Cuthbert of Farne: A novel of Northumbria’s warrior saint
Ebook
What made a young Anglo-Saxon warrior lay down his sword and enter a monastery? Why would he turn his back on wealth and position – and women? Seventh-century England is a time of war and religious divisions that threaten to split the Church. As a reconciler and peace-maker he is much loved by those around him, and his antagonist, the powerful Bishop Wilfrid, respects him. When Cuthbert’s vocation takes him to the windswept solitude of Inner Farne, his long-foretold destiny lies in wait for him. He is summoned back to become the most powerful churchman in the land. This gripping historical novel takes us to the heart of Cuthbert’s world and sheds new light on the life and times of the North’s favourite saint.
History teaches us that Saint Cuthbert was a monk and hermit in the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria. He was buried at Lindisfarne Abbey, but when his coffin was first moved, it was opened, and his body was found to be perfect, hence the saintly appellation. His remains now lie in Durham Cathedral and still attract visitors today. He was present at the Synod of Whitby in 664 AD when the final decision was made for the English Church to adopt the Roman Rule introduced by Saint Augustine rather than that practised by the Irish monks who brought Celtic Christianity to Iona much earlier.
So much for the facts which come mainly from Bede and an earlier anonymous life written by the monks of Lindisfarne Abbey. In Cuthbert of Farne, Katharine Tiernan puts flesh on the bare bones of the members of the ruling family of the kingdom of Northumbria in the years before the Normans took possession of England. In addition, she shows us that the reaction to the decision made at Whitby was not as clear-cut or amicable as history tells us. Here, this is depicted in the dislike (or even hatred) between Cuthbert and Wilfred, also Northumbrian-born and both present at that Synod, each representing a side of the divide. The author is very much on Cuthbert’s side and, although the author takes his point of view, I would have preferred more balance in her depiction of these two men. However, what I did like, because it was refreshing, is that the author focuses on the wives, mothers, daughters, sisters and aunts of these belligerent Saxon menfolk.
Partly because I have often visited and love the iconic seascapes of the novel’s settings—Melrose, Lindisfarne, Bamburgh and Whitby—and because the experiences of women (plus the monks and nuns) of Anglo-Saxon history too often are neglected, I thoroughly recommend this well-written novel.
A good introductory novel for those with a fledgling interest in Anglo-Saxon religion and politics.
Tiernan has a flair for psychological insight and an imagination that fills in the gaps in the historical record without ever doing violence to what is likely. She is also possessed of a vivid visual imagination, and an illuminator’s eye for small details. This is a highly pleasurable and intelligent piece of historical fiction.
Whether you are looking for an exciting historical novel or are interested in the northern saints, this is the book for you. The author has researched the writings of both Bede and that of the anonymous monk who wrote a life of Cuthbert shortly after his death. The book known as The Anonymous Life tells more about the young Cuthbert than does Bede. It is from this that we learn Cuthbert, far from being a poor shepherd boy, actually came from a well-to-do background and, like all boys of his station in Anglo-Saxon Northumbria, was expected to be a warrior and took part in at least one battle. Katharine Tiernan uses this material to tell us more about the childhood of Cuthbert and imagines how he came to turn from this to the life of the much-loved monk.
What I particularly enjoyed about this book is that it is fast-moving but that, when the author uses her imagination to bring to life parts of the story which do not come from historical sources, she has taken no liberties with the characters or the situations in which they found themselves. She makes clear the political background to the Synod of Whitby: we meet the young Wilfred and understand more about his conflict with the Irish Church; we also meet Eata, Boisil, Hild and also the political leaders of the time, and they all behave in the manner which Bede leads us to expect.
I have recommended this book to all the guides in Durham Cathedral, but it is worthy of a much wider audience. I couldn’t put it down.
This glorious novel gives us a new understanding of Saint Cuthbert: here he is not an ascete who has turned his back on the world, but a strong political activist who has dedicated his life to peace and reconciliation. From his rocky abode, lashed by the bitter salty North Sea winds, in the company of seals and seagulls, and with little in the way of food or physical comforts, he is a warrior engaged in a rare kind of struggle. But this is also a tender story of love and longing and belonging in the new Christian communities of seventh-century Northumbria. The reader wants to walk that coast, breathe that air.
- Title: Cuthbert of Farne: A novel of Northumbria’s warrior saint
- Author: Katharine Tiernan
- Publisher: Sacristy Press
- Print Publication Date: 2019
- Logos Release Date: 2023
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781789590111, 9781789590098, 1789590094, 9781789590104, 1789590108, 1789590116
- Resource ID: LLS:9781789590111
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2023-06-28T20:58:50Z
Katharine Tiernan is a Northumbrian by birth and spent many childhood afternoons on the shores of Lindisfarne. She studied English Literature at York University and worked as a teacher and community artist. By the turn of the millennium, both Katharine and her Australian husband were hankering for the wide-open spaces of the north and moved back to Northumberland. There she wrote her first novel, Place of Repose.
Cuthbert of Farne sees Katharine return to the Anglo-Saxon world of early Christianity. It reflects her interests in literature, spirituality and the inspirational landscape of the north.