Sharon Kay Penman's Blog, page 29
August 22, 2017
A battle I still mourn
I had a very good day, a long lunch with my friend Mary Glassman Jones and her sister, Kass; we somehow managed to eat a hearty meal while talking and laughing nonstop. I see my chiropractor tomorrow as he makes another attempt to get my rogue knee under control, and tonight I am in the middle of staging my coup. I think this is a first for me, unless we look upon Henry Tudor’s assumption of power as a coup of sorts. But I had to suspend the conspiracy briefly to acknowledge the two significant battles that were fought on this date.
On August 22, 1138, King David of Scotland suffered a defeat at Cowton Moor in Yorkshire. David was the uncle of the Empress Maude and he was attempting to advance her claim while grabbing some prime Yorkshire real estate for Scotland. He was defeated by William le Gros, the Count of Aumale. The count’s daughter Hawisa was a character in Devil’s Brood and Lionheart, wed first to Henry’s friend, the Earl of Essex, and then reluctantly to one of Richard’s vassals, William Forz. I liked that sharp-tongued lady enough to give her some screen time in A King’s Ransom, too.
And of course today is the anniversary of the Battle of Bosworth on August 22, 1485. I’ve been told by some readers that when they reread Sunne, they always stop before the battle. It was not fun for me to write, either; it took me three weeks to get Richard out of his tent and onto the field. (The reluctance was mine, not his.) I think Richard’s most memorable epitaph is the one he was given by the city of York, by the people who knew him best. They very courageously inscribed in the city records: “It was showed by John Sponer that King Richard, late mercifully reigning upon us, was through great treason piteously slain and murdered, to the great heaviness of this City.”
On August 22, 1138, King David of Scotland suffered a defeat at Cowton Moor in Yorkshire. David was the uncle of the Empress Maude and he was attempting to advance her claim while grabbing some prime Yorkshire real estate for Scotland. He was defeated by William le Gros, the Count of Aumale. The count’s daughter Hawisa was a character in Devil’s Brood and Lionheart, wed first to Henry’s friend, the Earl of Essex, and then reluctantly to one of Richard’s vassals, William Forz. I liked that sharp-tongued lady enough to give her some screen time in A King’s Ransom, too.
And of course today is the anniversary of the Battle of Bosworth on August 22, 1485. I’ve been told by some readers that when they reread Sunne, they always stop before the battle. It was not fun for me to write, either; it took me three weeks to get Richard out of his tent and onto the field. (The reluctance was mine, not his.) I think Richard’s most memorable epitaph is the one he was given by the city of York, by the people who knew him best. They very courageously inscribed in the city records: “It was showed by John Sponer that King Richard, late mercifully reigning upon us, was through great treason piteously slain and murdered, to the great heaviness of this City.”
August 19, 2017
The Scribe's Daughter bargain price
I wanted to thank all of you who provided such eloquent and heartfelt responses to my post yesterday about terrorism, domestic and foreign, and W.B. Yeats’s haunting poem, The Second Coming. I found it very heartening that so many of you share my sentiments.
I have been recommending Stephanie Churchill’s The Scribe’s Daughter, which is technically fantasy but without supernatural elements and set in a medieval-style gritty reality. A number of you have read it and enjoyed it as much as I did. Stephanie has a sequel coming out on September 1st, The King’s Daughter; I’ll be interviewing her later about that book. But I wanted to alert those who’ve not yet read The Scribe’s Daughter that this is the time to try it, for it is currently being offered in the e-book format on Amazon for only 99 cents. It is also available for British readers at 99 pence and Down Under for $1.24 in Australian dollars. Definitely a bargain! It has one of the best opening lines I’ve read: “I never imaged my life would end this way.” How could anyone not want to keep reading? https://www.amazon.com/Scribes-Daught...
I have been recommending Stephanie Churchill’s The Scribe’s Daughter, which is technically fantasy but without supernatural elements and set in a medieval-style gritty reality. A number of you have read it and enjoyed it as much as I did. Stephanie has a sequel coming out on September 1st, The King’s Daughter; I’ll be interviewing her later about that book. But I wanted to alert those who’ve not yet read The Scribe’s Daughter that this is the time to try it, for it is currently being offered in the e-book format on Amazon for only 99 cents. It is also available for British readers at 99 pence and Down Under for $1.24 in Australian dollars. Definitely a bargain! It has one of the best opening lines I’ve read: “I never imaged my life would end this way.” How could anyone not want to keep reading? https://www.amazon.com/Scribes-Daught...
August 18, 2017
The centre won't hold?
I am still having to limit my computer time, but this was such an awful week—for the US and the world—that I had to post this. I was appalled by the blood spilled by terrorists—first in Charlottesville, Virginia, then in Barcelona, Cambrils, and Alcanar, Spain, and very likely in Turku, Finland, too, although authorities there have not yet confirmed the attacks were acts of terrorism. In the face of such carnage, it is hard not to fear what tomorrow may bring. I find the beginning of Yates’s haunting poem, The Second Coming, echoing in my head over and over.
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
The next verse is even scarier. And yet the centre somehow does hold. So many times in human history, men and women have despaired, convinced that anarchy was loosed upon their world, and they were often right. Savage wars. Plagues that killed millions. Slavery and slaughter. Reading history is not for the faint of heart. But there can be a weird sort of comfort in remembering that there has never been a Golden Age for mankind; no mapmaker has ever been able to locate Utopia. The innocent have often suffered horribly, for JFK was right; life is unfair. People persevered, though, found ways to hold on, even to cling to hope. So we can, too.
Aren’t you guys glad that I stopped by to cheer you all up like this? At least I can share some good news. There is a new historical novel out that is likely to interest many of you. I have not read it, of course, for pleasure reading was one of the Deadline Dragon’s first victims. But it is on my “To Be Read List”. It is called The Half-Drowned King, by Linnea Hartsuyker, and it stakes out literary territory unfamiliar to many of us, certainly to me. It has gotten excellent reviews, called a “top-notch Viking saga” by Library Journal, and compared to Game of Thrones in its “deliciously complex” plot by the usually snarky Kirkus Reviews. The first of a trilogy set in ninth century Norway, it is likely also to appeal to viewers of the History Channel’s series, The Vikings, or maybe The Last Kingdom, which brings Bernard Cornwell’s magnificent Saxon series to life, or at least to television.
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
The next verse is even scarier. And yet the centre somehow does hold. So many times in human history, men and women have despaired, convinced that anarchy was loosed upon their world, and they were often right. Savage wars. Plagues that killed millions. Slavery and slaughter. Reading history is not for the faint of heart. But there can be a weird sort of comfort in remembering that there has never been a Golden Age for mankind; no mapmaker has ever been able to locate Utopia. The innocent have often suffered horribly, for JFK was right; life is unfair. People persevered, though, found ways to hold on, even to cling to hope. So we can, too.
Aren’t you guys glad that I stopped by to cheer you all up like this? At least I can share some good news. There is a new historical novel out that is likely to interest many of you. I have not read it, of course, for pleasure reading was one of the Deadline Dragon’s first victims. But it is on my “To Be Read List”. It is called The Half-Drowned King, by Linnea Hartsuyker, and it stakes out literary territory unfamiliar to many of us, certainly to me. It has gotten excellent reviews, called a “top-notch Viking saga” by Library Journal, and compared to Game of Thrones in its “deliciously complex” plot by the usually snarky Kirkus Reviews. The first of a trilogy set in ninth century Norway, it is likely also to appeal to viewers of the History Channel’s series, The Vikings, or maybe The Last Kingdom, which brings Bernard Cornwell’s magnificent Saxon series to life, or at least to television.
August 14, 2017
Birthdays, battles, and legendary snakes
I want to thank all of you who have posted birthday good wishes. I have the best readers in the world; it is not even close. I had another bad week, I am sorry to report, which is why I have been AWOL from Facebook recently. Just think of my favorite line from Casablanca: “Round up the usual suspects.” I did have a lovely birthday, though, dinner with family and friends, and my house is fragrant with birthday bouquets.
Back to our mutual interest in history. One of history’s more celebrated and intriguing women died on August 12, 30 BC, when Cleopatra committed suicide rather than let Octavian bring her back in triumph as a prisoner to Rome. All of the early sources say that she died after being bitten by an asp, an Egyptian cobra. A modern historian has challenged this, saying she more likely died after taking hemlock, but I’m inclined to accept the early sources. Stacy Schiff wrote a successful biography of the famed Egyptian queen, “Cleopatra: a Life”, to follow up on her wonderful biography of Ben Franklin, “A great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America”, and Margaret George has written a novel about Cleopatra which I also recommend. Michelle Moran has also written an interesting novel ,“Cleopatra’s Daughter,” about the fates of Cleopatra and Mark Antony’s children, who were sent back to Rome to be raised by his long-suffering wife, Antonia. Her son by Julius Caesar, Caesarian, was murdered by Octavian. He would. I suppose Cleopatra has gotten a small measure of revenge, though, for I’d guess that she is far better known today to the general public than Octavian.
And on August 12, 1099, the Battle of Ascalon was fought, in which Godfrey de Bouillon defeated a much larger army in what is considered to be the last battle of the bloody and brutal First Crusade. Godfrey, a younger son of the Count of Boulogne, distinguished himself in battle and was among the first to breach the wall at Jerusalem. When Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse refused the kingship, it was offered to Godfrey, who accepted but refused the title of king, saying that belonged only to God. His reign was a short one; he died the following year in Jerusalem after a prolonged illness. Nearly a hundred years later, Henri, the Count of Champagne, showed the same reluctance to accept the kingship, and while he did marry the Queen of Jerusalem, Isabella, and seems to have been very happy with her during their time together, he never claimed the kingship for himself, continuing to call himself Count of Champagne or sometimes Lord of Jerusalem.
Back to our mutual interest in history. One of history’s more celebrated and intriguing women died on August 12, 30 BC, when Cleopatra committed suicide rather than let Octavian bring her back in triumph as a prisoner to Rome. All of the early sources say that she died after being bitten by an asp, an Egyptian cobra. A modern historian has challenged this, saying she more likely died after taking hemlock, but I’m inclined to accept the early sources. Stacy Schiff wrote a successful biography of the famed Egyptian queen, “Cleopatra: a Life”, to follow up on her wonderful biography of Ben Franklin, “A great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America”, and Margaret George has written a novel about Cleopatra which I also recommend. Michelle Moran has also written an interesting novel ,“Cleopatra’s Daughter,” about the fates of Cleopatra and Mark Antony’s children, who were sent back to Rome to be raised by his long-suffering wife, Antonia. Her son by Julius Caesar, Caesarian, was murdered by Octavian. He would. I suppose Cleopatra has gotten a small measure of revenge, though, for I’d guess that she is far better known today to the general public than Octavian.
And on August 12, 1099, the Battle of Ascalon was fought, in which Godfrey de Bouillon defeated a much larger army in what is considered to be the last battle of the bloody and brutal First Crusade. Godfrey, a younger son of the Count of Boulogne, distinguished himself in battle and was among the first to breach the wall at Jerusalem. When Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse refused the kingship, it was offered to Godfrey, who accepted but refused the title of king, saying that belonged only to God. His reign was a short one; he died the following year in Jerusalem after a prolonged illness. Nearly a hundred years later, Henri, the Count of Champagne, showed the same reluctance to accept the kingship, and while he did marry the Queen of Jerusalem, Isabella, and seems to have been very happy with her during their time together, he never claimed the kingship for himself, continuing to call himself Count of Champagne or sometimes Lord of Jerusalem.
August 4, 2017
Two important medieval battles
August 4th is the date of two significant medieval battles. On August 4, 1192, Richard Lionheart won a remarkable victory at Jaffa against a much larger Saracen army. Richard was camped outside the city walls, having managed to regain control of Jaffa. Learning that re-enforcements would not be coming, Saladin staged a surprise attack upon the crusaders. He may have won a huge victory if not for a sharp-eyed Genoese who’d risen early to relieve himself and spotted the sun glinting off the shields and spears. Richard had time to rally his small force and they held off assault after assault, until late in the day he took the offensive with barely a handful of knights and scored one of the more improbable triumphs in military history. For those who haven’t read Lionheart yet (what are you waiting for???), I naturally dramatize this battle in considerable detail, for I was lucky enough to have eye-witnesses accounts from both the crusaders and the Saracens who actually fought in this conflict.
And on August 4, 1265, another brilliant medieval general, the future Edward I, trapped his godfather and uncle, Simon de Montfort, at Evesham. Edward had earlier staged a successful assault upon Simon’s son, Bran, who was camped at Kenilworth Castle, and he used some of the captured banners so that Simon would assume this was his son arriving with the much-needed reinforcements. By the time they realized the truth, it was too late. Simon, watching the approaching army from the bell tower in Evesham, said, “They come on well. He learned that from me.” He then uttered one of history’s better exit lines, saying to his sons and soldiers, “We must commend our souls to God, for our bodies are theirs.” In the ensuing battle, a violent thunderstorm broke out over the field at the height of the battle. Simon was slain and his body horribly mutilated by Edward’s men. Simon’s eldest son died on the field with him and his younger son, Guy, was gravely wounded. Edward showed no mercy; even the squires were killed, which was highly unusual. A chronicler would later write, “Such was the murder of Evesham, for battle it was none.” Simon’s son, Bran, would arrive on the battlefield in time to see his father’s head on a pike. Simon’s widow and daughter were allowed to go into French exile. Simon’s death was not forgotten; much to Edward’s frustration, people began to make surreptitious pilgrimages to Evesham to pray to a man some saw as a saint. A saint, he most definitely was not. As I said in the Author’s Note for Falls the Shadow, “A French-born English hero, lordly champion of the commons, an honorable adven-turer, Simon continues to be as controversial and enigmatic and paradoxical a figure in our time as he was in his own.” I think he’d have been pleased, though, with the memorial stone erected in his honor at Evesham on the 700th anniversary of his death, which was unveiled by the Speaker of the House of Commons and dedicated by the Archbishop of Canterbury:
HERE WERE BURIED THE REMAINS OF
SIMON DE MONTFORT, EARL OF LEICESTER,
PIONEER OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT, WHO WAS
KILLED IN THE BATTLE OF EVESHAM ON 4 AUGUST 1265.
And on August 4, 1265, another brilliant medieval general, the future Edward I, trapped his godfather and uncle, Simon de Montfort, at Evesham. Edward had earlier staged a successful assault upon Simon’s son, Bran, who was camped at Kenilworth Castle, and he used some of the captured banners so that Simon would assume this was his son arriving with the much-needed reinforcements. By the time they realized the truth, it was too late. Simon, watching the approaching army from the bell tower in Evesham, said, “They come on well. He learned that from me.” He then uttered one of history’s better exit lines, saying to his sons and soldiers, “We must commend our souls to God, for our bodies are theirs.” In the ensuing battle, a violent thunderstorm broke out over the field at the height of the battle. Simon was slain and his body horribly mutilated by Edward’s men. Simon’s eldest son died on the field with him and his younger son, Guy, was gravely wounded. Edward showed no mercy; even the squires were killed, which was highly unusual. A chronicler would later write, “Such was the murder of Evesham, for battle it was none.” Simon’s son, Bran, would arrive on the battlefield in time to see his father’s head on a pike. Simon’s widow and daughter were allowed to go into French exile. Simon’s death was not forgotten; much to Edward’s frustration, people began to make surreptitious pilgrimages to Evesham to pray to a man some saw as a saint. A saint, he most definitely was not. As I said in the Author’s Note for Falls the Shadow, “A French-born English hero, lordly champion of the commons, an honorable adven-turer, Simon continues to be as controversial and enigmatic and paradoxical a figure in our time as he was in his own.” I think he’d have been pleased, though, with the memorial stone erected in his honor at Evesham on the 700th anniversary of his death, which was unveiled by the Speaker of the House of Commons and dedicated by the Archbishop of Canterbury:
HERE WERE BURIED THE REMAINS OF
SIMON DE MONTFORT, EARL OF LEICESTER,
PIONEER OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT, WHO WAS
KILLED IN THE BATTLE OF EVESHAM ON 4 AUGUST 1265.
August 2, 2017
Game of Thrones and Dyrewolves
For my fellow Game of Thrones fans, here is the King of Snark, James Hibberd, with a recap of Sunday’s episode. Sorry it took me so long to get it up, but I am in the middle of staging a coup d’etat. http://ew.com/recap/game-of-thrones-q...
And who knew there really were dyrewolves? See this interesting article in the WP.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/a...
And who knew there really were dyrewolves? See this interesting article in the WP.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/a...
July 29, 2017
A novel about ancient Rome
You all must be as weary of reading my apologies as I am of posting them. 😊 But unfortunately, my Facebook and blog visits will be random until I can finally finish The Land Beyond the Sea. Just six more chapters to go, thank God. There were five, but I made the mistake of turning my back and they engaged in Chapter Sex again, Chapter 42 birthing a new chapter. At least I can see the homestretch ahead as I round the far turn.
I often will call attention to books I have not had a chance to read, but which may interest my readers. The book below by Preston Holtry falls into this category, for I know many of you share my interest in ancient Rome, both the time of the Republic and the Empire. Preston’s new novel is the first of a trilogy; below is his description of the book, and I have also included a link to Amazon, where it is available both in paperback and as a kindle, the latter at a bargain price.
“Marcus Arrius is the senior centurion of the ill-fated XXII Legion, Deiotariana serving in Judaea during the second century Roman Empire. Focused on duty and his men to the exclusion of all else, Arrius is a loyal, battle-tested soldier. Following Hadrian’s brutal suppression of the second Jewish revolt in Judaea in 135 CE, his core belief in Rome begins to erode without fully understanding why. For his exploits in Judaea, he is decorated and given his choice of assignments in Rome including command of the Praetorian Guard. His request for duty on Hadrian’s Wall instead surprises both the generals and Arrius himself. It will be Ilya, a beautiful native woman in Britannia, who will become the catalyst for understanding why he chose command of an obscure frontier fort instead of fame and fortune in Rome.”
https://www.amazon.com/ARRIUS-I-SACRA...
I often will call attention to books I have not had a chance to read, but which may interest my readers. The book below by Preston Holtry falls into this category, for I know many of you share my interest in ancient Rome, both the time of the Republic and the Empire. Preston’s new novel is the first of a trilogy; below is his description of the book, and I have also included a link to Amazon, where it is available both in paperback and as a kindle, the latter at a bargain price.
“Marcus Arrius is the senior centurion of the ill-fated XXII Legion, Deiotariana serving in Judaea during the second century Roman Empire. Focused on duty and his men to the exclusion of all else, Arrius is a loyal, battle-tested soldier. Following Hadrian’s brutal suppression of the second Jewish revolt in Judaea in 135 CE, his core belief in Rome begins to erode without fully understanding why. For his exploits in Judaea, he is decorated and given his choice of assignments in Rome including command of the Praetorian Guard. His request for duty on Hadrian’s Wall instead surprises both the generals and Arrius himself. It will be Ilya, a beautiful native woman in Britannia, who will become the catalyst for understanding why he chose command of an obscure frontier fort instead of fame and fortune in Rome.”
https://www.amazon.com/ARRIUS-I-SACRA...
July 25, 2017
History, real and fantasy
Here is James Hibberd’s recap of Sunday night’s episode of Game of Thrones. http://ew.com/recap/game-of-thrones-s...
Now on to “real” history, which is almost as bloody and messy as Master Martin’s fantasy.
Some interesting happenings on this date. On July 25, 1261, Emperor Michael Palaologis succeeded in recapturing Constantinople for the Byzantine Empire. It had been lost to the Latins when the greedy lords of the Fourth Crusade assaulted and sacked the wealthy city of Constantinople rather than having to go all the way to Jerusalem. And on July 25, 1554, Mary Tudor wed the Spanish king, Philip, surely one of the most depressing of royal marriages. Mary is undeniably a sad figure with her traumatic childhood and abusive treatment by her own father and her false pregnancies. But I’d find it easier to be sympathetic to her if she hadn’t burned so many of her own subjects at the stake. And moving from Mary the zealot to a man who was anything but, my favorite French king, Henri of Navarre. On this date in 1593, Henri converted from Protestantism to Catholicism in order to gain the French throne, saying “Paris is worth a Mass.” Henri was one of the most popular French kings and seems to have genuinely cared about his subjects. Even though it happened centuries ago, I still think it tragic that he was assassinated. I’ve always wanted to write about Henri and his spirit has been good company over the years. But I’ve had to tell him I’d probably need nine lives like a cat in order to fit him in. Being a good-natured soul, he has forgiven me, but being a king, he is sure he can eventually win me over, so he is still hanging around the house. He gets along with the Angevins better than I’d have expected. (Do I sound like someone urgently in need of a vacation?)
Now on to “real” history, which is almost as bloody and messy as Master Martin’s fantasy.
Some interesting happenings on this date. On July 25, 1261, Emperor Michael Palaologis succeeded in recapturing Constantinople for the Byzantine Empire. It had been lost to the Latins when the greedy lords of the Fourth Crusade assaulted and sacked the wealthy city of Constantinople rather than having to go all the way to Jerusalem. And on July 25, 1554, Mary Tudor wed the Spanish king, Philip, surely one of the most depressing of royal marriages. Mary is undeniably a sad figure with her traumatic childhood and abusive treatment by her own father and her false pregnancies. But I’d find it easier to be sympathetic to her if she hadn’t burned so many of her own subjects at the stake. And moving from Mary the zealot to a man who was anything but, my favorite French king, Henri of Navarre. On this date in 1593, Henri converted from Protestantism to Catholicism in order to gain the French throne, saying “Paris is worth a Mass.” Henri was one of the most popular French kings and seems to have genuinely cared about his subjects. Even though it happened centuries ago, I still think it tragic that he was assassinated. I’ve always wanted to write about Henri and his spirit has been good company over the years. But I’ve had to tell him I’d probably need nine lives like a cat in order to fit him in. Being a good-natured soul, he has forgiven me, but being a king, he is sure he can eventually win me over, so he is still hanging around the house. He gets along with the Angevins better than I’d have expected. (Do I sound like someone urgently in need of a vacation?)
July 21, 2017
Most amazing animal rescue story ever?
I did not think there’d be another animal rescue story this week to top the amazing one of Storm, the Golden Retriever, saving the baby deer from drowning. But there was. Here is the link to a video you all MUST watch; it has to be seen to be believed and is sure to put a smile on the face of every viewer. http://www.vocativ.com/439965/sri-lan...
And since the film Dunkirk is about to open, here is an interesting article about some little-known facts concerning the miraculous evacuation of Dunkirk. One of the most moving stories I’ve read is Paul Gallico’s The Snow Goose, dealing with both the powers of friendship and the heroism exhibited at Dunkirk.
http://www.historyextra.com/article/i...
And since the film Dunkirk is about to open, here is an interesting article about some little-known facts concerning the miraculous evacuation of Dunkirk. One of the most moving stories I’ve read is Paul Gallico’s The Snow Goose, dealing with both the powers of friendship and the heroism exhibited at Dunkirk.
http://www.historyextra.com/article/i...
July 18, 2017
Heroic dogs
This is a truly amazing story and all caught on video. A man was walking his golden retriever, Storm, by the Long Island Sound when the dog suddenly plunged into the water. When he started to swim back to shore, he had something in his mouth, so his owner began to video-tape it. When the dog reached the beach, his owner saw that Storm had rescued a drowning fawn. Depositing it safely on the beach, Storm began to lick and nudge the baby deer, as if trying to make sure it was okay. Thanks to Storm, it was, and it is now recovering in an animal rescue. And Storm? He has become an internet sensation and his owner rewarded him with a batch of dog cookies. See it for yourselves. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suh2g...
The most remarkable dog rescue that I’d ever heard happened about thirty years ago, but I’ve never forgotten it. A couple was walking their Labrador retriever along an Oregon beach when he suddenly ripped the leash out of the woman’s hand and plunged into the ocean. They were alarmed for it looked as if he were swimming out to sea. But he’d heard what they had not. A fifteen year old girl was out there, drowning. When he reached her, she caught hold of his collar and he towed her to shore, saving her life without question. He made the cover of People Magazine for that heroic feat…..made all the more astonishing by the fact that he was totally blind. He’d found the drowning girl by scent and her faint cries for help, and was able to swim back to shore by following the sounds of his owners’ voices, calling to him. You can see why that lodged in my memory. There are many stories of dogs saving their owners, even giving their own lives to do so, but this was a case of a dog risking his life to save a total stranger.
But dogs seem hard-wired to love people, as they have proven so often over the centuries. They are not hard-wired to save deer from drowning, so how did Storm know this fawn was desperately in need of help? And what motivated him to save it? I can think of only one answer—empathy.
The most remarkable dog rescue that I’d ever heard happened about thirty years ago, but I’ve never forgotten it. A couple was walking their Labrador retriever along an Oregon beach when he suddenly ripped the leash out of the woman’s hand and plunged into the ocean. They were alarmed for it looked as if he were swimming out to sea. But he’d heard what they had not. A fifteen year old girl was out there, drowning. When he reached her, she caught hold of his collar and he towed her to shore, saving her life without question. He made the cover of People Magazine for that heroic feat…..made all the more astonishing by the fact that he was totally blind. He’d found the drowning girl by scent and her faint cries for help, and was able to swim back to shore by following the sounds of his owners’ voices, calling to him. You can see why that lodged in my memory. There are many stories of dogs saving their owners, even giving their own lives to do so, but this was a case of a dog risking his life to save a total stranger.
But dogs seem hard-wired to love people, as they have proven so often over the centuries. They are not hard-wired to save deer from drowning, so how did Storm know this fawn was desperately in need of help? And what motivated him to save it? I can think of only one answer—empathy.
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