Discussion Topic

Comparison of Beowulf and "The Battle of Maldon."

Summary:

Both Beowulf and "The Battle of Maldon" depict heroic battles and the valor of warriors. Beowulf is an epic poem focusing on the titular hero's battles against monsters, emphasizing individual heroism and superhuman feats. In contrast, "The Battle of Maldon" is a historical poem highlighting a real battle between Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, focusing on collective heroism and loyalty to one's lord.

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What is the relationship between Beowulf and "The Battle of Maldon"?

Beowulf and the Battle of Maldon are both epic poems written in the Old English language, and the (as far as we know) original manuscripts were both in the possession of a collector of manuscripts named Sir Robert Cotton by the late 17th century.  In a fire in his library in 1731 the Beowulf manuscript was slightly damaged, but the manuscript of Maldon was destroyed.  Luckily David Casley, the deputy librarian, had made a copy.  The Maldon manuscript was already fragmentary, both the opening and closing lines having been lost.

Both stories are written in an epic style, and both commemorate the ideals and virtues of the warlike Germanic tribes which dominated the region.  Beowulf was written about 1000, just after the actual Battle of Maldon took place, in August of the year 991.  Maldon was a battle between Byrhtnoth and Anlaf, a Viking leader who later united Norway.  He...

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was after the gold from the King's Mint near the Blackwater River in Essex.

Interestingly, in addition to the Battle of Maldon being an historical event, there is some evidence that Beowulf may have been related to history also.  The burial rites described are similar to the famous Anglo-Saxon burial site at Sutton Hoo, and two characters mentioned in the poem were historic persons.  Offa was a name of a 4th century king of the Angles in Europe, and Hengest went to England in 449.  In 455 he co-founded the kingdom of Kent.  So to summarise, both poems were written in Old English; both manuscripts were collected by Cotton; and both had historic references.

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Compare and contrast Beowulf and "The Battle of Maldon."

Beowulf stands as a foundational epic in Old English and includes, within its more than 3,000 lines, many elements traditionally associated with epic poetry: the hero's struggle with supernatural beings; a hero who has supernatural strength; discussions of the nature of kingship and leadership; digressions that relate to the history of the people central to the poem; and elevated diction throughout.

"The Battle of Maldon," which is missing both its beginning and ending, centers on a single historical battle between the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings in 991. Although the scope of the two poems is vastly different and there are several points of contrast, the two poems share the fundamental cultural imperatives of the Anglo-Saxon warrior society: intense loyalty to one's leader and the willingness to sacrifice oneself for the survival of the tribe.

A crucial difference, however, between Beowulf's and Byrhtnoth's situation at the beginning of each poem leads to very different outcomes. When Beowulf begins his journey to Hrothgar's court, he

had chosen good fighters,

The fiercest among them he could find; fifteen altogether

Went to the sea-wood [the ship], the warrior led them,

The sea-crafty men... (ll. 206-08)

Beowulf's men are battle-hardened warriors and skilled sailors, and Beowulf has chosen them specifically for taking on whatever supernatural being is plaguing Hrothgar's people and his seat of power, Heorot.

Byrhtnoth, however, is leading warriors comprised of his "hearth-companions" and "levied men at arms." His "hearth-companions" are what the Anglo-Saxons refer to as the fyrd, the closest and most loyal warriors a leader can have, men who rely on their lord for power and wealth and therefore fight for him without reservation. Most of Byrthnoth's warriors, though, are "levied" men, and these are men who may or may not be experienced warriors. In this case, Byrthnoth is described as having to

arrange his men; / [telling them] how they should stand and hold the ground, / and [he] told them to hold their shields right up / firmly with their fists, and to fear not. (ll. 18-22)

Byrhtnoth prepares to meet the Viking invaders, all of whom are experienced warriors, with some troops he can trust; many of them have to be told how and where to stand and, most importantly, to be brave.

An interesting similarity between Beowulf and Byrhtnoth lies in their approach to their enemy. In Beowulf, Beowulf decides to fight Grendel without using a sword because Grendel "knows not the easy way of striking with weapons, / hewing the shield" (ll. 681-82). At the beginning of "The Battle of Maldon," the Viking spokesman asks Byrhtnoth to allow the Vikings to cross the Maldon ford without interference to begin the battle on more equal terms. Byrhtnoth agrees to this; "Then the Earl began because of his pride / to yield too much land to the loathsome people" (ll. 89-90). The concept of "fair play" in war, which seems unthinkable to a modern sensibility, is characteristic of the Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian warrior societies and, for the East-Saxons led by Byrhtnoth, leads to disaster.

At the end of the Maldon battle, when Byrhtnoth is struck down by a Viking warrior, we have a scene that is strikingly similar to Beowulf's fatal struggle with the dragon, when his own "hearth-companions" fail to aid him. Wiglaf, Beowulf's youngest retainer, is the only one who tries to save his king, and when he returns to Beowulf's frightened group of warriors, he scolds them:

Too few defenders

Thronged around the prince when peril loomed over him.

Now shall the joys of treasure-receiving,

And sword-giving and land-owning be

denied your families. (ll.2882-86)

In other words, their failure to honor their bonds of loyalty to Beowulf has placed them outside Geat society, losing forever their honored place within Beowulf's circle—a punishment that extends also to their families.

When Byrhtnoth is slain at the end of the battle, many of his troops, those "levied men," run from the battle. The man who tries to rally those who are still on the field is Aelfwine, Aelfric's son, "a warrior young in winters" (l. 210), who proclaims his steadfastness:

Among those people [that is, his family in Mercia] none shall mock me

For wanting to run away from this army,

To go back home, now [that] my lord lies cut down in battle. ...

He was both my kinsman and my lord. (ll. 221-24)

Wiglaf, the youngest of Beowulf's warriors, shames Beowulf's retainers who fail to aid him in his extremity, and Aelfwine manages to jolt the others back to their duty. Byrhtnoth's remaining men fight valiantly, but they are not destined to win this fight, just as Beowulf is fated not to survive the encounter with the dragon.

In the end, the two poems—one a traditional epic and one with epic qualities—exemplify the central elements of loyalty and willingness to sacrifice oneself for the greater good, and these attributes are so pervasive that they become the lifeblood of two poems with very different origins.

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