Cultural depictions of Æthelflæd explained

Æthelflæd, the 9th-century Lady of the Mercians, has been depicted on screen and in literature.

In literature

• The novel A Chronicle of Ethelfled (1861), by Anne Manning, focused on the relationship between Æthelflæd (called "Ethelfled" in the novel) and her father, King Alfred.^[1]
• The 1930 novel Elfwin by S. Fowler Wright features Æthelflæd (called Ethelfleda in the text).^[2]
• The young adult novel The Edge on the Sword (2003) by Rebecca Tingle deals with Aethelflaeda as a young woman.^[3]
• In Bernard Cornwell's "Saxon Stories" series she appears in a number of the books.
• The 2012 novel The Bone Thief by V.M. Whitworth features Æthelflæd as a character.^[4]
• Æthelflæd is the protagonist of the novel To Be a Queen (2013) by Annie Whitehead.^[5]
• The short story "The Lady of the Mercians" by Sue Purkiss revolves around Æthelflæd's life. Purkiss' story appeared in the anthology of historical fiction, Daughters of Time (2014) edited by Mary Hoffman.^[6]

On screen

In a 2011 production for the Chester Heritage Trail called Aethelflaeda: Saxon Queen she was played by Lisa-Marie Hoctor.

In the 2017 television series The Last Kingdom she was played by Millie Brady.^[7]

• Book: Arman, Joanna. The Warrior Queen : the Life and Legend of Aethelflaed, Daughter of Alfred the Great. Amberley. Stroud, UK. 2017. 9781445662053 .

Notes and References

1. [Ernest A. Baker|Baker, Ernest A.]
2. "Thorkeld and Elfwin and Ethelfleda are first-rate characters, as much as you can ask for in one novel; it does not greatly matter that Sithric is little more than the conventional juvenile lead. Mr. Wright does his pictures and his narrative with vigor and economy..." Elmer Davis, "She Knew What She Wanted" (Review of Elfwin by S. Fowler Wright), The Saturday Review, September 13, 1930, (p. 123).
3. Holly Koelling, Best Books for Young Adults. American Library Association, 2007. (p. 255)
4. https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/the-bone-thief/ "Review: The Bone Thief by V M Whitworth"
5. https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/to-be-a-queen/ "Review: To Be a Queen by Annie Whitehead"
6. https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/daughters-of-time/ "Review: Daughters of Time edited by Mary Hoffman"
7. Web site: The Last Kingdom – Aethelflaed. BBC Two. 12 June 2018.