Crist

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Crist is the title given to a group of Anglo-Saxon religious poems by the medieval poet Cynewulf, divided in Crist I, II, III (or A, B, C). A total of 1664 lines are preserved. Together with Beowulf it is one of the primary examples of Anglo-Saxon literature. Lines 104 addresses earendel, the morning star, possibly as a metaphor for John the Baptist.

[edit] Influence on other writers

J.R.R. Tolkien was deeply influenced by the following couplet from Crist:

"Eálá Earendel engla beorhtast
Ofer middangeard monnum sended."

Translated,

"Hail Earendel brightest of angels,
over Middle Earth sent to men."

("Middangeard" was a ancient expression for the everyday world between Heaven above and Hell below.) These lines were one of the inspirations for J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth and his character Eärendil. ^[1]

[edit] References

1. ^ Doughan, David. "JRR Tolkien Biography." The Tolkien Society. 2002. 28 Dec. 2006 <http://www.tolkiensociety.org/tolkien/biography.html>

[edit] External links

• The Old English poem
• A Modern English translation (PDF), by Charles W. Kennedy. From "In Parentheses".