The Battle of Maldon My interest in all things medieval began after reading Madeleine L'Engle's An Acceptable Time in high school.  Although it wasn't directly medieval, it dealt with Celts and runes, which piqued my interest like nothing else had before.  When I was in college, I was fortunate enough to take Karen Moranski's class, History of the English Language, in which we learned Old and Middle English.  I then took Susan Kim's Medieval Culture and Literature class, where one of our texts had the Battle of Maldon in it.  I connected with it on many levels, but was very intrigued by the similarities between the loyalty to lord/kin of that time and the current loyalty that resides in sports teams.  I recommend reading the Battle if you are an avid sports fan.  You'll see what I mean.    Perhaps the most infamous part of the Battle of Maldon is Byrtwold's message to the remaining men on the battlefield:   "Our minds must be stronger, our hearts Braver, our courage higher, as our numbers Shrink."   My personal favorite is Byrthnoth's retort to the Vikings' condescending speech:   "Listen, sailors.  Can you hear what we say? We offer a tribute of tempered steel, Javelins and spears with poisoned point, Weapons and armor you'll wear only In death.  Messenger, this is your answer: Tell your leaders the unlucky news That this earl and his army don't shake at their boasts, But will stand and defend their homes and fields..."   You can read more about the Battle by selecting one of the following links:   1.  My page on the Battle of Maldon 2.  A good general overview of the Battle 3.  A complete translated text of the Battle 4.  Hear a reading of a portion of the Battle in beautiful Old English