Midnight's Bride (35 page)

Before the usual blather about using words appropriate for the time period, I thought you might be interested in the old crone from the prologue. This character comes from my childhood in Key West, Florida. My sister, Dolores, and I used to run when we'd see her shuffling down the sidewalk toward our house. If she followed us as we raced down our driveway to the backyard, we'd run like our lives depended on it, yelling for our grandma.

We weren't being mean. Old Beyahita—that was her true name—was really scary. And from the time we could talk, we'd heard the old conchs whispering that she was a witch. We weren't taking any chances that she would cast a horrendous curse on us and…oh my. Mayhap she did! That would explain all these characters prancing around in my mind, demanding I bring them to life in my tales of love through the ages…

As usual, dear reader, please keep in mind that it is not always possible to use only eleventh-century words found in
English Through the Ages,
by William Brohaugh.

For instance,
trencher
wasn't in common usage in 1073. The
Encyclopedia Britannica
described it as “…originally a thick slice of bread, used as a primitive form of plate for eating and for slicing meat (hence its derivation from “trancher”—to cut, or carve)…”

In narrative, I do not believe it necessary to be so stringent with word choices.

Baresark was the early spelling for a berserker. In excerpts from “The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki,” translated by Jesse Byock, “…berserkers seem to have been members of cults connected with Odin in his capacity as god of warriors.”

They further detail: “His men went to battle without armor and acted like mad dogs or wolves. They bit into their shields and were as strong as bears or bulls. They killed men, but neither fire nor iron harmed them. This madness is called berserker-fury.”

Relax and let my stories transport you to another time.

Sincerely,
Sophia
Visit me at www.sophiajohnson.net