Study Guides on Works by Anonymous

The Battle of Maldon refers to an alliterative poem glorifying an actual historical engagement which shares its name. The actual battle of Maldon occurred in 991 and pitted valorous Anglo-Saxon warriors against the Danish Vikings. The poem is...

Hrafnkel’s Saga is believed to have been written at some point in the latter half of the 1200’s. Since the earliest known manuscript only dates back to the early 1500’s, however, some argue that it could very well have been written as late as the...

The Orkneyinga Saga is the history of the Earls of Orkney which was written anonymously by an Icelandic author. It was originally published in the 1200s but has since been translated by Hermann Pálsson and Paul Edwards. Joseph Anderson served as...

"El Canto de mio Cid", otherwise known as "The Poem of the Cid", is the oldest Castilian epic poem that is preserved today. It is based on a real-life historical event and its hero is also taken from history. El Cid was a Castilian nobleman and...

Although Sir Gowther could legitimately be considered a poem, it is more usually referred to as a tall-rhyme romance, consisting of twelve stanzas that read more like short paragraphs than actual poetic verses. Dating from the Middle Ages, it...