The Pagan Oathberarer

Ai generated song about Penda king of Mercia. Penda of Mercia was one of the most feared and formidable kings of Anglo-Saxon England. Ruling in the 7th century, he was the last great pagan war-king, standing defiantly against the rising tide of Christianity. Through relentless warfare, Penda shattered the power of rival kingdoms, defeating Wessex and East Anglia and slaying two kings of Northumbria, Edwin and Oswald, in battle. His victories made Mercia the dominant force in England and reshaped the balance of power during the Heptarchy. Though he fell in his final battle at the River Winwaed in 655, Penda’s legacy endures as the embodiment of the old warrior age — a king of iron, oath, and shieldwall whose name still echoes through English history.