Serlo's Blessing

Serlo's Blessing was the name of a forest imbued with magical power which in the days of the Raven King guarded one of the approaches to his capital city of Newcastle. Precisely what it did to the King's enemies who might attempt to pass through it is not clear, though one can confidently suppose it would be something unpleasant.

The British ship which takes Jonathan Strange to Lisbon and to war is named St. Serlo's Blessing, presumably in honour of the magical wood. (Like many of the better British ships it was one they had previously captured from the French: its former name was the Le Temple, the name sometimes given to the Tarot card better known as La Maison Dieu or 'The Tower')[29].

It is not clear exactly which holy man is indicated by the name 'St Serlo'. As 'Serlon' or 'Serlo' was a common enough name among the Norman French, there were at least two distinguished churchmen who bore it, Abbot Serlo of Savigny and Bishop Serlo of Sées. The latter is perhaps more likely.