The Cædmon Group: Origins of Old English Christian Poetry

            Overview: Cædmon is a pivotal figure in Old English literature. He represents the transition from oral pagan tradition to written Christian poetry. His story is preserved by the Venerable Bede, and the poems formerly attributed to him are collectively known as the "Cædmon Group."
        

1. Biography of Cædmon

Cædmon lived between approximately 657 and 684 AD. He was a simple herdsman at Whitby Abbey under the guidance of the Abbess St. Hilda. His story is one of divine inspiration rather than academic learning.

The Miracle: Initially shy, Cædmon would leave feasts when the harp was passed around for singing. One night, after fleeing to the stables, he had a divine dream where a figure commanded him to "Sing the beginning of created things."
The Result: He awoke with the ability to compose religious verse and later became a devoted monk.

Asked in UGC NET English Cædmon is recognized as the earliest known English poet.

Asked in UGC NET English His life and story are recorded in Bede’s Historia Ecclesiastica (731 AD).

The Cædmon Group – Origins of Old English Christian Poetry

Visualization of the Old English poetic tradition.

2. The Junian Manuscript

The poems historically associated with Cædmon are found in the Junius 11 Manuscript (also known as the Cædmon Manuscript). While modern scholars doubt Cædmon wrote all of them, they are still referred to as the "Cædmon Group."

Key Works in the Group:

Genesis: A retelling of the biblical creation story.
Exodus: Describes the Israelites' flight from Egypt.
Daniel: Focuses on the trials of Daniel in Babylon.
Christ and Satan: Deals with the rebellion of angels and the harrowing of hell.

The poetry in this group is noted for being uneven—containing both vivid, powerful descriptions and duller, repetitive passages.

3. Style & Significance

Cædmon’s primary contribution was applying the meter and vocabulary of secular Germanic heroic poetry to Christian themes. His work heavily utilizes alliteration and the caesura (mid-line pause).

Asked in UGC NET English Cædmon’s Hymn is the only poem that can be definitively attributed to him.

He lived a devout life and famously foretold the exact hour of his own death, dying peacefully in the presence of his brethren.