Layamon's Brut
Middle English alliterative poem recounting Britain's mythical history.
Layamon's Brut, also called The Chronicle of Britain, is a Middle English alliterative verse poem of 16,096 lines, compiled and recast by the English priest Layamon. It presents a fictionalized history of Britain from its mythical founding by Brutus of Troy through the Early Middle Ages, ending with the Welsh king Cadwallon ap Cadfan, who died in 634. The poem is largely based on the Anglo-Norman French Roman de Brut by Wace, itself a version of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Latin Historia Regum Britanniae, but Layamon's version is longer than both and includes an enlarged section on King Arthur. It was the first work of history written in English since the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Modern scholars regard it as valueless as history; its narrative largely ignores the Anglo-Saxons, focusing instead on the Britons as the people who first possessed the land.
The poem's versification is difficult to characterize, written in a loose alliterative style that sporadically uses rhyme and a caesural pause. It is perhaps closer to the rhythmical prose of Ælfric of Eynsham than to later alliterative works like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Layamon's language is notably "native" in vocabulary, with only about 150 words derived from French in its 16,000 lines. It is remarkable for its abundant Anglo-Saxon vocabulary, including deliberately archaic forms. The poem shows knowledge of and interest in preserving Old English alliterative conventions. Two manuscript copies survive: one in MS. Cotton Caligula A ix from the third quarter of the 13th century, and another in Cotton Otho C xiii, copied about fifty years later but damaged and shorter. Both are held in the British Library.
- type
- Poem
- author
- Layamon (English priest)
- language
- Middle English
- known_for
- First English history since the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle; enlarged section on King
Lore & Background
Layamon’s *Brut* is a Middle English alliterative verse poem of 16,096 lines, composed by the English priest Layamon. It presents a fictionalized history of Britain from its mythical founder, Brutus of Troy, up to the early medieval period, ending with the Welsh king Cadwallon ap Cadfan in 634. The poem is largely based on Wace’s Anglo-Norman French *Roman de Brut*, which itself derives from Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Latin *Historia Regum Britanniae*, but Layamon’s version is longer and includes an expanded account of King Arthur’s life and exploits. Its versification is notably loose, blending alliteration with sporadic rhyme and a caesural pause, resembling the rhythmical prose of Ælfric of Eynsham more than later formal alliterative works. The language is remarkable for its native Anglo-Saxon vocabulary, containing only about 150 words of French origin across its entire length, and it deliberately employs archaic Saxon forms. Layamon wrote for an illiterate, impoverished religious audience in Worcestershire at a time when most English literature was composed in French. The poem is one of the best extant examples of early Middle English and shows a conscious effort to preserve Old English poetic conventions, while also emphasizing the Britons as the original inhabitants of the land.
Reader's Guide
Layamon’s *Brut* is a Middle English alliterative verse poem of 16,096 lines, composed by the English priest Layamon. It presents a fictionalized history of Britain from its mythical founder Brutus of Troy through the early Middle Ages, ending with the Welsh king Cadwallon ap Cadfan. The poem is largely based on Wace’s Anglo-Norman French *Roman de Brut*, itself a version of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Latin *Historia Regum Britanniae*, but Layamon’s work is longer than both and expands the section on King Arthur. Although now considered historically valueless, it was the first history written in English since the *Anglo-Saxon Chronicle*. Layamon wrote for an illiterate, impoverished religious audience in Worcestershire during an era when most English prose and poetry were composed in French. His language is notably native, with only about 150 words of French origin in the entire poem, and he deliberately used archaic Anglo-Saxon vocabulary and alliterative verse to preserve Old English conventions. Several original passages suggest he aimed to present the Britons as the people who first possessed the land of the English. The poem remains one of the best extant examples of early Middle English.
Did You Know?
- It was the first work of history written in English since the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.
- The poem includes an enlarged section on the life and exploits of King Arthur.
- Layamon's Brut is based on the Anglo-Norman French *Roman de Brut* by Wace.
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