Lawhead writes of my Heroes!

I owe Dave and K.C. bigtime for getting me a really cool book for Christmas: "Hood" by Stephen Lawhead. To begin with, Lawhead has been one of my absolute favorite authors since I was a kid, because he writes about what I want to read! I've read his Dragon King Trilogy, his solo book Byzantium, and his Song of Albion Trilogy as well.

Lawhead writes of heroes, both known an unknown. My first exposure to him was when I read the first books of the Pendragon Cycle. Surprisingly, though, there is not just one main character. There are different ones in each book (there are six in the series, of which I have read five). The first book "Taliesin" is set on both the Island of Britain and, until it sinks, the continent of Atlantis. It tells of the separate ancestries of the bard and the princess who eventually become the parents of Merlin, which is the title of the second book.

It tells of his struggles to bring peace to a nation divided by power-hungry tyrants, and his part in the battles on the side of Aurelius Ambrosius, and his brother, Uther.

The third book is named "Arthur." This is the story of his growing up, learning to fight, to govern, and become the hero king the prophecies foretold.

The fourth book is called "Pendragon" and tells the story of what Merlin calls "The Forgotten War." Britain is invaded by a host called the Vandali, and this is the story of Arthur's rise from strategic genius to matchless warrior.

The fifth book is "Grail." You can guess what this one is!

The legends of King Arthur have captivated millions for hundreds of years, probably more than a thousand years, by now! Lawhead's obvious area of interest in Britain is in Wales, where he believes the ancient Celtic spirit most vibrantly and vividly survives, even perhaps to this day. A unique and interesting version of the story, it has now become my favorite.

But Arthur is only one half of my Idyllic Heroes. Of all the monarchs in History, there are none I long to meet more than he in heaven. However, there is another hero, more like myself, whom I long to shake hands with behind the Pearly Gates, and now Lawhead has brought him too, to life!


I'm not sure what to explain first; the story, or why Lawhead chose to tell it the way he did. This version of Robin Hood defies modern literature and every possible romance novel I can think of that puts Robin in his stereotypical setting, for Lawhead has transported him into a different country, and two centuries into the past!

The main character of "Hood" is a boy, Bran ap Brychan (the term "ap" in Welsh means "son of" like "Mac" in Scottish or Irish). In 1093, William Rufus, son of the Conqueror, is expanding his kingdom into Wales, and assigning those who are loyal to him to occupy and govern lands that do not belong to him. They are invaders, vile and despised by most, and welcomed by few. Bran, his father and warband cut down, with a price on his head, flees, only to be wounded in the forest, where he almost dies from exposure, starvation, and his wounds. He is found by a very old woman, who heals him, and awakens in Bran the sparks of responsibility and maturity. Now, instead of abandoning his people, who look to him for leadership, he takes on the role of a freedom fighter, making his home in the forest.

I could not put the book down, and finished it in two days (though granted, they were not consecutive days)! He brings new life to old characters, like Little John, Friar Tuck, Maid Marian, Will Scarlet, the greedy Bishop of Hereford, and the evil Guy of Gisborne. I simply cannot wait to find the second book in the series "Scarlet"!

Now then: the reason Lawhead puts my heroes in the Welsh light. To me, it makes perfect sense. Most scholars make Arthur a Celtic chieftain who fought off the Saxon invaders for a while after the Romans left in the A.D. 500's. As poets and troubadours tell the stories of heroes, they retell and revise their stories to include known locales and historic figures the people would recognize to make their stories come more alive, and more vivid. In Britain, these stories, especially that of Arthur, became "anglicized," and Lawhead reasons that the same thing must have happened to Robin Hood!

I spent a pleasant time this evening doing something I love more than almost anything else in the world: shooting around the backyard with my Dad! In terms of skill, I think I am the more consistent, but Dad keeps very good pace with me, and I know we are both well ready for the hunt!

Doing things like this connects me with my ancestors. As I shoot, I think (and believe) "Just think! On this day, exactly a thousand years ago, somewhere, a twenty-four year old man like me was doing the exact same thing I am doing now!" It is the same whenever I throw knives, axes, or spears. It is even the same as when we do something we think of as so typical. Whenever we talk, and laugh, and joke, and drink, and sing...we continue a legacy that has been handed down to us for more than six thousand years!

I do not believe in reincarnation...but sometimes, I wish I did. General George S. Patton read the Bible, and at the same time, believed he had lived past lives, but that God had sent him back to Earth to carry out His plans for Him multiple times. The thought of having actually lived and loved in the times I daydream of wakes a spark in me. It helps me appreciate everything around me that may have been around at that time. I have never been closer to that than when I was in Scotland. Everywhere I looked, the land was teeming with History! I could feel every pulse of the magic that is the Old Country with every step I took, every heaving breath, and every beat of my heart!

::sigh:: I will go there again someday, of that I am certain. I will bring Lanelle, dear beloved lady, with me, and I shall show her what I was shown.

The Lifebeat of The Ancients.