Anonymous, Andreas

Jasmine Kilburn (Independent Scholar - Europe)

Ed. by Hugh Magennis, Queen's University Belfast
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.01: English Writing and Culture: Old English, 500-1066.
Vol. editors: Richard William Dance (University of Cambridge), Hugh Magennis (Queen's University Belfast)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 700 - c. 900

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Poetry (any)

Resources

The 1722 line Old English poem, Andreas, is found in a tenth-century manuscript, now known as the Vercelli Book (Vercelli, Cathedral library, MS CXVII, folios 29^b-52^b). The date of composition of the poem is not known and like most Old English texts, Andreas is anonymous. Previous generations of scholars debated whether or not Andreas was the work of Cynewulf, who “signed” in runes his name in two other Vercelli Book poems Elene and The Fates of the Apostles, but this debate is not of current interest.

Andreas is of the hagiographical (“saints' life”) genre and it retells the apocryphal Acts of Andrew and Matthew in the land of Mermedonia. The apocryphal …

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761 words

Citation: Kilburn, Jasmine. "Andreas". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 November 2002 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=10618, accessed 18 April 2024.]

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