Historical Setting: Jarrow, 794 C.E. Weaponry and wars make no happy endings, because there are no endings, just changes in populations and power structures. But, of course, mortals, by the very nature of mortality, draw conclusions, set goals of completion, grope after legacy and prepare for whatever afterlife their religion dictates. No mortal person hasContinue reading “#79.13 Wednesday, April 29, 2026”
Category Archives: Historical Fiction
#79.12 Tuesday, April 28, 2026
Historical Setting: Jarrow, 794 C.E. The Viking raid on Jarrow was swift and the tragedy was mostly on the Vikings’ side. All of the preparations for attack worked: the rocks across the river at the place of the tidal rise; the guards hidden in monk’s clothes; the swords and daggers sprinkled throughout Jarrow. Lindisfarne’s painfulContinue reading “#79.12 Tuesday, April 28, 2026”
#79.11 Thursday, April 23, 2026
Historical Setting: Jarrow, 794 C.E. At matins I chanted with the monks. Now in the full light of dawn, I walk with the monk-clad guards from the river to their posts at the sea. The tide is high and the river into the sea is roiling and deep. The heap of rocks that become theContinue reading “#79.11 Thursday, April 23, 2026”
#79.10 Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Historical Setting: Jarrow, 794 C.E. I’ve been listening to the talk of the old fellows who gather here in the mornings to consider the state of all things. Some come disgruntled, regardless of the events of life. But Tam comes with a resilient, joyful spirit despite his losses. It is the simple allegory of Job.Continue reading “#79.10 Wednesday, April 22, 2026”
#79.9 Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Historical Setting: Jarrow, 794 C.E. Comparing the things in our lives with others is always a false gauge for happiness. Envy and greed are closely linked to each other. It seems all these seven dwarves of “deadly sins” are false paths to love for self and neighbor, and these things leave us spiritually hollow, notContinue reading “#79.9 Tuesday, April 21, 2026”
#79.8 Thursday, April 16, 2026
Historical Setting: Jarrow, 794 C.E. He asked about the infant, and I asked the question back to the three old fellows gathered on the benches here. “Why would an ealdorman keep a baby here?” The man with no teeth answers first. “He thaid it were hith own thun.” The owner of cows, Tam,Continue reading “#79.8 Thursday, April 16, 2026”
#79.7 Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Historical Setting: Jarrow, 794 C.E. At the ealdorman’s house, Ousbert left the desk and the chair, the empty shelves and the sleeping mat which I have washed in lye soap and refilled with fresh straw. And in the first room are also some benches lining the outer wall. I thought the benches were for peopleContinue reading “#79.7 Wednesday, April 15, 2026”
#79.6 Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Historical Setting: Jarrow, 794 C.E. The baker came here with the sheer terror of Hell. I thought the issue was simply a matter of a miss-understanding about payment for bread. The abbot affirms the monastery doesn’t requisition their bread from local merchants. So, who is it that shows up every week and demands an abundanceContinue reading “#79.6 Tuesday, April 14, 2026”
#79.5 Thursday, April 9, 2026
Historical Setting: Jarrow, 794 C.E. To the abbot I say, “Assigned as I am to temporarily fill the place of the ealdorman, this man has a concern that needs to be settled. He is the village baker and every week he brings bread to this place, and the monks receive it, offering him onlyContinue reading “#79.5 Thursday, April 9, 2026”
#79.4 Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Historical Setting: Jarrow, 794 C.E. The baker and I are waiting to meet with the abbot in the monk’s chapel of St. Paul. Here the window is leaded with pieces of colored glass. The places in this room where shadows would nestle are not shadows at all, but little patches of dancing light, though theContinue reading “#79.4 Wednesday, April 8, 2026”
Lazarus Ink 