St. Erkenwald (poem)
Encyclopedia
St. Erkenwald is an alliterative poem of the fourteenth century, thought to have been composed in 1386. It has sometimes been attributed to the Pearl poet
(or Gawain poet
). It takes as its subject Erkenwald, the bishop of London between 675 and 693.
It exists in only one manuscript, MS Harley 2250 in the British Library. The first line in the manuscript begins with a rubricated letter "A" two lines high and line 176 begins with a similar letter "T". The first modern edition was published by HL Savage and Israel Gollancz
in 1926. The author is unknown, but there is some evidence it may have been the Pearl Poet
, who wrote the poems Pearl
and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
, among others.
is used consistently throughout the poem, usually with three alliterating words per line.
. He was honored with royal garb because of his many impartial decisions. Erkenwald’s tears baptize him and the corpse dissolves into dust as the soul of this just man enters eternal peace.
, this poem addresses the question of whether salvation was possible to persons who lived morally admirable lives without having the opportunity to receive Christian Baptism. The miracle in the story demonstrates graphically that salvation was possible for such persons.
. In several versions of the story, Gregory learns of Trajan's just life, and prays to God on his behalf. The story of Trajan is a popular one throughout the Middle Ages, and can, for example, be found in Dante
's Divine Comedy.
Pearl Poet
The "Pearl Poet", or the "Gawain Poet", is the name given to the author of Pearl, an alliterative poem written in 14th-century Middle English. Its author appears also to have written the poems Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Patience, and Cleanness; some scholars suggest the author may also have...
(or Gawain poet
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late 14th-century Middle English alliterative romance outlining an adventure of Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur's Round Table. In the poem, Sir Gawain accepts a challenge from a mysterious warrior who is completely green, from his clothes and hair to his...
). It takes as its subject Erkenwald, the bishop of London between 675 and 693.
It exists in only one manuscript, MS Harley 2250 in the British Library. The first line in the manuscript begins with a rubricated letter "A" two lines high and line 176 begins with a similar letter "T". The first modern edition was published by HL Savage and Israel Gollancz
Israel Gollancz
Sir Israel Gollancz was a scholar of early English literature and of Shakespeare. He was Professor of English Language and Literature at King's College, London, from 1903 to 1930....
in 1926. The author is unknown, but there is some evidence it may have been the Pearl Poet
Pearl Poet
The "Pearl Poet", or the "Gawain Poet", is the name given to the author of Pearl, an alliterative poem written in 14th-century Middle English. Its author appears also to have written the poems Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Patience, and Cleanness; some scholars suggest the author may also have...
, who wrote the poems Pearl
Pearl (poem)
Pearl is a Middle English alliterative poem written in the late 14th century. Its unknown author, designated the "Pearl poet" or "Gawain poet", is generally assumed, on the basis of dialect and stylistic evidence, to be the author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Patience, and Cleanness or...
and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late 14th-century Middle English alliterative romance outlining an adventure of Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur's Round Table. In the poem, Sir Gawain accepts a challenge from a mysterious warrior who is completely green, from his clothes and hair to his...
, among others.
Poetics
The poem consists of 352 lines. AlliterationAlliteration
In language, alliteration refers to the repetition of a particular sound in the first syllables of Three or more words or phrases. Alliteration has historically developed largely through poetry, in which it more narrowly refers to the repetition of a consonant in any syllables that, according to...
is used consistently throughout the poem, usually with three alliterating words per line.
Subject
The poem’s narrative line presents an incident in the life of Saint Erkenwald. During the construction of a cathedral on the site of a former pagan temple a sarcophagus is unearthed. It is engraved with an untranslatable script, possibly runes, and contains an uncorrupted body dressed in the garments of a king. Bishop Erkenwald is summoned; after praying to God that he may resolve this mystery, the corpse revives. In response to Erkenwald’s questions, it is revealed that he was an eminently just judge who lived during pagan Britain times, under King BelinusBelinus
Belinus the Great was a legendary king of the Britons, as recounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. He was the son of Dunvallo Molmutius and brother of Brennius. He was probably named after the ancient god Belenus.- Earning the crown :...
. He was honored with royal garb because of his many impartial decisions. Erkenwald’s tears baptize him and the corpse dissolves into dust as the soul of this just man enters eternal peace.
Theme
By presenting an exemplumExemplum
An exemplum is a moral anecdote, brief or extended, real or fictitious, used to illustrate a point.-Exemplary literature:...
, this poem addresses the question of whether salvation was possible to persons who lived morally admirable lives without having the opportunity to receive Christian Baptism. The miracle in the story demonstrates graphically that salvation was possible for such persons.
Sources
There is no direct source for this poem. The known lives of Erkenwald do not contain a miracle concerning the salvation of a pagan judge. The closest analogue is the story of Pope Gregory the Great and the Roman Emperor TrajanTrajan
Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
. In several versions of the story, Gregory learns of Trajan's just life, and prays to God on his behalf. The story of Trajan is a popular one throughout the Middle Ages, and can, for example, be found in Dante
DANTE
Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe is a not-for-profit organisation that plans, builds and operates the international networks that interconnect the various national research and education networks in Europe and surrounding regions...
's Divine Comedy.
Editions
- J.A. Burrow and Thorlac Turville-Petre. A Book of Middle English, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Blackwell, 1996) ISBN 0-631-19353-7
- Clifford Peterson (ed.) and Casey Finch (trans.). In The Complete Works of the Pearl Poet (Berkeley: University of California Press. 1995) ISBN 0-520-07871-3 (with facing page Modern English translation).
- Ruth Morse. St. Erkenwald (Cambridge: D.S. Brewer Ltd, 1975) ISBN 0-87471-686-1.
- Henry L. Savage. St. Erkenwald (Hampden, Connecticut: Archon Books, 1972) ISBN 0-208-01136-6
- Clifford Peterson. St. Erkenwald (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1977) ISBN 0-8122-7723-6
Commentary and criticism
- Larry D. Benson , 1965 “The Authorship of St.Erkenwald.” Journal of English and Germanic Philology 64: 393-405.
- Christine Chism, Alliterative Revivals (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. 2002) ISBN 0-8122-3655-6.
- J. R. Hulbert, 1918 - 1919 “The Sources of St. Erkenwald and the Trental of Gregory,” Modern Philology 16: 485 - 93.
- T. McAlindon, 1970 “Hagiography into Art: A Study of St. Erkenwald.” Studies in Philology 67: 472 -94.
- Ruth Nissé, "'A Coroun Ful Riche': The Rule of History in St. Erkenwald." ELH 65.2 (1998): 277-95.
- Monika Otter, "'New Werke': St. Erkenwald, St. Alban's, and the Medieval Sense of the Past," Journal of Medieval and Renaissance Studies. 24.3 (1994): 387-414.
- William A. Quinn, 1984 “The Psychology of St. Erkenwald.” Medium Aevum 3, No. 2: 180 - 93.
- G. Whatley, “Heathens and Saints: St. Erkenwald and its Legendary Context.” Speculum 61.2 (1986): 330-63.
- Helen Young, 2007 "Refusing the Medieval Other: A Case Study of Pre-Modern Nationalism and Postcoloniality in the Middle English "St Erkenwald"." 'The Politics and Aesthetics of Refusal.' Eds Caroline Hamilton, Michelle Kelly, Elaine Minor, Will Noonan. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. 140 - 65.