KING Kirjalax* offered them to abide there and guard his body, as was the wont of the Varangians* who went into his pay, but it seemed to earl Sigurd and the other chiefs that it was too small a career to grow old there in that fashion; and they begged the king to give them some towns or cities which they might own and their heirs after them.
King Kirjalax tells them of a land lying north in the sea, which had lain in old under the emperor of Micklegarth, but in after days the heathen had won it and abode in it. The king granted them this. The Englishmen fared away out of Micklegarth and north into the sea; but some chiefs stayed behind in Micklegarth, and went into service there.* Earl Sigurd and his men got the land won, and called it England. To the towns that were in the land and to those which they built they gave the names of the towns in England, both London and York, and other great towns in England; and that folk has abode there ever since.*
Abridged
Emperor Alexius Komnenos (r. 1081-1118). The author says he had just won the throne, which means these events took place shortly after 1081. If Sigurd is Sigurd Barn, the date must be after 1087.
Varangians means much the same as Vikings, though it is customarily used for those Scandinavian warriors who served in the personal bodyguard of the Roman Emperors at Constantinople, and also for the Vikings who settled Russia in the ninth century.
See Welcome to Micklegarth. For the story of how one man served the English community there, see Home from Home.
“The land” says the Saga “lies six days and nights’ sail across the sea in the east and northeast from Micklegarth.” Suggestions range from the Crimea to Arkhipo-Osipova about eighty miles north of Sochi on the eastern shores of the Black Sea.
Précis
Emperor Alexius invited his deliverers to be his personal bodyguard, but Sigurd and many others wanted their own realms to govern. Alexius told them of a land across the Black Sea formerly under Roman rule which they could have if they could retake it. They did, and called it England, naming their towns after places back home. (57 / 60 words)
Emperor Alexius invited his deliverers to be his personal bodyguard, but Sigurd and many others wanted their own realms to govern. Alexius told them of a land across the Black Sea formerly under Roman rule which they could have if they could retake it. They did, and called it England, naming their towns after places back home.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: because, besides, just, may, must, ought, unless, until.
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Get. Since. There.
2 Abide. Service. Very.
3 Aboard. Beleaguer. Set.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
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