Catla and the Vikings by Mary Elizabeth Nelson

The fictional events that make up this novel occur just after the battle at Stamford Bridge in 1066 during which Tostig was killed and King Harold saw his throne secured.

On an autumn day, just before her village's harvest, thirteen-year-old Catla is out on the headland above her village of Covehithe, considering an offer of betrothal to Olav, an older peddler. Catla lives with her father, Athelstan and her mother, Sarah and her younger brothers, Cuthbert and Dunstan, and her little sister, Bega. Olav had asked Arknell, steward to the Earl of Northumbria if he could marry her. Arknell had agreed but given Catla two moon cycles to consider the proposal.  Her father, Athelstan had told her if she couldn't decide he would make the betrothal announcement this evening. But Catla doesn't really want to marry Olav, but she wants to please her parents too. Her mother, Sarah believes she should be free to choose but her father has stated that she must support him. Her sister Lioba was onlly thirteen when she was married last year. 

Olav is a peddlar who lives in York, and marrying him will mean that Catla must move there. She doesn't like York which she finds dirty and smelly. York has seen many Norsemen settle within the city's old Roman walls. Only a few days ago, King Harald's brother Tostig was killed in a battle at Stamford Bridge, just outside of York. While the invaders had now left, Catla is not interested in moving there. She also finds that Olav smells and he has told her he intends to control the purse as she has never used coins. 

On her way home, Catla sees smoke coming from her village and witnesses an attack on Covehithe by Vikings. She sees a large Viking warship in the cove below the sea cliffs, it's red and white sail fluttering in the breeze and the sea monster on the long curved stern. Catla watches through the swirling smoke as the villagers run about in terror. Realizing that she cannot help her family or her village, Catla sets out on a journey to the nearest village, Aigber, on the banks of the Humber River, to seek help.  Her father, headman of Covehithe was a fighting companion of Hugh, headman of Aigber and Catla believes they will come to her village's aid.

On her way, Catla is troubled by what has happened and wonders if her family are alive or will be enslaved. She isn't even certain she can find Aigber. As she walks Catla considers her family who have always helped others. Her father had told her that his family had been granted this land generations ago due to valor in battle and that his father was a "just and godly man". Her mother was a brave warrior too, who had fought along side Catla's father. She was known for her skill with the short stabbing sword and the catapult. Catla wonders why Covehithe was attacked. King Harald's brother, Tostig had attempted to take the crown but was killed during the battle at Stamford Bridge. His death meant that King Harald's crown was safe now. 

To get to Aigber which is located on the banks of the Humber River, Catla must first travel to the standing stones. Every summer her family had travelled to the standing stones for the Longest Day celebrations. Catla passes the barrows, the burial mounds of an ancient people said to be haunted by barrow ghosts. Traveling by night, she stops at the standing stones to rest, falling asleep from exhaustion. In the early morning, at the standing stones, Catla meets Sven, an older boy from her village on his way back from York. Catla tells him their village has been attacked by the Nord-devils as she calls them. The two of them set out together on the final stage of the journey to Aigber.

On the way to Aigber, Sven has Catla tell him what she witnessed at her village. She tells him she's certain they were Norse because she heard them talking. She also tells him about the Viking ship with its oars, red and white sails and the figure on the stern. But she doesn't know how many Norsemen have attacked Covehithe and Sven is worried that Aigher might also have been attacked. At the smell of smoke Catla takes off running but stops when Sven cautions her to think about what she might be running into. When Catla peers over a hill, she discovers a party of five Norsemen, dressed in black tunics and leather helmets covering their noses, armed with axes and swords. They soon discover that the men are from a ship that is headed upriver on the Humber towards Aigber. Catla and Sven walk towards Aigber to warn them

In Aigber they meet Catla's mother's friend, Edith and Edith's elderly father Wulfric. Catla tells Edith what has happened at Covehithe and that they Norsemen are travelling up the river towards Aigber. At a council, Catla tells her story and Aigber's headman, Hugh is surprised by this story because there haven't been slave raids in years and didn't bother them on their way to the battle at York. However, he acknowledges that they lost that battle and may be attempting to take slaves. He asks his wife Edith to organize the mothers to take their children to the hill fort while they prepare for the Norsemen. Catla and Sven learn that the villagers of Aigber have been planning to defend themselves against the Norse since the summer and have constructed nets to capture the Norsemen to be sold as slaves to the king. But will it work and save Aigber and the captives from Covehithe?

Discussion  

Catla and the Vikings is a well-paced historical fiction novel with an attractive cover illustration that will appeal to younger readers who like adventure and learning about history. 

This juvenile historical novel focuses on two fictional villages which are attacked by the marauding Vikings in the year 1066. The peoples of Norway, Sweden and Denmark did not call themselves "Vikings". They left their farming communities in Scandanavia to seek out resources and expand their territory. In the 8th century, England was a collection of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms that included Northumbria in the north of England, and Wessex in the southwest. These kingdoms formed after the  Romans left England. 

The Vikings first attacked the wealthy Lindisfarne community in Northumbria, in 793 A.D. destroying the church of St. Cuthbert. The raids took silver, gold and people to sell as slaves in Europe and Central Asia. The raids continued for several decades and then expanded to larger attacks to engage the royal armies in England. In 838 A.D. the Vikings allied with the Cornish against the West Saxon King Ecgberht, but were defeated. From 865 A.D. to 871 A.D., Viking armies had overtaken Northumbria, East Anglia and Mercia, defeating their kings. Only King Alfred of Wessex was successful in saving his people. This left all of the north of England and the land east of London under Viking control. King Alfred's heirs, Edward, Athelflaed and his grandson Athelstan  reclaimed all of the Viking territories and established England. Athelstan became the first kind of the English. 

However the Vikings continued their raids. The English often paid vast sums for the Vikings to leave them alone. In 1013 A.D. the Danish king, Svein Forkbeard conquered all of England but died in 1014 A.D. His son Cnut repeated this conquest in 1016 A.D. He was also the ruler of Denmark, Norway, and southern Sweden. Eventually, Edward the Confessor became king of England in 1042 A.D. He died in 1066 A.D. without an heir triggering a battle over who would succeed him. Harold Godwinson was elected to succeed Edward but his brother Tostig decided to challenge this. He invited Norway's King Harald III (Harald Hardrada) to invade. In September 1066 A.D. Harald invaded England with a force of about three hundred ships. He won the first two battles near York, but was defeated and killed on September 25 in the Battle of Stamford Bridge. His army was wiped out with only about twenty-four boats left to return to Norway. The survivors were allowed to leave after pledging not to attack England again.

In Mary Elizabeth Nelson's Author's Note at the back of the book, she explains where Catla's story fits into this history: "...there was a rebellion close to York, in Northumbria, not too far from Catla's village. The previous year, northern lords had ousted Tostig, brother to the King of England, from his position as Earl of Northumbria. In his anger, Tostig conspired against his brother by inviting the King of Norway to invade England and claim England's throne. The Norse king had already created trouble by proclaiming he was the legitimate heir to the throne.

That autumn, hundreds of Norse ships crossed the North Sea. Some of them sailed up the River Humber to York, where three great battles were fought. The invaders won the first two, but the English king won the third one, at Stamford Bridge, just outside of the city of York."

In the novel, the Viking raiders who have attacked Covehithe are supposedly the remnants of King Harald of Norway's invading army of ten thousand men, who were defeated at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. Covehithe has been attacked by a group of approximately forty surviving Viking warriors who take the villagers hostage and place them in the goat pen. Twenty warriors stay to guard the captives while the remaining Vikings travel down the coast and up the Humber River to attack and loot Aigber and capture more slaves. Ragnar, a captured Viking reveals that they have attacked the two villages in order to take slaves needed to work the oars to return home. They plan to meet up with a second ship led by Helgi, the commander of the King Harald's ships. 

However this doesn't really fit with what is known about Viking raids and about what was pledged by the remaining Viking warriors after the Battle of Stamford Bridge. The Vikings were known to conduct lightning raids in which they went into a village, usually quickly destroying it, taking whatever goods and captives they could and fleeing. It's not likely they would stay at the village for two or three days leaving them open to a possible attack.  Instead it's more likely that Helgi's ship would have been nearby to take the captives from Covehithe while the second ship attacked Aigber. Catla would have likely known this and had little hope for her family and the people of her village still remaining in Covhithe. The only thing Catla knows is that people were being herded towards the goat pen. Were they still prisoners in Covehithe or are they on the ship she and Sven see on the Humber River ? It's also unlikely that the men of Aighers would risk taking their Viking captives on a long march back to Covehithe.

Catla and the Vikings is also a coming-of-age story. The main character is thirteen-year-old Catla who, as a young girl, has no say in her future. When she can't make a decision as to whether to accept the proposal of Olav, a much older man she does not really want to marry, Catla is essentially told by her father that he will make the announcement of her betrothal at that night's council. However, Catla proves to be a courageous and resourceful young girl. Despite her overwhelming fear, Catla remembers the words of her father, "There will be times in your life when you are afraid, but a brave person does what has to be done in spite of fear. You, my daughter, have the makings of a brave person."  She proves her father correct. Catla sets out alone to get help for her village. She helps plan the attack to rescue her family and village, uncovers vital information that will help in the rescue, and is involved in the battle to retake Covehithe. She confronts Olav, whom she does not want to marry and who has helped Martha during their imprisonment over their pending betrothal. Catla offers him a way out of the betrothal that saves both their reputations, thereby obtaining what both of them really want.. 

In the novel, Nelson portrays the religious beliefs of the characters as a mix of pagan and Christian beliefs. Christianity likely came to England well before St. Augustine's arrival in 597 A.D. In the 4th century, Christian beliefs were mixed with pagan beliefs. In the  novel Catla seems to have this mixture of Christian beliefs and a lingering belief in some of the ancient beliefs as well. While she watches her village being attacked, Catla states, "Oh ye gods, help them..." On her journey to the standing stones, Catla  "....hopes Gods ears were open when she promised that if she returned and found her family safe, she would never complain again about anything her parents asked her to do." But while she walks to the stones, she remembers how some folk "...told tales about goblins and fairies, said they lured men to their deaths, stole babies or exchanged them. Father John glowered when he heard these stories, for the Good Book did not allow for fairies...Most cottages had wormwood over the door to keep the goblins away. Now she was glad she had a stem or two and fumbled in her pouch until her fingers touched it, along with the sprigs of yarrow, known to turn evil aside." The barrows, which are the burial mounds of the the ancient people who lived long ago are also a source of fear and evil for Catla. Eustace, an older boy had terrified Catla with his descriptions of the barrow ghosts who have "...only hollows for eyes. Their long fingernails twist and turn. Their rags of clothing float on air. If they brush you, you lose a part of your soul." Remembering this, Catla calls on the Lord of the barrow ghosts to allow her safe passage. Although Catla clearly believes in her Christian faith she also considers some of her pagan beliefs to be helpful in dealing with her fears and the difficulties of life. She often mentions Father John and makes reference to the Blessed Virgin Mary, "Thank Our Lady, we are getting closer. My legs are tired."  

Author Mary Elizabeth Nelson has worked as a teacher-librarian and also as a language arts teacher.  Catla and the Vikings spans a few short days in the autumn of 1066, just prior to the Battle of Hastings that would change England forever. The novel would have benefited from a map showing England in relation to the Scandanavian countries of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. A second map of the Northumbria coastline and the situation of the two fictional villages as well as the journey Catla and Sven undertook. Not many juvenile books are illustrated these days, but this is one novel where the story would have been enriched by the artwork of an accomplished illustrator.

This short novel will appeal to younger readers who are interested in Vikings and the early history of England.

Book Details:
Catla and the Vikings by Mary Elizabeth Nelson
Victoria, B.C.: Orca        2012
183 pp.