The Days of High Adventure

A short retelling of the story of Guthred, whose tale has similarities to that of the famous Cimmerian.

Simeon wrote that a local abbot was visited, in a vision, by Cuthbert, an Anglo-Saxon Saint (who had once resided at the monastery on Lindisfarne). Holy Cuthbert advised the monk to seek out a slave who had been sold to a widow....

What can be historically verified, thanks in part to financial records, was that a Guthred was acquired by what appears to be an Anglo-Saxon nobleman named Æthelstan. Legend has it that this nobleman recognized young Guthred's leadership potential and set him free. 

Whether Æthelstan had received any visits from a monk with a bizarre tale of a saintly vision, or if we take Æthelstan's kindness at face value is hard to gauge centuries after the fact, but it appears that Guthred was indeed set free coinciding (coincidentally or not, we may never know) with the toppling of Halfdan from the throne of Northumbria.

Aside from gaining his freedom, Guthred soon, through a combination of his apparent charisma and hard work, gained the trust and support of the local community. In fact, in little more than a year, he had filled the large void in the kingdom by ascending to the throne. 

It seems that Cuthbert's foreshadowing had come to fruition, and a former slave became the second Viking King of Northumbria.