Ready 1 Jessica Ready Dr. Joel Feimer Eng 300 October 29, 2008 Christ the Warrior and Medieval Traditions in The Dream of the Rood How do you perceive Jesus Christ? Does a 21 st century Roman Catholic hold different beliefs or views of Jesus than a 9 th century Christian? According to Jaroslav Pelikan s paraphrasing of Albert Schweitzer s ideas, " it has been characteristic of each age of history to depict Jesus in accordance with its own character... (Pelikan 2). The early English poem, The Dream of the Rood, illustrates this theory. The depiction of Christ as a battle figure coincides with the medieval traditions of placing value on the warrior. Drawing on the modus operandi of incorporating Anglo-Saxon themes into a work of literature, many parallels can be seen in The Dream of the Rood to other secular pieces of the time. Christ can be likened to Beowulf, who embodies the ideals of the perfect warrior. Beowulf is often referred to as an imitatio Christi, or figure of Christ. Beowulf, like Christ, is born with a salvific purpose. They both deliver man from evil, Christ in the form of immortal souls, Beowulf in the form of physical life, and they both descend into hell to battle with the forces of evil. They are also both honored with funerals befitting of a great leader. The Rood can be associated with the battle retainers, or posse comitatus in The Battle of Maldon. And the dreamer can be ascribed with the same despair as the solider in The Wanderer. The author of The Dream of the Rood ingeniously captivates and educates a pagan audience of Christian history by incorporating these familiar Germanic themes.
Ready 2 The poem begins with the dreamer urging the audience to listen to his story. As most people of the time were illiterate, stories had to be relayed orally. The Dream of the Rood is purposely structured as a performance piece for this reason. The author continues to draw the audience in by creating a capturing setting. Midnight is an equinox, and is one of the eerie quadrisects when the human and numinous may interact. Appealing to the warrior desire for treasure and blood, the Rood, (the cross Christ was hung upon) is immediately described as covered with gold; gems stood fair where it met the ground, five were above/ the crosspiece. (The Dream of the Rood lines 4-5). The five gems represent the five wounds inflicted upon Christ. The pagan dreamer admits that he was unworthy of such a sight. I stained with sins, wounded with wrongdoings (line 8). Then, the cross began to bleed, drenched with/ flowing of blood (lines 13-14). In an interesting twist, the Rood joins the story as a character rather than an object. The personified Rood sets the tone for Christ to appear as an instrument of war. It exclaims that it was seized by strong foes in the first instance of battle imagery. Christ immediately takes to action, Then I saw the Lord of mankind hasten with a stout heart; for he would climb upon me (line 21). The Rood then, for the first time in the poem, refers to Christ as the warrior, Then the young/ Hero stripped himself - that was God Almighty - strong and stouthearted (lines 23-24). These three lines illustrate Christ s eagerness to proceed into battle, just as Beowulf was eager to descend into the cave and battle Grendel s mother, let us immediately/set forth (Beowulf lines 1390-1391). Enthusiasm for war and complete absence of fear was one of the qualities revered in medieval warriors. In Rood s version of the crucifixion, Christ strips himself and hastens
Ready 3 to climb the Rood. In the original text of the Bible, the opposite occurs. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him (Matthew 27:31). The image of the valiant warrior is not depicted in the Bible. By applying the role of hero to Christ that the early English people idolized, it created an appealing picture of Christianity. In keeping with medieval warrior traditions, Christ has complete certainty that he will be triumphant under his own strength. Beowulf also believes the same is true when he fights Grendel without weapons. As Christ is stouthearted, and bold in the sight of many, Beowulf is resolute in his helmet (The Dream of the Rood lines 24, 25 Beowulf line 406). The Rood continues to relay the story, stating I trembled when the Warrior embraced me (line 26). By Christ embracing the Rood, the author insinuates that Christ is so eager to free mankind, that he may have initiated the battle, in contradiction to the account written in the Bible. It is apparent that the author of The Dream of the Rood, is shaping Christ to fit the ideals of the audience at the time the piece was written to lure the Anglo-Saxons pagans to appreciate Christianity. As in other Anglo-Saxon tales such as the Battle of Maldon, or Bewoulf, the Rood relates the exact details of the battle. The Rood then, lifted up the Mighty King, as if it were a loyal battle retainer for a great leader (line 28). The Rood continues, They pierced me with dark nails: the wounds are seen on me, open gashes of/hatred (lines 29-30). It is also wounded with arrows during the battle. The pain inflicted upon Christ in the Gospel of Matthew is transferred to the Rood in this interpretation of the story. As a battle retainer, the duty of the Rood is to shield his leader with little caution for his own safety. However, they both share the humiliation, They mocked us both together (line
Ready 4 30). The bloody Rood then confirms that Christ had sent/forth his spirit (lines 31-32). In the original account, Jesus yielded up the ghost (Matthew 27:50). In the poem, Christ was a warrior to the end, willfully giving his life for others. Christ exhibits contemptus mundi with this act. In Old English traditions, to die in battle was a glorious death. The stories shared in the mead hall of battle leaders dying heroically for their people would make them immortal. This is how Beowulf measures his significance, When a warrior is gone, that will be his best and only bulwark (Beowulf 1389). The author successfully conveys to the Anglo-Saxon audience that Christ, just as Beowulf, dies heroically and therefore, makes Christ a desirable figure. By creating the link between the reader s value system and Christ s, the author suggests that by believing in Christ and upholding his values they become his battle retainers just like the Rood. Battle retainers are granted a share of treasures when the battle is won, and by becoming Christ s thanes, the reward will be eternal life in heaven. To prepare the victorious soul for everlasting life in the Lord s house, the body must be preserved at all costs and buried with great respect. Christ s burial in The Dream of the Rood is a significant event, suitable for a warrior. Then warriors began to build him an earth-house in the sight of his slayer, carved it out of bright stone; they set there the Wielder of Triumphs. Then they began to sing him a song of sorrow, desolate in the evening. (lines 41-44) In this version of the burial, the warriors are honoring Christ as a hero, such as they honor Beowulf with a grand burial and mournful dirges, chanting in dirges,/mourning his loss as a man and a king (Beowulf 3171-3172). Funeral pyres and elaborate sepulchers, such as the one for Sir Gawain, are staples of burials of great heroes in the medieval
Ready 5 period. Distinct from that account of Christ s burial, the Bible describes it as a modest event, placing Christ in a cave and securing the entrance. Matthew reveals, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed (Matthew 27:60). Christ was declared defeated, and guards placed at the tomb to ensure that his disciples would not steal his body to falsify the prophecy of his resurrection. The Dream of the Rood depicts Christ as the victor. The Son was victorious in that foray,/mighty and successful (90-91). Again, Christ can not be portrayed as weak or beaten to a culture which reveres triumph in battle. This point reiterates that Christ, as a battle leader has rewards to bestow upon his posse comitatus in the afterlife. Christ, as the victor is the Wielder of Triumphs The Rood, as a battle standard, is called the triumph-tree (line 7). Christ utilizes the Rood to facilitate him in achieving victory in battle. It is through the cross that Christ is able to relinquish his human bonds and ascend into heaven to save mankind. From this perspective, Rood and the Virgin Mary are figures of one another. The Rood bears Christ into death where he becomes a higher being, and the Virgin Mary bears Christ into the human world. The Rood makes this point itself when it boasts of if its own importance in the crucifixion of Christ and demands honor. Now the time has come that men far and wide/ upon earth honor me (line 52). To embed the idea in the audience s mind, the Rood states that Christ himself honored the Rood. Behold the Lord of Glory honored/ me over all the trees of the wood, the Ruler of Heaven, just as also he honored/ his mother Mary (lines 57-59). Beowulf also humbly boasts, by recounting his tales of competing against Breca, slaying water dragons, and his slaying of Grendel. The tradition of boasting was
Ready 6 well received by the medieval audience and could be considered another form of storytelling. This is yet another tool in which the author makes the story of the crucifixion memorable for the audience at the time. The Rood then orders the dreamer to share its story, exhibiting the theme of paedia. Now I command you, my beloved man, that you tell men of this vision (line 60). The narration of the poem returns to the dreamer. Up until this point in his life, the dreamer admits he had endured desolation on earth. Just as the solider in The Wanderer who suffers because he had lost everyone dear to him, the dreamer also does not possess many powerful friends on earth, but/ they have gone hence from the delights of the world (lines 79-80). However, the dreamer has had this religious epiphany which answers the question ubi sunt qui ante nos fuerunt and he admittedly gains hope. And every day I look forward to when the Lord s Cross that I beheld/ here on earth will fetch me from this short life and bring me then where joy/ is great, delight in the heavens, where the Lord s folk are seated at the feast,/ where bliss is eternal (lines 82-85). The author aspires that the Anglo-Saxon people will associate themselves with the dreamer, and experience the same religious epiphany. Each action in The Dream of the Rood appeals to the early English ideals of the heroic code of honor. Christ is the triumphant warrior and the Rood, the loyal battle standard that must reluctantly aid in the death of its King. The poem purposely depicts a vastly contrastive version of Christ to appeal to its primary audience. The image of Christ as a Warrior created an honorable figure for the Anglo-Saxon people to worship. The dreamer is a relatable character to the pagan audience as well. By witnessing his revelation, the author aspires that the audience will desire an afterlife in Heaven as the
Ready 7 dreamer does. By using these persuasive techniques, the author of The Dream of the Rood creates a successful piece of Christian propaganda. The depiction of Christ as a Warrior, strong heartedly raging into battle to fight for the souls of all mankind, a cross once drenched in blood, now embroidered in jewels, and a dreamer lost in the world until he discovered the salvation offered by Christ is a very compelling story for people of any age.
Ready 8 Works Cited Beowulf. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 1 8 th ed.. Eds. M.H. Abrams, et.al. New York: Norton, 2005.31-97. Comparative Study Bible Matthew 27:1-66. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1999. Pelikan, Jaroslav. Jesus Through the Centuries: His Place in the History of Culture. Connecticut: Yale University Press, 1999. Oct. 26, 2008. <http://books.google. com/books?id=byjazqiej90c&printsec=copyright&dq=jesus+through+the+cen turies:+his+place+in+the+history+of+culture#ppr4,m1> The Dream of the Rood. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 1 8 th ed.. Eds. M.H. Abrams, et.al. New York: Norton, 2005.24-26.