What is the title of Tolkien’s poem about the medieval hero Beorhtnoth?

Tolkien’s poem about the medieval hero Beorhtnoth is titled The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’s Son.

The work is a dramatic dialogue in alliterative verse, accompanied by an introductory essay and a prose narrative. Tolkien based it on the Old English poem The Battle of Maldon, which describes a conflict in 991 between an English force led by Byrhtnoth and Viking invaders. Tolkien’s title focuses on the aftermath of the battle and the recovery of the fallen leader’s body.

The piece was published in 1953 in the academic journal Essays and Studies by Members of the English Association. It reflects Tolkien’s scholarly expertise in Old English literature while also showing how he reworked early medieval material creatively.

The Battle of Maldon is the source text, not the title of Tolkien’s poem. The Lay of Leithian and The Fall of Gondolin are separate works connected with Tolkien’s legendarium, so they are not alternative names for this medieval adaptation.