Sword Song

by Rosemary Sutcliff

Overview

Discovered among Rosemary Sutcliff 's papers after her death in 1992, Sword Song is the swashbuckling epic of a young Viking swordsman, banished from his home for unintentionally killing a man, who takes up a new life as a mercenary.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780374469849
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	04/11/2005
Series:	Sunburst Bks.
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	634,464
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.65(d)
Lexile:	1240L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Rosemary Sutcliff (1920-1992) wrote dozens of novels for young readers, including the award-winning trilogy set in Roman Britain, The Eagle of the Ninth, The Silver Branch, and The Lantern Bearers. Shortly before her death, she was awarded the CBE, one of Britain's most prestigious honors.

Reading Group Guide

Discussion Questions for
Sword Song
In Sword Song, as in all of Sutcliff's novels,
there is a strong sense of place. Cite specific scenes in the novel that define the setting.
Discuss what is going on in Norway to cause

Bjarni's grandfather to send him to join his

brother, Gram, in Rafnglas. How does Gram feel responsible for Bjarni?
Bjarni holds the holy man under in the horsepond for kicking his dog. The man drowns,
and Bjarni is summoned to appear before Rafn the Chief. The Chief says to him, "Time enough to learn that in this land-take the men of the
White Christ walk safe." [p. 2] Who are the men of the White Christ? Contrast this religion to the Viking gods that Bjarni worships.
Explain how Bjarni makes Rafn the Chief an
"oath-breaker." [p. 3] How does Bjarni learn the meaning of an oath?
Bjarni is banished from Rafnglas for five years.
He goes to Dublin, where he is robbed of the silver that his brother gave him for his journey.
How does Bjarni wind up on the Sea Witch with Onund Treefoot? Discuss the sea battle that Bjarni is involved with on board the Sea
Witch. Explain the concept of the "share-out."
[p. 67]
Bjarni is involved in a fight to save his dog,
Hugin. Onund says to him, "There is a time for battle and a time for peace and Sea Witch has no place among her crew for a man who cannot tell the one from the other." [p. 82]
Discuss how Bjarni should have handled the incident. Why does Bjarni say that Onund is the person that made Hugin "unfit for sacrifice"? [p. 82]
Why does the Lady Aud choose Bjarni as a rower on the Fionoula for the Easter faring?
Explain why Bjarni feels it necessary to tell the Lady Aud that he doesn't intend to follow her god. Describe the strangeness that Bjarni experiences on board the Fionoula.
Bjarni returns to Rafnglas after five years.
Much has happened to him, and much has happened in Rafnglas. Discuss the changes to both. The Chief asks Bjarni to tell them the tale of his five years. What will Bjarni tell?

What will he leave out from his story?

Editorial Reviews

An action book if there ever was one.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Sutcliff 's careful handling of how a young man, influenced by hero-worship and the force of custom, deals with the difficult choices that lead to maturity is nothing short of masterly. An unexpected and most welcome gift.” —The Horn Book

“Whether Sutcliff is calling up the ale houses of Dublin or the battle-torn moors of Scotland, her descriptive language and dialogue transport readers back to a time and place not usually visited in young people's fiction.” —Booklist

From the Publisher

Gr 7 Up-Exiled from his home for five years, 16-year-old Bjarni Sigurdson is forced to support himself by becoming a mercenary. Although he is young and untried, he sells his sword service first to Onund Treefoot and later to Thorstein the Red, Norse chieftains who have settled in the islands west of Scotland. With his black dog Hugin in tow, the young man learns the ways of the sea and of warfare as he follows these men in battle and in peace. After five years, he decides to return home, but is cast ashore during a violent storm for one final adventure. The action-filled plot develops coherently and is less episodic than those of many journey tales. Bjarni is an appealing, well-rounded character whose growth and development keep the story focused. His early experiences are those of an adolescent, as he chases after Onund's enemies. Thorstein is involved in more serious matters, making treaties and establishing settlements, and Bjarni, too, becomes more reflective, considering his behavior and his future plans. Sutcliff wrote historical fiction as if she lived it, and this book is no exception. Particularly interesting is her portrayal of the coexistence of the old religion of the Norsemen and that of the White Christ. Although the author did not complete the final draft before her death, this is a well-crafted story that will appeal to sophisticated readers. In places the language is slightly less polished than usual, and Bjarni's final adventure is not as well integrated into the plot as the earlier ones, but still, this is vintage Sutcliff.-Barbara Scotto, Michael Driscoll School, Brookline, MA

School Library Journal

An action book if there ever was one, found in full draft among the prolific Sutcliff's papers at the time of her death in 1992, and a fine last gift. Set in a time when the British Isles were wild places, with Norsemen and Painted People, Picts and pirates, readers follow the adventures of Bjarni Sigurdson, a teenage boy exiled from his home for five years for accidentally killing a priest of the White Christ. During those five years, he makes himself and his sword available for hire from Dublin and the island of Iona to Barra, Harris, and Kyle. Every page is rich in the detail of living on land and by sea: ship battles, wedding feasts, and the getting of food are side by side with storytelling, the search for god or gods, and the harper's song. Bjarni grows, never abandoning the loyal dog who follows him and waits while he is at sea. A few strong women enrich the story: Lady Aud the Deep-Minded in whose son's service Bjarni learns much, and Angharad, the Welsh healer who becomes his wife. A glorious tale, full of pulse and power. (Fiction. 10-14) .

Kirkus Reviews