A Guide to Old English by Mitchell Bruce & Robinson Fred C

Author:Mitchell, Bruce & Robinson, Fred C. [Mitchell, Bruce]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2011-12-06T16:00:00+00:00

To understand the action of the poem, and especially the action in ll. 62–99, one must have some idea of the geography of the battle. (See map on p. 248, which shows the site which most scholars agree to be the likeliest location of the battle.) The Vikings occupy the island now called Northey, and Byrhtnoth’s Anglo-Saxons array themselves across the water along the river-bank. At high tide the island is completely surrounded by water, but when the tide recedes (l. 72), an elevated road or causeway (called a bricg in ll. 74 and 78) is exposed, thus providing access to the island from the mainland. When the two armies first confront each other, the tide is in and the causeway is submerged (ll. 64–71). When the tide goes out, the Vikings begin to file across the causeway to the mainland, but the Anglo-Saxons block their progress from the narrow passageway to the shore (ll. 72–83). Seeing that they are at a serious disadvantage, the Vikings ask Byrhtnoth to order his troops to stand back and allow the invaders free passage to the shore (ll. 84–8). Byrhtnoth rashly agrees to give the enemy this advantage (ll. 89–95), and the battle begins.

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