Norse-derived terms and structures in the Battle of Maldon

Abstract

The supposedly Norse-derived terms and structures recorded in the Old English poem The Battle of Maldon have played an important role in discussions on various aspects of its composition: its date, its provenance, its possible literary sources, and its author's literary ability. Fred Robinson's comment that the speech of the Viking messenger (Mald 29–41) "may contain the first literary use of dialect in English," to a great extent because of its use of Norse-derived vocabulary to characterize him as a foreigner, has been fundamental in discussions of the poem's artistry and has frequently been echoed.