Normandy was named Normandy 'cos it was a part of France that had been
settled by 'men of the North' - ie Norsemen, or Vikings.
Funny how we have differing views of why Wales wasn't invaded :-)>
Best Cheers
Frank
+--+--+--+
I !__| [_]|_\___
I ____|"_|"__|_ | / B791 PKV
"(o)======(o)" Bronze Green 110 CSW
----- Original Message -----
From: Alex Maiolo <Rovernut@nc.rr.com>
To: <lro@Works.Team.Net>; Alex Maiolo <stablenet@nc.rr.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2001 11:52 PM
Subject: LRO: Re: True Brits (was Guinness)
> > Funny, all those good Anglo Saxon Britons from Robin Hood's time were
> being
> > put upon by Normans, who were nothing more than a bunch of hopped up
> > Vikings, another Germanic crowd.
>
> Close - the Normans were from Normandy, France.
> William the Conquerer, betrayal, Hastings, Bayeux Tapestry.
> 1066, And All That.
>
> As far as the Britons thing goes, my British History is a little fuzzy
after
> about 2000 B.C.E., but perhaps the reason the Cymru bunch claim to be the
> only "true Brits" is because nobody has successfully invaded them. The
> island was full of the same short, dark-skinned, big headed chaps until
the
> invaders came. The Vikings didn't get into Wales. Got their asses kicked,
> really. The Romans pretty much stopped short. The Normans didn't bother
> because they heard they would most likely get a whuppin' (they weren't
used
> to mountain combat).
>
> Basically, the armies of history never felt like messing with this hearty
> group of Celtic biker-types, so I guess they are "pure," whereas the rest
of
> Britain has been intermixed. A list of town names in England will verify
the
> many influences on its culture, whereas Wales gives you the most
vowel-free
> placenames for your buck (pound), because they're mostly still named in
> Welsh Gaelic or a derivative. Viva la glottal stop.
> The English have had so many genetic influences over the last 2500 years
> it's safe to say that they are just as much mutts as we Yanks are.
> The myth that red hair is a Scottish trait is...well.... a myth. Danish
men
> on pillage parties left their zygotes scattered with the women of both
> Tartan-land and Hibernia, so while free of Roman genes, they've been
> seriously tainted from the East.
>
>
> Nid yw Cymru ar Werth!
> Alex Maiolo (Huw Goc Aur)
> Chapel Hill NC
>
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Wed Jun 13 2001 - 19:17:54 EDT