The Stronghold by Mollie Hunter
"The Stronghold" by Mollie Hunter is a historical novel that explores the life of the Boar tribe on the Orkney Islands during the first century B.C. The narrative follows eighteen-year-old Coll, who is haunted by the scars of a past Roman attack that left him crippled and led to the death of his mother while saving his younger brother, Bran. The Boar tribe faces internal conflict between their chief Nectan, who advocates for retreat, and Domnall, the chief of the Druid priests, who believes in confronting the Romans with valor. As tensions rise, Coll proposes building strongholds to protect the tribe, symbolizing a compromise between the differing viewpoints. The arrival of Taran, a power-hungry figure with ties to the Romans, adds another layer of complexity, igniting struggles for leadership and loyalty within the tribe. The novel culminates in a confrontation with the invaders, where themes of bravery, sacrifice, and respect emerge prominently. Winner of the Carnegie Medal, "The Stronghold" reflects Hunter's deep interest in Scottish history and her skill in weaving intricate narratives that resonate with themes of imagination and loyalty.
Subject Terms
The Stronghold by Mollie Hunter
First published: 1974
Subjects: Religion and war
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Adventure tale, historical fiction, and social realism
Time of work: Around 50 b.c.
Recommended Ages: 13-18
Locale: The Orkney Islands, Scotland
Principal Characters:
Coll , an eighteen-year-old lame architect who becomes “Master” of the StrongholdNectan , the chief of the BoarAnu , Nectan’s wife, whose marriage to Nectan made him chiefDomnall , the chief of the Druid priestsClodha , Domnall’s eldest daughter, whose husband will become the new chief of the BoarNiall , Coll’s friend who is courting ClodhaFand , Clodha’s younger sister, whom Coll lovesTaran , a member of the Boar who was captured by the Roman raiders thirteen years earlierBran , Coll’s younger brother, whose mother saved him from the raiders and who was reared by Druid priestsDaggart , a member of the Council of the Boar, whose place Taran takes after killing him
Form and Content
The Stronghold is a fascinating historical novel focusing on the unknown creator of the many “brochs,” or strongholds, built on the islands off Scotland’s northern coast to protect its inhabitants from Roman attacks during the first century b.c. The story centers on eighteen-year-old Coll, a member of the Boar, one of the tribes living on the Orkney Islands.
Almost yearly, the Boar must fend off attacks by Roman slave traders who kidnap or kill members of the tribe. Years before the novel begins, during a Roman attack, Coll was crippled and his mother sacrificed her life to save his younger brother, Bran, who is now being reared by the Druid priests. Now, the Boar are divided over how to deal with the threat of invaders. Nectan, the chief of the Boar, is tired of bloodshed and believes that his tribe should flee to safety instead of fighting the raiders when they come. Domnall, the chief of the Druid priests, is convinced that they should show their bravery and confront the invaders. The conflict between Nectan and Domnall tests the members of the tribe, who are torn between loyalty to their leader and religious superstition. Meanwhile, Coll is developing a plan to build stone towers, strongholds in which the Boar can safely fight off the Romans and that will serve as a compromise for Domnall and Nectan.
The arrival to the island of Taran, who had been kidnapped by the Romans thirteen years earlier, further complicates the situation. Taran is hungry for power and sides with Domnall, hoping to become the tribal chief by marrying Nectan’s daughter, Clodha. Secretly, Taran tries to create a dangerous alliance with two other tribes on the island, the Raven and the Deer. When Nectan and Domnall confront each other in front of the Boar, the priest threatens to cut off the tribal members from reaching the Otherworld when they die. Domnall determines that Fand, Nectan’s younger daughter, whom Coll has loved for years, will be sacrificed to atone for the tribe’s behavior. When Coll tries to save Fand, falsely suggesting that she is no longer a virgin and that he has spoiled the sacrifice, his younger brother, Bran, saves Coll’s life by throwing himself in front of Domnall’s knife.
Finally, Coll is allowed to explain his idea of the Stronghold to the Boar, who are convinced that it will work. Coll directs the construction of the first tower, which is completed shortly before the next attack by the Romans. The tower allows the Boar to retreat to relative safety and to kill any of the Romans who try to enter it. During this attack, Coll comes to respect the priest, Domnall, who is wounded by the Romans. Taran, who tries to betray the Boar to the Romans, is killed by Clodha with the same javelin that hits Domnall. Coll has gained the respect of his tribe and will marry Fand, while Niall, his best friend, will finally marry Clodha and become the new chief.
Critical Context
Mollie Hunter, whose books are equally popular both in her native Scotland and in the United States, has been called Scotland’s most distinguished modern writer for children. Although she has written in a variety of genres, many of her books, such as The Stronghold, treat the history of Scotland. The Stronghold, her novel set at the furthest point in the past, grew out of her own conjectures as to the nature of the unnamed genius responsible for the “strongholds” that she had observed at first hand on a visit to the islands off Scotland’s northern coast. When first published, the novel received widespread critical acclaim in a number of reviews, including those by two other award-winning children’s novelists, Eleanor Cameron and Susan Cooper. In 1974, The Stronghold won the prestigious Carnegie Medal for the Children’s Book of Outstanding Merit from the British Library Association.
The novel’s treatment of the development of the artistic imagination and the value of individual loyalty is similar to many of Hunter’s other novels, including her autobiographical stories A Sound of Chariots (1972) and Hold on to Love (1984) and her historical books The Ghosts of Glencoe (1966) and You Never Knew Her as I Did! (1981). Hunter’s historical fiction draws on the tradition of Scottish historical romances established by Sir Walter Scott and has undoubtedly influenced the work of Rosemary Sutcliff, another award-winning writer who specializes in British and Celtic history, in particular in the novels Sun Horse, Moon Horse (1977), in which a boy saves his people from Roman slavery, and Song for a Dark Queen (1978), in which a queen leads her tribe against Roman invaders.