Ivanhoe Chapter 1

In which the rustic scene of an ancient Yorkshire forest at sunset introduces two Saxon thralls, Gurth and Wamba, whose discourse reveals the burden of Norman oppression upon the native English and the complex social fabric of the realm under the absent Richard the Lionheart. Amid the gathering of swine and the rumblings of an approaching storm, their contrasting demeanours and conversation offer a vivid glimpse into the lives and language of the subjugated Saxon folk.