King Penda of Mercia


The Anglo-Saxon or Englisc Folc have had, as all Germanic Folc have had, many great warriors, kings and poets (OE sċop). Those aethel men that rise up to lead their steadfast thanes to expand or defend the lands of their folc. One such great Englisc king (OE cyning) was the Mercian Warrior King Penda. The son of Pybba, Penda was the last many-godded king of the Folc of the Borderlands (OE Miercna rīċe), known in Modern English as the Kingdom of Mercia. 

Penda was of the godsprung kingly line of King Icel, the last King of the Kingdom of Angeln, what is now-timely named Northern Germany. King Icel left his Kingdom of Angeln with a great Heathen war-band to conquer the land of the native Britons and establish the Kingdom of Mercia becoming Mercia’s first king. The kingly family lore of the line of Icel, tells of Icel’s descent from our Germanic All-Father, Woden, making King Penda of Mercia a godsprung cyning as well.

As a keeper of the many-godded Englisc troth, the Warrior King Penda was a fearless son of the Gods of Germania. While most of the cyning of Angleland were forcing their steadfast folc to convert to, or “plight their troth” to, the outlandish god of Christendom, Penda was defending his folc and keeping our many-godded troth as his great ancestor Icel did in days of yore.

As well as being a steadfast son of our Gods and ward of the Mercian Folc, Penda was a name-known spearmen, lord of war and unsparing feeder of the ravens. As was the way of the Angelcynn aethelings, Penda was always working to grow his kingdom for himself and his folc, wending paths of war craft and speech-craft alike. Penda first tested his mettle in the game of spears in the Mercian folc’s war against the Hwicce Folc. When the sword’s song fell away, Penda, with the Mercian fighting folc, was belighted by the luck of the Gods, gained the upper hand and won the day.

Penda proved his godspung bloodline when he took the kingship of Mercia during the where he fought and killed King Edwin and his Folc, the fighting men of Northumbria (OE Norþanhymbra rīċe). With his Mercian war-band, Penda had shown his great worth to the Aldermen of Mercia, and that he was, indeed, the true King of Mercia. His godsprung luck was further shown when he broadened the Mercian Folkdom into the now-timely named shires of Cheshire, Shropshire, Hereford, and Worcester.

King Penda wended the Hell Way to his Ancestor’s Hall when he was cut down in AD 655 at the war of Winwæd where he faced King Oswiu, and the war-bands of Bernicia. With the glorious death of Penda ended open Heathen worship. The Mercian Folc, and all the true Heathen folc of Angleland, continued worshiping the old gods in hidden places. They began building weohfods and giving blot to the holy gods in shady glades far from trothless, prying eyes. The trothful kept steadfast in the old ways for many centuries until they finally faded…but that is changing. The Heathens are coming back.

~ Beræcer Lárġyfa, Holy Month 16, 2024

Bibliography

(https://www.britannica.com/biography/Penda).