Book Title: Ravens Hill
Series: The Atheling Chronicles, Book #5
Author: Garth Pettersen
Publication Date: April 15, 2025
Publisher: Tirgearr Publishing
Pages: 308
Genre: historical mystery, historical fiction
Any Triggers: some graphic violence, discussion of molestation
Twitter Handles: @garpet011 @cathiedunn @MaryLSchmidt
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Book Title and Author Name:
Ravens Hill
The Atheling Chronicles, Book #5
by Garth Pettersen
Blurb:
When Harald, the second son of King Cnute, returns from fighting the king’s enemies in Northern Wales, he expects his life to return to normal⸺farming in the Midlands, overseeing his few tenants, evening walks with his beloved Selia⸺an idyllic life, far from the power-mongering of King Cnute’s court. But the king has other plans for Harald and his wife—he grants them a large landholding, a gift they cannot refuse.
On arriving at their new holding, Ravens Hill, Harald and Selia receive a tepid welcome⸺from belligerent housecarls, a conniving steward, an uncompromising abbess, bitter at not adding their estate to her abbey lands, a priest with roaming hands, and a grieving daughter of the previous landholder, who has entered the nunnery.
Harald and Selia wish to improve the lot of their tenant farmers but they face obstacles at every turn, and Harald’s generosity is seen as weakness. They also learn the lands come with an unexpected millstone—an unsolved murder.
And then the trouble begins.
[Fans of Bernard Cornwell will love Ravens Hill—part of the award-winning Atheling Chronicles series.]
When Angels Fly Guest Post:
Breaking Medieval Stereotypes
by Garth Pettersen
I recall when I was a kid, being thrilled by a movie called The Vikings. It starred Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis, big stars at the time. Rewatching the film as an adult, with my own boys, I questioned the climax, where the Vikings storm an English castle, and I questioned the appearance of a villain knight (the Black Knight—scary with his visor down). Though the producers had obviously done extensive research into clothing, longships, villages, etc., they had crammed all things medieval into this movie. The ninth century historical figure, Ragnar Lothbrok is a character in the film. So, into this ninth century world, castles and knights are inserted, even though they were foreign to England. But as we say, “that’s Hollywood.”
Castles were built in England after the Norman Conquest in 1066, over 200 years after Lothbrok. During the Anglo-Saxon era, those of high rank built halls, sometimes called longhouses, out of wood and wattle-and-daub, and thatch for the roofs. The Church, wanting to symbolize permanence, built with stone. Knights came later, with the feudal system, which again was brought to England by the good old Normans. In the Anglo-Saxon period, you had thegns, who were high-status retainers of the king or a nobleman (perhaps an ealdorman or high-reeve). The Vikings (Norse, Danes) had chieftains called jarls. With the merging of the Anglo-Saxon and Danish-Norse cultures, jarls and ealdormen became eorls (earls). So, no knights. And no English princes and princesses. If you were the son of a king, you were an atheling, someone “throne-worthy”; if you were the daughter of a king, you were a cynebearn, a king’s kid (that doesn’t inspire many little girls, does it?)
When I began writing my historical fiction series, The Atheling Chronicles, I made the honest mistake of seeing the Middle Ages too broadly. In the first book, some of the settings are not historically accurate. The more deeply I researched, I realized the Medieval Period (5th to late15th century—from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance) is divided into the Early, High, and Late Middle Ages.
During the Early Middle Ages (500-1000 CE), we have the migration of people following Rome’s collapse, e.g. Germanic peoples into Britain, the formation of new kingdoms, and the expansion of the Christian Church in northern Europe.
During the High Middle Ages (1000 to 1250 CE), population increased, agricultural methods improved, and the feudal system flourished, increasing the production of trade goods and giving kings a tighter military machine to use at will. Christianity battled with Islam over truth and territory.
The Late Middle Ages (1250-1500 CE), came with famine, plague, civil unrest, and war between states. Of course, great strides were made in art, architecture, and philosophy.
Getting back to Breaking Medieval Stereotypes, how does a writer break up the fairy tale stereotypes of princes, princesses, court jesters, and knights? Well, just as we learn to avoid using clichés, stale tropes, and stock characters, we have to get clear on what is true and what is false and what is generally assumed. What to do? Three things. Research. Research. Research. I read everything about my time period, take notes, keep binders full of articles, and constantly seek answers to my questions. If I need to describe the English landscape my main character, Harald, is viewing as he rides along, it helps if I know the population of that century. I can then visualize how much woodland still exists. King Cnute gives Harald and his wife, Selia, a large landholding. I need to know the system of landholding and tenancy and how a king would do that (by a “charter” witnessed by court officials).
So, extensive research is the biggy. The next thing I do, is use vocabulary and expressions that reflect not only the times, but the attitudes and beliefs of the characters. I started off using corny expressions such as “methinks,” “dastard,” and “by God’s bones.” I think a breakthrough for me was reading a book called Holy Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing, by Melissa Mohr. It showed me what was profane at different times in history. In the Middle Ages, folk had little privacy, so body parts and bodily functions were not considered dirty or shocking. Flatulence was still funny, but not embarrassing. If you know people’s attitudes and beliefs, you know what motivates them and what they will say.
Then I began to look at Old English. At first, I tried not to use vocabulary that came from French and other languages, though that was not always possible (did you know that Churchill’s “blood, sweat, and tears” speech used mostly Anglo-Saxon nouns and verbs? —they punch rather than caress). What began to work for me was to pepper my novels with Old English words (I use an online Old English translator and sources such as The Word Hord by Hana Videen), while shaping the context to explain them. I found this highly effective with nouns and verbs. Making love is swiving or sarding. Your armed guards are housecarls. They call Harald, Brego, which means chieftain or lord. I avoid calling the king “sire,” again because it gives rise to old stereotypes. The king is addressed as “Greatness”—the reader has to see him with fresh eyes.
I also call places by the names that were used at the time. England was called Engla-lond, Winchester was Wintanceaster, Denmark was Danmark, Norway—Nordvegr, etc. This all helps to insert the reader into the time and place without causing undue confusion.
The best part is finding words of abuse that were in common use. If you called someone a “bastard” in the 11th century, they’d look at you and say, “so?” But if you called them a stunta, meaning fool, or nithing, which meant coward, you’d definitely get a reaction. I borrowed the term earsling from Bernard Cornwall; it basically means “one who is turned backwards towards their arse.” A criminal or scoundrel is a wearg. You could also rile someone by comparing them to an animal, for example a castrated hog is a bearg. I always provide a glossary of the Old English words I use.
Another way of using language to evoke the Early Middle Ages is through kennings. A kenning is a figure of speech involving two connected words used figuratively. One of the words is the base word and the other the determinant. In early medieval poetry—think of Beowulf—kennings abound. The “whale’s-road” refers to the sea; as does “the swan’s road.” Other examples are “God-cursed” (evil), “hall-watcher” (the monster Grendel), “cloud-murk” (gloom), “feud-calloused hand” (experienced in battle), and “ring-giver” (an appreciative chieftain might bestow an arm-ring to a warrior for his valour). Medieval poetry used internal rhyme and alliteration such as “guilt-fouled fiend.” Kennings are a simple way of providing medieval tone and flavour.
If you can dismantle the reader’s preconceived ideas, through changing up the vocabulary and expressions, and build your world brick by brick through extensive research, you can provide a fresh and thrilling experience of an era your readers will see clearly, perhaps for the first time.
I hope this piece helps writers wishing to tackle historical fiction. Have a thrilling journey. Readers, I hope my article makes you more questioning and discerning—demanding a higher standard from your favourite authors
Buy Links:
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/317MEw
Publisher’s Author Page with series links: http://www.tirpub.com/gpettersen
Author Bio:
Garth Pettersen is an award-winning Canadian writer living in the Fraser Valley near Vancouver, BC, Canada where he and his wife board horses.
Pettersen has a BA in History from the University of Victoria and is a retired teacher. His short stories have appeared in anthologies and in journals such as Blank Spaces, The Spadina Literary Review, and The Opening Line Literary ‘Zine.
Garth Pettersen’s historical fiction series, The Atheling Chronicles, is published by Tirgearr Publishing and is available through most online outlets. Book #4 in the series, The Sea’s Edge, received a first-place Incipere Award. Book #5, Ravens Hill, was released on April 15, 2025.
Author Links:
Website: http://www.garthpettersen.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/garpet011
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/writeandride/
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/garth-pettersen
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/garthpettersen
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15059599.Garth_Pettersen
When Angels Fly 