The Battle of Maldon

Publication Date: April 20, 2010

Chapter: English Literature During The Middle Ages

Ah, history! I friggin' love history. I never took much of it in college, but if you take enough English classes, history is gonna bleed through anyway. In the case of "The Battle of Maldon," I essentially just drew a comic about a real (and sadly hilarious) historical event. Fun fact: the poem about this battle is probably more famous than the battle itself. If nothing else, searching for "The Battle of Maldon" on Wikipedia brings up the poem first and the battle second.

There's a rather hilarious translation of a word describing our hero, Birhtnoth, which states that he had "an excess of courage." I'd say that about sums it up. The Vikings, having trouble taking over a small bridge, asked Birhtnoth if they could land nearby. Birhtnoth, in his infinte wisdom, decided to let them. The English forces were then promptly slaughtered, with their excessively courageous leader losing his head in the process.

For this, he gets a big-ass statue. Bravo, Birhtnoth, bravo.

Year: c. 991 • Info: Norton Online • Info: Wikipedia

#Godric   #LordBirhtnoth   #TheMiddleAges   #English  

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About The Comic

Lit Brick is a comic started by Jodie Troutman in an effort to read the entire Norton Anthology of English Literature. Having eventually succeeded in that goal, it now features comics about all manner of random literature. For more of Jodie's work, visit longtalljodie.com!