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Mmm, Vikings (Arthurian Vikings, but whatever, it's cool)
Okay, I know everyone was all giddy yesterday about the King Arthur pics of Keira looking fierce (but cold. Poor girl, that costume looks really uncomfortable) or Ioan looking terribly butch, or both. I was too, believe me. But I want to throw a little love in the direction of Stellan Skarsgard. Come on, is that not the face of a Viking who knows he's doomed to die, and wants only to die well? I've only seen Stellan in contemporary roles, so I had no idea he had such a great look for period pieces. Nice surprise. I also have no idea who this Cedric he plays is (Cedric the Saxon, kidnapped and sent back in time from Ivanhoe?), but I'll admit freely that the Arthurian mythos is not traditionally my thing. I had one Medieval Comp. Lit. class on it as an undergrad (Gildas to Mallory, yeehaw), and that's pretty much it. Anyway, Stellan has definitely made the cast of my fantasy Beowulf and/or Viking saga movie, along with Dennis Storhoi and Vladimir Kulich from 13th Warrior (not a great pic of Dennis, but Vladimir looks fearsome), possibly Rutger Hauer (he did "nobly doomed" wonderfully in Ladyhawke, but that was a long time ago, and he's not aging well) and pretty much all of the Rohirrim. Some of the extras in King Arthur seem to fit the bill as well, and who is that long-haired cutie? Him too. I'll make him Wiglaf or something.
And speaking of King Arthur, I’m not in favor of banning books, but damn if I'm not tempted when it comes to Mists of Avalon. Not permanently, but just long enough so that there's one generation of teenies that doesn't shriek, "But Guinevere was blonde! She was a pious Christian virgin! Why isn't it all about the women? Where's Morgaine/Viviane/Morgause/whotheheckever?" whenever something Arthurian arises in pop culture. And I like MoA, or at least I did when I read it at thirteen (haven't read it since, and from what I hear it often doesn't hold up well after adolescence). But kiddies, it is not the Arthurian gospel. It's certainly not very good history, Arthurian or not. Or, you know, history at all. It's just a novel. Honestly.
And speaking of King Arthur, I’m not in favor of banning books, but damn if I'm not tempted when it comes to Mists of Avalon. Not permanently, but just long enough so that there's one generation of teenies that doesn't shriek, "But Guinevere was blonde! She was a pious Christian virgin! Why isn't it all about the women? Where's Morgaine/Viviane/Morgause/whotheheckever?" whenever something Arthurian arises in pop culture. And I like MoA, or at least I did when I read it at thirteen (haven't read it since, and from what I hear it often doesn't hold up well after adolescence). But kiddies, it is not the Arthurian gospel. It's certainly not very good history, Arthurian or not. Or, you know, history at all. It's just a novel. Honestly.
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I think the Ivanhoe Cedric is the anachronism ;) If I remember right from my Rosemary Sutcliffe (a sadly out-of-print but fabulous author about late-Roman Britain), Cerdic was one of the Saxons who came into British territory (whence the names Sussex & Essex in England) and the "historical" King Arthur, who may have been a Romanized Welshman (mmmmIoan!) fought against him at Maldon? I *highly* recommend R. Sutcliffe if you've never read her stuff.
I also really love Stellan Starsgard and adored the original "Insomnia" - would love to see him in a film version of the Henning Mankell mysteries if they ever do those.
And I COMPLETELY agree with you about Mists of Avalon - I completely loathe that book (although the miniseries was a guilty pleasure.) I really had to force myself to finish it and I will *never* recommend it to anyone!!!
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I've read and enjoyed some Rosemary Sutcliffe (what I've been able to find anyway- I'd sell my sister for a copy of Blood and Sand), but I don't remember Cerdic. Time for a reread, maybe. Arthur at Maldon, though? Oof.
Stellan was excellent in Insomnia, I agree. He doesn't get enough recognition in this country, though I think much of that's the price of being a character actor. I'm sure he's "that mean guy from Good Will Hunting" to an awful lot of people. And I've heard of, but never read, Markell (or I've heard of Wallander, at least), so I'll have to keep an eye out.
Mists of Avalon was fun when I read it as a preteen, but even at the time I was thinking, "I'm going to outgrow this really quickly." And no surprise, I did- I've tried once or twice to read it since, and have never gotten more than a chapter in. I've only seen bits of the miniseries, but the costumes looked pretty, at least. Honestly, though, it's that Mystical Shamanism nonsense again. I just can't stand it.
Rosemary Sutcliffe
I read as much of her stuff as I could lay my hands on in my teens.
Sword at Sunset also had the excellent effect of inoculating me against Mists of Avalon, which I managed about two chapters of before hurling it aside with some force.
Re: Rosemary Sutcliffe
I definitely need to re-read Sutcliffe. I read Mark of the Horselord, if I'm remembering it rightly (it's the one with Phaedrus the gladiator, right?), but I never got to read Swords at Sunset, thanks to some light-fingered library patron. I've always been fond of Dragon Slayer, because, hey, Beowulf. Quickest way to get my interest is with Beowulf. It's a shame that ninety percent of her work is out of print, though. Fingers crossed that it gets reprinted soon.
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The historical Arthur probably fought a number of battles against the various Germanic invaders but he certainly didn't fight at Maldon. The battle of Maldon, as celebrated in a famous epic poem, took place in 990 CE between English forces under the command of Earl Brithnoth and Viking Raiders. As Maldon is on the coast of Essex it would be a highly unlikely place to find Arthur in any event.
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I'll put a plug in for early English history as particularly interesting. The period from the first Germanic settlements to Hastings is much overlooked. This is particularly egregious when one bears in mind that in the 8th and 9th centuries CE England was one of the most advanced and culturally vibrant societies in Western Europe.