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"You will always be too good a woman for God alone."
Uhtred to Hild[src]

Hild (later known as Hildegyth) is a supporting character in both The Saxon Stories novel series and The Last Kingdom television series. She is a nun, later an abbess, and is one of Uhtred's most trusted warriors and friends.

Biography[]

The Saxon Stories[]

In "The Pale Horseman", Hild was raped and prostituted after being captured by the Danes when they took Cippenaham before being rescued by Uhtred, Steapa and Alfred.

Later, she becomes Uhtred's companion and accompanies him back to Northumbria. During this time, Uhtred's attraction to Gisela was a factor that made her reconsider joining the church. When Uhtred discovered that he had been sold into slavery by Guthred as a condition of his alliance with his uncle Ælfric, he bequeathed his possessions to Hild. Hild then returned to Wessex where she recovers Uhtred's hoard of wealth which he had buried before journeying to Northumbria. She uses the hoard, and the promise that she would return to the church and found a nunnery dedicated to helping the poor and sick of Wessex, to convince Alfred to mount an attempt to rescue Uhtred.

After Uhtred was liberated and returned to Wessex, he retrieved his armour and weapons from Hild, now the Abbess Hildegyth, who also gave him a small silver cross which he then had worked into the hilt of his sword Serpent-Breath. According to Uhtred, Hild was later revered as a saint.

The Last Kingdom[]

Season 1[]

Winchester, Wessex; Hild was a nun who was caught being raped by Danes in a hut, in which Iseult, Leofric and Uhtred were hiding during the Danes' raid in Winchester. Depite of Uhtred's warning Iseult jumps in to kill the Danes who were raping her. Left with no choice, Leofric and Uhtred jump in to kill them as well. Hild finishes him off while Uhtred and Leofric kill the remaining two Danes. Uhtred and Leofric disguise themselves as Danes and parade Iseult and Hild as their prisoners in order to escape Winchester. ("Episode 1.7")

Hild asks Uhtred about his wife. Uhtred believes she would’ve sought refuge with the church. Mildrith used to come to the nunnery, and Hild watched as Mildrith changed. Leofric questions why a woman becomes a nun. She replies because of a love for God, who will never abandon her. Leofric wonders where God was when she was being raped. Hild replies that he sent the three of them. She then asks about the king, who could possibly be dead. ("Episode 1.7")

Athelnev, Wessex; Uhtred, Leofric, Iseult, and Hild travel to Athelnev. They cross paths with priests fleeing from Danes. Uhtred and Leofric kill the attacking Danes while Iseult and Hild prepare a boat for them to escape on to the Somerset marshes. ("Episode 1.7")

Somerset Marshes, Wessex; Later, Hild offers Lady Ælswith comfort, even as she declines the company. When a child suffers, the mother suffers. Hild relates to the pain and the unbearable weight. Ælswith cries, exclaiming that her son is dying. Iseult is a pagan, and yet she has helped the king. Ælswith has trouble with trusting a stranger with her child. Hild tells Ælswith that there is good in Iseult. ("Episode 1.7")

They leave the swampland and return to Wessex. Alfred informs them that he will be sending word of their army’s gathering point. Brother Asser will be the first messenger. Alfred appoints Halig as his second messenger. Hild wishes to be a messenger as well, and Alfred allows it despite the fact that she’s a woman. She is later seen at the Battle of Ethandun, fighting Danes with a spear. ("Episode 1.8")

Season 2[]

Lichfield, Mercia; Hild crosses path with a young woman who has stolen Uhtred’s sword. She recovers the sword and wakes Uhtred and Halig up. It’s time they leave. Hild wants to head to Northumbria, where Uhtred is to kill Sven, though he is reluctant given he is without an army. ("Episode 2.1")

Eoferwic, Northumbria; Hild, Uhtred, and Halig arrive in Eoferwic to find the village on fire. They discover that the remaining Danes have been beaten, killed and strung up. They’ve taken Hæsten prisoner and tortures him. Uhtred intervenes and frees him. ("Episode 2.1")

Uhtred reunites with Father Beocca, who introduces him to Brother Trew. They’re traveling North with Alfred’s blessings and silver. It is for a ransom to pay to free a slave. This slave is marked to become a king. His name is Guthred. He is a Dane. The spirit of Saint Cuthbert has decreed that Guthred shall be king. Beocca asks Hild, Uhtred, and Halig to join them. Their bargain is with his slave-master. The village in which they are meeting sits on land that belongs to Sven. Sven's land will be full of warriors. For protection, they have gathered a group of sickly men, who suffer with the White Riff. Leprosy is a terrible curse that no man dare approach. ("Episode 2.1")

Hild asks about the amber on the hilt of Uhtred’s sword. It was given to him at his birth by his father to remind him of who he is. Hild worries that Father Beocca asks too much of Uhtred, but he believes it’s his destiny to face Sven. ("Episode 2.1")

Hild, Uhtred, Halig, Beocca, and Brother Trew leave Eoferwic to rescue Guthred. Hild would like for Uhtred to teach her how to fight, in order to protect herself and those she cares for. Beocca informs Uhtred that they are being followed, which he is aware of. They’re willingly walking into a trap. Uhtred tells the others that they will enter the slave market alone. He will follow with the Lepers. ("Episode 2.1")

Hild, Halig, Beocca, and Brother Trew arrive at the slave market to buy Guthred. However, Gelgill, the slave trader demands they hand over the ransom first. He and Sven also show an interest in Hild and tell her to take off her skirt, but she refuses. Fiske then informs Sven that there are horsemen missing. He counted five more horses than those present. Beocca claims that the men that were with them were not men of their world. Beocca claims to speak of them will summon them. With his identity hidden under a skull, Uhtred and several lepers arrive on horseback and claim that they've come to take the Danes’ souls. Uhtred subdues Sven and orders everyone to leave. As Gelgill is fleeing, he is stabbed in the back and killed by Hild. Beocca pleads with Uhtred to spare Sven, who is begging for his life. Father Beocca and Brother Trew call out for Guthred. He emerges from the crowd and they take him home. ("Episode 2.1")

Cumbraland, Northumbria; Uhtred, Hild, Halig, and Beocca arrive in Cumbraland. They mistake Uhtred for the king, as does the abbot. Uhtred reveals that Guthred is in fact king. ("Episode 2.1")

Uhtred gets word that his horse is sickly and goes to check on it, where he is ambushed by Tekil and his men. He pulls a dagger in preparation to take one of Uhtred’s eyes. However, Uhtred is saved by Hild, Halig, and Clapa. Uhtred kills Tekil and his men, all except for one, Sihtric, who he keeps alive. The rest of the men, Uhtred wants Halig and Clapa to remove their heads so that he may send them as a gift to Kjartan. Hild would like some of their mail or leather, so she will earn it by taking the first head. Halig tells her an axe would be easier, but she uses a small knife instead, to take Tekil’s head. Afterward, she throws up. ("Episode 2.2")

Sihtric calls out to Hild, first as "girl," then as "woman." He only gains her attention when he refers to her as a warrior. He tells her that he has to shit, and she directs him to Halig, who takes Sihtric into the woods. ("Episode 2.2")

Hild, Halig, Clapa, and Sihtric spot an army of Danes coming in North. Sihtric suspects that it’s Sigefrid and Erik. Halig orders Hild and Sihtric to report back to Uhtred. They eventually return with Uhtred and King Guthred and follow the Danes to their camp, where they spot Sigefrid, Erik, and Hæsten with a small group of men. Uhtred wishes to attack tonight while they’re vulnerable, but Guthred has to think it over. They return to the camp and discuss the small army of Danes led by Sigefrid and Erik. ("Episode 2.2")

Abbot Eadred orders his men to take Uhtred and Halig. Hild draws her sword, but Uhtred orders her to put down her sword and find Gisela. However, Gisela is being taken by Brother Trew. She tells Hild that she must help Uhtred. Guthred has double-crossed Uhtred. He and Halig are to be sold in exchange for 200 men from Bebbanburg. ("Episode 2.2")

Hild rides to Winchester and reports to Odda and King Alfred that Uhtred has been taken. However, Alfred doesn’t believe that Uhtred can be saved. Father Beocca is willing to search for him. Æthelflæd is in agreement with him and wishes to help Uhtred, who has helped them many times before. Odda suggests releasing Ragnar and Brida to find Uhtred. ("Episode 2.2")

Hild returns to Eoferwic with Ragnar and Steapa. They are greeted by Abbot Eadred and Brother Trew. They’ve come on the orders of Alfred to meet with Guthred, who joins them. Ragnar explains that they’ve been tasked with finding Uhtred. Sihtric hands a child an apple to conceal the note given to him by Gisela and asks the child to give it to Hild. Ragnar asks for the name of the slaver. Guthred and Abbot reply that Uhtred's already lost. ("Episode 2.3")

Ragnar, Hild, and Steapa find Jonis. The slave-trader who took Uhtred. Ragnar pays Jonis for information. He reveals that he took Uhtred and Halig to a sea trader named Sverri. Come spring, the first full moon after Sigr Blot, Sverri will return to land and gather with Jonis for business at the beach. In between that time, he could be sailing anywhere. ("Episode 2.3")

Spring has arrived and Sverri has returned. Ragnar, Hild, and Steapa save Uhtred from being executed by Sven. Afterward, they gather around a fire. Halig has been retrieved and wrapped with his sword. Ragnar reveals that Alfred sent them to rescue Uhtred. Ragnar asks Finan about his relationship with Uhtred, to which he replies they are bound. ("Episode 2.3")

Hild finds Uhtred sleeping in the field. She cuts Uhtred’s shirt off of him, as he is too weak to remove it himself. She discovers the whelps on his back as she cleans him. She then proceeds to cut his hair. She remarks that Uhtred has yet to look her in the eyes. He is ashamed of what he’s become. She gives him back his sword and reminds him of who he is. He realizes that Alfred sent help because of Hild. And for that, she will always have his protection. She then gifts him a necklace with a cross for protection. Afterward, they rescue Gisela from a nunnery and return to Winchester. ("Episode 2.3")

Uhtred, Ragnar, Hild, Finan, Æthelwold, Steapa, and Beocca head to Eoferwic. But first, they stop in Loidis, where they reunite with Brida. They proceed to find Sigefrid and Erik’s camp, where Uhtred cuts off Sigefrid's hand and forces the brothers to leave the land. ("Episode 2.4")

Uhtred, Ragnar, Brida, Hild, Finan, Sihtric, Æthelwold, Steapa, and Beocca lead an army of men to Dunholm. They arrive just outside the fortress and breach the East wall. They invade the fortress, killing many men. Then, Ragnar kills Kjartan. After winning the battle, they plan to return to Wessex. ("Episode 2.4")

Hild takes off her armor and removes her weapons before putting her cross back on. Alfred joins her in the church. He asks if Hilda found her lasting peace. She's near. She feels more content in the church with God than she does with her sword. Alfred prays that she finds her peace. Later, Hild seeks Uhtred’s permission to build a nunnery in Coccham. She has his permission and his protection. ("Episode 2.5")

Uhtred marries Father Beocca and Thyra. Hild says a prayer for the two of them. Hopefully, this union can show that Wessex is a land for all people. ("Episode 2.6")

Father Beocca and Hild determine if Æthelflæd has been unfaithful to Æthelred. Beocca prepares the bitter waters. A mixture of God's water and God's earth shall be drunk. If thou hast gone aside to another man, the Lord shall make thy thigh to rot and thy belly to swell. Æthelflæd reaches for the water, but Beocca knocks it over as he knows Æthelflæd to be pure. Thyra asks Æthelflæd if her husband beats her. If he does not, she can already see that he will. Æthelred is neither tending nor loving. Hild wants Beocca to tell the king, but Æthelflæd wants to fulfill her duty to unite the lands. ("Episode 2.6")

Season 3[]

Winchester, Wessex; Hild arrives in Winchester, where Gisela has gone into labor. Hild and Thyra see her through the birthing process, however, she dies during labor. Hild awaits for Uhtred to return to inform him that that Gisela died during childbirth, but she’s given him another son. They buried her days ago. ("Episode 3.1")

Hild prays as Uhtred and Finan dig up Gisela and give her a pyre. Uhtred sobs as she goes up in flames with Finan and Hild at his side. Later, after Uhtred unintentionally kills a monk, Hild goes to visit him. Hild tells Uhtred that there cannot be any bloodshed. He agrees and asks Hild to bring the demands of the king. ("Episode 3.2")

Coccham, Wessex; Uhtred returns and Hild claims that she's responsible for hanging a cross in Uhtred's hall, adding that she meant no disrespect by it. Uhtred has come to see his children, but Hild informs him that they’re under the care of the crown. He asks if his children have been baptized, as he fears that Alfred has taken his kids to spite him. Skade joins them briefly, leaving Hild to wonder about her. Uhtred admits Skade is his woman. He then tells Hild that he would like to see his children at Winchester and asks for her help. Later, Hild, Sihtric, and Finan ride with Bishop Erkenwald to Winchester. ("Episode 3.8")

Winchester, Wessex; Hild finds Uhtred in the courtyard. He worries that he has no place in the world. Hild tells Uhtred that he'll only follows what he truly believes. He’s a free man and his path is his own. Uhtred reminds Hilda that she’s one of his greatest friends and that she’s too good a woman for God alone. Lastly, Hild tells Uhtred that Winchester is better when he’s around. ("Episode 3.9")

Beocca's home goes up in flames with Thyra trapped inside. As the flames settle, she joins Beocca at his side. She assures Beocca that Thyra is with God now. ("Episode 3.10")

Season 4[]

Winchester, Wessex; Hild and Beocca greet Uhtred, who informs them that he has good news; Ælfric and Bebbanburg have been weakened by the Scots and Uhtred is planning to claim what his rightfully his. Ælfric had a son but the heir Wihtgar was banished. He died last summer in the southern sea. Uhtred is hoping that Beocca and Hild will join him. However, their fighting days are over. Although, Beocca promises that he will join Uhtred when the hard work is done. Hild then asks about his children. Uhtred tells them that Stiorra thrives. She lives at Æthelflæd’s estate. However, he doesn’t get to see his son. Alfred’s influence has made him holy. Hild and Beocca inform Uhtred that Wessex is doing well. Edward’s son is walking and the king’s wife is to be crowned a queen. ("Episode 4.1")

Uhtred, Finan, Osferth, and Sihtric plot their path into Bebbanburg. Hild finds Uhtred and thanks him for offering his men to clear the stables. While they’re distracted, Hild tells Uhtred that Lady Æthelflæd will meet him in the garden. ("Episode 4.1")

Uhtred finds Finan, Osferth, and Sihtric in the stable and tells them of his plan to intercept the monks headed for Bebbanburg. Before leaving Winchester, Uhtred says goodbye to Beocca and Hild. Beocca tells Uhtred to fulfill his birthright and restore Northumbria to greatness. Uhtred promises Beocca that one day soon, he will live like a lord in Bebbanburg. Hild then gives Uhtred a silver cross, telling him to turn it into hack-silver and pay for bribes along the way. ("Episode 4.1")

Ælswith worries that Steapa is trying to worm his way in with the King’s guards. She shares her concern with Hild. In the past, he has suggested to Ælswith things that are most unchristian in regards to the other heirs of the throne. Beocca interrupts and asks if she’s referring to her own firstborn child, who she had banished so that her son could make a better marriage. Ælswith’s referring to the children who were conceived without holy union. However, Beocca and Hild inform her that the first marriage was, in fact, legitimate. Beocca reminds Ælswith that she chose Lord Æthelhelm’s daughter as a match because he had silver that Wessex needed. She chose her over a woman that Ælswith’s son loved and who had borne him children. Ælswith reminds Beocca that she had him removed from the court and that it’s unwise to remain somewhere he isn’t wanted. However, much like him, Ælswith is unwanted there as well, he claims. After she leaves, Hild tells Beocca that Ælswith is not herself. Her role has diminished and she’s veiled in grief. ("Episode 4.1")

Æthelflæd, Ælswith, and Hild watch as Ælflæd prepares for the royal coronation. Lord Æthelhelm and Ælfweard watch from the crowd. Hild remarks that while he’s quiet, his ambitions for his family grow. He obsesses over the aetheling and pushes Ælswith aside. Had she known what sort of man he was, Ælswith would've selected a different bride for Edward, who cherishes peace both within Wessex and within the palace. As Ælswith leaves, Æthelflæd tells Hild how her mother feels her father’s loss.

Ælswith instructs the nuns to light 17 candles on her behalf. One at each shrine and no mumbling in the prayers. Hild wonders if something is on Ælswith’s conscience. Ælswith fears that she’s allowed too much to change in the palace. Ælswith asks about Ecgwynn, the girl who married Edward in secret. Hild tells Ælswith that Ecgwynn took the holy orders, when her marriage was forcibly annulled, and that she's very unhappy. She was forbidden from seeing the two children she bore to Edward. Her daughter she sees occasionally, but her son, she's hasn't seen since he was taken from her arms. Ælswith admits that seems a cruel punishment and that Hild and Beocca are right to question her mistreatment of Ecgwynn. So, Ælswith would like to make amends, in a small way. She asks where Ecgwynn’s son now; he lives in a monastery. Ælswith would like to see them both, but wants to keep the arrangement secret. ("Episode 4.2")

Season 5[]

After Uhtred finally retakes Bebbanburg, Hild leads a now-teenage Osbert to the fortress to meet his father. Hild promises Osbert that the new lord of Bebbanburg might be able to tell him something of his origins. Osbert asks if Hild thinks that he may have once met his father and she simply replies "something like that," not telling Osbert the truth.("Episode 5.10")

Killed Victims[]

This list shows the victims Hild has killed:

The Last Kingdom[]

The Saxon Stories[]

  • (To Be Added)

Battle Participation[]

This list shows the battles Hild has participated in:

The Last Kingdom[]

The Saxon Stories[]

  • (To Be Added)

Appearances[]

The Saxon Stories[]

Books 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
The Saxon Stories                  

The Last Kingdom[]

Episodes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Season 1            
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Seven Kings Must Die

Trivia[]

  • The name Hild comes from Old English and it means "war".
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