Names of God in Old English poetry
Encyclopedia
In Old English
poetry
, many descriptive epithets for God
were used to satisfy alliterative requirements
. These epithets include:
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, many descriptive epithets for God
Names of God
Names of God, or Holy Names, describe a form of addressing God present in liturgy or prayer of various world religions. Prayer involving the Holy Name or the Name of God has become established as common spiritual practice in both Western and Eastern spiritual practices...
were used to satisfy alliterative requirements
Alliterative verse
In prosody, alliterative verse is a form of verse that uses alliteration as the principal structuring device to unify lines of poetry, as opposed to other devices such as rhyme. The most commonly studied traditions of alliterative verse are those found in the oldest literature of many Germanic...
. These epithets include:
| Main | |Name meaning | wuldres Cyning | "King of Glory" | The Dream of the Rood |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dryhten "Lord" |
ece Dryhten | "eternal Lord" | Cædmon's hymn Cædmon Cædmon is the earliest English poet whose name is known. An Anglo-Saxon who cared for the animals and was attached to the double monastery of Streonæshalch during the abbacy of St. Hilda , he was originally ignorant of "the art of song" but learned to compose one night in the course of a dream,... |
|
| dryhntes dreamas | "the joys of the Lord" | The Seafarer The Seafarer The Seafarer may refer to the following:*The Seafarer , a play by Conor McPherson*"The Seafarer" , an Old English poem*The Seafarers, a short film by Stanley Kubrick... |
||
| heofones Dryhten | "heaven's Lord" | The Dream of the Rood | ||
| Ealdor "Prince" |
wuldres Ealdor | "Prince of Glory" | The Dream of the Rood | |
| Fæder "Father" |
Heahfæder | "Highfather" | The Dream of the Rood | |
| Wuldorfæder | "Glorious Father" | Cædmon's hymn | ||
| Frea "Lord" |
Frea ælmihtig | "Master almighty" | Cædmon's hymn | |
| Frea mancynnes | "Mankind's Master" | The Dream of the Rood | ||
| God "God" |
God ælmihtig | "God almighty" | The Dream of the Rood | |
| weruda God | "God of hosts" | The Dream of the Rood | ||
| Hælend "Healer" |
Hælend | "Healer" | The Dream of the Rood | |
| Metod "Maker" |
Metod | "Maker" | Beowulf Beowulf Beowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single... (110) |
|
| eald Metod | "Old Maker" | Beowulf Beowulf Beowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single... (945) |
||
| Wealdend "Ruler" |
Wealdend | "Ruler" | The Dream of the Rood | |
| Al-wealda | "all-ruler" | Meters of Boethius (11) | ||
| wuldor alwealda | "Glorious all-ruler" | Codex Exoniensis Exeter Book The Exeter Book, Exeter Cathedral Library MS 3501, also known as the Codex Exoniensis, is a tenth-century book or codex which is an anthology of Anglo-Saxon poetry. It is one of the four major Anglo-Saxon literature codices. The book was donated to the library of Exeter Cathedral by Leofric, the... |
||
| fæder alwealda | "Father all-ruler" | Beowulf Beowulf Beowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single... (630) |
||
| Weard "Warder" |
heofonrices Weard | "the heavenly kingdom's Warder" | Cædmon's hymn | Beowulf |