Dragonship

Spring Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Nature Art”

Dragonship high and dry — Viking echoes.

This is my entry for the May/June 6-word story challenge. Lots of the other entries so far feature beach art, and I couldn’t help but get inspired by the local driftwood sculptures that have appeared on our local shores recently.

I tried to make the words of the story mirror the interesting shape.

The piece looks to me very like a Viking longship, and if so, it’s appropriate to the location! This is Scotland, and you can see the Isle of Arran in the background — a place that was ruled by the Norse for the better part of two centuries before being re-taken by the forces of Scottish king Alexander III at the nearby Battle of Largs.

As it happens, I wrote a series of novels called ‘The Druid Stones Saga’ which are all about the first Viking attacks on Scotland in the 9th Century a.d., and the ensuing clash of cultures with the local Celtic kingdom. Interested…? You can find them here (and book 1 is free!):

The first one has a scene with a burning longship on this very beach, with a woman (who becomes a badass major character) fighting for her life!

This beach sculpture certainly seems to echo that lost age of Viking raids and exploration, something that is only emphasized by the dry and brittle nature of the washed-up driftwood.

It summons visions of a moment when longships might have been seen approaching towards the very same shore.

Who is J. F. Danskin? I’m an author of LitRPG and historical fantasy, including ‘Sparta Online’ is an ebook series based on ancient Greek wars and myths. Links to all my books and sites here.