#Rosemary Sutcliff

[emilybeemartin]

I recently had someone very kindly say they read Woodwalker and felt like I had tricked them into re-reading The Thief; well I just listened to the Eagle of the Ninth and guess what

------

"Find anything?"

I looked down at the seal ring still hung around my thumb... In the sunlight I could that the emerald was flawed, milky white on one side. The seal engraved in it was a curving fish, maybe a dolphin. The white flaw was a breaking wave.

The magus leaned over to lift it off my thumb.

..."I'll put it in my bag, so that it doesn't get lost."

"You will not," I said. The ring didn't belong in a bag, it belonged on a finger. My finger.

-The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner

#queens thief #megan whalen turner #eugenides #the thief #the dolphin ring #the eagle of the ninth #rosemary sutcliff

[nessrealta]

I sometimes think that we stand at sunset (...) It may be that the night will close over us in the end, but I believe that morning will come again. Morning always grows again out of the darkness, though maybe not for the people who saw the sun go down. We are the Lantern Bearers, my friend; for us to keep something burning, to carry what light we can forward into the darkness and the wind.

Rosemary Sutcliff, The Lantern Bearers

#rosemary sutcliff #the lantern bearers #reread #against the darkness

[dimsilver]

guys guys guys do you ever think about how Eagle of the Ninth brings out a lot of its themes explicitly, but maybe the biggest one is just running under the surface the whole time - Marcus proving to himself that if he had been there, he would not have failed his father?

Guern tells him about being hunted, choosing to drop out and abandon Centurion Aquila and the Eagle to its fate, and Marcus says essentially “who I am I to judge?” because he has never personally experienced how terrible it would be.

Until he and Esca are hunted. For days, maybe weeks. And again and again he is surrounded and the fear is on him, and again and again he refuses to give up, carries the Eagle, and faces death content.

And in so doing he proves to himself that, had he been there beside his father, holding the Eagle amid the desperate dregs of the Ninth, he would have kept the faith. He might have fallen, but he would not have failed.

#Eagle of the ninth #rosemary sutcliff

[incorrect-the-eagle-bis]

deleting my dating apps because i want to meet someone the old fashioned way (i attend saturnalia games, fall in love at first sight with the slave fighting the retiarius, save him from the claws of death, buy him with my scarse life earnings and make him my freedman)

#i should have posted this in like¿¿¿ 2021 #but i found it on my twt the other day and totally forgot about it skdjuds #esca mac cunoval #marcus aquila #marcus flavius aquila #rosemary sutcliff #the eagle 2011 #the eagle of the ninth

[gawaincomic]

I was wondering and you seemed like a likely candidate to know, do you know when red-headed Gawain first became a thing? It seems to have become the standard for his character, but I've never come across a description in the original sources that mentioned his coloring whatsoever. Did this start with T.H. White's depiction? Or *is* there an earlier description in a source I haven't read yet? (I'd also be curious if there are any og sources which give him a different hair color entirely!)

@luanna801 Thank you for the question! As you have guessed, this is something that really interests me, and I have looked into it in the past.

To be sure, I haven't read *all* the sources (I'm still reading) and some of my reading happened ages ago, so - maybe someone can correct me on this. But here is what I have found:

I can't recall a single medieval source that mentions Gawain's hair colour. Not one. I assume that the colour of a knight's hair was of no interest to medieval authors and readers, as long as he had a 'noble countenance'. This fact is striking to me because today, we often like to describe characters' appearances in great detail, but - nope, I personally haven't found any descriptions of his appearance except in the most general terms. (His clothes, yes!)

As far as I have been able to ascertain, red-haired Gawains are indeed descendants of T. H. White's Gawaine. I'm not sure I'd call the red hair 'standard', really, because I've found blond and brown and black-haired Gawains in post-White books, but it's clear that White has had a very powerful influence. Then again, his Gawaine is a striking character. It's also White who made Gawain Scottish and Gaelic. Medieval sources don't touch upon that at all (indeed, some say Lot is the king of Norway, so that would make Gawain Norwegian, but whether he's British or Norwegian, none of it seems to have any real impact on his character). Also, I've noticed that when people write a red-haired Gawain, they often give him character traits that also come from White.

For me personally, red-haired Gawain was a no-brainer because I really only picked up on him as a character in The Once and Future King as a twelve-year-old, and next I read Rosemary Sutcliff and Anthony Mockler, both of whom write Gawains who are clearly influenced by White. So that's the image that got fixed in my mind. But clearly, there are also a number of post-White Gawains around who are not particularly White-inspired.

Off the top of my head: Phyllis Ann Karr's Gawain in The Idylls of the Queen is blond, and Gillian Bradshaw's Gwalchmei in the Hawk of May trilogy is dark. Bernard Cornwell's little Gawain is blond too. In Het Zwevende Schaakbord, a 1918 Dutch novel by Louis Couperus, Gawain / Walewein has brown hair and brown eyes (OK, this is clearly pre-White but I'm putting it out here anyway). I've also found blond and brown-haired Gawains (and, indeed, a Black Gawain) in comics - and of course, there isn't a single red-haired Gawain on screen, a fact I deeply deplore 😅.

#arthuriana #sir gawain #illustration #arthurian legend #sir gawaine #gawaine #gawain's appearance #red-haired gawain #t. h. white #the once and future king #gillian bradshaw #phyllis ann karr #rosemary sutcliff #anthony mockler #king arthur

[liveandletrain]

Explaining to people that one of the most formative influences on my style as a writer was Rosemary Sutcliff always feels like an exercise in futility because no one ever knows who she is :')

#rosemary sutcliff #rain rambles #she was a disabled english writer #from the 1900s #born in 1920 and died 1992 #who wrote primarily historical fiction #mostly based around preroman/roman/post roman britain #but has some other things as well #her most well known work is eagle of the ninth #because they made a channing tatum movie out of it #but i cannot stress enough how inadequately that movie tells the stories she told #living with disability #cross cultural friendships #cross cultural UNDERSTANDING #individual vs cultural conflict #she also wrote two different versions of arthuriana #one with a more fantasy twist #and one as part of her loose historical fiction series #sword at sunset is one of her only books strictly for adult readers #she was my introduction to king arthur #when i read sword in the circle when i was like eight

[cicelythereaper]

it's christmas, which means it's time for me to once again plug the fics i write at and for christmas! now presented in one series for your convenience, mostly covering british kidlit of the 20th century. roll up, roll up, we've got your narnia, your father christmas letters, your rosemary sutcliff, etc

#cicely writes #chronicles of narnia #rosemary sutcliff #the box of delights #lord of the rings #and so on and so forth #if you leave a comment on 'a life-time of decembers' i will literally owe you my firstborn

[proto-language]

i think part of what made 'the lantern bearers' feel so much bleaker to me than the three previous entries in the dolphin ring cycle is that aquila is so alone. in all the previous books, the main characters go through plenty of traumatic experiences, but they generally have a companion to lean on - marcus and esca are sort of the classic example, but also alexios and cunorix and then hilarion, and justin and flavius. but aquila keeps getting set up for this kind of relationship, and then it gets taken away from him (or he pushes it away). his 'particular friend' felix leaves with the legions; brother ninnias is encountered only three times over the decades; brychan dies in battle; he is away from his wife for years at a time; his relationship with his son is awkward and strained, of his own fault. where the earlier protagonists are struggling with questions of honour and courage, aquila is facing such complete and utter emptiness. i am going to go and lie face down on my bed for a while.

#the lantern bearers #rosemary sutcliff #the dolphin ring cycle

[edgeoflight]

Fic Authors Self Rec Meme

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you’ve written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love ❤

I've seen this going around, most recently from @elfscribe. I cannot choose five, so I chose ten eleven! Listed at random. I love all my children equally, but these ones possibly more equally than the others.

The Temple of Eternal Hope Rated E. Hua Cheng/Xie Lian, Heaven Official's Blessing aka Tian Guan Ci Fu. . Caught in the rain, Xie Lian, wandering the mortal realm for over six hundred years, comes across a temple with a name he cannot read: a temple to himself. But who would build such a thing, and why?

The Amplitude of Time Rated T. Gen focused on time-travelling Maglor, Silmarillion. Maglor has one chance to put everything right again, and he's going to take it.

The Fishy Excuse Rated E. Elladan/Elrohir, Lord of the Rings. Elladan and Elrohir are out on patrol when one of them is wounded. They must decide whether to go home and risk discovery of their relationship, or brave it in the Wild.

The Feast of Unity Rated G. Focus on original characters, Silmarillion. Young baker and cake artist Fandal, who works in the kitchens of the Royal Palace, sparks up a romance with his friend Aramiuel, one of the King’s Callers. About the same time, he is entrusted with a secret commission for the upcoming Feast of Unity, where King Finwë will attempt to halt the rivalry between his two eldest sons with a surprise announcement. Will Finwë succeed? Will Fandal and his team work miracles in cake form? And will Fandal win his lady-love’s heart?

Right Where You Are Rated E. Daeron/Maglor, Silmarillion. Early in the First Age, two musicians meet and almost immediately find that they are perfect partners in every way. Thousands of years later, Maglor wanders far east and south into tropical lands, chasing the rumour of a musician who sings beside dark blue waters at the eastern edges of the earth. He knows who this must be, and in truth has never been able to shake off the memory of the one musician who could truly match him — Daeron of Doriath. But what will happen when he finally catches up? Can there truly be happiness for people such as they have become?

Ten Thousand Years of Love Rated E. Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu, Word of Honor. Eight anniversaries in the first ten thousand years of Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu's life together, from new life to new adventures, with loss and grief and change along the way.

Fire In A Flask Rated E. Feanor/Fingolfin, Silmarillion. On a journey into the dark woods of Yavanna's experiments, Fëanor and Fingolfin thoroughly ruin a blanket.

The Great-Great-Grandmother Paradox Rated E. Arwen from LOTR/Luthien from the Silmarillion. Arwen, about the year 1000 of the Third Age, is sent back to the Years of the Stars, in Neldoreth, in Beleriand, and there meets her great-great-grandmother, Lúthien.

Loopholes and Choices Rated T. Gen focusing on Feanor & his sons, Silmarillion. Fëanor and his sons come up with the wording of the Oath in a family meeting.

Hope Is A Four-Letter Word Rated E. Maedhros/Fingon/Hurin, Silmarillion. Húrin spends a rather important evening with Fingon and Maedhros.

Truce of the Space Games Rated G. Amyntas & Leon, Truce of the Games by Rosemary Sutcliff. Space AU! Amyntas and Leon, in a different setting, in the same Games, in the same war.

I nominate anyone who wants to do it, but also: @naryaflame, @spiced-wine-fic, @arofili, @havisham, and @brazenbells!

#silmarillion #hualian #wenzhou #rosemary sutcliff #lord of the rings

[emilybeemartin]

Me, watching the Eagle: COS-TIS COS-TIS COS-TIS COS-TIS

100% who I referenced for RotT pieces. Also damn Mark Strong was in every aughts historical epic, wasn't he?

Film exec: Is this script set before 1850?

Casting: Yes sir

Film exec: Swords?

Casting: Yup

Film exec: So we need Mark Strong

Casting: Correct

Intern: Why do we need Mark Strong?

Film exec:

Casting:

Film exec:

Casting:

Intern, scribbling hurriedly: need... Mark... Strong...

#return of the thief #queen's thief #costis #megan whalen turner #the eagle #marcus flavius aquila #channing tatum #the eagle of the ninth #mark strong #rosemary sutcliff

[nessrealta]

And now that it was all over, now that the choice was made, and one faith kept and one faith broken, Aquila drove his face down on to his forearm against the whippy roughness of the brushwood bundles, and cried as he had never cried before and would never cry again.

Rosemary Sutcliff, The Lantern Bearers

#rosemary sutcliff #the lantern bearers #characters who cry #rereading old favourites

[dimsilver]

Rosemary Sutcliff’s The Silver Branch is like “And the weak things of the world God has chosen, and the low and despised, and the wingless eagle and the lost legion and the timid surgeon…and the court fool and certified Weird Guy who wears a tail” and I just

#how Chesterton of her I guess??? #I love the book #and also what?? #rosemary sutcliff #the silver branch

[incorrect-the-eagle-bis]

esca: marcus, i think you might have PTSD

marcus: yeah i have PTSD

marcus: Proficent Talent for Sucking Di—

esca: we also need to talk about your use of humour as a coping mechanism

#marcus flavius aquila #marcus aquila #esca mac cunoval #rosemary sutcliff #the eagle of the ninth #the eagle 2011 #the eagle #incorrect quotes

[readingaway]

Danielle Babbles About Books - The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff

Why did you read this book? - I know I saw it in some rec lists of historical fiction, and I recall seeing it around in bookshops, but kept deciding not to read it because it's so old. Historical fiction from 70 years ago is likely to have holes and inaccuracies that a person writing at the time wouldn't have been aware of. But I saw a lot of really positive reviews of it. Eventually I broke down and got a copy when I spent an afternoon at Vindolanda in September of '22.

A little about Vindolanda: it is the site of a Roman fort two miles south of Hadrian's wall. It predates the wall and was manned after the wall was abandoned. Due to climate, geography, and Roman methods of construction and waste disposal, the site is an archaeological goldmine. There's a little museum down the hill from the site (a converted manor house) and it's stuffed to the gills with artifacts from that site. Including beautiful pottery from Spain that got broken in transit and thrown away in otherwise perfect condition (it's still a very beautiful orange), an amulet that's believed to be a betrothal gift which features a kissing couple on one side, a somewhat disintegrated toilet seat, and one of the earliest samples of roman women's writing.

So of course after wandering all over the site and the museum I hit up the museum gift shop and along with a couple nonfiction books picked up this.

Main thoughts - I was floored by Sutcliff's descriptive prose and pacing. It's quite slow in pace, but the detail is captivating. The characters are believable and the world of Roman/ ancient Britain is drawn so, so well. And on top of all that detail and getting to live vicariously in this often harsh but fascinating world is compelling characters and a quest.

On slavery and imperialism - So, with the main character being a (young) roman man, in the roman army, in a roman colony, it was very interesting to see how Sutcliff wrote through this perspective, and about imperialism and slavery in the 1950s. Having read contemporary british works I wouldn't have been surprised if Sutcliff had been less inclined to question to empire and its systems, and I don't want to mislead anyone considering reading the book to think that the depiction of these topics is wholeheartedly condemning. But there was more... nuance, and perspective than I'd expected.

I now know quite a bit more about Rome as a slave state than I did when I read the book, so I can say that the depiction of the house slaves was more inaccurate than I'd realized, as they would have lived with fewer rights and under greater threat. But they are depicted as people and don't simply exist in the background or in a couple lines.

As for imperialism, Marcus never questions whether the empire is good or bad, it's not a topic of discussion. It's also not the point of the book. But through Marcus's friendships and adventures, there is something there. "Is the empire a good thing?" or "Is the institution of slavery evil and should I become an abolitionist?" aren't questions that need to be asked directly by a character for the reader to get an idea.

I do think that this kind of subtlety could be put to use more often in contemporary historical fiction.

#the eagle of the ninth #rosemary sutcliff #danielle babbles about books #my reviews #book reviews #my books #please note the could and more often in the last sentence

[verecunda]

He gave the order for the Britons beyond the shores of The familiar sea And the Brigantes with their shields of blue To submit their necks to Roman chains

- Seneca, Apocolocyntosis (12.3)

HOW have I never come across this quote before?! Beyond the fact that I’m not an avid reader of Seneca in my spare time. :P The bearers of the blue war-shield! So this is where she got it from. :DD

#research is mad #occasional Classics blogging #The Eagle of the Ninth #Rosemary Sutcliff

[windwardrose]

I think I need to go re-read The Shining Company again... it's been a bit of a while... time for awesome tragedy and camaraderie and the innate glory of being alive and a part of something equal parts wondrous and doomed...

the only question is, do we re-read BEFORE or AFTER I finish Nona the Ninth?

#rosemary sutcliff #the shining company #tlt #the locked tag