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The Saxon Stories

1136 statements
223 feature instances
29 referencing feature instances

The Saxon Stories	type	TVTItem
The Saxon Stories	label	The Saxon Stories
The Saxon Stories	page	TheSaxonStories
The Saxon Stories	comment	Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_1'); })The Saxon Stories are a series of Historical Fiction novels by Bernard Cornwell, set during the reign of King Alfred the Great, who is fighting to keep England from being overrun by the Danes, and following Death of Kings, his successors. The stories follow Uhtred of Bebbanburg, who is captured by the Danes during a raid and adopted by the warlord Ragnar the Fearless. Uhtred lives among the Danes until Ragnar is slain by one of his shipmasters, Kjartan. Uhtred ends up serving King Alfred, ruler of Wessex, who controls the only English kingdom yet to be conquered by the Danes. Much of the story revolves around Uhtred's conflicting loyalties to the Danes and King Alfred, as well as his personal desire to reclaim Bebbanburg from his uncle, who claimed it after Uhtred was taken captive.There are thirteen books in the series:Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_2'); }) The Last Kingdom (2004) The Pale Horseman (2005) The Lords of the North (2006) Sword Song (2007) The Burning Land (2009) Death of Kings (2011) The Pagan Lord (2013) The Empty Throne (2014) Warriors of the Storm (2015) The Flame Bearer (2016) War of the Wolf (2018) Sword of Kings (2019) War Lord (2020)Originally, Cornwell intended The Saxon Stories to be a trilogy, yet decided to keep writing after The Lords of the North.The Last Kingdom, a television series based on the books, premiered in 2015.
The Saxon Stories	fetched	2022-12-31T15:57:39Z
The Saxon Stories	parsed	2022-12-31T15:57:39Z
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The Saxon Stories / int_11ad560b	type	Control Freak
The Saxon Stories / int_11ad560b	comment	Control Freak: A large part of Uhtred's dislike of the Christian God is that he sees Him embodying this, particularly in the confining society of Saxon Christians. He reflects many times throughout the series that God (basically the Christian Church of the time) is "loving", but demands eternal servitude, declares even the most basic of pleasures as sin and wishes to bring all the people of the world (often violently) to His sole worship. In contrast Uhtred ruminates that he doesn't serve his Norse Gods, his role in life to instead bring them amusement with what deeds he performs, along with the respect and occasional sacrifice which is only fitting for a god. The inherent independence of pagan society and faith (with its considerable cruelty along with kindness, a reflection of life itself) keeps Uhtred wistful of the Danes even many years after living with his fellow Saxons.
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The Saxon Stories / int_1206dd74	type	Victory Is Boring
The Saxon Stories / int_1206dd74	comment	Victory Is Boring: Uhtred had this mentality in his younger days, often going a-viking or hiring himself and his men out as Private Military Contractors during the brief periods of peace between the Saxons and the Danes. As he grows older, however, he seems to be more content to rule over his lands in peace whenever the rare opportunity presents itself.
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The Saxon Stories / int_121b3725	type	Age Lift
The Saxon Stories / int_121b3725	comment	Age Lift: Osferth is portrayed as having been born during his uncle's, if Alfred even was his father, reign when history shows he was born in 885, which would have been during the reign of his supposed father Alfred.
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The Saxon Stories / int_1235f055	type	Dirty Coward
The Saxon Stories / int_1235f055	comment	Dirty Coward: Haesten again. Though he actually can fight when he has to. Æthelred, who's generally terrified of Uhtred - and not without reason, since Uhtred hates him and has more than once threatened to murder him for how he treated his wife.
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The Saxon Stories / int_12aa82b5	type	Interfaith Smoothie
The Saxon Stories / int_12aa82b5	comment	Interfaith Smoothie: Uhtred's younger son describes himself as "half a pagan, or maybe less than half". He seems to be predominantly Christian, but occasionally prays to Woden. Even Uhtred has been known to pray to the Christian God. While he doesn't like Him, he does acknowledge His existence and His power.
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The Saxon Stories / int_149ff4b0	type	HilarityEnsues
The Saxon Stories / int_149ff4b0	comment	He did attack Ragnar the Elder head on first time he met him, but he was about 9 and had a crap sword. From Ragnar's point of view, Hilarity Ensued.
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The Saxon Stories / int_1520ad7e	type	Jumping Off the Slippery Slope
The Saxon Stories / int_1520ad7e	comment	Brida is a notable pagan example, after Jumping Off the Slippery Slope.
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The Saxon Stories / int_153299b4	type	Boisterous Bruiser
The Saxon Stories / int_153299b4	comment	Uhtred is a mild example. Education as a whole bores him, though he reluctantly recognises its practical utility, he only learns to read as an adult and generally comes off as a mildly sociopathic Boisterous Bruiser, but he is a very, very clever man and a brilliant general. There's a reason why Alfred tolerates his shenanigans.
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The Saxon Stories / int_17501df2	type	Cool Old Guy
The Saxon Stories / int_17501df2	comment	Cool Old Guy: Ravn. Magnified by the fact that Rutger Hauer will portray him in the television series.
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The Saxon Stories / int_1779f10e	type	"Well Done, Son" Guy
The Saxon Stories / int_1779f10e	comment	"Well Done, Son" Guy: Uhtred's father was this to him, and it seems that Uhtred has become this to his children - something that he genuinely regrets, considering how often he laments his failures as a parent in The Empty Throne.
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The Saxon Stories / int_1869b4b1	type	Unreliable Narrator
The Saxon Stories / int_1869b4b1	comment	Unreliable Narrator: The whole series is narrated by Uhtred many years after the fact, so some of his deeds may be exaggerated, which he grudgingly admits. Also a reason why Uhtred doesn't really like bards.
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The Saxon Stories / int_198bef8	type	ManBehindTheMan
The Saxon Stories / int_198bef8	comment	Man Behind the Man: The ealdorman Æthelhelm becomes this for King Edward, effectively running the kingdom and representing West Saxon interests abroad. He also conspires to have his own grandson assume the throne of Wessex, rather than Æthelstan.
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The Saxon Stories / int_1994ba0b	type	Gone Horribly Right
The Saxon Stories / int_1994ba0b	comment	Gone Horribly Right: For the first part of the third book, Uhtred acts as The Spock for the naïve young ruler Guthred, counselling him to take more ruthless and pragmatic courses of action in order to seize the throne of Northumbria. This ends up backfiring when Guthred sells him into slavery, in exchange for Ælfric's support. Uhtred doesn't really hold a grudge, however, recognising that he dug his own hole.
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The Saxon Stories / int_1a74b900	type	World of Badass
The Saxon Stories / int_1a74b900	comment	World of Badass: It's the Dark Ages, so being a badass on some level is basically a requisite for survival. Simply being a Viking, Saxon, or Celtic warrior usually means you're a badass by default.
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The Saxon Stories / int_1ba17583	type	The Ghost
The Saxon Stories / int_1ba17583	comment	The Ghost: In the eighth book, there are a few mentions of a warlord named Hrolf (aka Rollo) who has established himself in northern Frankia, though so far his path has never crossed with Uhtred's.
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The Saxon Stories / int_1c4e308e	type	The Spock
The Saxon Stories / int_1c4e308e	comment	The Spock: Uhtred acts as this to both Alfred and Guthred, frequently counselling the more pragmatic, ruthless, and frequently, lethal solution to a given situation.
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The Saxon Stories / int_1c79ae8c	type	Those Two Guys
The Saxon Stories / int_1c79ae8c	comment	Those Two Guys: Clapa and Rypere, A Dane and a Saxon who originally served in Guthred's royal guard before following Uhtred south.
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The Saxon Stories / int_1dfd19f9	type	Papa Wolf
The Saxon Stories / int_1dfd19f9	comment	Papa Wolf: Uhtred towards Stiorra. Ragnar, taking revenge on the youth Sven Kjartansson for assaulting his daughter Thyra. As Sven only got as far as tearing her dress and baring one breast before Uhtred drove him off, her father is lenient. As Sven only saw one bared breast, Ragnar the elder is content to blind him in only one eye. But Ragnar declares the whole family outlaw and proclaims that anyone touching his daughter like this will die horribly. Ragnar the younger fulfils this blood-vendetta after Sven abducts and rapes Thyra, calling on his father's spirit to bear witness. An odd case in regards to Uhtred's attitude to Aethelflaed in Sword Song - while he and Aethelflaed do end up as an item, at the time he is both Happily Married to Gisela and sees her as a child (she's 14) that he's fond of and nothing more. As a result, there are significant shades of this in his threat to Aethelred, his cousin and Aethelflaed's husband, to stop his Domestic Abuse or he [Uhtred] will personally murder him.
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The Saxon Stories / int_1e584efa	type	Cruel and Unusual Death
The Saxon Stories / int_1e584efa	comment	Cruel and Unusual Death: Sven who is torn apart by a pack of savage dogs set on him by Thrya as revenge for keeping her as a slave and raping her for years. To make him suffer, she beats the dogs away every time they try to go for his throat and directs them to attack his lower extremities. The dogs effectively eat Sven alive. If anyone deserved that, he did, but... damn.
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The Saxon Stories / int_1edfa2c7	type	Royals Who Actually Do Something
The Saxon Stories / int_1edfa2c7	comment	Royals Who Actually Do Something: Alfred, as well as his son and daughter. They're notably the only Anglo-Saxon house that doesn't get quickly and easily steamrollered by the Vikings.
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The Saxon Stories / int_21d70919	type	Crapsack World
The Saxon Stories / int_21d70919	comment	Crapsack World: Life in Anglo-Saxon England is a harsh existence, and the brutal Viking invasions have largely thrown the kingdoms into disarray. Alfred tries his hardest to impose order over the chaos, but Uhtred thinks it's futile - though he later concedes that Alfred seems to be succeeding.
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The Saxon Stories / int_2439b588	type	As the Good Book Says...
The Saxon Stories / int_2439b588	comment	As the Good Book Says...: The priests in the series are prone to quoting scripture, though due to the cultural ignorance of the time it's usually taken wildly out of context.
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The Saxon Stories / int_25bc8511	type	Generation Xerox
The Saxon Stories / int_25bc8511	comment	Generation Xerox: Uhtred's son, Uhtred, takes over the narration for part of the eighth book. His attitude and skill set are almost identical to his father's at that age (it's later noted that Aethelflaed considers him frivolous and foolish), though he's noticeably more light hearted, less inveterately pagan and less sociopathic. In the same book, it's noted that Uhtred's daughter Stiorra is the image of her mother, Gisela; like Gisela, Stiorra falls in love with a handsome young warrior, and defies her family to marry him. Uhtred's son also unknowingly describes his father in terms very close to Uhtred's own father. Other characters who know Uhtred well usually respond to him describing his father by noting that Uhtred's turned out almost exactly like him.
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The Saxon Stories / int_27a42ebc	type	Spiritual Successor
The Saxon Stories / int_27a42ebc	comment	Spiritual Successor: To The Warlord Chronicles, with many of the same conceits - the hero (narrating as an old man) is born to one culture but fiercely loyal to the one he's raised in (though not without some appreciation for his native one), his first Love Interest is a dark-haired young woman with magical inclinations who eventually goes completely Ax-Crazy, and he more or less elopes with his true love, the sister of a King. However, there are differences - Derfel's fighting an ultimately losing battle, and while he outlives his wife, doesn't lose her in childbirth, and is generally a much nicer person than Uhtred ever was. The Conquest Series by James Aitcheson could probably be considered one to this series. Narrated by a Norman knight a few years after the Conquest, it deals with the Norman efforts to pacify the quarrelsome Saxons and fend off foreign aggression. Aitcheson is an avowed Cornwell fan, and the first-person narration and use of historical place-names (Eoferwic, Dunholm, etc.) make it very reminiscent of the Saxon Stories.
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The Saxon Stories / int_2ae29c0d	type	The Dreaded
The Saxon Stories / int_2ae29c0d	comment	Also Ravn's advice to Never Fight Ubba.
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The Saxon Stories / int_2d4fa515	type	Ax-Crazy
The Saxon Stories / int_2d4fa515	comment	Ax-Crazy: Ragnar's sister Thyra becomes this at the end of the third book. She gets better. Brida showed some signs of this in her childhood, before eventually Jumping Off the Slippery Slope. Skade in the fifth book, full stop. Her preferred method of intimidation is skinning people alive, and she enjoys it! Any of the more bloodthirsty Danish or Norse warlords, such as Ubba Lothbroksson, Sigifrid Thurgilsson, and Harald Bloodhair. Arguably, Uhtred himself. Count the times he's suggested to Alfred that Murder Is the Best Solution - it actually becomes a Running Gag. As early as the second book, Alfred's first response when he notices that Uhtred is unusually cheerful in the morning is to ask if he's just killed somebody (he hadn't - his girlfriend, on the other hand, had). However, Uhtred generally tends to suggest this in instances when murdering somebody would actually solve a lot of problems. These instances just happen to come about fairly often.
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The Saxon Stories / int_2d768e2d	type	Succession Crisis
The Saxon Stories / int_2d768e2d	comment	Succession Crisis: The Empty Throne centers around a power struggle to determine who will take control of Mercia when the heirless (and dying) Lord Æthelred passes away.
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The Saxon Stories / int_2dc0d2bf	type	Hidden Depths
The Saxon Stories / int_2dc0d2bf	comment	Hidden Depths: Uhtred loves architecture and building, though he's not particularly skilled at it. He also tends to get philosophical whenever he thinks about how much better the Romans were at everything.
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The Saxon Stories / int_31578d72	type	Hates Everyone Equally
The Saxon Stories / int_31578d72	comment	Hates Everyone Equally: Uhtred likes to give off this impression, making people believe that he's a Jerk with a Heart of Jerk.
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The Saxon Stories / int_32768814	type	Kick the Son of a Bitch
The Saxon Stories / int_32768814	comment	Kick the Son of a Bitch: Occasions where Uhtred outright murders someone are almost always this.
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The Saxon Stories / int_32da548d	type	Arch-Enemy
The Saxon Stories / int_32da548d	comment	Arch-Enemy: Uhtred goes up against a lot of enemies, but both Haesten and Ælfric could probably be considered this. Kjartan the Cruel is this for Ragnar the Younger.
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The Saxon Stories / int_347e35d6	type	Grim Up North
The Saxon Stories / int_347e35d6	comment	Grim Up North: Pretty much everyone, Northmen included, view Scotland as this. To a lesser extent, Northumbria plays this role to the rest of the Saxon kingdoms, being a harsher and sparser land, and having been under Viking control for the longest period of time.
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The Saxon Stories / int_37b5c1b0	type	Big Badass Battle Sequence
The Saxon Stories / int_37b5c1b0	comment	Big Badass Battle Sequence: At least one per book.
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The Saxon Stories / int_37f9376a	type	Barrier Maiden
The Saxon Stories / int_37f9376a	comment	Barrier Maiden: After Alfred's reputation as a formidable opponent has been firmly cemented, the Danes decide to marshal their forces and simply wait until he dies. Essentially, throughout the last half of The Burning Land and the first half of Death of Kings, Alfred was keeping the Danes at bay just by being alive. After his death, of course, they attack with redoubled strength and ferocity.
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The Saxon Stories / int_38b48685	type	Born in the Wrong Century
The Saxon Stories / int_38b48685	comment	Born in the Wrong Century: Uhtred would have been more at home among the original Saxon warriors who invaded Britain, as his paganism and Blood Knight tendencies often make him out of place among his 9th/10th century kinsmen. Alfred, unlike most other rulers in the series, works to increase the standards of law and education in his kingdom. He is also one of the very few Christians who attempts to practice the ethic of forgiving one's enemies, though this sometimes compromises his kingdom's safety.
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The Saxon Stories / int_39441318	type	Horny Vikings
The Saxon Stories / int_39441318	comment	Horny Vikings: Duh. In this series, they're collectively referred to as Northmen. Norsemen is specifically used to refer to Vikings from Norway, as well as their cousins who put down roots in the Orkneys, Ireland, and the Hebrides. Northmen can encompass Danes, Norsemen, Geats, Svear, and anyone else from Scandinavia.
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The Saxon Stories / int_3ac583f4	type	SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism
The Saxon Stories / int_3ac583f4	comment	Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism: Uhtred's narration is mostly cynical, though with an occasional (and sometimes begrudging) glimmer of idealism.
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The Saxon Stories / int_3be94971	type	Glory Seeker
The Saxon Stories / int_3be94971	comment	Glory Seeker: Uhtred, as well as most of the major Viking warriors. Their religious beliefs basically require them to be this, and Uhtred occasionally monologues about how reputation is the only thing that survives of a man after his death.
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The Saxon Stories / int_3d1fbeb3	type	Virgin Power
The Saxon Stories / int_3d1fbeb3	comment	Virgin Power: Zigzagged with Iseult. According to her own people, the Celtic shadow queen had the gift of prophecy, so long as she remained a virgin. She successfully predicts that Uhtred's coming would free her from Peredur, so she convinces her husband to hire Uhtred and his men. However, even after becoming Uhtred's lover and ostensibly losing her gift, she makes a prophecy about his future that continues to influence him throughout the rest of the series.
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The Saxon Stories / int_3e8d9cd3	type	Historical Hero Upgrade
The Saxon Stories / int_3e8d9cd3	comment	Historical Hero Upgrade: Interestingly enough for a series called The Saxon Stories, this is averted with the Saxons as a whole. They're definitely the protagonists, but the narration doesn't pull any punches about some of the less pleasant aspects of Christianized Anglo-Saxon society, such as rampant gender inequality, intolerance toward anything non-Christian, and their capacity to be every bit as brutal as the Northmen if given the chance.
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The Saxon Stories / int_43dc74d0	type	Sensitive Guy and Manly Man
The Saxon Stories / int_43dc74d0	comment	Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Alfred and Uhtred, respectively. However, Uhtred's also prone to Manly Tears when the situation deserves it and Alfred is capable of fighting when needs be and being incredibly ruthless.
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The Saxon Stories / int_44a1dd10	type	King Incognito
The Saxon Stories / int_44a1dd10	comment	King Incognito: The Pale Horseman recreates two of the most famous episodes from Alfred-related folklore: The king disguises himself as a bard to infiltrate the Danish base and gather intelligence. His bard impression ends up being so bad that Uhtred has to bail him out. While hiding from his enemies, the king is asked by a peasant woman unaware of his identity to watch her bread while it bakes. He accidentally lets the bread burn (because he's talking to Uthred) and the woman knocks him to the ground. Alfred considered it to be a case of Once Done, Never Forgotten, irritably informing Uhtred that he's never to tell anyone about it. Considering the fact that we know about it and, well, Uhtred being Uhtred...
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The Saxon Stories / int_44fc28e8	type	Honor Before Reason
The Saxon Stories / int_44fc28e8	comment	Honor Before Reason: Alfred tends to show clemency to his defeated enemies, even when his kingdom would probably be safer if he just had them killed.
The Saxon Stories / int_44fc28e8	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_44fc28e8	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_4604fd4d	type	Worthy Opponent
The Saxon Stories / int_4604fd4d	comment	Worthy Opponent: Uhtred has this view toward several of the Viking warlords he goes up against, most notably Cnut Ranulfsson. He also seems to hold some amount of respect for the Welsh.
The Saxon Stories / int_4604fd4d	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_4604fd4d	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_48078a7	type	Cool Versus Awesome
The Saxon Stories / int_48078a7	comment	Cool Versus Awesome: Norsemen vs. Picts. Blood Knight vs.Blood Knight. Germanics vs. Celts. Barbarian vs. Barbarian. To a lesser extent, Anglo-Saxons vs Danes, Norsemen, Geats (the Lothbroksons) and the odd Svear.
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The Saxon Stories / int_48e8fe57	type	Happily Adopted
The Saxon Stories / int_48e8fe57	comment	Happily Adopted: Uhtred basically raises Aethelstan and frequently mentions that he loves the boy, treating him like another son (and rather better than he treated his older son at that). Aethelstan, meanwhile, quite obviously adores him.
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The Saxon Stories / int_49d56e94	type	Jock Dad, Nerd Son
The Saxon Stories / int_49d56e94	comment	Jock Dad, Nerd Son: Uhtred is a courageous, ruthless, and fiercely pagan warrior, while his eldest son is quiet, milquetoast, though a case of Beware the Nice Ones, and eventually becomes a Christian priest, albeit one with Badass Preacher elements.
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The Saxon Stories / int_4a852458	type	Big Good
The Saxon Stories / int_4a852458	comment	Big Good: Alfred plays this role, especially later on in the series. After Alfred's death, his son Edward assumes this role.
The Saxon Stories / int_4a852458	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_4a852458	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_4da6ac	type	Rated M for Manly
The Saxon Stories / int_4da6ac	comment	Rated M for Manly: Even more so than most Cornwell works, which is saying something.
The Saxon Stories / int_4da6ac	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_4e3d253b	type	Downer Ending
The Saxon Stories / int_4e3d253b	comment	Downer Ending: The second book, The Pale Horseman, ends with Uhtred leading the armies of Wessex to a great victory, and managing to save the life of his brother Ragnar, but at a heavy cost:
The Saxon Stories / int_4e3d253b	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_4f84cdef	type	Smug Snake
The Saxon Stories / int_4f84cdef	comment	Smug Snake: Though Haesten would probably count as a Magnificent Bastard if he didn't always lose, often through bad luck or incompetent allies.
The Saxon Stories / int_4f84cdef	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_4f84cdef	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_51a3ba7	type	We Used to Be Friends
The Saxon Stories / int_51a3ba7	comment	We Used to Be Friends: Uhtred and Aethelwold have that vibe in the sixth book, with Uhtred reminiscing about their friendship on several occasions.
The Saxon Stories / int_51a3ba7	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_51d8f2e3	type	Not-So-Omniscient Council of Bickering
The Saxon Stories / int_51d8f2e3	comment	Not-So-Omniscient Council of Bickering: Whenever the Witan is called, it generally ends up looking something like this.
The Saxon Stories / int_51d8f2e3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_51d8f2e3	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_53136954	type	Book Dumb
The Saxon Stories / int_53136954	comment	Book Dumb: Steapa is a fairly extreme example — illiterate and uneducated, he strikes most people (including Uhtred) as incredibly stupid. But he's not only a great warrior, but a capable tactician, able to read the flow of battle and react accordingly. There's a reason Alfred trusts him with command. Uhtred is a mild example. Education as a whole bores him, though he reluctantly recognises its practical utility, he only learns to read as an adult and generally comes off as a mildly sociopathic Boisterous Bruiser, but he is a very, very clever man and a brilliant general. There's a reason why Alfred tolerates his shenanigans.
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The Saxon Stories / int_53f5119f	type	The Dragon
The Saxon Stories / int_53f5119f	comment	The Dragon: Uhtred is this to Alfred's Big Good, and is frequently sought by the Danes to be this or part of a Big Bad Duumvirate.
The Saxon Stories / int_53f5119f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_53f5119f	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_54433ca1	type	The Idealist
The Saxon Stories / int_54433ca1	comment	The Idealist: Alfred is this, though he's completely aware that the ultimate realization of his vision will probably not occur in his lifetime.
The Saxon Stories / int_54433ca1	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_5530e11b	type	Founder of the Kingdom
The Saxon Stories / int_5530e11b	comment	In The Warlord Chronicles, Alfred's ancestor Cerdic is a slightly-built, almost clerkish-looking man, but nonetheless an extremely cunning and formidable opponent. Alfred's sincere Christianity means that he has scruples that his pagan ancestor didn't (but the same ruthlessness underneath).
The Saxon Stories / int_5530e11b	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_5539b84f	type	Corrupt Church
The Saxon Stories / int_5539b84f	comment	Corrupt Church: To an even greater degree than in most Cornwell works, partially because the story is told from the POV of the very pagan Uhtred, and in an era where the Church wielded a great deal of social and political power.
The Saxon Stories / int_5539b84f	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_55a37945	type	Badass Family
The Saxon Stories / int_55a37945	comment	Badass Family: The Lothbroks. Uhtred is frightened of all of them, and with good reason. The Uhtredsons are no slouches either. Uhtred's father, Uthred himself and his son Uhtred are all badasses. Even his technically non-combatant children, Father Judas and Stiorra, qualify. Ragnar's family too (which includes adopted son Uhtred) - lets just say in a time when you either spend your time fighting Vikings or being one yourself, this trope seems fairly common. The House of Wessex, or at least Alfred's branch of it. Alfred, Aethelflaed, Edward, Æthelstan, and Osferth are all highly competent, clever, and courageous. The Ui Imars, starting with their forebear Ivar the Boneless (himself one of the above mentioned Lothbroks) and continuing on through a long list of sons, grandsons and later descendants, who have appeared throughout the series to give Uhtred major headaches. One of them even becomes a son-in-law whom Uhtred helps make King of Northumbria.
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The Saxon Stories / int_56515a39	type	Artistic License â€“ History
The Saxon Stories / int_56515a39	comment	Artistic License – History: The series is definitely one of the more history-based retellings of the era, thanks to Cornwell's extensive research. Though Cornwell still takes plenty of liberties for the purpose of story-telling (mostly by condensing the timeline and creating fictional details in areas where history gets murky). The general rule of thumb that is most events surrounding Alfred, his descendants, and the wars they fought are generally true, while everything involving Uhtred and Bebbanburg specifically is fictional (though Uhtred himself is inspired by the real-life Uhtred the Bold). As in his other novels, Cornwell includes Historical Notes at the end of each book to explain in detail. The Last Kingdom: the Norse leader Ubba is identified as a son of Ragnar Lothbrok, whereas only very late medieval sources do this, the earlier sagas don't. Uhtred also kills him a full year before Ubba is recorded to have died for the purpose of narrative. Furthermore, The nickname of Ivar "the Boneless" is rather lamely explained as a joke about his thin build, whereas most historians infer from details in accounts that it referred to his deformed legs, possibly due to a congenital disorder. Then again, that's only one possible interpretation regarding the epithet, with other historians inferring that it referenced his possible asexuality, and others saying it may actually be a mistranslation, and should be "Ivar the Despicable" or "Ivar the Hated". The Pale Horse: The exact location of the Battle of Ethandun remains unknown. Cornwell places it in modern-day Bratton Camp, which is believed to be one of the more likely locations. The novel also uses the folk-legend of Alfred mistakenly burning cakes while in hiding. Svein of the White Horse is an fictional character meant to be a temporary stand-in for Ubba. Haesten, on the other hand, was a real person (or persons, as there may be two notable Haestens around during that era), though his story is fictionalized. Lords of the North: There is no actual proof that Guthred was a slave before becoming King of Cumbraland, but Cornwell takes advantage of the legend. The entire storyline involving Kjartan, his son Sven, and Dunholm is completely fictional. Sword Song: Æthelred's actions (in this book and the others he appears in) are invented for drama. It wouldn't be much of a stretch to say that Cornwell's version of him is a fictional character. Æthelflaed's kidnapping by Sigefried and Erik is also fictional. The Burning Land: Harald Bloodhair is a fictional character based on a real Danish leader whose name is unknown, his sorceress Skade is also fictional. Death of Kings: The climatic battle is based on an engagement during Edward's great raid into East Anglia where his Kentish men disobeyed an order to retreat and fought the Danes in an unknown location. The Anglo-Saxon chronicles suggest that it was a pyrrhic Danish victory that cost them most of their leaders, including the East Anglian King Eorhic and a rebelling Æthelwold. It's unknown why exactly the Kents refused to retreat when ordered, so Cornwell invents a subplot of their ealdorman trying to betray the West Saxons. The Pagan Lord: Cornwell's version of the Battle of Teotanheale is fictionalized, as there are few known details about the real battle. Cornwell also places two fictional characters Cnut and Sigurd in the places of two actual Danish leaders who were killed in the battle. There was also a search for Saint Oswald's bones beforehand, though it's treated as a competing scavenger hunt between the Mercians and Danes. The Empty Throne: Æthelhelm's plot to assassinate Æthelstan is invented, though it is based on the belief that Æthelstan was Edward's bastard son. Sigtryggr did lead an attack on Ceaster as in the book, but in may not have been in the exact timeframe. Cornwell admits that Warriors of the Storm and The Flame Bearer are almost entirely fictional, particularly the later, which entirely focuses on Uhtred's attempt to finally recapture Bebbanburg. Warriors of the Storm, however, is based on the exodus of multiple Norse lords from Ireland, and attempts to re-settle in Mercia, and Sigtryggr did in fact become king of Jorvik (Eoforwic). War of the Wolf: Both the siege of Ceaster and the conflict with Sköll are fictional (who is also a fictional character). Sword of Kings: The succession crisis between Æthelstan and Ælfweard is fictionalized, as well as the climatic battle. Sigtryggr also dies three years early for narrative sake. War Lord: Anlaf Guthfrithson, a king of Norse Dublin who serves as one of theFinal Bosses of the series, is depicted as a grandson of Guthrum, an earlier Viking antagonist who was one of the biggest threats to Alfred's reign. Although it's possible that the historical Anlaf could have been kin to Ivar The Boneless, there doesn't appear to be any family links between him and Guthrum. Cornwell taking this liberty effectively turns the Battle of Brunanburh into a showdown between grandsons.
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The Saxon Stories / int_56b8b4f1	type	Lean and Mean
The Saxon Stories / int_56b8b4f1	comment	Lean and Mean: Ivar the Boneless is this. It's where he gets his nickname.
The Saxon Stories / int_56b8b4f1	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_56b8b4f1	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_5798bfbf	type	Reassigned to Antarctica
The Saxon Stories / int_5798bfbf	comment	Reassigned to Antarctica: Basically why Leofstan was assigned to the newly created Bishopric of Ceaster. Some of the more corrupt elements among the West Saxon clergy grew annoyed with his vocal Good Shepherd tendencies, and thus decided to make him bishop of a city in the middle of a warzone, commanded by Uhtred "I kill priests like I swat wasps" of Bebbanburg in the hopes that Uhtred would get bored/annoyed and murder him. Despite himself, Uhtred warms up to Leofstan and comes to count him as one of the few churchmen he genuinely likes.
The Saxon Stories / int_5798bfbf	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_5798bfbf	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_581f6468	type	Hero of Another Story
The Saxon Stories / int_581f6468	comment	Hero of Another Story: King Edward has some traits of this. While Uhtred and Æthelflaed are busy pushing the Northmen out of Mercia and dealing with the politics of Northumbria, Edward successfully leads a campaign to conquer Danish-held East Anglia. This just isn't related first-hand, because Uhtred wasn't there for it.
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The Saxon Stories / int_583ec33e	type	Snark-to-Snark Combat
The Saxon Stories / int_583ec33e	comment	Alfred is another notable example, occasionally getting into Snark-to-Snark Combat with Uhtred, especially as the latter gets older and their relationship becomes closer to equal.
The Saxon Stories / int_583ec33e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_583ec33e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_583ec33e
The Saxon Stories / int_590eb583	type	Domestic Abuse
The Saxon Stories / int_590eb583	comment	Domestic Abuse: Æthelred to Æthelflaed, until Uhtred publicly threatens to murder him over it. Also Ravn's advice to Never Fight Ubba.
The Saxon Stories / int_590eb583	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_590eb583	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_5989e3b6	type	Enemy Mine
The Saxon Stories / int_5989e3b6	comment	Enemy Mine: As brutal as the Danish invasions are, a common enemy was ultimately what the Saxons needed to begin building a unified kingdom. Later on in the series, the Saxons and the Welsh occasionally set aside their differences when threatened by the Vikings, bonding over their mutual Christianity. Warriors of the Storm sees the Norsemen and the Irish decide to stop killing each other and start killing Saxons instead.
The Saxon Stories / int_5989e3b6	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_5aa8d3d8	type	Friendly Enemy
The Saxon Stories / int_5aa8d3d8	comment	Friendly Enemy: Haesten and Uhtred despise each other, though it can be tough to tell with all the seemingly good-natured snarking they slip in between the death threats. On the other hand, Cnut Longsword genuinely likes Uhtred, despite sincerely believing that the two of them are fated to fight to the death; and Uhtred himself takes an instant liking to Hywel Dda, the king of his Welsh enemies. Ragnar the Younger and Alfred seem to get on fairly well when they're on screen together, with Ragnar charming Alfred's children.
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The Saxon Stories / int_5c300c3b	type	The Berserker
The Saxon Stories / int_5c300c3b	comment	The Berserker: Uhtred isn't a textbook example, but he completely embraces "the battle-joy" during combat, and describes how it makes him feel like a god on the battlefield.
The Saxon Stories / int_5c300c3b	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_5e2e55e4	type	The Casanova
The Saxon Stories / int_5e2e55e4	comment	The Casanova: Alfred was this before he had a religious awakening. Uhtred has bedded nearly every major female character he's come across who isn't related to him.
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The Saxon Stories / int_5e3c35bd	type	Badass Bureaucrat
The Saxon Stories / int_5e3c35bd	comment	Badass Bureaucrat: Alfred may not be a warlike man, but his political genius in many ways ensures the long-term survival of Wessex, something grudgingly acknowledged by Uhtred. While Uhtred leads the field armies, Alfred runs the kingdom, making and maintaining vital alliances, implementing new defensive strategies, and basically laying the groundwork for the unification of England. While their vastly differing worldviews prevent them from ever actually liking each other on a personal level, Uhtred and Alfred eventually come to respect one another.
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The Saxon Stories / int_5fcb9ad1	type	Time Skip
The Saxon Stories / int_5fcb9ad1	comment	Time Skip: Approximately ten years go by between Death of Kings and The Pagan Lord.
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The Saxon Stories / int_60b4a128	type	The Last DJ
The Saxon Stories / int_60b4a128	comment	The Last DJ: Uhtred's "career", as it were, is constantly stalled out due to his being a pagan. Eventually he overcomes it.
The Saxon Stories / int_60b4a128	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_60fa92ac	type	Names to Run Away from Really Fast
The Saxon Stories / int_60fa92ac	comment	Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Ivar the Boneless and Harald Bloodhair, to only name a couple. Ragnar the Fearless, Kjartan the Cruel... Although not an official nickname, Ravn hands out the impromptu sobriquet "Ubba the Horrible" while warning Uhtred away from ever fighting him.
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The Saxon Stories / int_62663d88	type	Men Don't Cry
The Saxon Stories / int_62663d88	comment	Men Don't Cry: the hell they don't. Uhtred turns on the waterworks at least half a dozen times in the first two novels alone.
The Saxon Stories / int_62663d88	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_63499260	type	VillainOfTheWeek
The Saxon Stories / int_63499260	comment	Villain of the Week: In most of the books, the main events revolve around a large Viking invasion led by an exceptionally powerful warlord or group of warlords. Examples of these include the Lothbroks, Guthrum the Unlucky, Svein of the White Horse, the Thurgilsson brothers, Harald Bloodhair, and Cnut Longsword.
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The Saxon Stories / int_6366f900	type	Old Soldier
The Saxon Stories / int_6366f900	comment	Old Soldier: Uhtred really begins feeling his age in The Pagan Lord, but that doesn't stop him from leading campaigns and fighting in the shieldwall. He is stated to be nine at the beginning of the series in 866, meaning he was born in 857, and the series ends in 937 with the Battle of Brunaburh, meaning he is eighty by the end.
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The Saxon Stories / int_63d861f8	type	Even Evil Has Loved Ones
The Saxon Stories / int_63d861f8	comment	Even Evil Has Loved Ones: For all his many faults, Kjartan loves Sven dearly and reacts wrathfully when his son is insulted by anyone.
The Saxon Stories / int_63d861f8	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_64246a6f	type	Barbarian Longhair
The Saxon Stories / int_64246a6f	comment	Barbarian Longhair: The standard hairstyle for most Northmen. A few Saxon warriors (most notably Uhtred, usually to make a point) still wear their hair long, though it's become much less common among them.
The Saxon Stories / int_64246a6f	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_64e975cf	type	Manly Tears
The Saxon Stories / int_64e975cf	comment	Manly Tears: Steapa, after the death of Alfred. "His grim, skin-stretched face that had terrified so many of Alfred's enemies was wet with tears." Uhtred himself, Finan, Ragnar the Younger (and Elder, possibly)... ALL the major badasses in the series cry at some point in the series. Doesn't lessen their badassery one bit.
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The Saxon Stories / int_65dc4d9a	type	The Obi-Wan
The Saxon Stories / int_65dc4d9a	comment	The Obi-Wan: Later on in the series, Uhtred becomes this to Prince Æthelstan, mentoring him in the ways of war and politics.
The Saxon Stories / int_65dc4d9a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_65dc4d9a	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_6627695f	type	Author Appeal
The Saxon Stories / int_6627695f	comment	Author Appeal: Uhtred often expounds at length about what a joy it is to sail a ship on the open seas, along with numerous detailed descriptions of construction and maintenance of Danish longships. Bernard Cornwell himself is an avid sailor, so it's a safe bet that this aspect factored significantly into the series' conception. The devoutly pagan Uhtred is also very biased against Christianity, correlating with Cornwell's own bias against Christianity (and organized religion in general).
The Saxon Stories / int_6627695f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_6627695f	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_6682d6e4	type	Dying Moment of Awesome
The Saxon Stories / int_6682d6e4	comment	Dying Moment of Awesome: Offered in-universe to Eardwulf, as a motivation for him to fight to the last.
The Saxon Stories / int_6682d6e4	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_6682d6e4	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_6682d6e4
The Saxon Stories / int_676e942c	type	We Hardly Knew Ye
The Saxon Stories / int_676e942c	comment	The Uhtredsons are no slouches either. Uhtred's father, Uthred himself and his son Uhtred are all badasses. Even his technically non-combatant children, Father Judas and Stiorra, qualify.
The Saxon Stories / int_676e942c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_676e942c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_676e942c
The Saxon Stories / int_688afa6a	type	Evil Uncle
The Saxon Stories / int_688afa6a	comment	Evil Uncle: Uhtred's uncle Ælfric takes Bebbanburg for himself, even though Uhtred is the rightful heir. Uhtred more or less admits that if Ælfric weren't his uncle he would probably admire him as he's more or less doing in the North what Uhtred is doing in the South, holding off the Danes from conquering England by beating them at their own game. Given how often Uhtred proposes the Murder Is the Best Solution, it's highly doubtful he would have done anything different from Ælfric.
The Saxon Stories / int_688afa6a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_688afa6a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_688afa6a
The Saxon Stories / int_68cf9795	type	Ironic Nickname
The Saxon Stories / int_68cf9795	comment	Ironic Nickname: Steapa is nicknamed "Snotor" which means "clever" in Old English. Ironic because Steapa is anything but. On the other hand he shows glimmers of not being as stupid as he first appears.
The Saxon Stories / int_68cf9795	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_68cf9795	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_68cf9795
The Saxon Stories / int_6c275297	type	The Fettered
The Saxon Stories / int_6c275297	comment	Uhtred himself has come close to being Alfred's Starscream, but always ended up staying loyal due to his unwillingness to break his oaths.
The Saxon Stories / int_6c275297	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_6c275297	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_6c275297
The Saxon Stories / int_6c553873	type	Private Military Contractors
The Saxon Stories / int_6c553873	comment	Private Military Contractors: In the first part of The Pale Horseman, Uhtred and his men become these for Peredur, a petty king in Celtic Cornwall who is looking to defeat a rival claimant and defend his land from the Danes. Uhtred, being the viking at heart that he is, makes a deal with the Danes, turns on Peredur, and ransacks his settlement.
The Saxon Stories / int_6c553873	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_6c553873	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_6c553873
The Saxon Stories / int_6d89ad1a	type	The Ophelia
The Saxon Stories / int_6d89ad1a	comment	The Ophelia: Thyra, sister of Jarl Ragnar, taken captive after a raid that kills their father. It takes the best part of two years for Ragnar and his foster-brother Uhtred to fulfil the blood-feud with the captors and rescue Thyra. Taken hostage by the family who sexually abused her as an adolescent note Thyra's father, noting the youth who was set to rape her only succeeded in uncovering one breast before Uhtred drove him off, is lenient. As he only saw one bared breast, Ragnar the elder is content to blind him in only one eye. He then made the whole family outlaws. Kjartan's family have taken revenge on Thyra by making her a sex slave and subjecting her to repeated gang-rapes. When Uhtred and Ragnar capture the castle where she is being held, they see a wild-eyed scarecrow of a woman with dead flowers tangled in her hair, dressed only a filthy matted cloak. Understandably, her ordeal has driven her crazy. Kjartan and his son, the principal abusers, die horribly. Brida ultimately becomes a deconstruction.
The Saxon Stories / int_6d89ad1a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_6d89ad1a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_6d89ad1a
The Saxon Stories / int_6e37c196	type	Once Done, Never Forgotten
The Saxon Stories / int_6e37c196	comment	While hiding from his enemies, the king is asked by a peasant woman unaware of his identity to watch her bread while it bakes. He accidentally lets the bread burn (because he's talking to Uthred) and the woman knocks him to the ground. Alfred considered it to be a case of Once Done, Never Forgotten, irritably informing Uhtred that he's never to tell anyone about it. Considering the fact that we know about it and, well, Uhtred being Uhtred...
The Saxon Stories / int_6e37c196	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_6e37c196	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_6e37c196
The Saxon Stories / int_6e8a4791	type	Heroic Comedic Sociopath
The Saxon Stories / int_6e8a4791	comment	Heroic Comedic Sociopath: Uhtred sometimes displays shades of this. When he appears to be very cheerful whilst with Alfred in the swamp, Alfred's first question is as follows: The answer is no, but his girlfriend did.
The Saxon Stories / int_6e8a4791	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_6e8a4791	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_6e8a4791
The Saxon Stories / int_6f214508	type	Foreign Culture Fetish
The Saxon Stories / int_6f214508	comment	Foreign Culture Fetish: Despite his limited knowledge of them, Uhtred expresses great admiration of the Romans. This probably also applies to his immense love of the Danes.
The Saxon Stories / int_6f214508	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_6f214508	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_6f214508
The Saxon Stories / int_7241785e	type	You Can't Fight Fate
The Saxon Stories / int_7241785e	comment	You Can't Fight Fate: Uhtred believes this to be so, and often quotes wyrd bi∂ ful ārǣd ("fate is inexorable"), a line from the Anglo-Saxon poem The Wanderer.
The Saxon Stories / int_7241785e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_7241785e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_7241785e
The Saxon Stories / int_73641290	type	The Strategist
The Saxon Stories / int_73641290	comment	The Strategist: Uhtred, Alfred as well except that he's more of a political than a military strategist.
The Saxon Stories / int_73641290	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_73641290	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_73641290
The Saxon Stories / int_768c6ada	type	Nay-Theist
The Saxon Stories / int_768c6ada	comment	Naytheist: Uhtred basically has this attitude toward Christianity. While he's a devout worshipper of the Norse gods, he by no means denies the existence or power of the Christian God. He just doesn't like Him very much (though he will occasionally pray to him, if the situation is dire enough).
The Saxon Stories / int_768c6ada	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_768c6ada	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_768c6ada
The Saxon Stories / int_76ecc890	type	Brave Scot
The Saxon Stories / int_76ecc890	comment	Brave Scot: The Scots are noted to be psychotically courageous, cruel, fond of the Full-Frontal Assault, and almost impossible to deal with. Indeed, they are one of the few groups of people that terrify Uhtred. In fact, the only people who can match them on the battlefield are the Vikings themselves.
The Saxon Stories / int_76ecc890	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_76ecc890	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_76ecc890
The Saxon Stories / int_77063cd7	type	Hooker with a Heart of Gold
The Saxon Stories / int_77063cd7	comment	Hooker with a Heart of Gold: Eanflæd qualifies.
The Saxon Stories / int_77063cd7	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_77063cd7	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_77063cd7
The Saxon Stories / int_77b03c0a	type	Remember the New Guy?
The Saxon Stories / int_77b03c0a	comment	Remember the New Guy?: Constantin, the prince of Alba, has thus far appeared only once in the series, having a brief cameo in book 5. A cryptic remark by Uhtred, who is narrating years later, heavily implies that he will be causing major problems for the Saxons later on. He returns in book 10, intent on conquering all Saxon lands north of Hadrian's Wall. Which naturally includes Bebbanburg.
The Saxon Stories / int_77b03c0a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_77b03c0a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_77b03c0a
The Saxon Stories / int_792bb47a	type	Heroic Bastard
The Saxon Stories / int_792bb47a	comment	Heroic Bastard: Osferth is the bastard son of King Alfred. Although Uhtred initially has doubts about his usefulness, he proves to be a stalwart ally, a skilled lieutenant and a good friend.
The Saxon Stories / int_792bb47a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_792bb47a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_792bb47a
The Saxon Stories / int_7a143509	type	Shell-Shocked Veteran
The Saxon Stories / int_7a143509	comment	Shell-Shocked Veteran: it's not in-your-face obvious, but by the later books it becomes more and more apparent that a lifetime of warfare took its toll on Uhtred not just physically, but mentally as well.
The Saxon Stories / int_7a143509	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_7a143509	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_7a143509
The Saxon Stories / int_7aa989ea	type	Token Evil Teammate
The Saxon Stories / int_7aa989ea	comment	Token Evil Teammate: Uhtred is generally seen by those who dislike him as Alfred's useful dog of war and pet psychopath. They're not entirely wrong either, considering his ideas of dealing with people generally boil down to Murder Is the Best Solution - though as it happens, this often would solve many problems.
The Saxon Stories / int_7aa989ea	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_7aa989ea	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_7aa989ea
The Saxon Stories / int_7bb844ec	type	Villain Decay
The Saxon Stories / int_7bb844ec	comment	Villain Decay: After his defeat in book 5, Haesten has been little more than a nuisance for Uhtred and co. He's reversed his fortunes before, though, and he may still have a few tricks up his sleeve...
The Saxon Stories / int_7bb844ec	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_7bb844ec	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_7bb844ec
The Saxon Stories / int_7c862b8a	type	Chronic Backstabbing Disorder
The Saxon Stories / int_7c862b8a	comment	Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Haesten.
The Saxon Stories / int_7c862b8a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_7c862b8a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_7c862b8a
The Saxon Stories / int_80621707	type	Arranged Marriage
The Saxon Stories / int_80621707	comment	Arranged Marriage: Uhtred finds himself in one. Not only does his bride have a substantial debt to her name, she's also a pious Christian while he's a staunch pagan, who is extremely annoyed at having been railroaded into a marriage he doesn't want by Alfred. They get along about as well as you'd expect.
The Saxon Stories / int_80621707	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_80621707	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_80621707
The Saxon Stories / int_834420aa	type	BFS
The Saxon Stories / int_834420aa	comment	BFS: Steapa's sword.
The Saxon Stories / int_834420aa	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_834420aa	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_834420aa
The Saxon Stories / int_83bc57c0	type	Slave Galley
The Saxon Stories / int_83bc57c0	comment	Slave Galley: Uhtred becomes a galley slave in the third book. Unsurprisingly, he gets revenge.
The Saxon Stories / int_83bc57c0	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_83bc57c0	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_83bc57c0
The Saxon Stories / int_8409a385	type	Exactly What It Says on the Tin
The Saxon Stories / int_8409a385	comment	And some of the other named swords, such as Ragnar's Heart breaker. It literally breaks hearts.
The Saxon Stories / int_8409a385	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_8409a385	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_8409a385
The Saxon Stories / int_8437cb10	type	Made a Slave
The Saxon Stories / int_8437cb10	comment	Made a Slave: Uthred, in The Lords of the North, in exchange for his uncle's supporting Guthred's claim to be King of Northumbria. He can't really get angry at Guthred's betrayal, considering he urged Guthred to be ruthless in upholding his claim, and Aelfric's support was worth more than his own.
The Saxon Stories / int_8437cb10	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_8437cb10	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_8437cb10
The Saxon Stories / int_84609623	type	If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her...
The Saxon Stories / int_84609623	comment	If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her...: Uhtred gives a speech along these lines to Æthelred about Æthelflaed, threatening violent murder, though since there's some Domestic Abuse going on that Uhtred's noticed, the gist is more 'If You Ever Do Anything To Hurt Her Again'. Unlike most examples of this trope, it is given added force because it is entirely likely that Uhtred would actually go through with it. Æthelred certainly does.
The Saxon Stories / int_84609623	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_84609623	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_84609623
The Saxon Stories / int_84dbc10f	type	McNinja
The Saxon Stories / int_84dbc10f	comment	McNinja: In the earlier books, Uhtred solves more than one sticky situation by ninja'ing his way in the dark, sceadugenga ("shadow-walker") style.
The Saxon Stories / int_84dbc10f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_84dbc10f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_84dbc10f
The Saxon Stories / int_85f0f0fb	type	World of Snark
The Saxon Stories / int_85f0f0fb	comment	World of Snark: Sarcasm is quite prevalent amongst many of the characters, especially the warriors. Considering the Crapsack World they live in, it's as good a coping method as any.
The Saxon Stories / int_85f0f0fb	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_85f0f0fb	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_85f0f0fb
The Saxon Stories / int_86b21114	type	Badass Boast
The Saxon Stories / int_86b21114	comment	Badass Boast: Finan, even when a slave on Skerri's ship Trader, makes a fantastic one, which doubles as a promise: An aged Uhtred gets a low-key one when preparing to execute the much younger warrior Eadwulf in single combat. Knowing that he's still recovering from a near-fatal injury, both his son and his future son-in-law offer to kill Eadwulf for him.
The Saxon Stories / int_86b21114	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_86b21114	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_86b21114
The Saxon Stories / int_8930448	type	Soldier vs. Warrior
The Saxon Stories / int_8930448	comment	Soldier vs. Warrior: On two levels. First there's the Vikings (warriors) vs the Saxons (soldiers). Uhtred notes that the Vikings are individually better fighters than the Saxons, but the Saxons win through discipline and persistence, and also because the Vikings' warrior ethos means that they follow the strongest warlord, and leave him when he starts losing battles, whereas if the Saxons are beaten they retreat, regroup, and come back for more. Then there's Uhtred himself, who over the course of the books evolves from a warrior — a vainglorious, arrogant thug who loves to show off in battle, delights in slaughter, and is primarily concerned with burnishing his personal reputation — to a soldier — a stern, hard-headed, leader of men, who encourages discipline in his followers and understands the importance of the civilians who he protects.
The Saxon Stories / int_8930448	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_8930448	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_8930448
The Saxon Stories / int_8a817c2a	type	Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil
The Saxon Stories / int_8a817c2a	comment	Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Uhtred has this attitude (unusually for the time), but most of the other characters don't.
The Saxon Stories / int_8a817c2a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_8a817c2a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_8a817c2a
The Saxon Stories / int_8a9eb844	type	Perspective Flip
The Saxon Stories / int_8a9eb844	comment	Perspective Flip: To Cornwell's earlier novels The Warlord Chronicles, which were about Britons (Welsh) fighting the Anglo-Saxons (English), who eventually win. The Welsh are only minor antagonists to the English in this series. It's as if Cornwell wrote a series about French dragoons, sort of.
The Saxon Stories / int_8a9eb844	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_8a9eb844	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_8a9eb844
The Saxon Stories / int_8bb79fdf	type	Designated Girl Fight
The Saxon Stories / int_8bb79fdf	comment	Designated Girl Fight: Even after all she's done, it would be a bit much to have Uhtred kill his first love, Brida. So Stiorra does it for him.
The Saxon Stories / int_8bb79fdf	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_8bb79fdf	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_8bb79fdf
The Saxon Stories / int_8cb1a369	type	Took a Level in Jerkass
The Saxon Stories / int_8cb1a369	comment	Took a Level in Jerkass: Aethelflaed appears to have done this by the time of The Empty Throne, but it transpires that most of this is just the difference between how Uhtred, who's known her since she was a little girl (and to whom she's willing to show her softer side), sees her and how everyone else sees her (if Uhtred's son, a badass in his own right, is anything to go by, they're terrified of her).
The Saxon Stories / int_8cb1a369	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_8cb1a369	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_8cb1a369
The Saxon Stories / int_8dd4a996	type	Identical Grandson
The Saxon Stories / int_8dd4a996	comment	Identical Grandson: Ivarr the Boneless' relatives. Also a fan theory as to a possible connection between Derfel and Uhtred. It helps both are big, blond and clever warriors adopted by their ancestral enemies who love their adopted people and dislike bards intensely. Occasionally extended to Sharpe, since Sean Bean plays him as a big, blond... yeah a familiar pattern emerges. In The Warlord Chronicles, Alfred's ancestor Cerdic is a slightly-built, almost clerkish-looking man, but nonetheless an extremely cunning and formidable opponent. Alfred's sincere Christianity means that he has scruples that his pagan ancestor didn't (but the same ruthlessness underneath).
The Saxon Stories / int_8dd4a996	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_8dd4a996	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_8dd4a996
The Saxon Stories / int_91cab736	type	Major Injury Underreaction
The Saxon Stories / int_91cab736	comment	Major Injury Underreaction: After losing an eye in battle to Uhtred, Sigtryggr's immediate reaction is to laugh it off and joke that he has become Odin.
The Saxon Stories / int_91cab736	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_91cab736	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_91cab736
The Saxon Stories / int_91e3910c	type	Ruins of the Modern Age
The Saxon Stories / int_91e3910c	comment	Ruins of the Modern Age: The tale sets this trope, paradoxically, in the past. The Saxon and Viking kingdoms that arose in England in the late 700's discovered the ruins of the departed Romans. Four centuries on from the Roman Empire, the Saxons found the infrastructure left behind by a departed people, and only had a hazy idea as to how it got there. They do know the stone buildings, the city walls, and the roads linking them, are there, and are far in advance of anything that their technology can create. This leads to extravagant speculation about a race of gods and giants - as well as a depressive sense of culture shock among the more thoughtful Saxons who wonder if this is a sign of former greatness now degenerating into a Crapsack World. Uhtred has a sense of awe and angst when he sees Hadrian's Wall for the first time, for instance. Although he has fought the Scots and understands exactly why the Wall was built; he just can't comprehend how. But the ruins of a former modern age are all around, for all to see.
The Saxon Stories / int_91e3910c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_91e3910c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_91e3910c
The Saxon Stories / int_931fc523	type	Back for the Finale
The Saxon Stories / int_931fc523	comment	Back for the Finale: After being absent from several books, and having been mentioned to have retired to breed horses in Devonshire, Steapa returns in War Lord.
The Saxon Stories / int_931fc523	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_931fc523	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_931fc523
The Saxon Stories / int_933576c8	type	Mighty Glacier
The Saxon Stories / int_933576c8	comment	Mighty Glacier: Steapa's fighting style, which consists of being gigantic, strong, almost impossible to injure, and slow-moving, at least as compared with Uhtred's Lightning Bruiser. It should be noted that Steapa is considered the better fighter, even by Uhtred.
The Saxon Stories / int_933576c8	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_933576c8	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_933576c8
The Saxon Stories / int_94cce63e	type	Fighting Irish
The Saxon Stories / int_94cce63e	comment	Fighting Irish: Finan the Agile is one of the very few Irish characters in the series, and also one of Uhtred's most lethal warriors. Even though we haven't actually seen much of the Irish yet, their fighting prowess is well-known. You know your people are a Proud Warrior Race when they can force the Norsemen to basically throw their hands up in the air and say "screw it, let's pick on someone else".
The Saxon Stories / int_94cce63e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_94cce63e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_94cce63e
The Saxon Stories / int_95a4c6df	type	Wild Card
The Saxon Stories / int_95a4c6df	comment	Wild Card: Uhtred is ultimately looking out for himself above all, although he does hold both his natural and adoptive fathers in high regard and wants to return to Bebbanburg as its rightful master and avenge the elder Ragnar's death some day.
The Saxon Stories / int_95a4c6df	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_95a4c6df	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_95a4c6df
The Saxon Stories / int_95b7c400	type	Faux Affably Evil
The Saxon Stories / int_95b7c400	comment	Faux Affably Evil: Jarl Sigfried The conniving nobleman Æthelhelm behaves in an entirely courteous and amiable manner, while actively plotting to have the young Æthelstan done away with and his own grandson installed as the heir of Wessex. Haesten. He'll smile and laugh and charm you while sliding a knife between your ribs.
The Saxon Stories / int_95b7c400	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_95b7c400	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_95b7c400
The Saxon Stories / int_97522514	type	Heel–Face Revolving Door
The Saxon Stories / int_97522514	comment	Heel–Face Revolving Door: While Uhtred is oath-bound to defend Wessex, he still greatly prefers the Danish way of life, and feels a much stronger connection to them. More than once throughout the series, these conflicting loyalties have caused him to defect to the Danes, though he never stays among them for long. His indecision is finally put to rest in Death of Kings, when he firmly resolves to become "the sword of the Saxons" despite his various misgivings about Wessex.
The Saxon Stories / int_97522514	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_97522514	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_97522514
The Saxon Stories / int_978379ad	type	Token Enemy Minority
The Saxon Stories / int_978379ad	comment	Token Enemy Minority: Uhtred's paganism and Danish upbringing make him this to Wessex. The Welshmen Pyrlig and Asser as well, the former often coming to the aid of Uhtred and the latter being in the service of King Alfred.
The Saxon Stories / int_978379ad	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_978379ad	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_978379ad
The Saxon Stories / int_9785b592	type	The Fatalist
The Saxon Stories / int_9785b592	comment	The Fatalist: One of the core elements of Uhtred's character is his firm belief that fate is inexorable, and that the future has already been woven by the Norns. He also points to Rome's lost glory, and civilization's subsequent decline, as evidence that the world is steadily and inevitably sliding toward complete chaos, and ultimately Ragnarök.
The Saxon Stories / int_9785b592	featureApplicability	1.0
The Saxon Stories / int_9785b592	featureConfidence	1.0
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Saxon Stories / int_9785b592
The Saxon Stories / int_9823f7c	type	ProudWarriorRace
The Saxon Stories / int_9823f7c	comment	Proud Warrior Race: Most of the people groups Uhtred comes into contact with are this, to varying degrees. Special mention goes to the Scots, who take it up to eleven. Uhtred also laments the fact that Christianity is causing the Saxons to gradually shed this cultural mindset.
The Saxon Stories / int_9823f7c	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_985e118a	type	Odd Couple
The Saxon Stories / int_985e118a	comment	Odd Couple: During the first part of Lords of the North, Uhtred has a brief romance with Hild, a disgraced but nevertheless devout nun. After Uhtred is sold into slavery, she eventually manages to convince King Alfred to orchestrate his rescue. They end up as Amicable Exes, and Uhtred promises that her nunnery will always have support and protection from him - which, considering how much he hates the Church, is no small promise.
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The Saxon Stories / int_9a1d239e	type	Been There, Shaped History
The Saxon Stories / int_9a1d239e	comment	Been There, Shaped History: Much like Richard Sharpe, Uhtred plays a vital role in many of the key events and battles of his time period. Without him, this version of King Alfred would have almost certainly failed and England would not have existed.
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The Saxon Stories / int_9c8701b5	type	A Day in the Limelight
The Saxon Stories / int_9c8701b5	comment	A Day in the Limelight: While Ragnar the Younger is Uhtred's adoptive brother and close friend, he's normally a periphery character. However, Lords of the North focuses on his efforts take revenge on Kjartan the Cruel, who had murdered his father in the first book. Warriors of the Storm finally gives us a look at Finan's backstory.
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The Saxon Stories / int_9d12bbc1	type	Foreshadowing
The Saxon Stories / int_9d12bbc1	comment	Foreshadowing: In The Burning Land Uhtred recalls his brief encounter with Constatin, the future king of Scotland. Writing in hindsight he claims that had he known just how dangerous an enemy Constantin would become in the future he would have killed the Scotsman then and there. In the final book (set many years later) King Constantin is one of Saxon Britain's most powerful opponents.
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The Saxon Stories / int_9e1e14ea	type	Ambition Is Evil
The Saxon Stories / int_9e1e14ea	comment	Ambition Is Evil: Subverted. Alfred is easily one of the most ambitious characters in the series, and also one of the most indisputably devoted to righteousness. On the other hand, he has no qualms with cooking up a lie to usurp the throne which by all lawful rights should have gone to his elder brother. note Specifically, he tells people that when he went to Rome the Pope himself declared him as the heir to his father, when in actuality he was just accorded, in Uhtred's words, "some meaningless Roman honour", meaning he was declared an honorary Consul He also has little issue with deceit and other underhanded tactics when it serves his goals. He's also very condescending towards Uhtred for being a pagan, but that can be pretty much laid at the feet of every other Saxon too.
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The Saxon Stories / int_a18fda9c	type	Dumb Muscle
The Saxon Stories / int_a18fda9c	comment	Dumb Muscle: Steapa Snotor.
The Saxon Stories / int_a18fda9c	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_a1b141f4	type	My God, What Have I Done?
The Saxon Stories / int_a1b141f4	comment	My God, What Have I Done?: Later on in the series, Uhtred bitterly reflects upon how Wessex, once the last kingdom of the Saxons and the realm that he has spent most of his life fighting for, is now becoming The Empire. The expansionism of West Saxon-led Englaland, as well as its state enforced Christianity, poses a looming threat to Anglo-Scandinavian Northumbria, which becomes the new "last kingdom", in the sense that it is the last realm in Britain where one can worship whatever god they choose.
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The Saxon Stories / int_a30c287	type	Good Parents
The Saxon Stories / int_a30c287	comment	Good Parents: Uhtred is a zig-zagged example — he's a good father to all of his children when they're small, is a fairly good, if strict father with his second son (who is somewhat scared of him, but so is just about everyone), while being unable to refuse his daughter anything. He's also an excellent adopted parent to Aethelstan. He's not so good to his oldest son, however, who's mild and pacifistic (but with the family badass streak lying within him) and breaks his heart by becoming a Christian Priest — as result, Uhtred disowns him and makes him take the name Judas. The newly minted Father Judas, however, takes it on willingly. He later regrets this and the reserve he showed to his other children, admitting repeatedly that he was a terrible father to his oldest son, an attitude which has a great deal to do with his own father's influence and his wife Gisela dying in childbirth. Alfred is, if nothing else, a loving father. It's one of the few things that makes Uhtred like him. Ragnar the Fearless was this to all his children, including Uhtred, who in turn loved him more than he ever did his own father. Kjartan counts too, if in a twisted way. He's obviously a villain, but his son Sven means everything to him even if he is an utter bastard. In fact, the thing that motivated Kjartan to betray Ragnar was his brutal punishment of his son.
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The Saxon Stories / int_a37e27db	type	Back from the Brink
The Saxon Stories / int_a37e27db	comment	Back from the Brink: On a micro-level, Alfred and Uhtred successfully do this for Wessex. On a macro-level, they do it for Anglo-Saxon culture as a whole.
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The Saxon Stories / int_a3f6d92c	type	Action Dad
The Saxon Stories / int_a3f6d92c	comment	Action Dad: Uhtred becomes this at the end of The Last Kingdom by Mildrith and, after the child dies during The Pale Horseman, becomes one again by Gisela in between Lords of the North and Sword Song.
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The Saxon Stories / int_a6275bef	type	Cool Sword
The Saxon Stories / int_a6275bef	comment	Cool Sword: Both of Uhtred's swords, Serpent-Breath and Wasp-Sting. And some of the other named swords, such as Ragnar's Heart breaker. It literally breaks hearts.
The Saxon Stories / int_a6275bef	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_a679184b	type	Due to the Dead
The Saxon Stories / int_a679184b	comment	Due to the Dead Subverted in Kjartan's case. He requests to die with a sword in his hand, but Ragnar the Younger denies him this as revenge for murdering Ragnar's parents.
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The Saxon Stories / int_a861560f	type	The Friend Nobody Likes
The Saxon Stories / int_a861560f	comment	The Friend Nobody Likes: Both played straight and averted with Uhtred. His staunch paganism and Heel–Face Revolving Door tendencies make him widely disliked and mistrusted in Wessex, but the Danes (many of whom he grew up with) seem to respect him as a warrior and would genuinely welcome him if he decided to join them. Guthrum the Unlucky in the first book, also.
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The Saxon Stories / int_a8a5e4ed	type	Christianity Is Catholic
The Saxon Stories / int_a8a5e4ed	comment	Christianity is Catholic: Due to the setting. However, it's mentioned that some of the churches in Celtic lands have different practices than the Roman church.
The Saxon Stories / int_a8a5e4ed	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_a8adc5a0	type	Like a Son to Me
The Saxon Stories / int_a8adc5a0	comment	Like a Son to Me: Uhtred outright states this about Æthelstan.
The Saxon Stories / int_a8adc5a0	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_a8dcb1d7	type	Love at First Sight
The Saxon Stories / int_a8dcb1d7	comment	Love at First Sight: Uhtred and Gisela. "I saw her, and was stricken." Later, his daughter, Stiorra, has the same experience with Sigtryggr. It was mutual. And provided the distraction needed for Uhtred to cut Sigrtryggr's eye out. Yeah, not exactly a romantic comedy.
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The Saxon Stories / int_a94eaaa4	type	Odd Friendship
The Saxon Stories / int_a94eaaa4	comment	Odd Friendship: Despite Uhtred being an ardent pagan, he tends to get along surprisingly well with some of the less dogmatic Christian priests, even calling Father Beocca "one of the best men I knew".
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The Saxon Stories / int_aabe2fb	type	Deliberate Values Dissonance
The Saxon Stories / int_aabe2fb	comment	Deliberate Values Dissonance: The series doesn't shy away from depicting the less positive aspects of Anglo-Saxon society, such as the rampant sexism and intolerance of anything non-Christian.
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The Saxon Stories / int_abc55125	type	Character Filibuster
The Saxon Stories / int_abc55125	comment	Character Filibuster: Through the first-person narration, Uhtred is prone to go on brief inner monologues about various topics.
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The Saxon Stories / int_ac928039	type	Four-Star Badass
The Saxon Stories / int_ac928039	comment	Four-Star Badass: By Sword Song/The Burning Land, Uhtred more than qualifies.
The Saxon Stories / int_ac928039	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_ad4a45be	type	Final Boss
The Saxon Stories / int_ad4a45be	comment	War Lord: Anlaf Guthfrithson, a king of Norse Dublin who serves as one of theFinal Bosses of the series, is depicted as a grandson of Guthrum, an earlier Viking antagonist who was one of the biggest threats to Alfred's reign. Although it's possible that the historical Anlaf could have been kin to Ivar The Boneless, there doesn't appear to be any family links between him and Guthrum. Cornwell taking this liberty effectively turns the Battle of Brunanburh into a showdown between grandsons.
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The Saxon Stories / int_ae3d6438	type	Deadpan Snarker
The Saxon Stories / int_ae3d6438	comment	Deadpan Snarker: Uhtred. And Pyrlig, and Finan, and Ragnar the Younger, and Ragnar the Elder, and... pretty much every warrior in the book except for Steapa. Ravn, to everyone from Uhtred to Ivar the Boneless. Alfred is another notable example, occasionally getting into Snark-to-Snark Combat with Uhtred, especially as the latter gets older and their relationship becomes closer to equal.
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The Saxon Stories / int_b0cac376	type	The Usurper
The Saxon Stories / int_b0cac376	comment	The Usurper: Aethelwold attempts to be this in the sixth book. He fails.
The Saxon Stories / int_b0cac376	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_b1346878	type	Fate Worse than Death
The Saxon Stories / int_b1346878	comment	Fate Worse than Death: For the Norsemen, being killed without a weapon in their hand, because it means they won't reach Valhalla and thus won't be able to feast in Odin's hall with their old enemies. Uhtred, for this reason, usually gives Danes the opportunity to put their hands on their weapons before he kills them. Notably, the only Danes he lets die without a weapon are those he truly loathes, such as his old enemies Sven One-Eye and Kjartan the Cruel and Sigefrid, who murders his brother. He has no compunction about killing Christians without weapons, however.
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The Saxon Stories / int_b14836af	type	JustAFleshWound
The Saxon Stories / int_b14836af	comment	Just a Flesh Wound: Subverted in the Battle of Ethandun, in which Uhtred takes a spear in the leg and completely ignores it until the fighting is done... and then walks with a limp for the rest of his life due to the muscle damage, with the injury mentioned in pretty much every subsequent book.
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The Saxon Stories / int_b1dde8fd	type	Loophole Abuse
The Saxon Stories / int_b1dde8fd	comment	Loophole Abuse: Because Uhtred is far too old to die in battle by the time he relates the events of the series, he intends to have a sword in his hand when he finally passes away, in hopes that this will ensure his passage into Valhalla.
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The Saxon Stories / int_b4a6ae4c	type	Everyone Has Standards
The Saxon Stories / int_b4a6ae4c	comment	Everyone Has Standards: Uhtred is infuriated by Æthelred's abuse of Æthelflaed and later terrifies him into not raising a hand to her.
The Saxon Stories / int_b4a6ae4c	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_b53077b3	type	Take That!
The Saxon Stories / int_b53077b3	comment	Take That!: Uhtred (Cornwell?) tends to give quite a few of these to the Church/Christianity in general over the course of the series. A particularly memorable one comes from The Empty Throne, when Uhtred is arguing that Aethelflaed should take control of Mercia's army.
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The Saxon Stories / int_b7c53a22	type	Blood Knight
The Saxon Stories / int_b7c53a22	comment	Uhtred would have been more at home among the original Saxon warriors who invaded Britain, as his paganism and Blood Knight tendencies often make him out of place among his 9th/10th century kinsmen.
The Saxon Stories / int_b7c53a22	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_b892dd2d	type	Girl of the Week
The Saxon Stories / int_b892dd2d	comment	Girl of the Week: While some of Uhtred's love interests are strong characters in their own right and important to the storyline, others of them come off more like this.
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The Saxon Stories / int_b9d334b2	type	Aerith and Bob
The Saxon Stories / int_b9d334b2	comment	Aerith and Bob: Because some Norse and Old English names have remained popular to the present day, and others have not, you have characters with familiar names like Edward, Erik, Harald, and (of course) Alfred alongside characters named Uhtred, Ravn, Leofric, Ubba, and Æthelred. There’s even some in-between ones that haven’t really been seen in England for a long time but are still used elsewhere, especially in the Nordic countries; there are still people around bearing names like "Ragnar" and "Kjartan" (there’s even a modern Icelandic artist named "Ragnar Kjartansson", whose father is "Kjartan Ragnarsson").
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The Saxon Stories / int_b9f472b	type	Storming the Castle
The Saxon Stories / int_b9f472b	comment	Storming the Castle: Uhtred does this on several occasions. It's awesome.
The Saxon Stories / int_b9f472b	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_ba6cf869	type	Rape, Pillage, and Burn
The Saxon Stories / int_ba6cf869	comment	Rape, Pillage, and Burn: Happens all the time. Indeed, the verb for going raping, pillaging, and burning in Danish: viking, as in "I'm just off viking", is where we get the term Vikings.
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The Saxon Stories / int_bb01ad0e	type	Cool Boat
The Saxon Stories / int_bb01ad0e	comment	Cool Boat: The Wind Viper, later the Seolforwulf. Justified in that the Norse, Svear, Danes and Geats were renowned for their shipbuilding skill. The Saxons have ships too, but compared to the Nordic dragonships they are little more than tubs, as Uhtred complains when put in charge of Wessex's fairly laughable navy.
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The Saxon Stories / int_bc74ef27	type	Berserk Button
The Saxon Stories / int_bc74ef27	comment	Berserk Button: Given the amount of importance that Uhtred attaches to oath-keeping, he naturally has a special hatred for oath-breakers. The main reason for Uhtred's fierce enmity for Haesten is that the latter had broken an oath to serve him.
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The Saxon Stories / int_beb9a361	type	Anti-Hero
The Saxon Stories / int_beb9a361	comment	Anti-Hero: Uhtred is ultimately committed to defending Wessex, even though he'd rather be off raiding and pillaging with the Vikings. In later books, he comes to enjoy defending Wessex, to the point where he inwardly complains that he wants to be 'the Sword of the Saxons' rather than just playing defence all the time.
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The Saxon Stories / int_bec0417c	type	Happily Married
The Saxon Stories / int_bec0417c	comment	An odd case in regards to Uhtred's attitude to Aethelflaed in Sword Song - while he and Aethelflaed do end up as an item, at the time he is both Happily Married to Gisela and sees her as a child (she's 14) that he's fond of and nothing more. As a result, there are significant shades of this in his threat to Aethelred, his cousin and Aethelflaed's husband, to stop his Domestic Abuse or he [Uhtred] will personally murder him.
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The Saxon Stories / int_bf74d357	type	Ugly Guy, Hot Wife
The Saxon Stories / int_bf74d357	comment	Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Father Beocca, often described by Uhtred is a very unattractive man, ends up like this. To be fair he also saved his wife from madness, implied to be as a result of capture, torment, and possibly demonic possession. As with all his books, Cornwell leaves this one very ambiguous. It's not that ambiguous; any cases where it might be the gods have fairly obvious modern explanations, or are just luck. Sometimes it's glaringly obvious, like when Uhtred is convinced of everything the witch in Death of Kings tells him, despite her being a huge fraud. This may come under Unreliable Narrator.
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The Saxon Stories / int_c2cedc1c	type	Big "NO!"
The Saxon Stories / int_c2cedc1c	comment	Big "NO!": Uhtred when he hears that Gisela has died in childbirth, along with the child.
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The Saxon Stories / int_c3448a6f	type	Informed Attribute
The Saxon Stories / int_c3448a6f	comment	Informed Attribute: while he IS illiterate, and lacks Uhtred's barbed wit, Steapa doesn't come across as nearly as dumb as the latter describes him. Seeing as the two of them are friends after the first two novels this might be a case of Vitriolic Best Buds. Uhtred's narration frequently describes Cnut Longsword as a jokester with seemingly inexhaustible supply of funny stories - this is not especially evident when he appears; if anything Cnut is one of the more reserved Danish characters in the series.
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The Saxon Stories / int_c3648b87	type	Teeth-Clenched Teamwork
The Saxon Stories / int_c3648b87	comment	Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: In the early books, Uhtred and Alfred will work together to save England, but that sure as Hel doesn't mean they have to like each other, with Uhtred resenting Alfred's manipulations forcing him to serve Wessex and Alfred trusting Uhtred about as far as he can throw him (not entirely without reason, considering that Uhtred's fairly open about how the people he actually likes are on the other side). In later books, this aspect fades somewhat, and while they never come to be particularly close friends, they do come to trust and respect each other, sufficiently that Alfred entrusts Uhtred with ensuring that his son comes to the throne.
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The Saxon Stories / int_c3c3c608	type	Evil Former Friend
The Saxon Stories / int_c3c3c608	comment	Evil Former Friend: As of Warriors of the Storm, Uhtred's childhood best friend/lover Brida has become this, going completely off the deep end.
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The Saxon Stories / int_c67af1b0	type	Big Bad Wannabe
The Saxon Stories / int_c67af1b0	comment	Big Bad Wannabe: Aethelwold attempts to usurp the throne of Wessex after the death of Alfred, but it's clear that Cnut Longsword is the real power behind his rise.
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The Saxon Stories / int_c75df49a	type	Shout-Out
The Saxon Stories / int_c75df49a	comment	Shout-Out: References to King Arthur become this since he is the Warlord of The Warlord Chronicles. King Edward's youth as a warrior king and later penchant for hunting boars and whores brings to mind a certain Westerosi monarch.
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The Saxon Stories / int_c9790040	type	Decadent Court
The Saxon Stories / int_c9790040	comment	Decadent Court: After surviving the initial Viking onslaughts and returning to a state of relative stability, the remaining Saxon kingdoms take on heavy shades of this. A good amount of the turmoil later on in the series stems from different factions within the courts of Wessex and Mercia pursuing different agendas. Inevitably, Uhtred ends up getting entangled in the intrigues. He eventually becomes rather good at navigating them, after realising that he can't just kill his way out of trouble.
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The Saxon Stories / int_caf8c66c	type	The Chains of Commanding
The Saxon Stories / int_caf8c66c	comment	The Chains of Commanding: Uhtred observes this about his son-in-law, Sigtryggr - "a few months of being king put lines on his face and drew all the joy from his soul."
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The Saxon Stories / int_cb70651c	type	Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane
The Saxon Stories / int_cb70651c	comment	Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: A standard feature of Cornwell's writing. Father Beocca's exorcism of Thyra is a particular example.
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The Saxon Stories / int_cbf9d0fe	type	Sour Supporter
The Saxon Stories / int_cbf9d0fe	comment	Sour Supporter: A fairly extreme, though not exactly surprising, example in regards to Uhtred towards Alfred. In the early books, Uhtred dreams of a Danish conquest of Wessex, of Alfred dead and his people defeated, regards it as a great misfortune that his oaths bind him to follow Alfred, and generally has to be blackmailed into working for Alfred. This is fairly logical, considering that most of the people he actually likes are on the Danish side, including his foster brother, while most of the Saxons hate him and he hates them back, and the Danes actually respect him, while the Saxons usually fall under Ungrateful Bastard. Becomes a more conventional example later on, as Uhtred grudgingly cleaves more to the Saxon side and comes to respect, if not like, Alfred, something Alfred reciprocates.
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The Saxon Stories / int_cc1bd54d	type	Non-Action Guy
The Saxon Stories / int_cc1bd54d	comment	Non-Action Guy: While Alfred does fight in some of the battles early on in the series, his establishment as the Big Good and his declining health soon turn him into this.
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The Saxon Stories / int_d001c42c	type	Anti-Villain
The Saxon Stories / int_d001c42c	comment	Anti-Villain: Erik Thurgilsson, Jarl Sigefrid's much less brutal younger brother who falls for Aethelflaed. The Danes as a whole tend to come off this way. While there's no question that they are brutal conquerors bent on rape, pillage, and slaughter, Uhtred frequently points out that they have a more free and tolerant society than the Saxons.
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The Saxon Stories / int_d0309fad	type	Religion is Magic
The Saxon Stories / int_d0309fad	comment	Religion is Magic: The Danes have this attitude, something the Christians consistently fail to grasp. Indeed, when Guhtred and Guthrum "convert" to Christianity, they simply add Iehovah to their current pantheon. Ivarr the Boneless is genuinely curious as to whether the "Christian magic" is stronger than that of the Danish gods after St Edmund boasts of St Sebastian's survival of the Roman arrows... so he decides to conduct a little experiment. With St Edmund as test subject. It goes with quite some surprising realism, much to the amusement of the Danes.
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The Saxon Stories / int_d03fc3f1	type	Good Shepherd
The Saxon Stories / int_d03fc3f1	comment	Good Shepherd: Most of the Christian priests in the series are portrayed as either corrupt or fanatical. Pyrlig, Beocca and Cuthbert are three notable exceptions, as they are genuinely committed to the principles of their faith without being overly judgemental (in the latter case, Cuthbert isn't remotely judgemental). Father Judas.
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The Saxon Stories / int_d29a6629	type	Death by Childbirth
The Saxon Stories / int_d29a6629	comment	Death by Childbirth: Uhtred's wife Gisela in the fifth book. Justified in that it was far more common in the period in which the story takes place. Just at the beginning we are told that both Uhtred's and his older brother's mothers both died in childbirth, too. Gytha was Uhtred's father's third wife, and died shortly after the birth of a healthy baby, too after being married to Uhtred's uncle.
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The Saxon Stories / int_d2a11313	type	Death of the Old Gods
The Saxon Stories / int_d2a11313	comment	Death of the Old Gods: As the series progresses, Uhtred begins to realize that this is happening. One of his primary hangups about fighting for Wessex is that a Saxon triumph would greatly strengthen the Church's hand.
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The Saxon Stories / int_d39771a4	type	Long Bus Trip
The Saxon Stories / int_d39771a4	comment	Long Bus Trip: Uhtred's first wife Mildrith, who joins a nunnery and is never mentioned again.
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The Saxon Stories / int_d3f33049	type	Blasphemous Boast
The Saxon Stories / int_d3f33049	comment	Blasphemous Boast: Cnut Ranulfsson's banner depicts an axe shattering a cross.
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The Saxon Stories / int_d4bb4e51	type	Walking Shirtless Scene
The Saxon Stories / int_d4bb4e51	comment	Walking Shirtless Scene: Ragnall Ivarson usually goes shirtless, probably in order to show off his intimidating physique and badass Norse tattoos.
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The Saxon Stories / int_d500b978	type	Adaptational Wimp
The Saxon Stories / int_d500b978	comment	Adaptational Wimp: Not an extreme example, but Alfred the Great is portrayed as more or less dependent on Uhtred in military matters throughout the middle portion of the series. A good deal of his strategies involve blackmailing a renegade Uhtred into returning to Wessex, who then does the actual legwork of saving the kingdom. Subverted somewhat in later books, when it's shown that Alfred can look after Wessex just fine without Uhtred, having a number of capable lieutenants. It's just that a) Uhtred's actually that good, b) Uhtred is also more Danish than the Danes, c) knows Wessex's defences and strategies like the back of his hand, since he either invented or implemented all of them. Alfred therefore likes to keep him where he can see him.
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The Saxon Stories / int_d52d28b6	type	Hypocrite
The Saxon Stories / int_d52d28b6	comment	Hypocrite: Uhtred often mocks and criticizes Christians for their willingness to believe in miracles and the power of dead saints, but on several occasions he proves to be every bit as superstitious in matters regarding his own beliefs. Eventually Eadith calls him out on this.
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The Saxon Stories / int_d5b3df2d	type	Dark Action Girl
The Saxon Stories / int_d5b3df2d	comment	Dark Action Girl: Skade.
The Saxon Stories / int_d5b3df2d	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Saxon Stories / int_d7fc9fd0	type	Vitriolic Best Buds
The Saxon Stories / int_d7fc9fd0	comment	Vitriolic Best Buds: Uhtred and Leofric, and to a lesser extent Uhtred and Pyrlig.
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The Saxon Stories / int_db6230b7	type	Lightning Bruiser
The Saxon Stories / int_db6230b7	comment	Lightning Bruiser: Finan.
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The Saxon Stories / int_db912a80	type	The Good King
The Saxon Stories / int_db912a80	comment	The Good King: Uhtred ultimately accepts that Alfred is one of these.
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The Saxon Stories / int_db9940c4	type	Famed In-Story
The Saxon Stories / int_db9940c4	comment	Famed in Story/The Dreaded: Uhtred becomes both of these quite quickly. Killing a dangerous Viking warlord in single combat will do that. He becomes more and more famous as time goes on.
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The Saxon Stories / int_dca70c44	type	Reasonable Authority Figure
The Saxon Stories / int_dca70c44	comment	Reasonable Authority Figure: Alfred, most of the time.
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The Saxon Stories / int_dd3969b	type	Hijacked by Jesus
The Saxon Stories / int_dd3969b	comment	Hijacked by Jesus: Uhtred notes that, in the version of Beowulf he grew up with, it was Thor, not "Halig God" who gave the hero the strength to slay Grendel.
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The Saxon Stories / int_dd92bf66	type	Warrior Prince
The Saxon Stories / int_dd92bf66	comment	Warrior Prince: Æthelstan has become this as of Warriors of the Storm.
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The Saxon Stories / int_dde43ab	type	Tattooed Crook
The Saxon Stories / int_dde43ab	comment	Tattooed Crook: Ragnall Ivarson from Warriors of the Storm is a brutal Norse warlord whose arms, torso, and face are covered in tattoos.
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The Saxon Stories / int_de5f028b	type	Barbarian Hero
The Saxon Stories / int_de5f028b	comment	Barbarian Hero: Uhtred is a more realistic version, and gets steadily tamed by civilisation, to his disgruntlement.
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The Saxon Stories / int_e1471b66	type	MamasBoy
The Saxon Stories / int_e1471b66	comment	Mama's Boy: Guthrum, to the point where he wears one of his deceased mother's rib bones in his hair to honour her memory. This is generally regarded as being extremely weird, but no one dares bring it up.
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The Saxon Stories / int_e16217f8	type	Historical Villain Upgrade
The Saxon Stories / int_e16217f8	comment	Historical Villain Upgrade: Æthelred of Mercia. In the historical notes of the fifth book, Cornwell admits there is no evidence that he ever displayed the bastardry he does in the novels. Subverted with Bishop Asser. He always acts like a total dick to Uhtred, but the narration frequently points out that he has an excellent reason for doing so.
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The Saxon Stories / int_e1acc872	type	From Nobody to Nightmare
The Saxon Stories / int_e1acc872	comment	From Nobody to Nightmare Haesten went from a slave to one of the more powerful Danish warlords. His fortunes tend to wax and wane, though, see Villain Decay below. Not quite nobody, but Cnut Ranulfsson was introduced in book 5 as a fairly minor player in a coalition of Danish jarls, easily overshadowed by Haesten and Harald Bloodhair. However, he quickly emerges as the single biggest threat among them, becoming the main antagonist of books 6 and 7.
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The Saxon Stories / int_e2ccee25	type	Animal Motifs
The Saxon Stories / int_e2ccee25	comment	Animal Motifs: The banner of Uhtred's family depicts a wolf, and Uhtred himself possesses an ancestral helm that is forged to resemble a snarling wolf-face.
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The Saxon Stories / int_e3109dae	type	Switching P.O.V.
The Saxon Stories / int_e3109dae	comment	Switching P.O.V.: Uhtred's son Uhtred temporarily takes over the narration in The Empty Throne
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The Saxon Stories / int_e502e268	type	Family Theme Naming
The Saxon Stories / int_e502e268	comment	Family Theme Naming: Uhtred's father, son, older brother and one cousin (and presumably most of his paternal ancestors) are all named Uhtred. As of The Pagan Lord both of Uhtreds sons have been named Uhtred.
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The Saxon Stories / int_e6a901a3	type	Meaningful Rename
The Saxon Stories / int_e6a901a3	comment	Meaningful Rename: Uhtred, on several occasions. First, his birth name was actually Osbert. His father, the elder Uhtred, renamed him after his brother, who was killed fighting the Danes, along with making him the heir to Bebbanburg. At various points, Uhtred flip-flops behind identifying himself as "Uhtred of Bebbanburg" and "Uhtred Ragnarsson," depending on whether he personally is leaning more towards his kinship with the English and the Danes respectively. Uhtred pulls this on both his sons
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The Saxon Stories / int_e88e8a8f	type	Writer on Board
The Saxon Stories / int_e88e8a8f	comment	Writer on Board: Uhtred loathes the Church, and is more than happy to tell the reader how he feels about it. Likewise, most of the openly Christian characters are shown to be zealous and dogmatic to the point of stupidity (Aethelflaed and Father Cuthbert being the main exceptions who aren't a Badass Preacher). His hatred of Christianity seems to become even more bitter and extreme as he ages, and realizes that the old pagan ways are slowly but surely dying out - though at the same time, he mellows more towards individual Christian clergy. This mirrors Cornwell's own dislike of institutional religion, which stems from his being raised in a very devout, repressive, and tiny Christian sect called the Peculiar People, and his dislike of authoritarianism. Lampshaded to an extent in The Empty Throne when Uhtred's son (also named Uhtred) narrates the first chapter and observes his father's hatred of Christianity.
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The Saxon Stories / int_e9e35e8f	type	Exact Words
The Saxon Stories / int_e9e35e8f	comment	Exact Words: Despite being Book Dumb, Uhtred is very, very good at this, seen best in The Empty Throne. The throne of Mercia is vacant, with no extant male heir. Uhtred has a strong claim by virtue of being Aethelred's cousin through his mother and thus part Mercian. He's also a famous warrior and experienced general. The deciding factor, though, is by getting the support of the machiavellian Aethelhelm, father-in-law of King Edward of Wessex and a man minded to have his grandson Alfweard ruling Wessex and Mercia in the future as opposed to Aethelstan, Edward's son by his first marriage... who Uhtred is guardian of. How does he do this? By promising that he'll support Alfweard's claim while he's Lord of Mercia. He's crowned... then he promptly abdicates in favour of Aethelflaed. Alfweard's reaction?
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The Saxon Stories / int_eb8ec7c8	type	Jerkass
The Saxon Stories / int_eb8ec7c8	comment	Jerkass: Uhtred is arrogant, rude, and not above killing people who piss him off. Somewhat justified by the time period, as kindness and mercy were not considered good traits for Anglo-Saxon warriors. He does show signs of Jerk with a Heart of Gold, as he is disgusted with those who mistreat women and children and will generally give people chances to prove themselves. However, The Pagan Lord sees him move more toward being a straight jerkass, as he beats, demeans, and disowns his eldest son for becoming a priest. Though the last case could partly be because said eldest son broke his heart by doing so and in The Empty Throne, Uhtred occasionally laments the fact that he was, in his view, a poor father.
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The Saxon Stories / int_eda30d58	type	0% Approval Rating
The Saxon Stories / int_eda30d58	comment	0% Approval Rating: The Norse warlord Ragnall Ivarson is widely disliked and mistrusted by his own jarls for his practice of taking many of their families hostage in order to ensure their obedience. Uhtred and Sigtryggr manage to finally defeat him by turning almost his entire army against him.
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The Saxon Stories / int_ee7a60e9	type	One-Steve Limit
The Saxon Stories / int_ee7a60e9	comment	One-Steve Limit: Averted because of the culture, but in the case of the Historical Domain Characters Ragnar Lothbrok and his sons, Cornwell saw fit to refer to them as "Lothbrok" and "Lothbrokson" (an invented term) because he used "Ragnar" and "Ragnarson" for his fictional characters. Since "Lothbrok" is really an epithet referring to the historical Ragnar's outfit, the characters are essentially called "Furry-Pants" and "Son of Furry-Pants". Cornwell notes that Sihtric (Uhtred's servant, and later lieutenant) and Sigtryggr (a Viking warlord and Uhtred's son-in-law) are actually the same name; he just spells it differently to make it easier for the reader to tell who is who.
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The Saxon Stories / int_eedee4d	type	The Starscream
The Saxon Stories / int_eedee4d	comment	The Starscream: Haesten to Uhtred. Uhtred himself has come close to being Alfred's Starscream, but always ended up staying loyal due to his unwillingness to break his oaths. The main reason why Edward is so hesitant about openly antagonizing Lord Æthelhelm is because he realizes that the latter has both the capability and willingness to plunge the emerging English realm into civil war if he doesn't get what he wants.
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The Saxon Stories / int_ef20dac5	type	Servile Snarker
The Saxon Stories / int_ef20dac5	comment	Servile Snarker: Uhtred to Alfred, pretty much constantly. Alfred, for his part, mostly seems to find Uhtred's snark amusing (mostly because Uhtred's about the only person who dares to give him lip). Mostly.
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The Saxon Stories / int_ef2582c3	type	Named Weapons
The Saxon Stories / int_ef2582c3	comment	Named Weapons: Uhtred names his sword "Serpent-Breath" and his seax "Wasp-Sting". Justified, as everyone else in the books names their weapons, and it was a common thing in the time period.
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The Saxon Stories / int_eff85ff1	type	The Low Middle Ages
The Saxon Stories / int_eff85ff1	comment	The Low Middle Ages: About the Viking invasions of Anglo Saxon England.
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The Saxon Stories / int_f1d6144a	type	War Is Hell
The Saxon Stories / int_f1d6144a	comment	War Is Hell: Crossed with War Is Glorious. Uhtred will talk at length about the joy and glory of battle... before turning around and talking about the horrible injuries, the deaths of friends, and how the close calls he's had so far still come to him in his dreams. All in all, a pretty even-handed view, if such a thing is even possible.
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The Saxon Stories / int_f36c4f98	type	Easily Forgiven
The Saxon Stories / int_f36c4f98	comment	Easily Forgiven: Guthred for his part in making Uhtred a slave as part of an ultimately failed political move to shore up his kingdom. Mainly because Uhtred likes him so much and because he'd actually been advising Guthred to be more ruthless in the run-up to Uhtred's being enslaved.
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The Saxon Stories / int_f47bdd2a	type	Violent Glaswegian
The Saxon Stories / int_f47bdd2a	comment	Violent Glaswegian: Guthred's backstory involves being captured by one, King Eochaid of Strath Clota (now Strathclyde), who made him empty his shit-pail. Indeed, raids from Strath Clota and Glas Cau are a perennial problem for the men of Cumbraland (Cumbria).
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The Saxon Stories / int_f6b30338	type	Murder Is the Best Solution
The Saxon Stories / int_f6b30338	comment	Uhtred more or less admits that if Ælfric weren't his uncle he would probably admire him as he's more or less doing in the North what Uhtred is doing in the South, holding off the Danes from conquering England by beating them at their own game. Given how often Uhtred proposes the Murder Is the Best Solution, it's highly doubtful he would have done anything different from Ælfric.
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The Saxon Stories / int_f76842b1	type	The Fundamentalist
The Saxon Stories / int_f76842b1	comment	The Fundamentalist: A lot of these in the Christian church, both among the clergy and lay people. Uhtred is fond of noting how the Danes tend to have a more relaxed attitude toward religious differences. Brida is a notable pagan example, after Jumping Off the Slippery Slope.
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The Saxon Stories / int_fb6b207f	type	You Killed My Father
The Saxon Stories / int_fb6b207f	comment	You Killed My Father: Ragnar the Younger, son of Ragnar the Fearless who adopted Uhtred, slays Kjartan in revenge for his father's death. Subverted with Uhtred himself, he seems to bear no ill will at all towards the Vikings who killed his father and brother and prefers Ragnar the Elder to his own father. He did attack Ragnar the Elder head on first time he met him, but he was about 9 and had a crap sword. From Ragnar's point of view, Hilarity Ensued.
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The Saxon Stories / int_fe48cea2	type	Lady of War
The Saxon Stories / int_fe48cea2	comment	Lady of War: Aethelflaed Stiorra has elements of this by The Empty Throne.
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The Saxon Stories / int_fea42091	type	Badass Preacher
The Saxon Stories / int_fea42091	comment	Badass Preacher: Father Pyrlig used to be a full time warrior before entering the priesthood. However, his priestly duties do not in any way prevent him from kicking Danish ass whenever the opportunity arises. Father Beocca, when he strides into a pack of man-eating dogs and exorcises Thyra's personal demons with a heartfelt prayer.. Also Father Willibald, who went into battle armed only with a stave of wood.
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The Saxon Stories / int_fff371b4	type	Death Seeker
The Saxon Stories / int_fff371b4	comment	Death Seeker: Downplayed. While Uhtred doesn't go out of his way to try to get himself killed, he frequently mentions his desire to die with a sword in his hand, and thus ascend to Valhalla.
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The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

The Conquest Series	seeAlso	The Saxon Stories
Aethelflaed	seeAlso	The Saxon Stories
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy / int_5690e2e
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	Badass Preacher / int_5690e2e
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	Binding Ancient Treaty / int_5690e2e
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	Bring My Brown Pants / int_5690e2e
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	Church Militant / int_5690e2e
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	Cool Sword / int_5690e2e
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	Dented Iron / int_5690e2e
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	English Literature / int_5690e2e
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	Family Theme Naming / int_5690e2e
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	Force and Finesse / int_5690e2e
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	Future Imperfect / int_5690e2e
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	Honorable Warrior's Death / int_5690e2e
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	Idiot Savant / int_5690e2e
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	Ironic Nickname / int_5690e2e
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	Multi-Melee Master / int_5690e2e
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	Murder Is the Best Solution / int_5690e2e
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	Nominal Hero / int_5690e2e
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	Religion is Magic / int_5690e2e
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	Soldier vs. Warrior / int_5690e2e
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	Sour Supporter / int_5690e2e
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Exile / int_5690e2e
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Last Title / int_5690e2e
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	The Low Middle Ages / int_5690e2e
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	This Is Something He's Got to Do Himself / int_5690e2e
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	Token Evil Teammate / int_5690e2e
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	24-Hour Armor / int_5690e2e
The Saxon Stories	hasFeature	Villain-by-Proxy Fallacy / int_5690e2e

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