Hereward the Wake (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Charles Kingsley
- First Published: 1866
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Historical
- Time of Work: Eleventh century
- Setting: England, Scotland, and Flanders
- Genres: Long fiction, Historical fiction
- Subjects: History, Love or romance, England or English people, Kings, queens, or royalty, Legends, Middle Ages, Battles, Anglo-Saxons
- Locales: England, Scotland, Flanders
Characters Discussed
Hereward Leofricsson, called Hereward the Wake, a handsome, bold, adventurous Saxon thane and outlaw; a high-spirited, rebellious, irreligious youth who later becomes a great knight and leader of the English against the Normans. After his marriage to Alftruda, he again becomes what he was before Torfrida inspired him to heroic stature: a toper and an idle boaster. Though he makes his peace with William, he has many Norman enemies who cause his imprisonment and finally bring about his murder.
Lady Godiva, his mother, who causes him to be declared an...
[The entire page is 600 words long]
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