Elene; Judith; Athelstan, or the Fight at Brunanburh; and Byrhtnoth, or the Fight at Maldon: Anglo-Saxon poems
Cynewulf; Garnett, James Mercer (translator)
Ginn & Company (1896)
In Collection
#3601
0*
Anthology, Epic Poem
Hardcover 
USA  English
Product Details
Edition reprint
Nationality British
Pub Place Boston
No. of Pages 32
Personal Details
Read It Yes
User Defined
Conflict Middle Ages etc.
Notes
Elene by Cynewulf. Other poems by anonymous Anglo-Saxon writers.

Elene or Helena is a poem on the expedition of the Empress, mother of Constantine the Great, to Palestine in search of the true cross.

The Athelstan of Fight at Brunanburh is decription of the fight between Kind Athelstan and his brother Edmund on one h and and Constantine and his Scots on the other, in which fight the Samzon were completely victorious.

"Translated by James M. Garnett, M.A., LL.D., Professor of the English Language and Literature in the University of Virginia; Translator of 'Beowulf.'" -- t.p.

Cynewulf is one of twelve Anglo-Saxon poets known by name today, and one of four whose work survives today. He is famous for his religious compositions, and is regarded as one of the pre-eminent figures of Old English Christian 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 (also referred to as The Ascension).

Unlike his literary predecessor, Caedmon, whose biography is solely derived from Bede's Ecclesiastical History, Cynewulf's life is a veritable mystery to scholars. Furthermore, the “facts” that have been gleaned from the literature of Cynewulf “somewhat reverse” what we know of Caedmon's own writings. The four signed poems of Cynewulf are vast in that they collectively comprise several thousand lines of verse. In comparison, Caedmon's only known work, his Hymn, is quite succinct at nine lines. Thus, while scholars have little insight into Cynewulf’s life, they can analyse the poet’s verse to its deepest roots, uncovering a stock of evidence that can shed light onto the poet’s being. Despite new discoveries, Cynewulf remains “the shadow of a name.”

...It was at one time believed that Cynewulf could be one of three documented figures: Cynewulf, Bishop of Lindisfarne (d. about 782), Cynwulf, a Dunwich priest (fl. 803), and Cenwulf, Abbot of Peterborough (d. 1006). The most plausible conjecture is that he was Cynewulf of Lindisfarne, the rationale for this argument being that Cynewulf’s elaborate religious pieces must lend themselves to “the scholarship and faith of the professional ecclesiastic speaking with authority. Yet at least a few contend that the environment of the time was not conducive to poetic invention. Excluding any arguments that try to arbitrarily project Cynewulf’s literary character on a real personage, we find no testimony that attests to his real identity.
--Wikipedia