like a dark, vengeful cloud. In the next moment all would be groans, screams and confusion.
Taken altogether, then, these clues of time, place, and weaponry indicate the germinal soil out of which Robin Hood sprang. As for the English Robin Hood with whom we are all so familiar . . . just as Arthur, a Briton, was later Anglicised—made into the quintessential English king and hero by the same enemy Saxons he fought against—a similar makeover must have happened to Robin. The British resistance leader, outlawed to the primeval forests of the March, eventually emerged in the popular imagination as an aristocratic Englishman, fighting to right the wrongs of England and curb the powers of an overbearing monarchy. It is a tale that has worn well throughout the years. However, the real story, I think, must be far more interesting.
And so, in an attempt to centre the tales of this British hero in the time and place where I think they originated—not where they eventually ended up—I have put a British Rhi Bran, and all his merry band of friends and enemies, in Wales.
—Stephen Lawhead
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The author gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Mieczys aw Piotrowski and the cooperation of Józef Popiel, Director of Biaowieski National Park, Poland, who kindly allowed me to roam freely in the last primeval forest in Europe.
PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
Many of the old Celtic words and names are strange to modern eyes, but they are not as difficult to pronounce as they might seem at first glance. A little effort—and the following rough guide—will help you enjoy the sound of these ancient words.
Consonants – As in English, but with the following exceptions:
c: hard, as in cat (never soft, as in cent)
ch: hard, as in Bach (never soft, as in church)
dd: a hard th sound, as in then
f: a hard v sound, as in of
ff: a soft f sound, as in off
g: hard, as in girl (never soft, as in George)
ll: a Gaelic distinctive, sounded as tl or hl on the sides of the tongue
r: rolled or slightly trilled, especially at the beginning of a word
rh: breathed out as if h-r and heavy on the h sound
s: soft, as in sin (never hard, as in his); when followed by a vowel it takes on the sh sound
th: soft, as in thistle (never hard, as in then)
Vowels – As in English, but generally with the lightness of short vowel sounds
a: short, as in can
á: slightly softer than above, as in awe
e: usually short, as in met
é: long a sound, as in hey
i: usually short, as in pin
í: long e sound, as in see
o: usually short, as in hot
ó: long o sound, as in woe
ô: long o sound, as in go
u: usually sounded as a short i, as in pin
ú: long u sound, as in sue
ù: short u sound, as in muck
w: sounded as a long u, as in hue; before vowels often becomes a soft consonant as in the name Gwen
y: usually short, as in pin; sometimes u as in pun; when long, sounded e as in see; rarely, y as in why
The careful reader will have noted that there is very little difference between i, u, and y—they are almost identical to non-Celts and modern readers.
Most Celtic words are stressed on the next to the last syllable. For example, the personal name Gofannon is stressed go-FAN-non, and the place name Penderwydd is stressed pen-DER-width, and so on.
AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE
Book Two in the King Raven Trilogy
As the story of King Raven continues, the stakes grow ever higher and the lives of Bran’s band hang ever more in the balance. Will Scarlet is about to be hung. Bran discovers a secret that leads them on a desperate sea voyage to France in a daring attempt to reveal the plot against King William by his brother, Duke Robert, and the greedy Baron de Braose.
Will Bran’s loyalty regain him the throne of Elfael? Or will his efforts only increase the sheriff ’s determination to destroy King Raven?
An excerpt from The Paradise War,
Book One in the Song of Albion trilogy
Chapter 1
AN AUROCHS IN THE WORKS
It all began with the aurochs.
We were having breakfast in our rooms at college. Simon was presiding over the table with his accustomed critique on the world as evidenced by the morning’s paper.
“Oh, splendid,” he sniffed. “It looks as if we have been invaded by a pack of free-loading foreign photographers keen on exposing their film—and who knows what else—to the exotic delights of Dear Old Blighty. Lock up your daughters, Bognor