Legend of the Rood
Encyclopedia
The Legend of the Rood is a complex of medieval tales loosely derived from the Old Testament
.
In its fullest form, the narrative tells how the dying Adam
sends his son Seth
back to Paradise to seek an elixir which will render him immortal. This part of the tale is sometimes referred to as "the Quest of Seth for the Oil of Life". The angel guarding the gates of Paradise refuses Seth access, but does give him a seed from the tree from which Adam and Eve had stolen the apple. On his return, finding his father dead, Seth places this seed under his tongue, and then buries him at Golgotha. A tree grows from the seed, which is cut down. The wood experiences many adventures, reappearing as a leitmotif
in popular renderings of many Old Testament stories. At one point it is a bridge over which the Queen of Sheba passes. Ultimately it is made into the cross (Middle English
: rood) on which Jesus is crucified.
The Legend of the Rood is a key component in the complex of motifs known as the Medieval popular Bible
. It is found in many medieval Adam Books, and provides the central framework of works such as the Welsh Ystorya Adaf
.
These narratives have been extensively studied by Beryl Smalley
, Brian O Murdoch
, Robert Miller and others.
Medieval scholars tend to use the word "legend" solely as a translation of Latin , meaning the biography of saints as a literary form, and hence are often reluctant to use the word too liberally in other contexts. However, as a set-phrase, "Legend of the Rood" has become familiar enough to be uncontroversial.
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
.
In its fullest form, the narrative tells how the dying Adam
Adam
Adam is a figure in the Book of Genesis. According to the creation myth of Abrahamic religions, he is the first human. In the Genesis creation narratives, he was created by Yahweh-Elohim , and the first woman, Eve was formed from his rib...
sends his son Seth
Seth
Seth , in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, is the third listed son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel, who are the only other of their children mentioned by name...
back to Paradise to seek an elixir which will render him immortal. This part of the tale is sometimes referred to as "the Quest of Seth for the Oil of Life". The angel guarding the gates of Paradise refuses Seth access, but does give him a seed from the tree from which Adam and Eve had stolen the apple. On his return, finding his father dead, Seth places this seed under his tongue, and then buries him at Golgotha. A tree grows from the seed, which is cut down. The wood experiences many adventures, reappearing as a leitmotif
Leitmotif
A leitmotif , sometimes written leit-motif, is a musical term , referring to a recurring theme, associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical idea of idée fixe...
in popular renderings of many Old Testament stories. At one point it is a bridge over which the Queen of Sheba passes. Ultimately it is made into the cross (Middle English
Middle English
Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
: rood) on which Jesus is crucified.
The Legend of the Rood is a key component in the complex of motifs known as the Medieval popular Bible
Medieval popular Bible
The Medieval popular Bible is a term used especially in literary studies, but also in art history and other disciplines, to encompass the wide variety of presentations of Biblical material in medieval culture outwith the exegetical tradition....
. It is found in many medieval Adam Books, and provides the central framework of works such as the Welsh Ystorya Adaf
Ystorya Adaf
Ystorya Adaf is the most commonly accepted title of a medieval Welsh translation of the Latin text Historia Adam, a version of the popular "Legend of the Rood"...
.
These narratives have been extensively studied by Beryl Smalley
Beryl Smalley
Beryl Smalley was a British historian, best known for her work, The Study of the Bible in the Middle Ages, originally published around 1940, but revised many times....
, Brian O Murdoch
Brian O Murdoch
Brian O. Murdoch is Emeritus professor of German at the University of Stirling, Scotland. He is best known for his work on the Medieval popular Bible, a term which he coined....
, Robert Miller and others.
Medieval scholars tend to use the word "legend" solely as a translation of Latin , meaning the biography of saints as a literary form, and hence are often reluctant to use the word too liberally in other contexts. However, as a set-phrase, "Legend of the Rood" has become familiar enough to be uncontroversial.
Literature
- Robert Miller, German and Dutch versions of the legend of the wood of the Cross before Christ, diss Oxford 1992.
- Arthur Sampson Napier, History of the Holy Rood-tree: A Twelfth Century Version of the Cross Legend, Published 1894 for the Early English text society.