Hampshire Folk Tales for Children [S.S. Col.] [Fairy Tales col.] by O’Leary Michael

Author:O’Leary, Michael [O’Leary, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Children's literature, Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Fiction, Folk Tales, Short Stories
Publisher: The History Press
Published: 2016-01-01T02:00:00+00:00

To say that Sir Guy was a bit startled would be an understatement. He dropped the skull.

‘Oy, pick me up, Sir Pilgrim,’ ordered the skull. ‘I’ve got something important to tell you.’

Sir Guy picked the skull up, keeping his fingers well clear of the gnashing teeth.

‘Whilst you’ve been wandering around thinking about your almighty soul,’ said the skull, in a very disrespectful manner, ‘Wessex has been suffering mightily. The Danes have never left off their raiding, so no one has been able to safely work the fields and grow their crops; they’ve all been living in fear and hunger. You know what happens when the Danes turn up – same thing every time, they’ve got no imagination; they steal the treasure, burn the village, church, monastery or priory, and kill the people or take them as slaves. The people have been living in a state of constant anxiety, fearful that they might see a line of those stupid-looking helmets, and then find themselves set upon by another horde of vile Vikings. Worse still, some of these Vikings have managed to leave off bashing each other long enough to join together and form an army, and this army has invaded Wessex.’

‘Alas, poor Warwick, I know it well,’ howled Sir Guy to the skull.

‘Never mind Warwick,’ said the skull, ‘this is a book of Hampshire folk tales, and the Viking army is besieging Winchester, and King Athelstan is holed up inside.’

So it was that Sir Guy of Warwick knew it was time to return. Bringing the skull with him, he took ship on a galley carrying barrels of wine bound for Southampton, and then took the old pathway along the River Itchen. Sir Guy came to a ridge overlooking Winchester (a ridge that is now called Oliver’s Battery after Oliver Cromwell, and a later war, and a later siege), and there he saw the mighty army of Danes camped around the city walls, just sitting, waiting for the citizens of Winchester to run out of food and surrender. Athelstan didn’t want to surrender, he was well aware of the horrors that would be unleashed if he did, and the Danes would certainly do something very nasty to him.

Sneaking through the Viking army wasn’t easy, but when one Dane saw him, Sir Guy held up the skull, which chattered its teeth, and said something very rude.

‘Aaargh, Sköll!’ screamed the Viking, and fled. (Sköll is a kind of Viking demon.) He didn’t tell any other Vikings, because Vikings aren’t allowed to admit to running away, so Sir Guy was able to sneak on through.

He found a small door in the city wall; it was at the back – a tucked away part of town called Winnall. He held the skull up to the grid on the door, and it clattered its teeth, stared at the guard and mesmerised him.

‘Open the door,’ ordered the skull.

So it was that Sir Guy, dressed as a pilgrim, entered Winchester, and presented himself before the king. He regaled the

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