So what happened? Did a Viking invasion wipe them out in battle, or did the newcomers arrive gradually, welcoming the opportunity to settle in a place that offered good grazing land and sheltered fishing grounds? The transition to the dominance of Norse blood and Norse ways may have been peaceable, intermarriage eventually causing the absorption of one culture into another. That raises its own set of questions. Can such a change occur without the loss of something precious and irreplaceable: ancestral identity?
Such “gray areas” in history are an irresistible lure for writers of historical fiction. In Wolfskin I have not attempted to recreate the history of the first Norse arrival in Orkney. A great deal of the story, not least its magical and folkloric elements, is imagination. I’ve simply presented one possible picture of how it might have been when the old inhabitants of the isles first encountered these fearsome strangers from the east with their vastly different culture. What might each have thought? Was it ever possible for them to understand one another? How much did each stand to lose?
The Folk, then, are my own creation, as is their king, Engus. But they are based on what we know of Pictish culture in Orkney. I have allowed them their own names for places and landmarks, since most of the current ones are of Norse derivation. Most of the places in this story can be found on a modern map under other titles. The Whaleback, site of Engus’s court, is the Brough of Birsay, which does bear the remains of a substantial Pictish settlement overlaid by Viking buildings. Other places on Somerled’s map are given the names his own folk bestowed on them, the old Norse names such as Hrossey and Hafnarvagr. The Kin Stone was indeed shattered by a careless hand at some point in its history. The original can be seen in the Museum of Scotland. The Great Stone of Oaths, known as the Odin Stone, is gone now, victim of an overzealous farmer. The greater and lesser stone circles still stand, and close by them you may possibly find the old howe where Eyvind and Nessa sheltered together. You can even walk up to the hollow where they sat and looked out westward, not far from the highest point of Marwick Head. You can take a ferry across to Hoy (High Island) and walk up to the Dwarfie Stane, the rock-cut tomb which so impressed that perceptive chieftain, Ulf.
The Christian brothers and their perilous journeys from Ireland were entirely real. Early monastic settlement in Orkney is well documented; Eynhallow (Holy Island) is their home in Wolfskin, but in fact they were scattered in many parts of the islands and had a strong influence on Orcadian culture.
Orkney was only half the inspiration for this story. The other half lay with the ultimate warrior of his time, the berserk. This name probably derives from berserkir, bear shirts. Another title for such warriors was ulfhednar, wolfskins. Such apparel probably marked their special status as the elite strike force of a king or nobleman.
Paddy Griffith’s excellent book, The Viking Art of War (Greenhill Books, 1995), was responsible for sparking off my interest with its insight into the nature of berserks. The common view that such a soldier was a psychotic, shield-chewing oaf who rushed naked into battle sits poorly with his depiction in the saga literature, where he is usually highly respected and, like other Vikings, pops off home to do the seeding, gather the harvest, or father a child in between his military duties. There are references to bands of berserk brothers hired en masse, and others suggesting that hallucinogenic substances or shamanistic practices may have played a part in the berserk’s ability to summon an insane, trancelike courage.
Then there was the religious aspect: the berserks were usually followers of Odin, trickiest of gods, and fought in obedience to a vow that would guarantee them glory in the afterlife. In Wolfskin, my troop of warriors owes allegiance to Thor, whose straightforward nature makes him more suited for a soldier’s god.
Having fixed on berserk warrior as hero, I then found my tale exploring the theme of loyalty and vows. To a man in Viking times a blood oath was deeply binding, as was a promise to a god. To break such an oath was to betray one’s honor, to step far beyond the boundaries of acceptable behavior. Eyvind faces a dilemma that tests him to the utmost. In such a case, perhaps only a man of transparent goodness can find a solution that is both compassionate and honorable.
About the Author
Juliet Marillier was born in Dunedin, New Zealand, a town with strong Scottish roots. She graduated from Otago University with a B.A. in languages and an honors degree in music, and has had a varied career that includes teaching and performing music as well as working in government agencies.
Juliet now lives in the Swan Valley area near Perth, Western Australia, where she writes full-time. Her garden features trees and herbs, in keeping with her druidic interests, and is a haven for local wildlife. Juliet currently shares her home with a dog and a cat.
Juliet Marillier is the author of the internationally acclaimed Sevenwaters Trilogy, a historical fantasy series set in ninth-century Ireland.
www.julietmarillier.com
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this novel are either
fictitious or are used fictitiously.
WOLFSKIN
Copyright © 2002 by Juliet Marillier
First published in 2002 by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Limited.
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.
Maps by Bronya Marillier
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
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New York, NY 10010
www.tor.com
Tor® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Marillier, Juliet.
Wolfskin / Juliet Marillier.—1st U.S. ed.
p. cm.
“A Tom Doherty Associates book.”
ISBN: 978-0-7653-0672-2
1. Vikings—Fiction. I. Title.
PR9619.3.M26755W65 2003
823'.92—dc21
2003041015
Juliet Marillier, Wolfskin
(Series: # )
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