The Dragon and the Raven by G
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P a g e | - 1 - The Dragon and the Raven by G. A. Henty STUDY GUIDE BY NICKI TRUESDELL This guide is free to subscribers of nickitruesdell.com. If you would like to share this with your friends, please share this link: https://nickitruesdell.com/2018/08/dragonandtheravenfreestudyguide/ Dragon and the Raven Study Guide nickitruesdell.com P a g e | - 2 - Order the book here: The Dragon and the Raven by G. A. Henty Listen to a free audio version here. How to use this study guide: This Study Guide is designed to be used in a variety of situations by homeschool families or in a homeschool co-op setting. It may be used by an individual student or a group of students. It’s suitable for upper elementary and high school (as well as parents who would like to learn along with their children!). I like to read stories like this one aloud to my children, and then have everyone participate in the discussions and activities (according to their ages and abilities). We typically read 1-2 chapters per day (or listen to a quality audio version), look at and mark up the maps, visit a link or two, watch a video clip, or explore other books. Use the “Think and Do” sections for further research and fun activities. (You’ll notice that some chapters don’t have this section; I tried not to overwhelm with frivolous content.) Of course, you’ll want to do some kind of costuming, eat some Saxon or Viking foods, listen to their languages, and play historic games. At the end of this guide, I’ve included links to additional resources that you might want to add. Please consider purchasing through my affiliate links to allow me to provide more free study guides like this one! (If you haven’t already, download my free study guide to Beric the Briton. It tells the story of the British people before this tale.) This guide is a gift for {nickitruesdell.com} subscribers. Please do not forward this PDF. However, I’d love it if you shared a link to my site! http://nickitruesdell.com/ If your family uses this guide, I’d love feedback! Comment on my site, email me, or post on my social media pages. I look forward to your input! Dragon and the Raven Study Guide nickitruesdell.com P a g e | - 3 - Optional resources to use with this guide: This DVD is one hour of a reenactment-style documentary of Vikings, without being too violent or gory. You do get a sense of what the Vikings are capable of without seeing too much that is disturbing. I showed it to all my children. Parents may want to preview it for their own families. (Order here) Norse Myths by the D’aulaires is a beautifully illustrated guide to the Viking beliefs. I recommend it for extra study or a read-aloud beginning in Chapter 8. It leads to great discussion of the contrast between the Christian Saxons and the heathen Vikings. (Order here) Dragon and the Raven Study Guide nickitruesdell.com P a g e | - 4 - Before we begin, let’s explore a brief history of the English-speaking people. Most mildly educated Americans think of Queen Elizabeth when they think of England, or Great Britain. But we aren’t just mildly educated, are we?? No…this guy isn’t all there is to Britain, either. Forget the proper Brits, their tea drinking, and their impressive accent for a while. Because their ancestors weren’t quite… how shall we say… proper. Not at first, anyway… Dragon and the Raven Study Guide nickitruesdell.com P a g e | - 5 - These are the original British, or Britons, also known as… Barbarians You see, waaaay back before the first century A.D., these Britons were living happily on their own private island, hunting, fishing, and basically surviving. Until… 55. B. C., when Julius Caesar, the Emperor of Rome, turned his gaze toward the Island of Britain… He tried to conquer Britain but did not succeed. Dragon and the Raven Study Guide nickitruesdell.com P a g e | - 6 - Rom was trying to conquer the world, and to them, this is what it looked like: Though Julius Caesar did not conquer Britain, in 41 A.D. the Emperor Claudius came to the throne of the Roman Empire and sent a large army (20,000 soldiers) to Britain. The Britons (or Celts) were a primitive people compared to the Romans. They were not organized or disciplined fighters. Guerilla warfare was the only method of fighting they knew. They were not prepared to fight trained soldiers from a successful, world-conquering army… …until one day… the Roman army slaughtered all the Celtic priests on their Holy Island. And the Barbarians rose up to fight. Dragon and the Raven Study Guide nickitruesdell.com P a g e | - 7 - The lady in this statue Is Boudicca – Queen of the Iceni tribe. In retaliation for the lives of the priests, Boudicca led her band against the Romans, and burned several towns, including London. The Iceni and other tribes fought, but eventually lost. They finally gave up and made peace negotiations with their new Roman rulers. (Read Beric the Briton by G.A. Henty and download my free study guide for the whole, exciting story!) This statue is right near Westminster in London – the only statue in London dedicated to someone who destroyed the city. This is Roman Britain. Can you tell how the names are very … Latin?? Do you see London? It was called “Londonium.” Rome ruled Britain for 300 more years. You can still see Roman ruins all over Britain today, like the roads, the baths, the bridges, and the amphitheaters. Dragon and the Raven Study Guide nickitruesdell.com P a g e | - 8 - But the world was about to change. In 367 A.D. Picts, Scots, and Saxons from Europe all fell together on Britannia. Rome tried to fight them off on behalf of Britons. But after years of battles in Britain and throughout Europe, Britain was drained of its Roman defenders and British soldiers. In 410 A.D. Rome lost its power. “With invaders flooding Britain in the wake of the Roman withdrawal, a legendary figure stepped forward to lead Britons against the Teutonic surge.” (Warfare History Network) “There looms, large, uncertain, dim but glittering, the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Somewhere in the Island a great captain gathered the forces of Roman Britain and fought the barbarian invaders to the death. Around him, around his name and his deeds, shine all that romance and poetry can bestow.” (Winston Churchill) Who was this great man? Arthur. Perhaps you’ve heard of Arthur and his knights? Eventually, though, the Saxons conquered. Once again, the Britons became subjects to another master. The British Island was safe from invaders from the east, so the Saxons continued to pour in and settle. Dragon and the Raven Study Guide nickitruesdell.com P a g e | - 9 - The Saxons were cruel; their name is derived from “Seax,” meaning short sword. Their lifestyle and culture were the “Germanic system” – the family was the unit, and tribe was the whole. The foundation of the Germanic system was blood and kin. The great transition which we witness among the emigrants is the abandonment of blood and kin as the theme of their society and its replacement by local societies and lordship based on ownership of land. Fighting for life and foothold against men as hard pressed as themselves, each pioneering band fell inevitably into the hands of the bravest, most commanding, most fortunate war-leader. Settlements must be founded. These must be guarded, and who could guard them except the bold chieftains who had gained them over the corpses of their former owners? And so, KINGS arose in Britain. Over the next few hundred years, there was a long and intricate rivalry for leadership between the Anglo-Saxon kings. By the way: how do we know all of this? Thanks to the establishment of the Christian church, monks kept detailed logs of events in Britain. The Venerable Bede contributed greatly to compiling and continuing these records. We now have this record in a book called the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. (You can even purchase a copy on Amazon!) Oh, but the world was again on the verge of great change… Dragon and the Raven Study Guide nickitruesdell.com P a g e | - 10 - In Scandinavia the Vikings were fitting out their long-boats for sea. In 793, on a January morning, the wealthy monastic settlement of Lindisfarne, off the Northumbrian coast, was suddenly attacked by a powerful fleet from Denmark. They sacked the place, devoured the cattle, killed many of the monks, and sailed away with a rich booty in gold, jewels, and sacred emblems… Measure for measure, what the Saxons had given to the Britons was meted out to the English after the lapse of four hundred years. By 865 Viking raids had turned into conquering raids. The Vikings would be paid off to leave, and then not leave. They demanded land and food. They continued to raid further inland, murdering and plundering. The Vikings were a constant threat, from both land and sea. And this is where our story opens… Dragon and the Raven Study Guide nickitruesdell.com P a g e | - 11 - FIGURE 1: MAP 1 Dragon and the Raven Study Guide nickitruesdell.com P a g e | - 12 - FIGURE 2: MAP 2 Dragon and the Raven Study Guide nickitruesdell.com P a g e | - 13 - FIGURE 3: MAP 3 Dragon and the Raven Study Guide nickitruesdell.com P a g e | - 14 - Chapter 1.