Oaths on the Edge in 'The Battle of Maldon' and 'Völundarkviða'

York Medieval Literature Seminar

This paper draws the Old Norse eddic poem Völundarkviða (possibly composed in tenth- or early eleventh-century Yorkshire) into conversation with the Old English Battle of Maldon (probably composed in late tenth-century Essex), focusing on the texts’ representation of betrayal and its consequences. Linguistic influence of Old Norse on Maldon’s language has long been suggested, though efforts to connect eddic poetry with Old English literature have tended to centre on Beowulf. Völundarkviða and Maldon nonetheless share several affinities, especially in their references to precarious oaths, the danger of weapons turning against their owners, and all-important points and edges. These poems may subtly draw upon the practice of oaths taken upon weapons, attested among various early medieval Scandinavian groups, in order to frame descents into entropy as stemming from promises unfulfilled. As such, Maldon’s relationship with Old Norse may reach beyond the linguistic and into the realm of literary and cultural exchange, especially when it comes to socially and politically fraught issues of oath-breaking.

Image credit: Anders Lorange, Den Yngre Jernalders Sværd (Bergen, 1889), digitised and enhanced by Vegard Vike.