The winter king
The Winter King (Engl. The Winter King ) is a historical novel by British author Bernard Cornwell . The novel was published by Penguin Verlag in Great Britain in 1995 and the German translation was published by Rowohlt Verlag in 1996 . The Winter King is the first part of the trilogy The Arthurian Chronicles (English The Warlord Chronicles ), which takes place in Britain in the fifth and sixth centuries. The second part of the trilogy, Der Schattenfürst , appeared in Germany in 1997, the third and final part, Arthur's last oath , in 2000.
action
Most of the novel is set in the Kingdom of Dumnonia (in what is now southern England / Cornwall ) at the end of the fifth century. The narrator is a warrior named Derfel , who is in old age in the service of Bishop Samsun and who secretly writes his story.
The action begins with the birth of Mordred, the grandson of King Uther of Dumnonia. Mordred is considered the sole heir of Uthers after his father was killed fighting the Saxons threatening the country. Mordred is brought to Ynys Wydryn ( Glastonbury ) with his mother Norwenna , where Merlin, the great druid, lives. The protagonist Derfel and his girlfriend Nimue, priestess and lover of Merlin are also located there. Merlin himself, however, has been missing for some time. Derfels' friendship with Nimue grows even closer during Merlin's absence; Nimue binds Derfel to herself by drawing both of her hands with a knife. The scar that remains is to remind Derfel that he has been bound to Nimue all his life and committed to faithfulness.
Together with Nimue and Morgan, who represents Merlin as the highest priestess, Derfel travels to Glevum ( Gloucester ), where a council of kings takes place under Great King Uther. To protect his grandson and heir Mordred, Uther selects three guardians for Mordred, including the absent Merlin. In addition, Uther orders the marriage of his daughter-in-law Norwenna to Gundleus, the king of Siluria.
After Uther's death a few months later, Dumnonia sinks into chaos. Uther's heir, Mordred, is still a toddler and therefore unable to hold the throne. After King Gorfyydyd of Powys opened an attack on Dumnonia, the war soon came to Ynys Wydryn as well. Gundleus betrays and kills his wife Norwenna. He destroys Ynys Wydryn and pursues the refugees, including Derfel, Morgan, the seriously wounded Nimue and Mordred. They escape to Caer Cadarn , where Derfel, under the warlord Owain, fends off the attacking Silurians. Arthur also arrives during the battle and quickly decides the battle for the Dumnonians. Derfel begins his training as a warrior under Owain and soon earns the nickname Cadarn , which means something like the mighty .
To restore peace among the kingdoms, Arthur decides to marry King Gorfyddyd's daughter, Ceinwyn. However, when he meets Guinevere, the homeless daughter of the King of Henis Wyren , he falls in love with her and marries her, ignoring his engagement with Ceinwyn. Derfel feels drawn to Ceinwyn.
A little later Arthur gave Derfel the task of sailing to Benoic and assisting King Ban in the town of Ynys Trebes ( Mont Saint-Michel ). He also meets Merlin there again, who was in Ban's service under an assumed name. When the city falls, Derfel, Merlin and Ban's sons Lancelot and Galahad escape the city and to Dumnonia.
For his loyal service, Arthur made Derfel lord. Soon, however, he faced a new task. Nimue was brought to the Isle of the Dead during his stay at Ynys Trebes, a place from which no one has yet returned. Derfel, however, saves Nimue and brings her to safety.
Derfel returns to Arthur's service and follows him to the council of war in Glevum. Together with Galahad, Derfel travels as a mediator to the warring Powys, where he meets Ceinwyn again and confesses his love for her and swears an oath to protect her. Meanwhile, Gorfyddyd makes the offer to adopt and raise Mordred of Dumnonia, but this is soon exposed as a lie and the fronts are further hardened. After Derfels returns to Arthur, both sides prepare for the upcoming battle that Arthur wants to fight at Lugg Vale . After King Tewdric retires from Gwent as Arthur's ally, the Dumnonians face the overwhelming Powys army. However, with the arrival of Merlin and the Schwarzschild Irish, who have switched sides, the battle is turned in favor of the Dumnonians who prevail. Gorfyddyd is wounded and dies. His son Cuneglas, who is well-disposed towards the Dumnonians, ascends the throne of Powys and forms an alliance with Arthur against the Saxons.
After the battle, Derfel and Nimue find the Silurian king Gundleus and his priest Tanaburs in the Powysian camp. Derfel kills Tanaburs and leaves Gundleus to Nimues, who tortures and kills him.
Characters of the plot
In the plot, a great number of historical people and legendary characters are introduced, who play a major role in the plot of the novel. Several people, such as the protagonist Derfel, are fictional. For a better overview, the most important characters are listed according to their relevance for the plot.
- Derfel, later Lord Derfel Cadarn , narrator and Merlin's ward
- Merlin , Druid and Lord of Avalon
- Nimue , Merlin's lover
- Arthur , warlord and King Uther's illegitimate son
- Morgan , Arthur's sister, a priestess
- Uther Pendragon , King of Dumnonia and Great King of Britain
- Mordred , Arthur's son, Uther's grandson
- Norwenna, Mordred's mother
- Gorfyddyd, King of Powys
- Cuneglas, son of Gorfyddyd
- Ceinwyn, daughter of Gorfyddyd
- Guinevere , Princess of Henis Wyren
- Ban , King of Benoic
- Lancelot , Ban's son and Crown Prince of Benoic
- Galahad , Ban's son and Lancelot's half-brother
- Gundleus, king of Siluria
- Tanaburs, druid from Siluria
- Sansum, a Christian priest, later a bishop