Pruncu Alina- MariaIIIrd year, Spanish- English
The Dream of the Rood
The Dream of the Rood, one of the few surviving pieces of
Anglo-Saxon literature, is a vital reference for the ambiguous
culture of England's early ancestors. Argued as one of the oldest
pieces of Old English Literature, The Dream of the Rood effectively
embodies the blended culture, moral code, and religious values of
its unknown author. In the poem the narrator recalls a vision he
received in a dream, where he encounters the rood on which Christ
was crucified. The rood's dictation, steeped with references to
both Pagan and Christian culture, implies the subservient
relationship he shared with Christ as that of a lord and thane.
Furthermore, the crucifixion scene is metaphorically illustrated as
a battle and elevates both Christ and the rood to the warrior
status reminiscent of Anglo-Saxon heroes. This contradictory
concept of Christ as a self-sacrificing victim, yet fearless
warrior king, coupled with the conflicting references to Pagan and
Christian culture demonstrate the blended perspective of the poem's
author. Within the context of the poem, the clash between the newly
emerging society of ecclesiastical ethics and Pagan tradition of
heroism and warfare is evident.The prominence of Pagan culture in
The Dream of the Rood is most obviously demonstrated by the
animistic characteristics of the rood, which is endowed with a
living spirit. The personification of the rood is analogous to the
beliefs of the ancient Celts, where nature was regarded as a
living, feeling, and conscious entity. Furthermore, when the
narrator first introduces the reader to the rood he describes it as
though it were an idol, with it "entirely cased in gold; the
beautiful gems stood/ at the corners of the earth". The narrator
later asserts that it is by "the means of the rood each soul/ who
thinks to dwell with the Ruler/ must seek the kingdom from the
earthy way/ I prayed to the three with a happy spirit then". With
these lines, the pious dreamer is sympathizing with Pagan
tradition, signaling out the rood itself as an object of worship.
He prays to the golden rood as an idol, initiating the rood's
prophecy that it will be "honored far and wide/ by men over the
earth and all this glorious creation/ they will pray to this
beacon. These Pagan attributes highly contrast the overall
Christian elements of the poem, where Christ is declared as the
sole source of salvation for mankind.Christ is depicted both as a
warrior and king in The Dream of the Rood, substituting the
traditional Christian concept of Christ as a passive redeemer of
sins with the bravery of Germanic hero. The narrator regards the
willing sacrifice of Christ's life as a triumph and embodies Christ
with the courage, honor, and might of a traditional Anglo-Saxon
king. While the rod explains that he could have easily "felled all
the enemies" for Christ, Christ instead willingly "ascended on the
high gallows/ brave in the sight of many/ when he wanted to ransom
mankind. With this action Christ proves himself a heroic being,
determined to carry out God's divine plan, even if it means losing
his life in the process. Like all Anglo-Saxon heroes, Christ
submits himself to the winds of fate and gains immorality. The
rood, like a burial mound, becomes a symbol of Christ's
triumph.Throughout the poem there are strong suggestions of a lord
relationship between Christ and the rood, where the rood is
presented as a selfless retainer of Christ. The relationship is
subtlety suggested when the dreamer witnesses the rood began to
bleed on the right side as Christ had, implying the inseparable
connection between lord and thane. This bond is later solidified
when the rood and Christ are depicted in battle together and the
rood obediently follows the desires of his lord, recalling that he
did "not dare, against the word of the Lord/ bow or break, when I
saw the/ corners of the earth tremble". The act of the nails
piercing Christ and literally fastening him to the rood serves as a
subtle symbolic reference to the unbreakable loyalty of a thane to
his lord. This lord/thane relationship is later expanded to the
bond between the Christians and Christ, where in a kenning Christ's
followers are referred to as "the Lord's thanes". At the conclusion
of the poem, the narrator himself accepts this lord with Christ.
Just as the lords of ancient times presented thanes with treasures
for their service, the poet regards this vision of the
gold-enameled cross as a gift from God and is thus bound by the
Anglo-Saxon code of conduct to serve Christ.It is truly remarkable
how a poem can so flawlessly embody two distinct cultures, or
rather the transition point between them. The Dream of the Rood
offers readers a glimpse into the distant past of England; a time
where the Anglo-Saxon hierarchy and Pagan rituals fell into steady
decline and a newer, more centralized faith captivated the eyes of
the people. However, The Dream of the Rood is evidence of something
much more significant within its stanzas. It affirms that the
reverence for spirits, the bond between lord and thane, and
glorification of the heroic character did not fall under the shadow
of Christ's cross. Instead, these things persisted on: masked,
obscured, and shining in the luminance of wet ink.2
