54 pages • 1 hour read
Rosemary SutcliffThe Eagle of the Ninth
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1954A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Character Analysis
Marcus Flavius Aquila
Marcus’s family name, Aquila, itself means “eagle.” His middle name translates to “blonde” or “golden,” and his first name is a derivative of the name of Mars, the Roman god of war. Thus, in essence the author has named him “Marcus Golden Eagle.” A Roman centurion approximately 19 years old at the beginning of the novel, Marcus is thoroughly Roman in his identity, raised in the center of the Roman world, the descendant of Roman soldiers and horsemen back to the origins of his long lineage. Marcus is distinctly Roman in appearance, of a deep olive complexion with dark hair, and distinguishable as a member of the Raven Degree of Mithras in the scar between his brows. His appearance holds a particular significance in the novel as a hindrance throughout his travels in the North, in that he is not able to exist past Hadrian’s Wall without a narrative to explain his presence, rendered conspicuous by his physical attributes.
Marcus was profoundly affected by the disappearance of his father when he was eight, and his grief and uncertainty intermingle within him, rendering him duty bound to protect his father’s memory and learn what happened to him. Raised by his father’s sister and her husband when his mother died two years after the loss of his father’s legion, Marcus bides his time until he can apply to be commissioned as a centurion to follow in his father’s footsteps as a soldier and reclaim the farm his father’s brother-in-law sold to pay debts. Absent any meaningful familial attachments or close friendships, Marcus embraces military culture as part of both his familial tradition and connection to his father and the only community to which he feels that he truly belongs. As Marcus befriends Esca and Cottia and grows close to his Uncle Aquila, a sense of camaraderie and familial bonds slowly replaces his sense of rootlessness. Marcus is the only character in the novel whose thoughts and feelings are revealed by the narrator in addition to what he expresses in the dialogue. Through this glimpse into his introspection, Marcus’s significant changes over the course of the novel are palpable as his allegiances, attachments, and beliefs are challenged, changed, and confirmed across his value system.
Esca Mac Cunoval of the Brigantes
Esca is the son of a chieftain of the Brigantes. He is a skilled warrior and hunter, having grown up in the wilds of Britain as a boy. His entire family dies when his tribe mounts a resistance against Rome. As is customary among the survivors of these uprisings, Esca is enslaved and forced into gladiatorial combat. He is described as appearing characteristic of the average Briton of the period: short and muscular in stature with brown hair and blue eyes. He has never served as a personal attendant when he meets Marcus, having been enslaved only two years, but Marcus is impressed with his attentiveness and intuition in caring for Marcus, particularly pertaining to his injury-related disability. Marcus suspects that he was once an armor bearer for a warrior and this is how he has come by this talent for anticipating Marcus’s needs; Esca later confirms that he was an armor bearer for his father.
Esca chooses to remain at Marcus’s side after he is granted his manumission, to accompany him not only through the North on their mission to rescue the eagle, but also once they return to Calleva. He frequently bears most of the workload, not only in caring for Marcus, but in the application of his skillset and his ability to blend in with their surroundings north of Hadrian’s Wall. Even though Marcus represents everything that led to the demise of his family, Esca comes to think of Marcus as a brother. Marcus does not ever mention feelings of indebtedness, but when Marcus saves his life and treats him with kindness and dignity, ultimately granting his manumission, there is no doubt that these gestures make an impression upon him, particularly given how they contrast with what Esca has come to know of Romans.
Uncle Aquila
The elder brother of Marcus’s father, his senior by 20 years, Marcus’s Uncle Aquila is described as a man especially large in stature, with a formidable presence, who is invariably accompanied by his wolfhound, Procyon. Marcus’s father is known to the reader only through recollections of him, and through the process of Marcus coming to know his Uncle Aquila we learn that aside from their military service and their shared predispositions toward kindness, Marcus’s uncle is nothing like his father. Uncle Aquila is retired from service in the Roman Army and holds the role of magistrate in Calleva but is primarily occupied with his efforts to write a military history. Having served most of his time in Britain, he returned at the end of his service to build a home and live out his life there, in the place that holds the most meaning for him. He is content in the modest, comfortable home that he has built, a watchtower and a secret compartment for valuables the only necessities he insisted upon during construction of his house. He explains to Marcus that the most impactful and cherished experiences of his life occurred in Britain, and he felt no pull to return to the Etruscan hills of their birth.
He embraces Marcus, welcoming him and adopting an attentive role toward his nephew. It is Uncle Aquila who realizes that Marcus’s wound and his depressive state are detrimental to Marcus’s well-being, bringing him to the Saturnalia Games and arranging for Galarius’s medical services. Previously indifferent to his neighbors, Uncle Aquila makes a concerted effort to be sociable so that Cottia’s aunt Valeria might be more amenable to her niece’s visits to Marcus. Uncle Aquila admires Marcus’s independence and desire to fend for himself but is vehement in his offer to allow Marcus to live with him as long as he likes, even after his convalescence. Uncle Aquila mounts no objections to Marcus’s journey to look for the eagle, despite the dangers of the undertaking and the disadvantages that Marcus’s limitations might present. This endorsement reveals that Uncle Aquila’s desire to see his brother’s reputation and legacy restored and his need for answers are as important to him as they are to his nephew. As Marcus plans out his future farming endeavors to the south, Uncle Aquila assures him that he will always be available to offer his assistance, having come to see Marcus as almost a surrogate son.
Guern the Hunter
Guern serves as a concrete example of one of the outcomes posited in discussions about what might have happened to the lost legion. It is frequently suggested that the members of the Ninth Legion defected, deserting the Roman Army to live among the tribes of the North. Gruen confirms that aside from those who did not attempt to return with the eagle, and those were killed in the process of mutiny, this is indeed what happened. Claudius Hieronimianus specifically mentions the presence of children of shared British and legionary features in his discussion of the region around Eburacum, in 21st-century York, in the north of England, granting credence to the theory that it was not uncommon for legionnaires to find themselves forming relationships and attachments in the areas surrounding their forts. Guern’s history is complex: He was born in the Roman-occupied territory of Gaul but developed an intense camaraderie with the Ninth Legion, which remains with him even after a decade of living as a Briton. That he still whistles “The Girl I Kissed at Clusium” reflects how ingrained his attachment is. He carries guilt at having abandoned the legion, despite having remained loyal longer than the majority of the Ninth. He is presented with two opportunities to help Esca and Marcus, both of which he embraces, as though with his assistance he is also performing acts of penance to the legion.
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