Member Review
Review by
renee w, Media/Journalist
The Lost Queen
By Signe Pike
More than a brilliant retelling of the Merlin legend, Ms. Pike’s “Lost Queen” is a meticulously researched story that takes a deep dive into what little is known of early Celtic history circa AD 500. Based on the latest scholarship, Pike weaves facts and hints teased from ancient poetry and obscure monastic annals into a believable - or at least quite likely - story.
The man who would go down in myth and legend as Merlin (known in Celtic as Myrddin or “madman”) she identifies as Lailoken, a keeper of the Old Wisdom and Chief of Song in the region of Strathclyde - today’s Glasgow area. His twin sister, Languoreth, the lost queen of the title, rules as wife of the high lord of Strathclyde.
This first book of a planned trilogy details the tragedies that beset the region, and Languoreth herself, in the early days of Anglo-Saxon migration to the British Isles. Eventually, these stories would be displaced from Scotland as the Celts themselves moved to safety in Wales and southern Britain, taking their legends with them.
Especially appreciated is the brief pronunciation guide provided by the author. The Celtic language, with pronunciation so different from spelling that it frequently reminds me of some sort of code, can make for dense reading without some sort of guidance.
Pike’s previous book is a travel memoir (“Faery Tale: One Woman’s Search for Enchantment in a Modern World”) and she hopes that her current works will spark an interest in exploring the Scottish countryside in her readers. It certainly did with me. I’ll be including visits to Clyde Rock and other landmarks from the book in the Glasgow region, an area that previously held little interest for me, on my next visit to Scotland to pursue my own quest for Merlin.
I much look forward to reading the subsequent volumes of the series. Ms. Pike, at least, will understand my fascination with Merlin: my father’s name was Stobo.
By Signe Pike
More than a brilliant retelling of the Merlin legend, Ms. Pike’s “Lost Queen” is a meticulously researched story that takes a deep dive into what little is known of early Celtic history circa AD 500. Based on the latest scholarship, Pike weaves facts and hints teased from ancient poetry and obscure monastic annals into a believable - or at least quite likely - story.
The man who would go down in myth and legend as Merlin (known in Celtic as Myrddin or “madman”) she identifies as Lailoken, a keeper of the Old Wisdom and Chief of Song in the region of Strathclyde - today’s Glasgow area. His twin sister, Languoreth, the lost queen of the title, rules as wife of the high lord of Strathclyde.
This first book of a planned trilogy details the tragedies that beset the region, and Languoreth herself, in the early days of Anglo-Saxon migration to the British Isles. Eventually, these stories would be displaced from Scotland as the Celts themselves moved to safety in Wales and southern Britain, taking their legends with them.
Especially appreciated is the brief pronunciation guide provided by the author. The Celtic language, with pronunciation so different from spelling that it frequently reminds me of some sort of code, can make for dense reading without some sort of guidance.
Pike’s previous book is a travel memoir (“Faery Tale: One Woman’s Search for Enchantment in a Modern World”) and she hopes that her current works will spark an interest in exploring the Scottish countryside in her readers. It certainly did with me. I’ll be including visits to Clyde Rock and other landmarks from the book in the Glasgow region, an area that previously held little interest for me, on my next visit to Scotland to pursue my own quest for Merlin.
I much look forward to reading the subsequent volumes of the series. Ms. Pike, at least, will understand my fascination with Merlin: my father’s name was Stobo.
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