tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456802468539868519.post141370057877858077..comments2023-10-12T02:21:40.102-07:00Comments on English Historical Fiction Authors: Swords, Seaxes and SaxonsDebra Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03256313302199653185noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456802468539868519.post-670969942470540162016-06-05T09:25:08.684-07:002016-06-05T09:25:08.684-07:00Thank you, Anne. I love the imagery of period. Fli...Thank you, Anne. I love the imagery of period. Flickering flames licking the patterned blades of warriors who sit in great smoky halls boasting of their exploits in the shieldwall. I would not have liked to live then, but it is a great period in which to tell stories.Matthew Harffyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12994917417232123639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456802468539868519.post-30799895792670525552016-06-05T09:21:11.560-07:002016-06-05T09:21:11.560-07:00Thank you, Geoffrey. It is a fascinating period. D...Thank you, Geoffrey. It is a fascinating period. Dark and mysterious in so many ways, but with real glimpses of light in some of the archaeological finds from the era. I would love to visit Whitby Abbey. I hope you enjoy the book, and I also recommend Nicola Griffith's great book, Hild, and Edoardo Albert's Northumbrian Kings trilogy if you like the period and the area.<br />Matthew Harffyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12994917417232123639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456802468539868519.post-985285890673616512016-06-03T09:43:42.586-07:002016-06-03T09:43:42.586-07:00Wonderful post! Great info, but you make the time ...Wonderful post! Great info, but you make the time come alive. One can see the firelight on the blade, feel its owner's the grip of purpose. The patterns are mesmerizing Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05033117202223821117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456802468539868519.post-70068625946847126092016-06-03T09:05:18.451-07:002016-06-03T09:05:18.451-07:00Great article. Having worked at Whitby Abbey I fin...Great article. Having worked at Whitby Abbey I find this period of English history fascinating. We had some great Saxon finds up here at Streethouses near Loftus. I will definitely try your novel Matthew Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05650081487902935318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456802468539868519.post-21727197449422371452016-06-03T04:49:50.971-07:002016-06-03T04:49:50.971-07:00At the moment it's in a drawer! I need to work...At the moment it's in a drawer! I need to work out how to display it where the kids can't get hold of it (it's sharp and heavy!).Matthew Harffyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12994917417232123639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456802468539868519.post-31115529998309647752016-06-02T13:33:03.759-07:002016-06-02T13:33:03.759-07:00So, what do you do with it? :-) Is it kept in a di...So, what do you do with it? :-) Is it kept in a display cabinet or taken along to historical re-enactments or what? Sue Bursztynskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09362273418897882971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456802468539868519.post-14106245552142815482016-06-02T13:01:41.691-07:002016-06-02T13:01:41.691-07:00Thanks, Elaine! Glad you liked it. I fell in love ...Thanks, Elaine! Glad you liked it. I fell in love with these blades too, which is why I had to buy the seax that appears in the photos above. It is truly beautiful. Hand forged by Paul Binns. Matthew Harffyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12994917417232123639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456802468539868519.post-54667395115820375942016-06-02T10:45:51.502-07:002016-06-02T10:45:51.502-07:00This was my kind of post Matthew! Thanks for writi...This was my kind of post Matthew! Thanks for writing it. I'm in love with pattern-welded swords - the beauty and artistry coupled with the time to make these blades is amazing. It's no small wonder Smiths were held in such high regard and their craft considered magical. Will be sharing!E S Moxonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00910986089563223935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456802468539868519.post-79904586292823956862016-06-02T09:42:29.790-07:002016-06-02T09:42:29.790-07:00It is hard to really comprehend how valuable and c...It is hard to really comprehend how valuable and coveted such items would be in a time when they were the absolute pinacle of technology.Matthew Harffyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12994917417232123639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456802468539868519.post-4132172838288695772016-06-02T09:41:13.559-07:002016-06-02T09:41:13.559-07:00Thanks!Thanks!Matthew Harffyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12994917417232123639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456802468539868519.post-86392020823274466312016-06-02T04:22:23.162-07:002016-06-02T04:22:23.162-07:00Yes, I should think that with all the work that we...Yes, I should think that with all the work that went into those swords, never mind the bling, they would have been enormously expensive, something that would be recognisable as belonging to a particular warrior. (In Rosemary Sutcliff's Sword At Sunset, the reason Arthur/Artos orders his sword thrown into the lake is so that the enemy won't know he's dead)Sue Bursztynskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09362273418897882971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456802468539868519.post-10660613351030373772016-06-02T03:04:19.715-07:002016-06-02T03:04:19.715-07:00Great post!Great post!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00335721389507237440noreply@blogger.com