Inspirations: The Eaters of Light

Writer Rona Munro had scripted Survival in 1989 - what turned out to be the final story of the classic era.

Since the programme's return in 2005 she had wanted to contribute to it again. Attending an event at the Edinburgh Festival in 2006, she was approached by Steven Moffat and Russell T Davies as they both wished to meet her. She told them how much she was enjoying the revived series - hinting that she might like to write for it again. When Moffat took over as showrunner he recalled the meeting with Munro, but was unsure about approaching her. When he finally did, he discovered that she had been hoping to be invited back.

In discussions about a potential new story, she stated that she would like to write one with a strong historical background, having studied History at Edinburgh University. Moffat pointed out the significant proportion of children who followed the show, and she recalled the 1954 children's novel The Eagle of the Ninth, which she had enjoyed as a child. Written by Rosemary Sutcliff and published in 1954, it told of a young Roman soldier's quest to discover what had happened to his father's legion, the Ninth, which was reputedly wiped out by northern tribesmen.

Munro also took on board the advice about the audience demographic by making all of the main guest characters young people. Other than the TARDIS travellers, adults play no significant role in the story.

Sutcliff's novel was inspired by the disappearance of the Legio IX Hispana, which was recorded as coming to Britain in 43AD as part of the Claudian invasion, but which had vanished from the British records by 117AD. ("Hispana" came from their having served in Spain under Augustus).

Munro had discussed the various theories about this event with her archaeologist brother. She had a local connection as well, as the Ninth Legion was said to have been lost fighting in the Grampian region of Scotland, and she had been brought up in Aberdeen.

This region, in the north east of Scotland, is famous for its association with the Picts.

The name derives from the Latin Picti, meaning "painted people" or "tattooed people". They were said by the Romans to go into battle with their bodies covered in the blue dye woad.

They were formed from a confederation of other tribes, most notably the Caledonii, who came together to fight the common threat posed by Rome. 

The first recorded mention of them isn't until the late 3rd Century, however, so they would not have been contemporaries of the Legio IX Hispana. (Munro was aware of this, and merely used "Picts" as shorthand for her Scots characters).

The other big issue is that the Legio IX Hispana gets mentioned in an inscription found at Nijmegan in the Netherlands after its supposed destruction in Scotland. A list was drawn up of all legions at the time of the Emperor Septimius Severus (193 - 211AD) which doesn't include it - so it had definitely been destroyed, or simply disbanded, before then.

For her monster, Munro was inspired by carvings on Pictish standing stones, which depict strange animals. These "Pictish Beasts" may well be stylised versions of real animals such as wolves, boars or horses, though some of them look like aquatic creatures. When you add the 'Celtic Knot'-style of ornamentation associated with these carvings, you get the notion of an animal covered in tendrils.

Northern Scotland isn't exactly noted for its hours of sunshine, and this inspired the idea to have the Eaters of Light being creatures of darkness which consumed light, absorbing Vitamin D from their victims. 

Scotland is also a country steeped in folklore, myth and legend - a liminal region where the natural and the supernatural dwell closely side by side.

There are many local legends of ghostly sounds emanating from under the ground - often associated with the Devil.

One story tells of a tunnel in which the Devil was said to lurk. A piper said he would enter the tunnel to disprove the myth, telling his friends he would pipe as he went so they could hear his progress. After a few minutes, the sound of pipes abruptly stopped, and the piper never emerged. Ever since then, the sound of his pipes can sometimes be heard coming from under the earth. (Some variations have the person entering the tunnel being found dead, with a look of horror on their faces).

Another version has someone send their hunting dog into a tunnel. It suddenly began barking furiously then stopped with a howl, never to be seen again - and legend says that you can sometimes hear its howls coming up from beneath the ground.

For the mythology associated with crows, see my recent A-Z post "R is for... Ravens".

That the local Scots contingent are led by a young woman, the inspiration is in characters such as Boudicca, who led a rebellion against the Romans around 60AD. Archaeologists have also uncovered a number of Iron Age graves of warriors, judging by grave goods, who have been found to be female. 

Kar's speech about the destruction wrought by Rome was inspired by the writings of the Roman historian Tacitus in his Agricola, referring to the Battle of Mons Graupius in 83AD:

" To plunder, butcher, steal, these things they misname Empire: they make a desolation and they call it peace", as one translation reads.

Missy had been released from the Vault by Nardole at the end of Empress of Mars, and this episode ends with her in the TARDIS. She cries at the sound of the battling Scots and Romans for what it symbolises - former enemies setting aside their differences and sacrificing themselves to defeat a common foe. This hints at her reformed status, which carries on into...

Next time: Genesis of the Cybermen, or, The Two Masters...