Hengest
W
ithout Hengest, there might not have been an
Arthur. For, without Hengest, there would not have
been a reason for the civil war with Vortigern.
Hengest becomes more than just another Jutish warrior,
when he kills King Finn of Frisia and burns down the
king’s stronghold, Finnsburgh, avenging his former lord,
Hnaef, slain by Finn. For this action, he gains notoriety
and attracts more followers. When Vortigern’s emissaries
arrive, promising land for mercenaries, Hengest seizes
the chance.
Landing at the island of Thanet with their followers,
Hengest and his brother, Horsa, pledge their support to
Vortigern against the Picts. The Saxons help to rout the
Picts at Lincoln and are given Thanet as foederati. Hengest
sees the wealth of Britain and starts dreaming a great
dream: This new land could be theirs.
Summoning his daughter, Rowena, he enlists her aid
in weaving a web of lust and passion around Vortigern.
When Vortigern becomes willing to throw away everything
for her, Hengest allows the marriage, in exchange for some
of the best land in Britain. As Vortigern’s father- in-law,
he becomes the High King’s chief advisor. His advice:
Summon more Saxons to fight your enemies for you. More
Saxons arrive, and Vortigern seizes land from his Briton
subjects to give to the Saxons: Hengest’s son, Octa, becomes
the King of Nohaut and Horsa’s son, Eosa, the King of
Deira. Hengest dreams of Rowena’s and Vortigern’s son,
Cerdic, his grandson, becoming the next High King of all
Britain when Vortigern succumbs to old age.
Alas, things are not perfect in the world of Hengest.
Vortimer, the first-born of Vortigern, rebels against his
father and drives the Saxons back to Thanet. The rebellion
is crushed when Vortigern arrives with an army loyal to
him, but Horsa lies dead. Hengest is given the whole of
Kent, but Vortigern pardons Vortimer, his son.
A few years later, Vortimer raises another rebellion,
even larger, and defeats the Saxons again in three battles.
Only Vortimer’s death (some say poisoned by his step-
mother, Rowena) prevents the Britons from driving the-
Saxons to the sea. Rowena comes to her father’s aid once
more and convinces Vortigern to allow Hengest to return
to a peace conference. The perfidious Saxons break the
truce and slaughter the unarmed Briton nobility at the
meeting. Saxon armies plunder the land at will afterwards.
But, before Hengest can cement his hold, Aurelius
returns and destroys both Vortigern and Hengest.