The Battle of Maldon

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This standalone edition presents one of J.R.R. Tolkien’s significant poetic dramas, exploring themes of heroism and chivalry in wartime, featuring unpublished texts and drafts. Set in 991 AD, the narrative recounts a Viking attack on an Anglo-Saxon defense led by Duke Beorhtnoth, resulting in fierce combat along the Blackwater River near Maldon, Essex. This conflict is pivotal in tenth-century England, immortalized in the poem The Battle of Maldon. Although only a 325-line fragment survives, its importance endures, offering insights into ancient language and celebrating ideals of loyalty and friendship. Tolkien regarded this poem as "the last surviving fragment of ancient English heroic minstrelsy," inspiring him to create his own dramatic verse-dialogue, The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’s Son, which imagines the aftermath of the battle as two retainers seek their duke's body. Leading Tolkien scholar Peter Grybauskas presents, for the first time, Tolkien’s prose translation of The Battle of Maldon, along with a comprehensive examination of The Homecoming and accompanying essays. Also included is Tolkien’s lecture, “The Tradition of Versification in Old English,” offering a broad analysis of poetic tradition. Enhanced with notes and commentary, this edition argues that, apart from Beowulf, The Battle of Maldon significantly influenced Tolkien’s fiction, particularly in The Lord of the Rings.