The fighting occurs across the countryside around Cruachan (described as the Shield boss of the World), as the Dal Riada struggle to defend their frontier. He lives among the Dal Riada, developing trust and understanding with some who recognise him for an impostor, most who do not.Ī war ensues between the Dal Riada and the Caledones, who are portrayed as Picts. Phaedrus is crowned king in a ceremony where he places one foot on the carved footprint of previous kings. Several historical subjects are discussed, including Lollius Urbicus and the laying-waste of Valentia after subjugation, the Pax Romana and its effects, Calgacus's battles against General Agricola, and the viewpoints of Tacitus on all of this.Ī revolt ensues against the Queen, and the Dal Riada capital of Dun Monaidh is retaken, but the queen escapes to her kin amongst the Caledones. 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-Ghàidheal.

The Mark of the Horse Lord is a historical novel for children written by Rosemary Sutcliff and published in 1965.

Mark of the horse lord