!

He stood staring wildly and thought:. If he were dead and my children thrive, they might be lords of Denmark after me.

By God, he shall be dead; I will have it no other way! Will you do all I ask of you? Tomorrow I will make you free and rich. Take this child, and tonight when you see the moonlight throw him into the sea; I will take the sin upon myself. Jesus Christ, who made the lame walk and the dumb speak, avenge Havelok of Godard! He put Havelok in a dirty sack and carried him on his back to his cottage. He handed Havelok over to his wife, Leve, and told her:. I will drown him in the sea, and my lord has promised me that we will be made free and have gold and other property.

Havelok regretted that he was the son of a king and that there was no vulture, eagle, lion, wolf, bear or other beast to harm Godard. So he lay until the middle of the night when Grim told Leve to bring light so that he could get dressed:. I must keep them or be lost, so I will take the boy to the sea and drown him, as you know it behooves me.

Get up quickly, blow the fire and light a candle. A ray like a sunbeam came from his mouth, as bright as though candles were burning. Get up Grim, to see what it means. He will cause Godard much woe: hanging, flaying, or burying him alive, without mercy. We are both your servants in bond. Lord, we shall feed you well until you can ride on a steed, wear a helm, and bear shield and spear.

Godard, that traitor, will never know. I shall never be a freeman except through you; I will take care of you, and you will make me free. We will soon feed you well with such food in your great need. As soon as it was daylight, Grim went to see the wicked traitor Godard, steward of Denmark. He is drowned in the sea with an anchor around his neck; without doubt he is dead and will nevermore eat bread.

Give me gold and other property so that I will be rich, and make me free with a charter as you promised the last time I spoke with you. Go home quickly, foul slave, and remain a thrall as you have always been. You will have no other reward, and I will easily take you to the gallows for the evil deed you have done if you stand here too long. It is better to flee the land and save both our lives and those of my children and wife.

He prepared his boat for a voyage; it was sealed with tar and outfitted with a good mast, strong fast cables, good oars and sail, and lacked not a nail that it needed. He placed his three sons, two daughters, his wife and Havelok in it, laid in an oar, and headed for the high sea. But first he would have much shame, sorrow and pain, yet he got it all, as you will learn if you are willing to listen. Grim landed in Humber, at the north end of the district of Lindsey. The ship sat on the sand, but Grim drew it onto the land, and he built a small cottage for his group.

He made a little house of earth so that they were well protected. Because Grim lived there, the place was called Grimsby and will be until doomsday. Grim was an excellent fisherman and caught many good fish, both with net and hook. He took sturgeon, turbot, salmon, eel, cod, porpoise, seal and whale, flounder, herring, mackerel, halibut and many others.

He made good baskets, one for himself, and one for each of his sons for carrying the fish to sell and trade. He went to every town and farm with his wares, and never came home empty-handed without bread and grain; his work was not wasted. When he caught the great lamprey, he knew the way to the borough of Lincoln. He went through the town until he sold everything and counted his pennies. They were happy when he came home, bringing fine breads and meat of cattle, sheep and swine, as well as hemp to make strong ropes for the nets he set.

In this way, Grim fed his household well for twelve years or more. Havelok was aware that he lay at home while Grim worked hard to feed him. This cannot go on. I will go with them to learn how to be useful and work for my food.

There is no shame in working; to eat and drink without working is wrong. God reward him who has fed me to this day! I will gladly bear baskets, which will not harm me even if the burden they contain is as heavy as an ox.

I will no longer stay at home, but hurry forth tomorrow. He sold well and brought home all the money he earned, down to the last farthing and held nothing back. Havelok worked every day to learn his trade. He was worried about feeding his family, most of all Havelok, who required so much.

It will be better if you leave here and go to Lincoln; you know the way well and have been through it often. I am of no use to you, and there are many good men in town and you may be able to earn your food there. Grim took the shears off the peg and made a garment from the sail, which Havelok quickly put on; he had no shoes or socks, so he went to Lincoln barefoot. He was bewildered when he got there, with no friends to go to.

He went two days without eating because he could find no one to feed him for his work. Havelok left the porters lying in the mud and carried the food to the castle and got a farthing cake in reward. He filled the basket with a cartload of fish and hurried to the castle, where men helped him set down his burden. I will gladly feed you, for your food and pay will be well invested.

I will fetch firewood and water, and kindle and make a good bright fire; I can skin eels, wash dishes and do all that you want. Sit down now and eat heartily. Cursed be he who denies you food! He wanted no help to carry the food from the bridge, collect materials for the fire, or any of his other tasks.

He worked without rest, more than if he were a beast. He was meek and good natured, able to hide his sorrow. He could not refuse any child who wanted to play with him, and he was loved by all who saw him, young and old, shy and bold, knights, and men both noble and humble.

The cook felt sorry for him and bought him new clothes, shoes and socks. When Havelok put them on, there was never a man who seemed so fit to be a king or emperor. He was as gentle as he was strong; though a man might mistreat him, he never slandered or harmed anyone. He had not yet been with a woman, in play or in desire, and he would no sooner lie with a whore than he would a hag.

At that time, Earl Godrich governed England, and he summoned many earls and barons to the town for a parliament, many of whom brought champions and lads with them. It happened that young men, around nine or ten years old, began to play, which gathered quite a crowd; men of all kinds from the town, champions and strong lads, peasants with their goads come from the plow, and stableboys from duty all came to see the sport of stone casting.

The stone was huge and as heavy as an ox; an extremely strong man might lift it to his knee, and there was neither a cleric nor priest who might lift it to his chest!

The champions that came with the barons each threw the stone, and whoever cast it farther than the others an inch or more was considered champion, whether young or old. The champions and lads stood and watched, and argued over who made the best throw. Havelok also watched, and he was completely ignorant about the sport, which he had never seen or played. His master told him to join the contest to see how he might do, but Havelok was afraid.

He picked up the stone, and his first cast passed the others by at least twelve feet. Godrich heard the knights in the castle hall discussing Havelok, and thought how he could use him:.

King Athelwold made me swear on the book that I should give his daughter to the highest, 2 the best, the fairest and the strongest man alive. Where will I find anyone as high, skillful, fair and strong as Havelok, though I searched to India? Havelok is the man who shall have Goldeboru!

Godrich brought Goldeboru to Lincoln, with bells ringing and much joy, but he was full of treachery. Her oath made the earl furious, who said:. Curse anyone who gives you another while I live! Tomorrow you will be wedded and bedded, despite you. In the morning when the church bell rang, Godrich, that Judas worse than Satan, sent for Havelok and asked if he would take a wife. What would I do with a wife? I have nothing: no house or cottage, nothing to make a fire, no bread or food to go with it, no cloth.

The clothes I have on belong to the cook, and I am his knave. Although she disliked it, she thought it was the will of God, who makes the grain grow and formed women to be born. When Godrich had forced them through fear into agreement that Havelok should marry and maintain Goldeboru, and that she should be loyal to him, there were pennies in plenty placed upon the missal; he took hers, and she his. They could not live there long, for they knew Godrich hated them, and Havelok feared that men might bring his lover shame or ill repute, and he would rather be dead.

So Havelok decided that their best situation would be found with Grim and his three sons, where they would find clothing and food. They had to walk, and held the right way to Grimsby.

When they arrived, Grim had died but all five of his children were alive, and they received Havelok and Goldeboru with much joy. They had remained loyal to Havelok, and knelt before him in greeting:.

We are happy to see you alive and are yours to buy and sell if you dwell here. Lord, we have many goods: horses, oxen, sheep and swine, and a ship, gold and silver and much else that our father gave us, and he instructed us to give you gold, silver and property. Stay here, lord, and all will be yours. You will be our lord and sire, and we will serve you both, and our sisters will do all our mistress asks; they will wash her clothes, bring water for washing her hands, and prepare you both for bed, for we wish her to be our lady.

There was wine and ale, and they drank the toast to health many times. At night as Goldeboru lay full of sorrow as always over the betrayal of having been given to a man beneath her rank, she saw a very bright and beautiful light blazing like fire in the room.

No wonder she was afraid! She thought about its meaning, and believed that Havelok would become a nobleman before he died. In this he was not alone. Beyond Grimsby, too, the Havelok story seems to have been widely known in Lincolnshire: the chronicler Robert Mannyng tells us that in the 14th century you could go to Lincoln Castle and see the huge rock that Havelok, with his extraordinary strength, threw to win a stone-casting competition, as well as the chapel where Havelok and Goldeboru were married.

The legend of Havelok offers a reimagining of English history that finds a balance between a proud regional identity and a sense of national unity. At one point the English villain tries to paint Havelok as a rampaging Viking, claiming he is killing monks and burning churches, but in fact Havelok is notably pious and even founds a priory in Grimsby in memory of Grim.

In this poem the Danish contribution to English history is presented in an entirely positive light — as something Grimsby, Lincolnshire, and England can and should be proud of. She blogs about medieval England at www. Our knowledge of the Viking Great Army's movments during its campaigns in England is provided by entries in the Anglo-Saxon…. Nowadays it is common to see people wearing various accoutrements such as earrings, necklaces, pendants, or rings. The Viking Age….

Resting in the Trent river valley are the small villages of Gonalston, Thurgarton, and Rolleston. You are politely asked 'Please slow…. This website explores a period in the…. Thorfast the comb-maker's workshop…. Also appearing are a variety of other writings seventy all together, by Skeat's count including hagiography in a fifteenth-century hand, The Vision of St.

Paul , a Disputatio inter corpus et animam , and scientific information in a fifteenth-century hand. Rosamund Allen suggests that scribes who bound together the Laud MS may have included saints' lives because the story of Havelok itself is a kind of saint's life, and Horn himself kills Saracen infidels and rebuilds churches; or else, "The empty folios of vv were filled with saints' legends and moral matter by a fifteenth century compiler who then bound related matter together.

Go To Havelok the Dane. Cambridge University Library Add. Middle English Metrical Romances. New York: Prentice-Hall, Havelok the Dane. Roxburghe Club. London: W. Nicol, Shakespeare Press, Sands, Donald B. Middle English Verse Romances. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, The Lay of Havelok the Dane.

Second ed. Revised by Kenneth Sisam. Oxford: Clarendon Press, EETS e. London: N. Cautions against close association with the lays of Marie de France. English Medieval Romance. London: Longman, English Medieval Narrative in the 13th and 14th Centuries. Joan Krakover Hall. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, Berkeley: University of California Press, Presents complete text and translation of the Lai. Katharine and Popular Romance Style.

The close thematic associations of hagiography and romance are textually manifest as well. These rites, incomplete or bypassed, help to explain the motives and actions of characters in the romance.

Bloomington: Indiana University Press,