Alfred was an excellent listener and had an incredible memory and he retained poetry and psalms very well. A story is told by Asser about how his mother held up a book of Saxon poetry to him and his brothers, and said; "I shall give this book to whichever one of you can learn it the fastest."
Alfred was known for being a good listener and having an excellent memory, memorizing poems and psalms easily. A story is told about Alfred's mother giving a book of Saxon poetry to him and his brothers, challenging them to memorize it first.