The Battle of Brunanburh

[Malthus]

I was reading a book entitled The Hammer and the Cross by R. Ferguson when I came across reference to this battle, fought aprox. 937 A.D. between the West Saxons on the one hand and the Viking earldom of York and the kings of Scotland, Dublin and Stratclyde on the other. I was previously completely unaware of this battle, which more than any single event cemented England into its anglo-saxon form.

Anyway, the book mentioned that the battle inspired several notable poems, which I found interesting and reproduce as follows in modern english.

First, contemporary:

The Battle of Brunanburh

In this year King Aethelstan, Lord of warriors,
ring-giver to men, and his brother also,
Prince Eadmund, won eternal glory
in battle with sword edges
around Brunanburh. They split the shield-wall,
they hewed battle shields with the remnants of hammers.
The sons of Eadweard, it was only befitting their noble descent
from their ancestors that they should often
defend their land in battle against each hostile people,
horde and home. The enemy perished,
Scots men and seamen,
fated they fell. The field flowed
with blood of warriors, from sun up
in the morning, when the glorious star
glided over the earth, God's bright candle,
eternal lord, till that noble creation
sank to its seat. There lay many a warrior
by spears destroyed; Northern men
shot over shield, likewise Scottish as well,
weary, war sated.

The West-Saxons pushed onward
all day; in troops they pursued the hostile people.
They hewed the fugitive grievously from behind
with swords sharp from the grinding.
The Mercians did not refuse hard hand-play to any warrior
who came with Anlaf over the sea-surge
in the bosom of a ship, those who sought land,
fated to fight. Five lay dead
on the battle-field, young kings,
put to sleep by swords, likewise also seven
of Anlaf's earls, countless of the army,
sailors and Scots. There the North-men's chief was put
to flight, by need constrained
to the prow of a ship with little company:
he pressed the ship afloat, the king went out
on the dusky flood-tide, he saved his life.
Likewise, there also the old campaigner through flight came
to his own region in the north--Constantine--
hoary warrior. He had no reason to exult
the great meeting; he was of his kinsmen bereft,
friends fell on the battle-field,
killed at strife: even his son, young in battle, he left
in the place of slaughter, ground to pieces with wounds.
That grizzle-haired warrior had no
reason to boast of sword-slaughter,
old deceitful one, no more did Anlaf;
with their remnant of an army they had no reason to
laugh that they were better in deed of war
in battle-field--collision of banners,
encounter of spears, encounter of men,
trading of blows--when they played against
the sons of Eadweard on the battle field.

Departed then the Northmen in nailed ships.
The dejected survivors of the battle,
sought Dublin over the deep water,
leaving Dinges mere
to return to Ireland, ashamed in spirit.
Likewise the brothers, both together,
King and Prince, sought their home,
West-Saxon land, exultant from battle.
They left behind them, to enjoy the corpses,
the dark coated one, the dark horny-beaked raven
and the dusky-coated one,
the eagle white from behind, to partake of carrion,
greedy war-hawk, and that gray animal
the wolf in the forest.

Never was there more slaughter
on this island, never yet as many
people killed before this
with sword's edge: never according to those who tell us
from books, old wisemen,
since from the east Angles and Saxons came up
over the broad sea. Britain they sought,
Proud war-smiths who overcame the Welsh,
glorious warriors they took hold of the land.

Second, by one of my favorite authors, Jorge Luis Borges:

Brunanburh, 937 A.D.

Nobody at your side.
Last night I killed a man in battle.
He was lively and tall, from the pure stock of Anlaf.
The sword pierced his chest, a little to the left.
He rolled on the ground and was a thing,
a thing for crows.
You will wait for him in vain, woman I've never known.
The ships fleeing over the yellow sea
will not return him.
At the hour of dawn,
your hand will look for his in dreams.
Your bed is cold.
Last night I killed a man in Brunanburh.

In Spanish:

Brunanburh, 937 A.D.
por Jorge Luis Borges

Nadie a tu lado.
Anoche maté a un hombre en la batalla.
Era animoso y alto, de la clara estirpe de Anlaf.
La espada entró en el pecho, un poco a la izquierda.
Rodó por tierra y fue una cosa,
una cosa del cuervo.
En vano lo esperarás, mujer que no he visto.
No lo traerán las naves que huyeron
sobre el agua amarilla.
En la hora del alba,
tu mano desde el sueño lo buscará.
Tu lecho está frío.
Anoche maté a un hombre en Brunanburh.

Edit: http://loki.stockton.edu/~kinsellt/litresources/brun/brun2.html#modtext

[Malthus]

An old english reading:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfaEGU45lKA

A modern (partial) reading:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTTWDZzhqfQ

[Alatriste]

Do you know what 'ring-giver' means? It would be a good question for the History trivia...

[jimmy olsen]

Cool find Malthus.

Ring-giver sounds positively Tolkienesque. Not surprising since he got so much inspiration from Saxon history and myth.

[jimmy olsen]

The body of Aethelstan's sister was recently found by the way.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8467870.stm

[Martinus]

Cool stuff. Which reminds me - when will the fatman finish the fifth book of the Song of Ice and Fire? 

[Jacob]

Do you know what 'ring-giver' means? It would be a good question for the History trivia...

King or lord.

[Valdemar]

Do you know what 'ring-giver' means? It would be a good question for the History trivia...

King or lord.

More precise, a man with his own Hird, a free man, could reward any of his men by giving them arm rings. It is usually ascociated with the early earl like lords, that is minor local lords with a main house and small retinue. OR with a Viking captain, commander of a longboat. OTOH Viking "kings" could give rings to their lords, who could then pass them onwards.

The giving of a ring could also denote the acceptance or freeing of a Træl or unfree man, if for some reason he had done his lord a great service. There are several viking tales that include that part.

the more rings you wear, the greater a warrior or the nobler a lord.

V

[Admiral Yi]

A Hird of Wildebeest?

[Malthus]

The body of Aethelstan's sister was recently found by the way.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8467870.stm

Woah, that's quite the coincidence. 

The article even mentions Brunanburh. Very cool.

[jimmy olsen]

The body of Aethelstan's sister was recently found by the way.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8467870.stm

Woah, that's quite the coincidence. 

The article even mentions Brunanburh. Very cool.

That's how I found it, I just put Brunanburh into google news and it was the only thing to pop up.

[Malthus]

That's how I found it, I just put Brunanburh into google news and it was the only thing to pop up.

Heh, I shoulda guessed that. 

Anyway, very interesting stuff. Apparently, the site of the battlefield itself is not known, with several places being mentioned as possibilities.

To my mind, the most interesting part is how very obscure the battle is, considering its historical importance. It is, basically, overshadowed by Hastings 130 years later.

[Alexandru H.]

That's how I found it, I just put Brunanburh into google news and it was the only thing to pop up.

Heh, I shoulda guessed that. 

Anyway, very interesting stuff. Apparently, the site of the battlefield itself is not known, with several places being mentioned as possibilities.

To my mind, the most interesting part is how very obscure the battle is, considering its historical importance. It is, basically, overshadowed by Hastings 130 years later.

Actually it's overshadowed by Alfred, even though Aethelstan was the guy that clearly had won the competition with the Vikings.

[Malthus]

That's how I found it, I just put Brunanburh into google news and it was the only thing to pop up.

Heh, I shoulda guessed that. 

Anyway, very interesting stuff. Apparently, the site of the battlefield itself is not known, with several places being mentioned as possibilities.

To my mind, the most interesting part is how very obscure the battle is, considering its historical importance. It is, basically, overshadowed by Hastings 130 years later.

Actually it's overshadowed by Alfred, even though Aethelstan was the guy that clearly had won the competition with the Vikings.

That's a different issue: the comparative fame of Alfred vs. Aethelstan. I was thinking more on the lines of "memorable decisive battles".

There is no *single* battle of Alfred's reign which is commemmorated in the same way as (say) Hastings.

Also, the issue was more the defining of the boundaries of England than a "clear" victory in the competition with the Vikings - don't forget about King Canute!  Though he was a Viking who "won" England, he really did not change much.   

[Viking]

The "Ring" are arm ring. Usually made out of silver and were the wealth of the man carrying them. So a viking raider would carry his wealth in the form of rings on the for arm. Rings were gained as part of plunder, pillage and valour. So a man with many rings would be considered a valiant and successful man. Ring-giver would be the man who had the wealth to hand out silver rings and the inclination to reward valour.