Hengist asks Vortigern to give him only enough land that Hengist can encircle with a leather thong, so that Hengist may build a fortress upon it — in case a future retreat may require it.

Noting this, Hengist — here described as a " prudent man "— realizes the advantage of the situation and consults with his brother Horsa " and the other ancient men present " about how best to respond to Vortigern's request.

Hengist erected the stone monument — Stonehenge — on the site to show his remorse for the deed.

In chapter 10 of book 6 of Historia Regum Britanniae, Geoffrey records that three brigandines ( or long galleys ) full of armed men commanded by two brothers, Hengist and Horsa, arrived in Britain.

" Geoffrey refers to Hengist as a " man of experience and subtilty ," and records that Hengist told Vortigern that Vortigern's enemies assail him from every quarter, and that few of Vortigern's subjects love him.

Upon the rocky place Hengist begins to build a castle, and after it is finished he names it Kaercorrei, or in Saxon Thancastre, which Geoffrey explains means " thong castle.

Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote about the town, claiming that it had been fortified by Ambrosius Aurelianus, king of the Britons after his victory over the Saxon forces of Hengist ( Historia Regum Britanniae viii, 7 ), that the captive Saxon leader Hengist was hacked to pieces by Eldol outside the town walls, and was buried at " Hengist's Mound " in the town.

According to Geoffrey of Monmouth's fanciful Historia Regum Britanniae, the British king Vortigern married Rowena, the daughter of Hengist, with the civitas of the Cantiaci ( Kent ) as the bride-gift.

Later in the same work, Bede notes that Hengist was the father of Oeric, and that Oeric accompanied Hengist upon his invitation by Vortigern.

" Hengist notes that his retinue is the result of this process, and through this custom Hengist and his brother Horsa were made generals " out of respect to our ancestors, who enjoyed the same honour ," and so they have arrived in Vortigern's kingdom " under the good guidance of Mercury.

Hengist bows low in thanks, and tells Vortigern that, while Vortigern has provided him with much land, he wishes Vortigern would make of him a consul or a prince, as Hengist notes Hengist's royal heritage dictates.

Rudolf Simek notes that these horse heads gables can " still be seen today " ( from a 2007 edition of a work first published in 1984 ) and says that the horse head gables confirm that Hengist and Horsa were originally considered mythological, horse-shaped beings.

The Brothers Grimm identified Hengist with Aschanes, mythical first King of the Saxons, in their notes for legend number 413 of their German Legends.

One of three members of the committee, Thomas Jefferson proposed that one side of the seal feature Hengist and Horsa, " the Saxon chiefs from whom we claim the honor of being descended, and whose political principles and form of government we assumed.

According to Nennius, Gwrangon was King of Kent in the time of Vortigern, until Vortigern took away the kingdom and gave it to Hengist ; but Nennius is regarded as an untrustworthy source, and “ Gwrangon seems to have been transported by the story-teller into Kent from Gwent ” and “ is turned into an imaginary King of Kent, secretly disposed of his realm in favour of Hengist, whose daughter Vortigern wished to marry ” ( Wade-Evans 1938 ).

Adding 44 years to 447 ( when Thanet was conceded to Hengist ) gives the date 491 for the battle.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle ( written over 400 years later ) describes how Hengist and Aesc defeated the " Brettas ", usually interpreted as Britons, and often over-interpreted as " Celtic ".

During the 15 years after his return to England Horne published several books, but the only one which aroused much interest he did not write, the Letters of Elizabeth Barrett Browning to Richard Hengist Horne.

Hengist, having previously " consulted with the Elders who attended him of the Angle race ," demanded Kent.

However, the Saxons continued to increase in numbers, and after Hengist died his son Ochta succeeded him.

Vortigern asks Hengist and Horsa if they will help him in his wars, and offers them land and " other possessions.

Hengist asks Vortigen to allow him to send word to Saxony to bring over more soldiers so that the Saxon forces will be better able to oppose the call to depose Vortigern.

Hengist reassures Vortigern that Hengist will always be faithful to him.

Rowena sends messengers to her father Hengist to alert him of the plight of the Britons.

While consulting with the Britons, who would not be suspicious, Hengist would give out the command " Nemet oure Saxas ," and, at that moment, every soldier must be ready to seize the Briton closest to him and, with their drawn dagger, stab him.

Hengist tells these chosen men not to be afraid of Aurelius, for Aurelius must only have had a few Armorican Britons, as their numbers did not exceed ten thousand, and the native Britons he did not mention, " since they had been so often defeated by him.

He may have been the " superbus tyrannus " said to have invited Hengist and Horsa to aid him in fighting the Picts and the Scots.

After the Romans leave, Vortigern comes to power, and invites the Saxons under Hengist and Horsa to fight for him as mercenaries, but they rise against him, and Britain remains in a state of war under Aurelius Ambrosius and his brother Uther Pendragon, assisted by the wizard Merlin.

Hengist responds:

Vortigern responds that it is not in his power to appoint Hengist to these positions, reasoning that Hengist is a pagan, that he barely knows Hengist, that Hengist's people are strangers and that Vortigern's nobles would not accept the appointment.

According to a well-known legend, Hengist and Horsa, two brothers, landed in 449 as mercenaries for a British king, Vortigern.

As a result, scholars have theorized a pan-Germanic mythological origin for Hengist and Horsa, stemming originally from divine twins found in Proto-Indo-European religion.

In older scholarship, the scholar J. R. R. Tolkien and others have argued for a historical basis for Hengist.

Hengist and Horsa sent word to the Angles describing " the worthlessness of the Britons, and the richness of the land " and asked for assistance.

In the entry for the year 455 the Chronicle details that Hengist and Horsa fought with Vortigern at Aylesford and that Horsa died there.

Vortigern allowed Hengist to send for more of Hengist's countrymen to come over to Britain and fight for Vortigern.

" At the instigation of the Devil ", Vortigern fell in love with Hengist's daughter and promised Hengist whatever he liked in exchange for her betrothal.

Hengist told Vortigern that he would now be both Vortigern's father and adviser and that Vortigern would know no defeat with his counsel, " for the people of my country are strong, warlike, and robust.

" With Vortigern's approval, Hengist would send for his son and his brother to fight against the Scots and those who dwell in the north " near the wall called Guaul.

Hengist continued to send for more ships from his country, so that some islands where his people had previously dwelt are now free of inhabitants.

Vortigern gives Hengist " large possessions of lands in Lindesia for the subsistence of himself and his fellow-soldiers.

Hengist says that, if Vortigern deems these terms acceptable, he requests that Vortigern set a time and place for them to meet.

In chapter III, Hengist is struck with terror after hearing that Aurelius Ambrosius had rallied the Britons and burned Vortigern alive in a tower, " for he dreaded the valour of Aurelius.

Seeing that he is being pursued by Aurelius and, realizing the town will not hold against Aurelius, Hengist refuses to enter the town, but rather assembles his men, and orders them to make a stand, " for he knew that his whole security now lay in his sword.

Aurelius, " who showed moderation in all his conduct ," arranged for Hengist to be buried and a mound be raised over his corpse " according to the custom of pagans.

Patrick Sims-Williams is more skeptical of the account, suggesting that Bede's Canterbury source, for which he relied on for his account of Hengist and Horsa in his work Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum, had confused two separate traditions.

The story as reported in such sources as the Historia Brittonum and Gildas indicates that the British king Vortigern allowed the Germanic warlords, later named as Hengist and Horsa by Bede, to settle their people on the Isle of Thanet in exchange for their service as mercenaries.

Hengist, according to Bede, manipulated Vortigern into granting more land and allowing for more settlers to come in, paving the way for the Germanic settlement of Britain.