Depicting one of the defining conflicts of tenth-century England, The Battle of Maldon immortalises the bloody fight that took place along the banks of the tidal river Blackwater in 991, poignantly expressing the lore and language of a determined nation faced with the advance of a ruthless and relentless enemy. But, as Mark Atherton reveals, The Battle of Maldon is more than a heroic tale designed to inspire courage and unity in a time of crisis: rather, it celebrates ideals of loyalty and friendship and commemorates an event which changed the face of English culture. Using Atherton's own vivid and illuminating translations from Old English, The Battle of Maldon: War and Peace in Tenth-Century England evokes the chaotic ebb and flow of the battle while also placing 'Maldon' in the context of its age. Seeking to reconstruct the way of life, the spirituality and the worldview of the original audience, Atherton examines how and why the poem encouraged its readers to relive the visceral experience of battle for themselves. With this exciting study, Atherton provides an authoritative treatment of this iconic text, its history and its legacy. As such, this important book will be a vital resource for all readers of Old English literature and early medieval history.
Author(s): Mark Atherton
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Year: 2021
Title Page
Copyright Page
Contents
Illustrations
Figures
Maps
Acknowledgements
Introduction
The importance of The Battle of Maldon
The action of the poem
The disputed location
Critical debates
Maldon in context
A note on the text and language of The Battle of Maldon
Part 1: Approaches to The Battle of Maldon
Chapter 1: The grounds of Maldon
Maldon the port
Maldon the fortified town
‘Crosshill’: Reflections on the name Maldon
Chapter 2: Horse and hawk
‘Direct your thoughts’
Horse
Hawk
‘Beasts of battle’
Chapter 3: Hearth and home
Fyrd and folc
Hearth-troop
Riding home
Chapter 4: ‘Here stands an earl’
The ‘heriot’: Byrhtnoth’s response to the messenger
The ‘earl’ and the ‘churl’: Byrhtnoth’s last fight
Disputes over land
‘Here stands . . .’
‘Standing and holding’, and ‘going forth’
Chapter 5: ‘Blessed is the man’: Byrhtnoth’s prayer
The prayer in The Battle of Maldon
A contemporary vernacular prayer
Byrhtnoth and the Benedictine Reform
Chapter 6: ‘From a great kindred in Mercia’
The naming of kindred
Kindred in Beowulf
Ælfwine’s father
Chapter 7: Feud and friendship
The Thegns’ Guilds
The moot or gathering
Going forth
Chapter 8: The Battle of the Holme
The rebellion of the Ætheling Æthelwold
Chapter 9: Beowulf and Maldon
The dragon fight and the fall of Byrhtnoth
The missing conclusion
Part 2: After the battle
Chapter 10: ‘And so to Maldon’: The account of the battle in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Chronicle A: ‘And so to Maldon’
Additions to Chronicle A
Tribute and ill-advice: ‘Maldon’ in Chronicle C
Chapter 11: Byrhtferth of Ramsey’s Life of St Oswald
Chapter 12: Memories of a golden age: ‘Maldon’ in The Book of Ely
The Book of Ely
Perspectives on the poem The Battle of Maldon
Part 3: Appendices
Appendix 1 The Battle of Maldon: Text and translation
Appendix 2 ‘The Battle of the Holme’: Text and translation
The year 901
The year 903
The year 904
The year 905
Appendix 3 The case of Æthelric of Bocking: Text and translation
The will of Æthelric of Bocking5
King Æthelred’s confirmation of the will of Æthelric of Bocking11
Appendix 4 ‘The will of Leofwine’: Text and translation
The will of Leofwine
Notes
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Appendix 2 ‘The Battle of the Holme’
Appendix 3 The case of Æthelric of Bocking
Appendix 4 ‘The will of Leofwine’
Select bibliography
Editions of primary works
Secondary literature
Index