The Hammer and the Cross
Encyclopedia
The Hammer and the Cross is the first in the series of novels written by Harry Harrison
and John Holm, the pseudonym for the Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey
. The book chronicles the rise of the protagonist Shef, a bastard son of a Viking
and an English lady. The book is set in the 9th century England where Viking raids are common and presents an alternate history to the one we know.
Within this realm, author Harry Harrison
brings to light what might have happened if the Vikings had waged more of a fight against the rather harsh, at that point in time, rule of the Catholic Church. Central to this theme is protagonist Shef, a thrall under the eye of his stepfather Wulfgar, a ruthless thane
of East Anglia
. Early in the story an ambivalence concerning Shef's birth is introduced: Is Shef the son of the Norse god Ríg
? Is he descended from a Viking named Sigvarth? The ambiguity holds through the trilogy.
The story begins, as previously stated, with Shef as a thrall in a thane's service. When he's not busy doing mundane tasks, Shef finds himself at the village blacksmith where his talents and an urge for invention live inside him. The action begins when Shef's stepsister Godive is taken by Sigvarth during his raid on their village. Shef and his friend Hund proceed to the encampment in which the Ragnarssons have inhabited.
Harry Harrison
Harry Harrison is an American science fiction author best known for his character the Stainless Steel Rat and the novel Make Room! Make Room! , the basis for the film Soylent Green...
and John Holm, the pseudonym for the Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey
Tom Shippey
Thomas Alan Shippey is a scholar of medieval literature, including that of Anglo-Saxon England, and of modern fantasy and science fiction, in particular the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, about whom he has written several scholarly studies. He is widely considered one of the leading academic scholars...
. The book chronicles the rise of the protagonist Shef, a bastard son of a Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
and an English lady. The book is set in the 9th century England where Viking raids are common and presents an alternate history to the one we know.
Within this realm, author Harry Harrison
Harry Harrison
Harry Harrison is an American science fiction author best known for his character the Stainless Steel Rat and the novel Make Room! Make Room! , the basis for the film Soylent Green...
brings to light what might have happened if the Vikings had waged more of a fight against the rather harsh, at that point in time, rule of the Catholic Church. Central to this theme is protagonist Shef, a thrall under the eye of his stepfather Wulfgar, a ruthless thane
Thegn
The term thegn , from OE þegn, ðegn "servant, attendant, retainer", is commonly used to describe either an aristocratic retainer of a king or nobleman in Anglo-Saxon England, or as a class term, the majority of the aristocracy below the ranks of ealdormen and high-reeves...
of East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
. Early in the story an ambivalence concerning Shef's birth is introduced: Is Shef the son of the Norse god Ríg
Ríg
Rígsþula or Rígsmál, "Lay of Ríg," is an Eddic poem in which a Norse god named Ríg or Rígr , described as "old and wise, mighty and strong" fathers the classes of mankind...
? Is he descended from a Viking named Sigvarth? The ambiguity holds through the trilogy.
The story begins, as previously stated, with Shef as a thrall in a thane's service. When he's not busy doing mundane tasks, Shef finds himself at the village blacksmith where his talents and an urge for invention live inside him. The action begins when Shef's stepsister Godive is taken by Sigvarth during his raid on their village. Shef and his friend Hund proceed to the encampment in which the Ragnarssons have inhabited.