Hawksmaid (17 page)

More than four hundred years later a book was found in the ruins of an ancient castle's library, a book from medieval times. The title was
The Art of Falconry: A Compleat Guide to the Principles and Practices of Hawking.
It is thought to be the first book ever written on hawking by a woman. The author's name was Marian Greenleaf. The book was dedicated “To Moss, Marigold, Ulysses, Lyra, Morgana, my greatest teachers, and to Robin, my greatest love.”

THE BIRDS

MORGANA:
Kestrel, a small hawk, also known as a sparrow hawk or a killy hawk, because its high-pitched call sounds like
killy killy
. It is grouped with the longwing hawks.

ULYSSES:
Goshawk, a medium to large hawk, one of the fastest and most lethal trained hawks. Skilled at maneuvering through dense forests.

LYRA:
Shortwing, a true hawk of the genus
Accipiter
, with short, rounded wings and light eyes.

MARIGOLD:
Merlin, a small falcon, known as a strong flier. Merlins have horny teeth, which prove effective in tearing flesh of prey. Difficult to train.

MOSS:
Peregrine, large, about the size of a crow. Considered the fastest animal in the world. With its long wings, it can achieve speeds of more than two hundred miles per hour.

NOTES

taken by Matty Fitzwalter, daughter of Lord William Fitzwalter, during her recovery in the winter of 1187

 

BATE:
To attempt to fly off the hand or perch when held or tied.

EYAS:
A nestling or young hawk taken from a nest.

FALCON:
A female peregrine, also used for females of other species of hawks.

HAGGARD:
A hawk trapped when it is mature.

HOOD:
A close-fitting leather hood is used to blindfold a hawk.

IMP:
A method of repairing broken flight feathers by replacing the broken section with part of another feather.

IMPING NEEDLE:
A splint used to join the two parts of a broken feather.

JESSES:
The narrow strips of leather placed around a hawk's leg to hold it tethered.

LONGWINGS:
All falcons that have long, pointed wings and dark eyes, like Morgana.

LURE:
An imitation bird or animal used to attract a hawk in training.

QUARRY:
The game, or prey, that is the object of a hawk's hunt.

RING UP:
To climb in a spiral flight.

RINGING FLIGHT:
When a hawk rings up, chasing quarry.

SHORTWING:
A true hawk of the genus
Accipiter
, with short, rounded wings and light-colored eyes, like Lyra.

SOAR:
When a hawk flies for the fun of it, gliding on thermals and air currents rather than chasing prey.

STOOP:
Diving descent of a longwing attacking with wings nearly closed.

TIERCEL:
The male peregrine, which is a third smaller than the female. The term is often misused for the male of any species of hawk.

WAIT ON:
To wait in flight high over the falconer.

WEATHER:
To place the hawk on her block in open air during the day.

YARAK:
Fit, keen, and ready to be flown.

W
as there really an outlaw named Robin Hood who became the hero to the people of England during the lawless rule of Prince John? Was there a Maid Marian? A Little John? There are as many theories about the Robin Hood legends as grains of sand in an hourglass. Although this prince of thieves and his merry band of outlaws purportedly lived during the late twelfth century, the legends and ballads of their exploits did not become popular until the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries as part of May Day celebrations. Some said that Robin and Marian were woodland gods who were celebrated at these revels. Other scholars have suggested that the Robin Hood character was based on a real nobleman—an earl, no less—the Earl of Huntington; while some say he was a farmer named Robyn Hoode. He has also been known as Robin of Locksley, Robehod, Hobbehod, and as a fisherman called Simon over the Lee. His occupation
has changed over the years. In the earliest ballads that appeared between 1200 and 1400, he was said to be a yeoman. By the time of Elizabeth I, he had become an earl. He was always, however, a robber.

The other Merry Men also had, at one time or another, slightly different names. Will Scarlet, it is said, was originally called Will Scarloke, Scadlock, or Scathelok. Little John was said to have been John Little or John of Hathersage or John Naylor or John the Nailer. Rich Much had sometimes been called Midge.

In the earliest Robin Hood stories, there was no Maid Marian. There was no Friar Tuck. Marian began to appear as a character in the May Day celebrations. In some, she was portrayed as a dainty maid, a shepherdess; in other stories, she, too, was of noble origins. She was called a variety of names. Miriam, Mary, the Nut Brown Girl, and Matilda Fitzwalter, the daughter of a baron. In the legends, she has often been portrayed as being as fine an archer as Robin and equally good with a sword. Matty as a falconer was my invention. Falconry itself did not become widespread in England until after the Crusades.

The mists of time mingling with the shadow
of legend have obscured true identities or often transformed them. But nevertheless, the tales endure and fascinate. For my own story, I decided to take shreds of various legends and of real history. It was my notion that Robin and Marian and some of his Merry Men had known each other as children, played together, and found solace and inspiration in the greenwood of Barnsdale near the supposed birthplace of Robin Hood. I wanted to know them, imagine them as boys and girls—spirited, mischievous, but with a keen sense of justice and mistrust of authority and the monarchy that was putting a terrible burden on the people of England.

Despite these mists and shadows, certain elements of my story rest on true historical events. King Richard really had left England in the charge of his brother, John, to fight in the Holy Land. On his return, Richard was captured by Duke Leopold of Austria and held for ransom. Richard's mother, Queen Eleanor, living in Barfleur, France, at the time, was desperate to raise his ransom that was said to be the equivalent of three tons of silver. She had asked for the pope's assistance. Richard was finally released in February 1194. At this time, King Philip of France sent a message to Prince
John that read, “Look to yourself. The devil is loose.”

Richard was given a hero's welcome on his return and actually forgave Prince John! In 1199, Richard died. Upon his death, John became king and was as awful as one might anticipate. Because of his abuse of all people's rights, he was confronted by a group of barons with a document that later became known as the Great Charter, or Magna Carta, that forced him to respect certain rights and legal procedures. The Magna Carta is considered one of the most important documents in the history of democracy and certainly influenced the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights that were written more than five hundred years later.

Jacket art © 2010 by Greg Call

Jacket design by Hilary Zarycky