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Battle Poem Maldon Beginning Ending Lines Saxon Fragment

Front the battle of Maldon
Back a fragment of a poem in old English
composed at the end of 10th
the beginning and the ending are lost because of fire in 1731
325 lines survived
battle took place in 991
also described in Anglo Saxon chronicle
the poem tells how Vikings landed near Maldon in Essex and demanded tribute, this was rejected by Saxon leader
the ensuing battle was delayed by the tide
the work is heroic and archaic in character
its representation of values and the type of warriors recalls Beowolf and the Germanic epics


The Battle of Maldon" is the name given to an Old English poem of uncertain date celebrating the real Battle of Maldon of 991, at which an Anglo-Saxon army failed to repulse a Viking raid. Only 325 lines of the poem are extant; both the beginning and the ending are lost.

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