The Battle of the Spile
In the midst of Eostremonath, the young Atheling Wiglaf, kin to the dead Beowulf, bore down upon the isle of Leastney with a hastily gathered band of followers and watercraft. Tidings had reached him that the Lords of the Malan Isles plotted to put Aescwine, chief of the Osreding clan on the Geatish throne. The Malan Islanders summoned their followers under the guise of a great feast with the intention of treacherously falling upon the great royal burgh of the Spile from the South as soon as the festivities were done.
Wiglaf and his host arrived out of the dawn mist as the revellers were still abed. Lightly armed men crept ashore to scale the palisades and open the gates and before the islanders knew what was afoot their great hall was surrounded by armed men. Wiglaf called forth the women and children. He also allowed that any who had truly come for the feast to leave if they would publicly repudiate the Osredings and their claims and swear that they knew nought of their hosts’ plans. Many left at this point and were allowed to depart in peace. Some even stayed to join Wiglaf’s band.
Then the killing began. The hall was fired and as the Osredings tried to escape they were cut down. There died Aescwine, Thegn of Mickelney and his cousins Oslaf of Middleney and Ceolheard of Leastney and all their folk who stayed loyal. Those there noted that many of those trying to cut their way out of the blazing hall were Sweons from their dress and the manner of speech as they hurled their dying oaths.
It is said that it was the blind skop Arcenbryht who sniffed out the traitorous plans of the Osredings and brought news of them to Wiglaf. It is also said that after delivering his message to Wiglaf, Arcenbryht returned to feasting hall at Leastney where he sowed discord amongst the host there assembled using his skills as a skop and thyl. Indeed it seems that he openly challenged and ridiculed the Osreding claim to be of Atheling stock and was roughly ejected from the hall. However, many of those there listened well to his words and it was his rede that caused so many to stand aside from the Osredings when Wiglaf arrived.
Three days later a Sweon fleet descended upon the Spile, the strongly fortified isle that protects the northern part of the Malanmere from Sweon lands. Instead of finding it in the hands of their Osreding allies they found it stoutly defended by a Geatish host under command of Wiglaf and Deorlaf the Reeve of the Spile. Thegn Siggeir of Sigiston was there too with ships from the north that descended on the rear of the Sweons. The Sweons landed on nearby Bardsey Island and tried to force the narrow causeway from there to the Spile, but were forced back. In the fight many were separated from their ships, which for the most part were burnt or stove in by the Siggeir’s folk. Many Sweons were captured or slain at the causeway or in their ships. Those that remained fled into the interior of Bardsey to find their way home as best they could, pursued by the vengeful Geats.