Another viewpoint , most notably held Defending by J. R. R. Tolkien , is that the poem is an elegy on a terrible loss and that the monastic author pinpoints the cause of the defeat in the commander 's sin Committing_crime of pride , a viewpoint bolstered Supporting by the fact that is , in every other attested instance , used to describe Statement Satan 's pride .

The poem may , therefore , represent the work of what has been termed the `` monastic party Participation '' in Ethelred 's court , which advocated Convincing a military response Response , rather than tribute , to all Norse attacks Attack .