We(o)ndun, Symeon of Durham and the battle of Brunanburh

The battle of Brunanburh in 937 was seen as significant throughout the medieval period, and some account of the conflict between the English and the invading men of Alba and Dublin- Norse occurs in dozens of medieval records. There are some variations in the name by which the battle was known. One intriguingly distinct name, We(o)ndun, was recorded by the compiler of a history from 732 to 1129, often known to scholars as the Historia regum, but entitled in the rubric to the sole medieval copy of it, Historia de regibus Dacorum et Anglorum. This history, which was attributed to Symeon of Durham in its late twelfth-century manuscript, appears to have been known to him when he was writing much earlier in the twelfth century. The purpose of the article is to interpret this name for the battle; but essential preliminary analysis of the content, spelling and manuscript history of the forms reveals that assumptions that have been made by early editors and more recent writers about the reliability, date and provenance of the Historia are mistaken. Analysis suggests that Symeon and the compiler of the Historia used the same source independently; that the source was northern, but not necessarily Northumbrian; that it was written in English; and that the spelling of the name was corrected from Wendun to Weondun. Close examination of the Historia manuscript leads to a suggested emendation of the name which would also resolve its meaning.