Hello, Mr. Cornwell,

I love your work, and in particular the Saxon Stories.  These books are very special to me, particularly due to the circumstances in which they were introduced to me, as well as the times in my life I find myself coming back to them; but that is a story for another time.

I am re-reading the series again at the moment.  I finished the first book a few weeks ago, and as I was finishing the last couple of pages I was struck by the beauty of Uhtred’s harp metaphor.  It was almost as if I had never noticed it before, and those words have stuck with me ever since.  Indeed, for various reasons this passage is particularly meaningful to me at this moment in my life, and I am even considering getting a tattoo of a harp for this reason (which would be only my second tattoo, my first being my two sons’ birthdates over my heart, if that gives you any indication how moving I found those words).

It occurred to me, however, that I am not sure what type of “harp” Uhtred would have been thinking of in 877.  There is the “standard”, generally triangular shape harp (think Coat of Arms of Ireland, or Guiness); but there is also the “Sutton Hoo”-style harp that results from a Google search of “Saxon harp”.

If I do end up getting this tattoo, I would certainly hope to get the “correct” one.  Therefore, you would do me a great kindness to reply to this message, at your convenience, and clarify what type of harp you had in mind when you put that picture into Uhtred’s imagination.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and thank you for the wonderful world you have shared with us through Uhtred’s eyes.

Best,

Kristopher Jensen

P.S. – I didn’t find the guidelines on your contact page to be at all unfriendly, but then again I am one of those wretched lawyers.