Southport Author, Pat Regan, taking a few February photos along the ancient Sefton coastline and pondering upon the history behind it all.
Along the banks of the River Alt are a group of settlements with names of Viking origin. Croxteth, Huyton, West Derby, Knowsley, Aintree, Maghull and nearer to Southport we also have Formby. Farther to the east there's Viking Ormskirk.
The guys in the long ships certainly left their mark...
Once, it may have been conceivable to steer boats several miles up the River Alt. This would suggest an expedient way for Viking settlers to come inland to create their latest settlements.
The Vikings were expelled from Dublin reputedly in AD 902 and initially led by the leader Ingimund, they then headed for the Wirral.
Primordial Irish and Welsh records explain how the Norsemen left Ireland, under their leader Ingimund, travelling right across the Irish Sea and landed in Anglesey. This was only a brief relief before the tired Vikings were then driven from there also by the Welsh king.
Norwegian longboats sailed down the River Mersey and the 'Vikings' who arrived originated or engaged numerous settlements in the region. This influence can be seen in local place names.
Some writers have suggested that certain Viking communities may have been Christian based, due to the place names. For instance, the Viking church in West Kirby is St Bridget’s (the patron saint of Ireland) and the present building is on the site of the old Viking building.
However, we need to keep in mind the fact that Christian saints are transparently based on older Pagan gods. Many old crosses in fact date for a time well after the Pagan Vikings initially arrived; so this makes attempts to label the invaders as largely ‘Christian’ to be very misleading.
Thus, the original influence was Pagan and linked to our earth-based spirituality rather than any man-made, fundamentalist, one-god, ethos from the East.
Along the banks of the River Alt are a group of settlements with names of Viking origin. Croxteth, Huyton, West Derby, Knowsley, Aintree, Maghull and nearer to Southport we also have Formby. Farther to the east there's Viking Ormskirk.
The guys in the long ships certainly left their mark...
Once, it may have been conceivable to steer boats several miles up the River Alt. This would suggest an expedient way for Viking settlers to come inland to create their latest settlements.
The Vikings were expelled from Dublin reputedly in AD 902 and initially led by the leader Ingimund, they then headed for the Wirral.
Primordial Irish and Welsh records explain how the Norsemen left Ireland, under their leader Ingimund, travelling right across the Irish Sea and landed in Anglesey. This was only a brief relief before the tired Vikings were then driven from there also by the Welsh king.
Norwegian longboats sailed down the River Mersey and the 'Vikings' who arrived originated or engaged numerous settlements in the region. This influence can be seen in local place names.
Some writers have suggested that certain Viking communities may have been Christian based, due to the place names. For instance, the Viking church in West Kirby is St Bridget’s (the patron saint of Ireland) and the present building is on the site of the old Viking building.
However, we need to keep in mind the fact that Christian saints are transparently based on older Pagan gods. Many old crosses in fact date for a time well after the Pagan Vikings initially arrived; so this makes attempts to label the invaders as largely ‘Christian’ to be very misleading.
Thus, the original influence was Pagan and linked to our earth-based spirituality rather than any man-made, fundamentalist, one-god, ethos from the East.
Moreover, the Church propaganda machine worked hard for centuries to distance the native folk from their authentic, spiritual roots and traditions.
Tradition indicates that the Vikings failed to overthrow the native Anglo Saxons on the coastline of Formby. Subsequently, they sailed inland via the River Alt and attacked from the rear.
This region is yet another fine northwestern place to visit with a long and mysterious heritage...
Pat Regan ©
Author site 1: http://patregan.jimdo.com
Author site 2: http://patregan.wix.com/pat-regan
Author site 3: http://pat-regan.weebly.com/
Tradition indicates that the Vikings failed to overthrow the native Anglo Saxons on the coastline of Formby. Subsequently, they sailed inland via the River Alt and attacked from the rear.
This region is yet another fine northwestern place to visit with a long and mysterious heritage...
Pat Regan ©
Author site 1: http://patregan.jimdo.com
Author site 2: http://patregan.wix.com/pat-regan
Author site 3: http://pat-regan.weebly.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment