Anonymous, Wulf and Eadwacer

Hugh Magennis (Queen's University Belfast)

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. 970

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Poetry (any)

Resources

Wulf and Eadwacer is a short Old English lyric poem (consisting of nineteen lines) that is preserved in the Exeter Book, a large anthology of mostly Christian verse. Wulf and Eadwacer itself is a purely secular poem, however, expressing human emotion and dealing with human relationship. Traditionally included in the group of Old English “elegies”, it is remarkable as one of only two surviving poems in Old English with a female speaker (the other being The Wife’s Lament) and it is also a rare example of an Old English poem with a stanza-like structure and use of refrain …

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1036 words

Citation: Magennis, Hugh. "Wulf and Eadwacer". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 28 June 2006 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=8890, accessed 25 April 2024.]

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