History Literature / TheDolphinRing

''The Eagle of the Ninth'', ''The Shield Ring'', and ''The Silver Branch'' were shortlisted for the UsefulNotes/CarnegieMedal. ''The Lantern Bearers'' was the winner for 1959.

* UsefulNotes/AngloSaxons: More precisely, Jutes. King Vortigern has granted the mercenary brothers Hengest and Horsa a foothold on the island of Tanatus in exchange for defending the coast from all other Saxons, which Aquila's father views as setting the fox to guard the chickens. Vortigern cedes Kent on his marriage to Hengest's daughter Rowena and then is held hostage by his in-laws for all of southeast Britain on the Night of the Long Knives.

* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Though it goes against the grain with Bjarni not to simply KillEmAll when the villagers burn Angharad's farm, he realises that he'd leave Angharad defenseless. He tells her later that she's the only person for whose sake he has ever run ''away'' from a fight.

* AnAxeToGrind: Gille Butharson's weapon of choice, which is why [[spoiler:Wave-flame is buried with Aikin the Beloved.]]

* CoolOldLady: [[AwesomeMcCoolname Aud the Deep-Minded]], who ends a feud after her son's murder, builds a secret boat in the forest of Caithness, and sails off to colonise Iceland, and out of respect for whom Bjarni accepts Christian prime-signing.

* EndOfAnAge: The book begins with the final withdrawal of Roman soldiers from Britain around 450 CE. The usual cutoff date for Roman Britain is 410, but Sutcliff fudges it by making them Auxiliaries in order to fit her theme of [[OrderVersusChaos civilization vs. barbarian]] into a timeframe that fits with traditional dates for KingArthur.

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: The political events of the novel – Vortigern's alliance with Hengest and Rowena and war against Vortimer and Ambrosius – are based on the ''Literature/HistoriaBrittonum'' and ''Literature/HistoriaRegumBritanniae'', the earliest pseudo-historical accounts of KingArthur and the fifth century in Britain.

* YoungFutureFamousPeople: Ambrosius's nephew and eventual cavalry commander, [[KingArthur Artos the Bear.]]

* PosthumousCharacter: Ambrosius's brother Utha has died sometime ago. He's more significant in ''Sword of Sunset''.

* RightfulKingReturns: Ambrosius is the son of the High King Constantine, assassinated by his brother-in-law, the usurper High King Vortigern. SupportingLeader Ambrosius is prince of Arfon, but doesn't take the crown of High King until after the Battle of Guoloph.

* ''The Silver Branch'' (1957)

Though this page presents the series in chronological order, connections between books are distant (pretty much just the ring), and none require any knowledge of the others. Only ''The Lantern Bearers'' and ''Sword at Sunset'' share a setting and characters. The series also contains slight connections to the rest of TheVerse of Sutcliff's historical fiction (''e.g.'', the woes of [[LostRomanLegion the Ninth Legion]] feature in ''Literature/SongForADarkQueen'', ''Eagle's Egg'', ''The Eagle of the Ninth'', and ''Swallows in the Spring''). Three novels of the sequence currently have their own pages, and the remaining five are divided into folders on this page, as their contents are essentially independent.

[[folder:The Silver Branch]]
290s CE. Justin and Flavian stumble upon a [[TheCoup conspiracy to assassinate]] the emperor [[SupportingLeader Carausius]] and join LaResistance against the Saxon-allied usurper of Britain.
* AnimalMotif: The Dolphin is both the badge of Flavius and Justin's grandmother's family, and the name of the Portus Adurni wineshop where they meet Paulinus.
* BattleAmongstTheFlames: The Saxons set Calleva on fire while they loot it after fleeing Asklepiodotus's army. The flames eventually reach the basilica where the civilians have taken refuge and the Lost Legion has rushed in the defend them.
* BeastlyBloodsports: Justin visits a cockfight while stationed at Hadrian's Wall to hand off a tablet containing details of Allectus' plot to Evicatos of the Spear to deliver to Carausius.
* CadreOfForeignBodyguards: Allectus's Saxon Guard, who also operate as a secret police.
* CanisLatinicus: Sutcliff was still getting the hang of Roman naming conventions. Lucius Tiberius Justinianus has two first names and a cognomen instead of a first name, gens name, and cognomen.
* Myth/CelticMythology: The metal percussion instrument Cullen plays, a set of spherical bells dangling from a hollow rod, is inspired by the bards’ “branches” of Celtic legend. The silver branch was also a passport to the other world, which perhaps symbolizes Cullen’s disappearance and reappearance with a message from the dead Carausius.
* ContinuityNod: Flavius's ring combined with Justinianus's name alerts them to their cousinship.
-->It was a heavy and very battered signet-ring. The flawed emerald which formed the bezel was darkly cool, holding the surface reflection of the window as he turned it to catch the light, and the engraved device stood out clearly. “This Dolphin?” he said, with a dawning excitement. “Yes, I have, on—on the ivory lid of an old cosmetic box that belonged to my grandmother. It was the badge of her family.”
* CoolOldLady: Flavius and Justin's straight-talking cosmetic disaster Great Aunt, Honoria.
* DayOfTheJackboot: Allectus poses as a liberator from a corrupt Carausius, but his Saxon backing makes his reign effectively a foreign occupation.
* DelusionsOfDoghood: Cullen the Fool. How much he truly thinks he is a dog and how much is ObfuscatingInsanity is left as an exercise for the reader, but he is certainly at his happiest when he is acting like a hound.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Huge blond Teutonic barbarians marching through the streets of Britain were [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII a fairly recent concern]] when the book was written, and Carausius's plan for Britain as a last bastion of civilisation after the fall of Rome evokes Britain's position during the Nazi occupation of Europe. Paulinus's organisation is an inversion of French Resistance drama.
* FaceYourFears: Paulinus hides Justin and Flavian in a tiny secret room in the old theatre. Justin, we discover, suffers from {{Claustrophobia}}.
* HalloweenEpisode: Justin and Flavian receive word of Carausius's assassination on Samhain, the Celtic day of the dead.
* HappinessInSlavery: The curious case of Cullen the Fool, who likes to think of himself as a hound, to the point of sleeping on the floor, wearing a dog's tail ''and wagging it'', and UndyingLoyalty to his master. He eventually explains to Justin and Flavius that he was BornIntoSlavery and to him, being ownerless is like being unemployed. [[UsefulNotes/{{Otherkin}} Or maybe he's just ahead of his time.]]
* HeroicSacrifice: Paulinus [[spoiler: lets himself be cut down by the Saxon Guard to allow the others time to escape]]. Evicatos [[spoiler: dies defending Cullen in the basilica]].
* HeterosexualLifePartners: As colleagues, friends, and long-lost cousins, Justin and Flavian seem to have hitched their wagons to each other, though unlike some of Sutcliff's other partnerships they aren't balls-deep in HoYay.
* LaResistance: A somewhat ironic version, given that they're Carausius's followers supporting Constantius as a liberator from Allectus, who overthrew Carausius, who rebelled against Constantius in the first place.
** FiveManBand: Flavius is TheHero, Justin is TheLancer, Anthonius is TheSmartGuy, Pandarus is TheBigGuy, Cullen is TheChick ''and'' TeamPet, and Evicatos is TheSixthRanger. Honoria is TheTeamBenefactor, and Myron is the TagalongKid.
** RagtagBunchOfMisfits: Flavius's "Lost Legion", including two deserted centurions and a surgeon, a freed gladiator, a teenage cutpurse, and a jester, who use a battered and wingless legionary eagle as their standard.
** TheSpymaster: Paulinus, the [[Creator/JohnLeCarre George Smiley]] of Portus Adurni. A small – ahem – plump, timid tax collector with an – ahem – VerbalTic, who enjoys {{Creator/Euripides}}.
* LegendFadesToMyth: Flavius knows there's a vague family story about their ancestor Marcus [[Literature/TheEagleOfTheNinth having some adventure in the North]]; he suspects it may have had something to do with the Ninth Legion. Justin thinks this is far-fetched.
* TheMedic: Justin is an Army Surgeon. His willingness to treat the local tribesmen around Magnis-on-the-Wall is what earns him and Flavius the benefit of Evicatos of the Spear's information network.
* ReassignedToAntarctica: Justin and Flavius are KickedUpstairs to Hadrian's Wall after accusing Allectus of conspiracy. They realise later that Carausius put them out of Allectus's reach.
* ShoutOut: The "lights will go out everywhere" quote below is probably inspired by the famous remark on the eve of UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne, "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_lamps_are_going_out The lamps are going out all over Europe; we will not see them lit again in our lifetime.]]"
* AStormIsComing: Saxon invasions and the breakup of of the Roman empire, which overshadow all the later Roman novels, are first invoked here.
-->'''Carausius:''' Always, everywhere, the Wolves gather on the frontiers, waiting. It needs only that a man should lower his eyes for a moment, and they will be in to strip the bones. Rome is failing, my children...If I can make this one province strong–strong enough to stand alone when Rome goes down, then something may be saved from the darkness. If not, then Dubris light and Limanis light and Rutupiae light will all go out. The lights will go out everywhere.
* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: Carausius did make himself the emperor of Britain and was betrayed by Allectus. History is silent on whether he was warned by a couple of junior officers who later led a resistance with the help of a ProudWarriorRaceGuy and a guy who thought he was a dog.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Justin believes he's a disappointment to his father, who wanted him to follow in his footsteps as a soldier. He eventually receives a letter assuring him that no, his father is just terrible at showing affection.
[[/folder]]

* AllHallowsEve: Justin and Flavian receive word of Carausius's assassination on Samhain, the Celtic day of the dead.

* HappinessInSlavery: The curious case of Cullen the Fool, who likes to think of himself as a hound, to the point of sleeping on the floor, wearing a dog's tail ''and wagging it'', and UndyingLoyalty to his master. He eventually explains to Justin and Flavius that he was BornIntoSlavery and to him, being ownerless is like being unemployed. [[{{Otherkin}} Or maybe he's just ahead of his time.]]

* CarnegieMedal: ''The Lantern Bearers'' was the Carnegie winner for 1959.

290s CE. Justin and Flavian stumble upon a [[TheCoup conspiracy to assassinate]] the emperor Carausius and join LaResistance against the Saxon-allied usurper of Britain.

* HappinessInSlavery: The curious case of Cullen the Fool, who likes to think of himself as a hound, to the point of sleeping on the floor, wearing a dog's tail ''and wagging it'', and UndyingLoyalty to his master. He eventually explains to Justin and Flavius that he was BornIntoSlavery and to him, being ownerless is like being unemployed.
** [[{{Otherkin}} Or maybe he's just ahead of his time.]]

* EnemyMine: After Vortigern puts aside their mother in favour of Rowena, his sons Vortimer, Catigern, and Pascent offer their cousin Ambrosius (whose father Constantine their father assassinated) an alliance with those of the Welsh who don't favour closer ties with the Saxons.

* MadeASlave: The raiders who attack Aquila's villa leave him unconscious for the SavageWolves, but a second group happens along and someone takes him home as a present for his grandpa. Rechristened "Dolphin", Aquila spends the next three years as a Homer-reading thrall in Jutland until the entire village decides to up sticks for greener pastures in Hengest's Britain. Meanwhile Flavia has been not-enslaved with the original raiders in Hengest's burg.

* RightfulKingReturns: Ambrosius is the son of the High King Constantine, assassinated by his brother-in-law, the usurper High King Vortigern. Ambrosius is prince of Arfon, but doesn't take the crown of High King until after the Battle of Guoloph.

* EverybodysDeadDave: The aftermath of the Battle of Dyrham, in which the book opens. Owain wakes up on the battlefield to find himself the SoleSurvivor and walks to Glevum in a fugue hoping to find the retreated war host, but there isn’t one. He continues on to Viroconium because he’s too much of a ShellShockedVeteran (at 14) to settle down with Priscilla and Priscus.
* FullBoarAction: Owain's hotheaded charge Bryni Beornwulfson throws himself into a boar hunt to get the attention of the king, his father's foster-brother.

* AuthorExistenceFailure: ''Sword Song'' was Sutcliff's last book, first published five years after her death, based on the second of three intended drafts.

* PinballProtagonist: Bjarni is merely the employee of the characters who actually drive the story, like Onund, Thorstein, Groa, and Aud. It's justified in that the plot is based on incidents of their real lives. And when he takes up with the fictional Angharad, the crux of his character growth requires him to be restrained and passive.

Though this page presents the series in chronological order, connections between books are distant (pretty much just the ring), and none require any knowledge of the others. Only ''The Lantern Bearers'' and ''Sword at Sunset'' share a setting and characters. The series also contains slight connections to the rest of TheVerse of Sutcliff's historical fiction (''e.g.'', the woes of [[LostRomanLegion the Ninth Legion]] feature in ''Song for a Dark Queen'', ''Eagle's Egg'', ''The Eagle of the Ninth'', and ''Swallows in the Spring''). Three novels of the sequence currently have their own pages, and the remaining five are divided into folders on this page, as their contents are essentially independent.

* LegendFadesToMyth: Flavius knows there's a vague family story about their ancestor Marcus [[TheEagleOfTheNinth having some adventure in the North]]; he suspects it may have had something to do with the Ninth Legion. Justin thinks this is far-fetched.

* AnimalMotifs: Vortigern is "the Red Fox", and his three sons are the Young Foxes. Aquila is "Dolphin" – his familiy signet, tattoo, thrall-name, and banner – and "a lone wolf". His son Flavian is accordingly "the Minnow".

* TheAce: Bjarni is not only a ProudWarriorRaceGuy, he's a better harper than the Norman who does it for a living. As a kid he can beat up a rival two years older than him. He has one great fear (because he's ''more imaginative'' than other people), which he volunteers to face for the sake of his country and overcomes with flying colours, then no-big-deals it back to fight the climactic battle while injured, side-by-side with his won-over childhood enemy. And he does all this with a "faintly mocking gaze."

Though this page presents the series in chronological order, connections between books are distant (pretty much just the ring), and none require any knowledge of the others. Only ''The Lantern Bearers'' and ''Sword at Sunset'' share a setting and characters. The series also contains slight connections to the rest of TheVerse of Sutcliff's historical fiction (''e.g.'', the woes of the Ninth Legion feature in ''Song for a Dark Queen'', ''Eagle's Egg'', ''The Eagle of the Ninth'', and ''Swallows in the Spring''). Three novels of the sequence currently have their own pages, and the remaining five are divided into folders on this page, as their contents are essentially independent.

** [[FurryFandom Or maybe he's just ahead of his time.]]

5th century CE. Aquila deserts from the departing legions and devotes his life to holding off the Saxons from Roman Britain.

* AnimalMotifs: Vortigern is "the Red Fox", and his three sons are the Young Foxes. Aquila is "Dolphin" – his tattoo, thrall-name, and banner – and "a lone wolf". His son Flavian is accordingly "the Minnow".

* ShoutOut: Flavia's phrase "a singing magic" is borrowed from Creator/RudyardKipling's "[[http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/k/kipling/rudyard/justso/chapter11.html#chapter11 The Cat Who Walked By Himself]]" in the ''Just So Stories''.

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: Bjarni is a fictional character, but his bosses Onund Treefoot, Thorstein the Red and Aud the Deep-Minded were real people, as were Erp MacMeldin and Muirgoed; early settlers of Iceland whose life-stories were recorded in Literature/TheIcelandicSagas.

* UsefulNotes/CelticMythology: The metal percussion instrument Cullen plays, a set of spherical bells dangling from a hollow rod, is inspired by the bards’ “branches” of Celtic legend. The silver branch was also a passport to the other world, which perhaps symbolizes Cullen’s disappearance and reappearance with a message from the dead Carausius.