Tolkien, "The Battle of Maldon," and "The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth": Poetic Allusions and the Experience of Time

J.R.R. Tolkien’s alliterative verse play, “The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’ s Son,” is his critical and creative response to the Old English poem “The Battle of Maldon.” Tracing his influence on “Maldon” criticism through his “Ofermod” essay, which posits a continuum of alliterative poems dealing with the nature of heroism, from Beowulf to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the discussion then turns to how Tolkien can claim a place in that tradition and how critics have applied his ideas about war and heroism to some of his other works, especially The Lord of the Rings. An analysis of the play itself illustrates some of Tolkien’s scholarly ideas about alliterative verse and examines allusions to Beowulf, “The Battle of Brunanburh,” and “The Battle of Maldon” as well as revisions to some Middle English verses attributed to Canute, and a concluding Latin dirge. These allusions to medieval poetry within “The Homecoming” elicit an awareness of times past, present, and future, positioning readers or audiences in multi-level time frames through their experience of poetry.