The Battle of Maldon

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1726

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Form and Meter

“The Battle of Maldon” is a 325-line fragment of a longer work, with the beginning and end missing. Described by the Norton Anthology of English Literature as a “short heroic lay” (74), or a narrative or lyric poem, “The Battle of Maldon” can also be identified as an epic poem. The poem consists of a number of stanzas of varying line lengths. There does not appear to be a pattern or repeated structure of line lengths or stanza lengths. Also, depending on the translation of the poem, the stanza and line lengths vary. The version of the poem discussed here, does not feature any metrical pattern, rhyme scheme, or stanza structure. In this translation, there is no set number of stressed or unstressed beats per line.

However, there is a specific structure in the Old English version of the poem, the language in which the poem was originally written. Old English poems often featured lines with a caesura, or a mid-line break or pause “often marked by punctuation or by a grammatical boundary, such as a phrase or clause” (“Caesura.” Poetry Foundation, 2022). The Old English version features two stresses on either side of the caesura, “linked with alliteration on the stressed words” (The Battle of Maldon). The usage of the caesura could have been a mechanism used by the Anglo-Saxon bards to help them memorize long poems and maintain a rhythm while performing.

Kennings

Kennings are a common feature of Old English poetry. Similar to Homeric epithets, kennings are compound phrase descriptions of a person. Kennings provide artistic flair, since they were often metaphorical, and allowed eclectic word choice in poems, preventing redundancy and repetition. Examples of kennings in “Battle of Maldon” include “treasure-giver” (Line 278) or “ring-giver” (Line 290) in place of “lord,” “earl” or “Byrhtnoth.” Other examples include “sea-men” (Line 29), “float-men” (Line 72), and “slaughter-wolves” (Line 96) in place of Vikings. As apparent through these examples, kennings provided variety and served as examples of master wordsmithing.

Alliteration

Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words. For example, Line 88 reads “faring across the ford, leading their foot-soldiers.” Another example is Line 322: “the slaughtering spear flying into the Vikings.” Alliteration assists in the flow of one word to another, connecting thoughts by emphasizing links between them. By using alliteration, the poet moves their reader quickly through the action, building the suspense and emotional investment in the text. This device could also have assisted Anglo-Saxon scops, or bards, in memorizing the works they would perform.