The Dream of the Rood

Anglo-Saxon Christian Poetry

The Dream of the Rood is the earliest dream
poem and one of the finest religious poems in
the English language.

Lines from the poem are literally inscribed,

runically, on this 18-feet-high rood which
dates from the eighth century.

A century or so later, in 884, Pope Marinus

sent Alfred the Great a piece of the True Cross,
and an expanded version of ‘The Dream of the
Rood’ was made in response.

This copy is found in the Vercelli manuscript.

In a dream the Once blood-stained and
poet beholds a horrible, it is now the
beautiful resplendent sign of
tree—the rood, mankind’s redemption.
or cross, on
which Christ
died. It tells him
its own story.
Forced to be the
instrument
of the saviour’s death, it
describes how it suffered
the nail wounds, spear
shafts, and insults along
with Christ to fulfill God’s
will.
Like most Old English poetry, it is written in
alliterative verse.

One of the most important elements of this

poem is how it characterizes Jesus for an
Anglo-Saxon audience.

The Anglo-Saxons prized the figure of the

warrior-king in their culture, so the speaker
makes Jesus a warrior-king: loyal to vassals
(which would be all mankind in this case)
and unafraid of death.
This is done to appeal to pagan Anglo-Saxons who have yet to convert
to Christianity (which they rapidly did during the period of the
poem's creation)
The poem is divided into three parts, which are in turn divided into more parts:

1. Introduction to the dream (memory)

i. Lines 1-3 Addressing the audience
ii. Lines 4-26 Description of the Cross
2. Speech by the Cross to the dreamer
i. Lines 27-77 The history
a. Lines 27-56: Crucifiction
b. Lines 57-69 Jesus Christ’s deposition and burial
c. Lines 70-77 Deposition and rediscovery of the cross
ii. Lines 78-121 Present and future
a. Lines 78-94 The Cross’s meaning to men
b. Lines 95-121 Exhortation
3. Dreamer’s colloquy (conversation): Will
i. Lines 122 to 131a His devotion to the Cross
ii. Lines 131b to 146 His present plaight and future hopes
iii. Lines 147 to 156 Harrowing of hell and ascension
INTRODUCTION TO THE DREAM
ADDRESSING
DESCRIPTION OF THE CROSS THE AUDIENCE
SPEECH BY THE ROOD TO INTRODUCTION TO THE
THE DREAMER
DESCRIPTION OF THE CROSS
THE HISTORY

CRUCIFIXION
SPEECH BY THE ROOD TO THE DREAMER

THE HISTORY

CRUCIFIXION
 SPEECH BY THE ROOD TO THE DREAMER

THE HISTORY

DEPOSITION AND
REDISCOVERY OF THE CROSS CHRIST’S DEPOSITION AND BURIAL
 SPEECH BY THE ROOD TO THE DREAMER

PRESENT AND FUTURE

EXHORTATION CROSS’S MEANING TO MEN

SPEECH BY THE ROOD TO THE DREAMER

PRESENT AND FUTURE

EXHORTATION
 DREAMER’S COLLOQUY

HIS PRESENT PLIGHT AND FUTURE HOPES HIS DEVOTION TO THE CROSS
 DREAMER’S COLLOQUY

HIS PRESENT PLIGHT AND

HARROWING OG HELL AND ASCENSION FUTURE HOPES
Web sources

https://history.hanover.edu/hhr/98/hhr98_2.html

https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Dream-of-the-Rood

https://lightspill.com/schola/nando/rood_notes.html