Phaedrus spends time in a town on the Northern Wall, learning his role from the original prince Midir and the culture of the Celts. The stage is then set for a struggle between King and Queen, between Dal Riada and Caledones, between the Sun God and the Great Mother a theme used in many Sutcliff novels. Phaedrus is persuaded, accepts the role of Midir, the original prince whose eyes were put out by the queen, preventing him from ruling, and receives a signifying tattoo on his forehead, the eponymous Mark of the Horse Lord. He is soon after approached by representatives of the Dal Riada, who ask him to impersonate their king in an effort to win back tribal leadership from a usurper queen. his freedom after winning a fight-to-the-death in the arena of Corstopitum (the most northerly town in the Roman Empire). The story revolves around slave-gladiator Red Phaedrus, a red haired half Roman, half Celt. Like many Sutcliff novels, the plot is driven by a crisis of leadership, hinging on acceptance of the ultimate responsibility of a sacrificial king. It takes place in Roman Britain and tells the tale of a gladiator who becomes involved with the Dal Riada of Earra-GhĂ idheal. The Mark of the Horse Lord is a historical novel for children written by Rosemary Sutcliff and published in 1965.
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