Character guide

The Bride

major

Also known as Bride

The Bride is Face-of-god's old playmate and pledged bride, beloved in Burgdale for her beauty and worthiness. At the Yule feast she steps forth in gold and fine web, bearing the sword beside the Holy Boar, only to find her betrothed crying out another woman's name. Her patient claim on him collides with his secret oath to the Mountain Woman, making her the quiet center of the story's early conflict between duty and longing.

Face-of-god

major

Also known as Face, God, Face - of - god

Face-of-god is the son of Iron-face of the House of the Face, a young warrior who has wandered into the mountains and returned changed. He stands caught between two wayward women and a mighty folk, his oath to wed the Mountain Woman weighing against kindred, custom, and the Bride herself. His restless longing for spring and the Mountain's token drives the early arc, as his private vow threatens to split the very alliances his people will need.

Gold-mane

major

Also known as Gold - mane, Gold, Brother Gold - mane

Gold-mane is the name the Dalesfolk give Face-of-god, and it is by this name that the Mountain Woman greets him when he stumbles, weary and night-bound, into her hall. There he is welcomed with wine and washed feet by the Friend herself, while Wild-wearer paces the hall in angry thought and the Wood-wolf banner hangs above. His courteous ease among strangers and his openness to their ways make him the hinge between the Dales and the mountain folk.

Stone-face

supporting

Also known as Stone - face, Face, old Stone - face, Kinsman Stone - face

Stone-face is the elder kinsman of the House of the Face who rises early to follow Gold-mane onto the bridge and speak with him apart. He knows his foster-son means to go to the wood, and his counsel to refrain is loathsome to the young man, yet he gives it anyway with the patience of long years. His wary, practical voice frames the early tension between the Dalesmen's settled life and the dangerous pull of the Mountain.

Bow-may

supporting

Also known as Bow - may, Bow, Sister Bow - may, Sister

Bow-may is a hunter of the mountain folk, appointed with Wood-wise as companion on the road, and known as a bowman surer than most. She watches the betrothal of Gold-mane and the Sun-beam with a laugh that flushes her tan cheeks, then turns away to the milking and the children. Her frank, warm presence grounds the mountain folk in ordinary life even as their alliance with the Dalesmen takes shape.

Iron-face

supporting

Also known as Iron - face, the Alderman, Alderman, Iron - shield

Iron-face is the Alderman of Burgdale and father to Face-of-god, a leader whose cheerful Yuletide customs include welcoming armed strangers to the hall. When his son starts up at the Bride's masked entrance and shouts of the Friend, Iron-face claps him on the shoulder and laughs, naming the Bride his old playmate. His easy authority and festive hospitality set the tone of Burgdale's communal life, against which his son's private turmoil plays out.

Dallach

supporting

Also known as this Dallach, Silverdalers Dallach, Howbeit Dallach

Dallach belongs to Silverdale, the far country whose battles and losses shadow the Dalesmen's own war, and his messages knit the two peoples' fates together. He is the bringer of news rather than a wielder of the blade in the passages we see, and the joy his tidings kindle in the warriors shows how much hangs on his words. Because his reports reach Burgstead before the Host itself, he shapes how the Dale receives its returning fighters, making him a quiet hinge between distant strife and homecoming.

Hall-face

supporting

Also known as Hall - face, Hall, Hall - ward, the Steer

Hall-face, called Hall-ward, is a leader of the Steer kindred, a veteran whose place is under the banner when the kindreds break the foe. When he believes the Bride has fallen, his bleak certainty—'she is dead'—strikes Face-of-god like a blade and drives the young man into a fury of slaughter. His grim honesty and the weight he carries as an elder of the Steer make him a measure of how dearly the Dalesmen's victory is bought, and his presence steadies the kindred even as his words wound.

Folk-might

supporting

Also known as Folk - might, Folk, the Sickle

Folk-might belongs to the Wolf kindred, a people whose fierceness is proverbial among the Dalesmen, and his byname the Sickle suggests a reaper in battle. He moves among the chieftains as a peer of Face-of-god and the war-leaders, his authority bound up with the host's discipline and its savage edge. In the story's middle arc he stands for the allied peoples' martial strength, a leader whose presence turns the gathered kindreds from a crowd into an army.

Sun-beam

major

Also known as Sun - beam, the Sun - beam

Sun-beam comes from Shadowy Vale, of lineage that once wielded power, and she has spent years striving toward a dream now fulfilled in the fair life of Silverdale. Leaving that Dale wrings her, yet she resolves to take up again the life of a stirring woman and swayer of the Folk in Burgdale, her sorrow tempered by hope and foresight. Her bond with Face-of-god and her hard-won calm make her a center of gravity in the story's middle movement, where love, grief, and leadership meet.

Penny-thumb

minor

Also known as Penny - thumb the Lean, goodman Penny - thumb, neighbour Penny - thumb

A lean and shrewd neighbour of Burgdale, often involved in local affairs.

Redesman

minor

Also known as O Redesman

A counsellor and speaker at the folk-motes, offering advice and judgment.

Crow

minor

Also known as Kinsman Crow, Kinsman

A kinsman and messenger, often bearing tidings between the kindreds.

Rusty

minor

A minor character, likely a warrior or retainer in Burgdale.

Wolf of Whitegarth

supporting

Also known as the Wolf, Whitegarth, Wolf - stone, Wolf

The Wolf of Whitegarth takes his name from his holding and his kindred, the Wolf people whose fierceness the Dalesmen know well. As a chieftain he stands among the host's leaders, his authority rooted in the respect his own folk and his allies accord him. In the middle arc he embodies the allied kindreds' martial power, one of the captains whose presence and counsel help bind the disparate peoples into a single force against their foes.

Red-wolf

minor

Also known as Red - wolf, Red, Red - coat

A warrior of the Wolf kindred, known for his red hair or cloak.

Bristler

minor

A minor character, possibly a warrior or scout in the host.

Wildlake

minor

A minor character, possibly a place-name personified or a warrior.

Red-coat of Waterless

minor

Also known as Waterless, Red - coat of Waterless

A man from Waterless, likely a warrior or messenger.

Guest

minor

A minor character, possibly a visitor or stranger in the dale.

Fox of Upton

minor

Also known as Fox of Upton

A man from Upton, possibly a warrior or neighbour.

Warcliff

minor

Also known as O Warcliff, War - cliff

A warrior and leader among the men of Burgdale, known for his courage.

Kettel

minor

Also known as Quoth Kettel

A minor character who speaks or acts briefly in the story.

Bald-face

minor

Also known as Bald - face

A minor character, possibly a warrior or elder.

Harts-bane

minor

Also known as Harts - bane of Greentofts, Greentofts

A man of Greentofts, likely a warrior or neighbour.

Hart of Highcliff

minor

Also known as Hart

A man of Highcliff, mentioned in relation to the Bride.

Scrivener

minor

Also known as the Scrivener

A scribe or record-keeper, likely at the folk-mote.

Fork-beard of Lea

minor

Also known as Fork - beard of Lea, Fork, Lea

A man of Lea, likely a warrior or neighbour.

The Fiddle

minor

Also known as the Fiddle

A minor character, possibly a musician or a personification.