Dawn Wind

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (February 2008) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Dawn Wind is a historical novel for children written by Rosemary Sutcliff and published in 1961 by Oxford University Press, with illustrations by Charles Keeping.

It takes place in Britain in the sixth century, after the Saxons, Angles and Jutes have gained dominion over most of Britain. Owain, a descendent of Roman and British soldiers, is the only survivor of a battle near Bath.

[edit] Plot introduction

The story follows him, and the dog he finds after the battle, into the border country with Wales to the ruins of Viroconium (Wroxeter). There he meets a street urchin named Regina, the only person left in the city. They learn to trust each other and form a bond. When they leave the city and are later separated, Owain becomes a thrall to a Saxon lord in the swamps near the Isle of Wight, where he spends a number of years. In the end, Owain and Regina are finally reunited and return to the Celtic lands beyond the Welsh border.

The story takes place at a turning point in the evolution of relations among the Saxon former invaders and the Celts. As Owain lives and fights with the Saxons, he sees them beginning to reach accommodation and common cause with the Celts.

The Dawn Wind of the title is a reference to the arrival of St Augustine, who brought Christianity to the Saxons. This change also later brought the Saxons and the already-Christian Celts closer together.