tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post4500067609739258437..comments2023-11-29T07:39:34.401+00:00Comments on Carla Nayland Historical Fiction: The battle of Catraeth: other evidence and interpretationCarlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-14946939930281118482016-03-04T20:45:33.134+00:002016-03-04T20:45:33.134+00:00Gabriele - Yes, I remember that Kalkriese was some...Gabriele - Yes, I remember that Kalkriese was something of a surprise when it was found. Which is the nice thing about new evidence; when it turns up, it quite often does shift theories that had become accepted almost by default. If someone turns up a late 6th-C mass grave with battle-injured skeletons associated with artefacts from Deira and Edinburgh somewhere in the Tweed valley, I shall be quite happy to accept that Catraeth isn't at Catterick Bridge :-)<br /><br />Constance - Good luck, and hope you enjoy it! I agree, the shape and flow of the sounds matters a lot in poetry.Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-56862661966573213042016-02-28T22:08:48.335+00:002016-02-28T22:08:48.335+00:00Carla- That's a dandy plan! I read Rilke in Ge...Carla- That's a dandy plan! I read Rilke in German for the feel of it, even though my German is very poor. Likewise with Italian. But I at least get a feel for it. Mouthfeel for poetry is important I think. Constance Brewerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17964121072645959593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-49503428366703608252016-02-28T14:29:07.559+00:002016-02-28T14:29:07.559+00:00And the evidence may show up in a place no one sus...And the evidence may show up in a place no one suspected or which was at least low on the list of possibilities. The two famous Roman battlefields in Germany fall in that catergory (locating Teutoburg Forest at Kalkriese had been low on the list; and the AD 235 battlefield of Kalefeld/Harzhorn had been looked for some 200 miles further south and closer to the Limes border, because no one took the sources which said Maximinus Thrax had invaded Germania all the way to the sea seriously).<br /><br />BTW I have no idea why my first post appears twice. Blogger got a hiccup again, it seems.Gabriele Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17205770868139083575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-54017086610521142732016-02-28T11:55:12.113+00:002016-02-28T11:55:12.113+00:00Gabriele - indeed so. There are two or three fairl...Gabriele - indeed so. There are two or three fairly strong candidates for each of your three, aren't there? There will probably never be a definitive answer unless ssome new evidence turns up. Maybe one day archaeology might find a mass grave of the right date, or battlefield debris of the right type in one of the candidate locations. In the meantime, though, you can take your pick of whichever fits your story better :-) <br /><br />Constance - good luck with your manuscript! Being a poet yourself, you might enjoy some of the poetry in the original language where you can feel things like rhyme and scan, even if you don't speak Old/Middle Welsh. Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-14787450036829501292016-02-28T01:26:15.443+00:002016-02-28T01:26:15.443+00:00Thanks for the background on the poem. I find it f...Thanks for the background on the poem. I find it fascinating. Makes me want to branch out my poetry reading. But I can't until I get this manuscript off. Then I can refresh my mind with some epic poetry!Constance Brewerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17964121072645959593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-45354251784637011672016-02-27T13:11:04.476+00:002016-02-27T13:11:04.476+00:00Isn't it fun to hunt ancient battle sites? I&#...Isn't it fun to hunt ancient battle sites? I'm chasing Mons Graupius, Nechtansmere and Brunanburh. They've all proven rather elusive when it comes to 'the' answer; I can take may pick from several possibilities which in case of novel writing is at least not that much of a problem as long as it makes sense historically (army moving speed and such). Gabriele Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17205770868139083575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-29160196588435377302016-02-27T13:10:54.672+00:002016-02-27T13:10:54.672+00:00Isn't it fun to hunt ancient battle sites? I&#...Isn't it fun to hunt ancient battle sites? I'm chasing Mons Graupius, Nechtansmere and Brunanburh. They've all proven rather elusive when it comes to 'the' answer; I can take may pick from several possibilities which in case of novel writing is at least not that much of a problem as long as it makes sense historically (army moving speed and such). Gabriele Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17205770868139083575noreply@blogger.com