Hawk of May

infobox Book |
name = Hawk of May
title_orig =
translator =


author = Gillian Bradshaw
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series = Down the Long Wind
genre = Epic fantasy
publisher = Signet
release_date = May 1981
media_type = Print (Paperback)
pages = 279
isbn = ISBN 0-451-09765-3
preceded_by =
followed_by = Kingdom of Summer

"Hawk of May" is the first of a trilogy of fantasy novels written by Gillian Bradshaw which interprets the King Arthur legend. It recounts, from the viewpoint of the warrior Gwalchmai ap Lot, Arthur's rise to power. The title is a literal translation of Gwalchmai's name.

Plot summary

Britain is a land divided into small Celtic kingdoms in the process of being conquered by the more united Saxon invaders. When Uther, the Pendragon or High King, dies of sickness leaving no legitimate sons, any semblance of a unified defense vanishes. Only Arthur, Uther's son, continues to fight the Saxons, but as a bastard, he can only rely on the support of his late father's warband and the kingdom of Dumnonia. A civil war is in the offing as the rest of the underkings shortsightedly plot to claim the vacant throne.

One of the most powerful of the schemers is Lot, King of the Orcades. He has three sons by his wife, Morgawse, Uther's daughter and a notorious witch. Agravain, the eldest, is a straightforward, gifted warrior and his father's favorite. The second, Gwalchmai, is clever, but a poor fighter, favored by his mother. Finally, there is Medraut, who resembles Lot so little that many question his parentage.

Lot and Agravain go off to war. Gwalchmai despairs of becoming a warrior and asks his mother to teach him witchcraft instead, to which she readily agrees. Medraut, who looks up to his brother, also wants to learn magic, but Gwalchmai tries to dissuade him.

When a large Saxon force under the leadership of the charismatic King Cerdic of Wessex invades Dumnonia, Arthur, who had heretofore remained neutral, realizes that the only way to protect Britain is to end the civil war. He therefore proclaims himself the Pendragon. A brilliant general, Arthur defeats several kings, one after the other. The remaining contenders then unite against him. Arthur wins the climactic battle and forces the defeated kings (including Lot) to swear the Threefold Oath of Allegiance to him.

Morgawse, Uther's legitimate offspring, is furious and prepares black magic to strike down her half-brother Arthur. She includes Gwalchmai in the invocation of the spell. To his surprise and despair, he finds Medraut a willing participant. When he learns that a human sacrifice is required, Gwalchmai finally rebels. He kills the bound victim to spare him an agonizing death and flees his mother's wrath.

Not knowing what else to do, he seeks refuge at a favorite seaside spot. An otherworldly boat appears and transports him to the Land of the Blessed, where he meets his kinsman, the god Lugh of the Long Hand. Gwalchmai pledges his allegiance to the Light and is given a magical sword. He is then sent back to Britain to fight for Arthur.

Gwalchmai stumbles upon a band of Saxons and is taken to Cerdic's camp, where he is bought by the king to be his thrall. King Aldwulf of Bernicia, a sorcerer and ally of Cerdic, captures, but cannot tame a supernatural horse. Gwalchmai steals it and rides to freedom.

He tries to join Arthur's warband, but the High King is suspicious of his motives and refuses his service. Arthur has also heard rumors that Gwalchmai is a sorcerer, like his mother. Nonetheless, he cannot turn away his own nephew. Gwalchmai fights loyally for Arthur, earning a reputation as the finest cavalry fighter in Britain. He makes friends, among them Bedwyr, Arthur's most trusted advisor, but the High King remains distrustful and the warband is strongly divided regarding him.

After much maneuvering, the armies of Arthur and Cerdic finally clash. At a crucial moment, Arthur's shield wall is broken and all seems lost. In desperation, Bedwyr leads the cavalry on a seemingly hopeless charge to try to rescue the situation. In a fit of battle madness, Gwalchmai rides to the forefront and singlehandedly breaks the Saxon line, making an opening for the following horsemen to pass through and wreak havoc on the Saxons. Cerdic's army is routed and the Saxons are forced to come to terms. But for his great feat, Gwalchmai receives only perfunctory thanks from a still-hostile Arthur.

With Cerdic quelled for the moment, Arthur takes his men north to combat Aldwulf's raids. However, he is surprised and trapped by a much larger Saxon army. With no other choice, Arthur has to attempt a desperate night attack to force a passage through Aldwulf's camp. He places his best warriors at the point of the attack. He reluctantly includes Gwalchmai, pledging to finally accept him if they manage to escape.

The battle goes in Arthur's favor, but Gwalchmai is seriously wounded. He recovers in a friendly holding, under the care of Gwynhwyfar, the daughter of the clan leader. When he is well enough, he leaves in search of Arthur. On the outskirts of the warband's camp, he encounters a peasant woman looking for help for her wounded husband. Knowing something of healing, he tries to save him, but the man is too badly injured and soon dies.

Gwalchmai meets Arthur. He surprises the Pendragon by announcing to all present that, because he has divided the warband, he is leaving. At that moment, the peasant woman shows up to thank Gwalchmai for his efforts. This finally convinces Arthur that he has been in the wrong. In private, Arthur asks Gwalchmai to stay. He lets slip that he dreaded that Gwalchmai would reveal his dark secret: Medraut is his son, the product of incest, though at the time, he did not know that he and Morgawse were related. Ironically, Gwalchmai had never even suspected. Nevertheless, Arthur still wants him to stay, and Gwalchmai eagerly accepts.