Cynewulf

Who is Cynewulf?

Cynewulf is one of twelve Anglo-Saxon poets known by name, and one of four whose work survives today. He presumably flourished in the 9th century, with possible dates extending into the late 8th and early 10th centuries.

He is famous for his religious compositions, and is regarded as one of the pre-eminent figures of Christian Old English poetry. Posterity knows of his name by means of runic signatures that are interwoven into the four poems which comprise his scholastically recognized corpus. These poems are: The Fates of the Apostles, Juliana, Elene, and Christ II.

The four signed poems of Cynewulf are vast in that they collectively comprise several thousand lines of verse. In comparison, the one work attributed to Caedmon, Caedmon's Hymn, is quite succinct at nine lines.