The Norse poem Atlakviða shows an irregular metre which is difficult to classify. This makes it a useful test case for comparing the explanatory abilities of two major theoretical frameworks of Germanic alliterative verse: the positional theory and the word-foot theory. I argue that the word-foot theory is more successful, especially in deriving…[Read more]

The Norse poem Atlakviða shows an irregular metre which is difficult to classify. This makes it a useful test case for comparing the explanatory abilities of two major theoretical frameworks of Germanic alliterative verse: the positional theory and the word-foot theory. I argue that the word-foot theory is more successful, especially in deriving…[Read more]

An overview of the dialect of Old English used by Tolkien to represent the language of Rohan. I argue that Tolkien chose the dialect represented by the early glossaries in Old Mercian, especially the eighth-century Corpus Glossary, as representatives of the kind of Old English he thought Beowulf was originally composed in.

An overview of the dialect of Old English used by Tolkien to represent the language of Rohan. I argue that Tolkien chose the dialect represented by the early glossaries in Old Mercian, especially the eighth-century Corpus Glossary, as representatives of the kind of Old English he thought Beowulf was originally composed in.

This book, by J.R.R. Tolkien and E.V. Gordon, was privately printed in 1936 for the English Department, University College, London. This digital version (July 2023) has been revised and edited by Ronald Kyrmse (certur@gmail.com) with the sole purpose of serving as a basis for research and scholarship.

Schematic (bullet-point) overview of Old Saxon and Old High German metre, with a particular emphasis on alliterative verse. My goal is to sketch out the main features of the metre, especially in comparison with Old English, rather than to delve into theoretical fundamentals (though an appendix touching on that topic is included). I also append a…[Read more]

Schematic (bullet-point) overview of Old Saxon and Old High German metre, with a particular emphasis on alliterative verse. My goal is to sketch out the main features of the metre, especially in comparison with Old English, rather than to delve into theoretical fundamentals (though an appendix touching on that topic is included). I also append a…[Read more]

An overview of the main features of Old English metre, including a comparison of theories for the basic operation of the metrical system.