Story of the Whitby woman who enlightened Dark Ages
IT’S MORE than 25 years since
topped the Danish bestseller charts and now it’s been translated into English for the first time.
The novel, written by prize-winning author Vibeke Vasbo, was inspired by Hild, a familiar name to many British history buffs.
Vasbo’s book, published by Durhambased Sacristy Press, is a powerful story, interweaving religious wrangling and political machinations, about the prominent role that women played in the spread of Christianity in seventh century Britain, and how Hild of Whitby, also known as St Hilda, shaped Christianity as we know it today.
It was inspired by the remarkable life of Abbess Hild of Whitby, one of the most influential women of her time.
The seeds for the story were sown when Vasbo came to live in Hull back in the 1980s. When she moved into her new house the family that lived there before had left behind various bits and pieces. “There were signs for knives and forks from Sheffield, something from a football match in Manchester, and a tiny picture of a woman on a throne from Whitby. It said ‘Hild 614680’.
“When I settled in Hull, eager to discover my new world, I knew nothing about the ‘Dark Ages’, and when I saw this picture I was stunned, for in Denmark we have no records from that time, only legends and archaeology. I simply had to find out who this woman was – and what a journey that turned out to be.”
It was the kernel of an idea that led Vasbo to writing It took three years to research and another four to write and involved numerous trips around Yorkshire. “I had to find out what clothes people wore and what food they ate and this takes time,” she says.
We know about Hild thanks to the Venerable Bede’s and it gave Vasbo a
starting point.
She also made regular visits to Whitby to glean information. “Any place that is by the sea I find very interesting and in Whitby there is also so much history.”
Vasbo’s research took her deep into English history and the early days of Christianity in Britain. “Hild is said to have been wise. How did she come by that wisdom?
“The few records we have allowed me freedom to imagine.
“I sent her through tribulations and joy, hardships and quests. I built upon the sources, never went against them.
tells the story of what could actually have happened,” she says.
“I found out that she was not only one of the most important women of her era she was one of the most important people in general. She was brought up in a Pagan world and was baptised at the age of 13.
“She was obviously very clever and became one of the most influential people of her time and contributed greatly to the conversion of AngloSaxons to Christianity.”
The novel, originally published in Danish in 1991, unfolds during the dangerous religious and political upheavals of Medieval Britain.
As well as focusing on the lives of women, the book also reveals tensions between Danish-German invaders and the native Celts as a mirror for power struggles that reverberate around the world today.
Historical fiction has been enjoying a renaissance in recent years and Vasbo believes the story of Hild, like so many others from times gone by, can actually tell us something about the modern world.
“Sometimes looking back at a different time and different ways of doing things can be useful for looking at your own time. It can help you understand better.”