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King Alfred the Great (849-899)
For two hundred years the English people were at war with the Danes coming from Denmark and the Norsemen invading from Scandinavia. King Alfred of the Saxon kingdom of Wessex first took part in the battles when he was a boy of sixteen. After King Saint Ethelred's death the Witan (the meeting of wise men) passed over his two sons and elected his younger brother Alfred king. The Witan's duty was to select kings from the royal house, but it was not necessarily the heir who was selected. The Witan, so it turned out, chose well, for Alfred proved to be a great ruler. He organized resistance to the Vikings and built a fleet of ships and fortifications on the coasts; under his leadership the small kingdoms were united to fight against the invaders.
King Alfred was not only an able warrior but also a dedicated scholar; his real greatness lay in the arts of peace. After the victory over the Danes he did much for educating his people, opening schools for the nobility and asking scholars to translate into English masterpieces of world literature; he is also famous for working out the English code.
King Alfred is known as «Alfred the Great» - the only monarch in English history to be given this title.
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Thistle Emblem
The thistle has nothing pleasant in it, especially if you carelessly touch its thorns. But it has an important meaning for the people of Scotland. It is the Scottish national emblem. Scotland, as you may know, is now part of Great Britain.
Why did the Scottish people choose this thorny plant as the national emblem of their country?
The answer is interesting, and it can be found in the history of Scotland. The people of that country chose the thistle as their national emblem because it saved their land from foreign invaders many years ago.
People say that during a surprise night attack by the invaders the Scottish soldiers were awakened by the shouts of the invaders as their bare feet touched the thorns of the thistles in the field they were crossing.
This, of course, was a good reason to choose the thistle as a national emblem.
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The Names of the Months
The English names of the month are of Latin origin. The ruler of Rome, Julius Caesar, arranged the year in six month of 31 days and six of 30 days. The first month of the year in those days was March. December was the tenth, January the eleventh and February the twelfth. It was King Charles IX of France who, in January 1563, decided that the year should begin of January 1st. January was named after Janus, the god of Time and War, February after Februs, in honour of whom, in ancient Rome, a great festival «Febra» was celebrated. March was called after Mars, the god of War. April got its name from the Latin word aperire, which means «to open». It is the month when the earth opens itself and nature returns to life. May was named after goddess Maia, the daughter of Atlas and mother of Mercury. June takes its name from Juno, the wife of Jupiter. July was named after Julius Caesar. The month of August took its name from Augustus, the first Roman emperor. September, October, November and December are the 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th months in the Jullian calendar and they were given their names by the number they represent.
The Days of the Week
It is interesting to know how the names of the week came to have such names. These names are very old: people chose them long, long ago in the days when they worshipped a different god each day.
Sunday was the Sun's day and the next day was the Moon's day of Monday. Tuesday was called after Tieu, the god of war. Wednesday was Woden's day, one highest god of the Teutonic peoples. Thor was the thunder god, his day was called Thor's day, or Thursday.
His wife insisted on having a special day of her own. Her name was Freya, so her day came to be called Friday. Saturn was the Roman god of the fields, his day was Saturn's day, or Saturday.
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