Wansdyke (earthwork) - Nomenclature

Nomenclature

The Saxons named the dyke after their god Wōden, hence it became 'Woden's Dyke' and, eventually, Wansdyke. Its name occurs in charters of the 9th and 10th century AD. It may be compared to both Offa's Dyke (later, and forming a Mercian border with Wales) and Hadrian's Wall (earlier and forming a border with Scotland) as one of the largest defensive earthworks in the United Kingdom. Nennius, an 8th century Welsh monk who had access to older chronicles since lost, describes these defences and their purpose, and links them to the legends of King Arthur.