Beowulf may be the oldest surviving long poem in Old English and is commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.[4] Sir Bevis of Hampton (dates to the first half of the 13th century): Legendary English hero; the subject of medieval metrical romances which bear his name.[5] Brutus of Troy, or Brute of Troy (dates to the 9th century: Legendary descendant of the Trojan hero Aeneas, known in medieval British history as the eponymous founder and first king of Britain.