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Anónimo

Estudios Culturales en Lengua Inglesa I

1º Grado en Estudios Ingleses

Facultad de Filología
Universidad de Sevilla

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 The Battle of Brunanburh

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We are in front of a poetic text written in prose. We do not know who wrote it, the poet is
anonymous, and the date of composition is uncertain. The Battle of Brunanburh was
originally written in Old English dialect and it was included in the Anglo-Saxons chronicle
(made possible thanks to King Alfred ‘the great’ in 891). His protagonists were Anglo-
Saxons, with the king Athelstan and his brother Edmund, and the coalition between the
Vikings, with his leader Anlaf (v. 26) and the Scots, with his leader Constantinus (v. 37-38).
Those two sides starred the confrontation which narrates this text.
The Anglo-Saxons were Scandinavian and Germanic people who were believers in Germanic

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paganism (it was based on the belief of superstitions and did not have a Church and a holy
book like Christianity). They arrived in England when British King Vortigern asked for their
help to defeat the Scots. However, once the Anglo-Saxons were on the island, they decided
not to help the British but usurp their domains. They were a few tribes: Jutes, Angles, Saxons
(according to the venerable Bede, they came from northern Germany and Scandinavia), and
Frisians (according to Jordanes, they came from Holland, Germany and some lands which
now are part of France. That was why their language was Gaelic). They established
settlements in different parts of the island and formed the heptarchy (that was the rupture of
the ancient Roman province of Britannia into seven kingdoms ruled by different Anglo-Saxon
kings: Northumbria, Mercia, Wessex, Essex, Kent, Sessex and East-Anglia). They had the
comitatus sociopolitical structure of their society, the warriors were loyal to the king, and he
had to consult all the state decisions with them. The settlement of Wessex will be the most
important which ascended thanks to the king Alfred “The Great” (871-899) and it will be
momentarily interrupted by the Viking invasion. The Vikings were also Scandinavian people
who were believers in Germanic paganism. They were raiders and good sailors who expanded
their domains because of the overpopulation in their society. In 835 they made their first scale
invasion with a great fleet and established a landing in Kent. They invaded Ireland and
established Dublin and they invaded the north of actual France and established Normandy.
The Anglo-Saxon fought in numerous battles against the Vikings like the Battle of Edington
(878 lead by the Anglo-Saxon king Alfred ‘the Great’ against the danish warrior Guthrum) or
the Battle of Brunanburh (in 937 lead by the Anglo-Saxon king Athelstan 924-939).

In the Battle of Brunanburh, there was an alliance between the Vikings and the Scots against
the Anglo-Saxons. The Scots in the north were divided into two kingdoms: Alba and

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 Strathclyde. The king of the first was Constantine II, who participated in the fight and is
shown in the text unhappy for the death of many of his men(l.40 and 47 ). The king of the
second was Owe.
The Danish were established in Danelaw, living together with Anglo-Saxons and they had to
obey Alfred ‘the Great’, who made possible a peaceful reign between the Danish and Anglo-
Saxon people after the victory of Edington in 878. This victory gave him control over

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England and the Vikings had to accept to be loyal to him and to converse into Christianity.
However, after Alfred’s death, his successors had to face renewed Danish attacks. One of
these attacks, the Battle of Brunanburh (the real location of the fight is not clear yet but would
be in the actual York), which Athelstan won in 937 against the Scots, Scandinavians and the
Irish; was a decisive victory for the Anglo-Saxons. Despite Anlaf took their leadership in
order to make possible the ascendancy of Vikings in Britain and the Scots supported them
under the lead of Constantine, they were defeated. This battle was important because was
another example of the power of Anglo-Saxons.

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The point of view is important. On the one hand, this text is the opposite of an objective text.
It is poetry, and this gender itself is subjective. It uses expressions and mechanisms to
embellish the text such as metaphors like “their final sleep” (v.30), which refers to the death;
“the glorious star” (v.14) “God the eternal Lord’s candle” (v.15), instead of the sun. Old
English poems had a characteristic form, they had no stanzas. The poems were crated with
verses which were separated by a space called caesura. This facilitated the oral transmission
of the poetry.

On the other hand, the protagonists are described in different ways. The text highlights the
good Anglo-Saxons’ features by describing King Athelstan and his brother as “the lord of
warriors, Patron of heroes” (v.1-2). They were canonized as the models of the perfect king and
warriors by following the example of King Arthur. The king Athelstan and the prince
Edmund, who made possible the victory of their people, after the victory, they back to their
land as “proud warmakers” and “victorious warriors, conquered the Welsh, and obtain that
land” (v.71-72). However, the text highlights the negative features of the Vikings and the
Scots. They were described as “hostile people” (v.22) who were “destined to die in battle”
(v.28), which shows that their strength was not as good as the Anglo-Saxons' strength was.

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 The survivors of the Anglo-Saxon’s enemies fled to Dublin (sadly for the lives lost) to take
refuge (v.55-56) while king Athelstan (925-39) and his brother came back to their country
proud of their victory (v.57-59). This is reflected in the text through an animalization, Vikings
and Scots were compared with “Black-coated raven” (v. 61), the black represents their loss
and sadness for it; and the Anglo-Saxons were compared with “eagles, white-backed and du-
coated”, the white represents the victory and the contentment because of it (v.62).

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Furthermore, this text is subjective because the whole poem is a celebration of the greatness
of Anglo-Saxons, who conquered Britannia and now they keep it for themselves in this new
battle against the Vikings and the Scots. This victory is an important fact for their tradition
and history. It is a reminder of the virtue and worth of their ancestors and therefore of
themselves.
In 1013 Sweyn Forkbeard of Denmark will invade Britain and will proclaim himself the King
of England during the reign of Ethelred “The Unready” (978-1016). The Reign of the Danish

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kings will finally last until 1042 when the House of Wessex was restored by Edward “the
Confessor” (1042-1066). He will die without heirs and will be succeed by Harold Godwinson
(1066), the last Anglo-Saxon king (he had Anglo-danish origins). From 1066, it will be the
Norman government that will lead England with William “The Conqueror” (1066-87).

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