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Biography of Caedmon
Name: Caedmon
Birth Date: c. 650
Death Date: c. 680
Place of Birth: England
Nationality: English
Gender: Male
Occupations: poet
Caedmon
Old English poetry appears in two forms: heroic and Christian. Heroic poetry is based in Germanic legend and history. Christian or religious poetry adapts biblical narrative and uses the poetic form to present a moral perspective. Caedmon (died ca. 680) is recognized as being among the earliest of the Christian poets.Information about Caedmon's life is sketchy. The English theologian, St. Bede the Venerable (673-735), captured what little information was available and published it in the Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation, around 730. Bede lived in the generation following Caedmon and was his closest contemporary and most accurate observer. Caedmon's date of birth is unknown. According to Bede, Caedmon was a herdsman and lay brother at Whitby, a monastery founded in 657 by St. Hilda. As a lay brother, he did not have the responsibilities of a monk, but rather served the monks by tending to their livestock. Reports indicated that Caedmon was …showed first 150 words…
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…showed last 150 words…pondered in great depth. Caedmon painted a vivid picture in each story and drew inspiration from English life and the surrounding landscape for much of his colorful background. His action stories echo the true sense of battle--with the excitement of the encampment and the apprehension of the ensuing fight. In "Christ and Satan," Caedmon portrayed Satan in a clear, sharp manner. Whether the poems were truly developed by Caedmon, or whether they came from one of his imitators, scholars agree that their style is representative of a long and noble line of Old English poetry. Further Reading Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia, Harper Collins, 1987.Beowulf: Heroic Literature and Epics, Simon and Schuster, 1960-1993.Catholic Encyclopedia, New Advent, 1997.Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 3rd edition, Columbia University Press, 1994.English Literature to 1785, Harper Collins, 1992.Gordon, R. K., Anglo-Saxon Poetry, Dutton, 1967.http://www.dartmouth.edu/artsci/engl/engll8/caedmon.html (October 27, 1999).http://encarta.msn.com (October 13, 1999).
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