As his journey takes him across an 8th century world of turbulent change and uncertainty, where the old magics fight to survive the rise of a new religion, Bran will have epic adventures through which he learns of life, death and the ways of the world.

    the hero is not a sword-wielding barbarian, bent only upon establishing his own fame; such fame-seekers (including some famous medieval literary figures) might even fall outside the definition of the Germanic hero, the real value of whose deeds are given meaning only within the political construct. Individual prowess is not enough. The hero must conquer the blows of fate because he is committed to the conquest of chaos, and over all to the need for social stability. Brian Murdoch discusses works in Old English, Old and Middle High German, Old Norse, Latin and Old French, deliberately going beyond what is normally thought of as 'heroic poetry' to include the German so-called 'minstrel epic', and a work by a writer who is normally classified as a late medieval chivalric poet, Konrad von Wurzburg, the comparison of which with Beowulf allows us to span half a millennium.

    Extracts from texts are presented in the original Old English with modern translations and useful information, such as comparative sizes of swords and other weapons, is presented in tables. Appendices give original translations of three important military poems; the battles of Maldon, Finnsburh and Brunanburh. This new edition has been expanded with the results of recent research and more illustrations. This is a very useful book for enthusiast and researcher alike.

    Following a general essay which surveys the field as a whole, the essays begin with the arrival of Theodore and Hadrian in the late-7th century and with the establishment of their school at Canterbury, investigating the range of Greek and Latin learning which they brought to bear on the study of the Bible and other curriculum texts. The achievements of their student Aldhelm are also examined. Evidence is presented for the English origin of two other anonymous works from this period, the Liber monstrorum and an Isidorian florilegium called De diversis rebus. The poetic achievement of Bede is seen in a new light, as is that of Aediluulf, an early ninth-century Northumbrian poet. Finally, two essays consider the evidence for books and learning in ninth-century England, a period which saw the interruption of scholarly activity in the face of Viking onslaughts, and the subsequent re-establishment of learning through the energies of King Alfred.