Roaring Meg was the name given to a natural spring, as local lore would have it, close to my birthplace.

The Lion of Judah landed as my avatar since I discovered that David (c.1040-970 BC), King of Judah and Israel, was my 64th great-grandfather. Following this line of Judah (haha) brought me from Nathan, a son of David, to Mary – yes, that Mary! Making Jesus my 38th cousin 24x removed. I enjoy genealogy immensely, especially when a lead yields these kinds of priceless gems.

I followed another ancient ancestor and discovered that he wed an Egyptian princess, hence not just a few pharaohs turned up: Thutmose I-IV, Amenhotep (Akhenaten) I-III, and Hatshepsut (77th great-grandmother) and Nefertiti (72nd great-grandmother). I came to a stop as far back as the 12th Dynasty.

Maranatha!