Having the Boys Over to Cheer On the Saxons

After our nice little tea party last Friday (reported on this blog), I promised the neighborhood boys we would have an afternoon dedicated to watching a movie about the Battle of Hastings. They were a half hour late, but my earlier guests, Daniel and Eunice arrived with their brother Samuel, and neighbors Brice and Chase.

What ensued in was as much a mélée as we saw on the screen. No, no fights, but lots of elaborate descriptions of video games the movie reminded them of, and lots of hilarity when one of the boys sat in the Cheetos. One of them started chanting the charming little ditty "Milk, milk, lemonade... etc." causing me to exclaim "Omigod, we used to say that 50 years ago!"

I think the most riveting piece of information they gleaned from my running commentary about the Battle of Hastings episode of Battlefield Britain we watched was that one thing that happened in the heat of battle was soldiers pooping themselves. They also found the fact that Hara;d Hadrada was killed when a Saxon soldier stabbed up through Stamford Bridge and got him in the groin.

Kettle corn, cookies, Cheetos and fruit punch were enjoyed by all. My favorite part was my question and answer period. Such as:

Who was the king of England who died in the battle?
HAROLD!

What was his last name?
Dickinson!

No, it was Godwinson. Why was his last name Godwinson?
Because he was Godwin's son!

Excellent. Who was it the Saxons fought at Stamford Bridge?
THE VIKINGS! But they didn't have any armor on!

Why was that?
Because they weren't expecting the Saxons to arrive so soon. They were having a picnic.

How did Harold Godwinson die?
He was shot in the eye with an arrow!

What was different about how the Normans fought?
They had horses!

Very good. Why is it better to be on the uphill side of a battle?
Because you don't get tired like the guys running up hill.

That's right. Why else?
Because you can throw things down on them!

I shamelessly asked them to cheer Harold Godwinson and boo the Normans. I feel I was well rewarded for the snacks and for my endurance when Brice, at my question, "Who was the leader of the Normans?" sang out "William the Butt-hole!"

Contented sigh. There may be hope for posterity after all.