The Fates of the Apostles

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core

Jump to: navigation, search

The Fates of the Apostles (Vercelli Book, fol.52b-54a) is the shortest of Cynewulf’s known canon at 122 lines long. It is a brief martyrology of the Twelve Apostles written in the standard alliterative verse. The Fates recites the key events that subsequently befell each apostle after the Ascension of Jesus. It is possible that The Fates was composed as a learning aid to the monasteries.

Cynewulf speaks in the first-person throughout the poem, and besides explaining the fate of each disciple, he provides “advice” and “consolation” to the reader. Cynewulf’s runic signature is scrambled in this poem so that the meaning of the runes become a riddle with no unequivocal meaning.^[1]

"Wealth (F) shall be at it end there. Men enjoy this on earth, but not for ever will they be allowed to remain together :abiding in the world. The pleasure (W) which is ours (U) in this native place will fail and then the body’s borrowed fineries will crumble away, even as the sea (L) will vanish away when the fire (C) and trumpet (Y) exercise their strength in the straits of the night; coercion (N) will lie upon them—their thraldom to the King."

External Links

Cynewulf: The Fates of the Apostles (Modern English translation by Charles Kennedy)
George Philip Krapp, Andreas and The Fates of the Apostles, two Anglo-Saxon narrative poems (1906)

Notes

↑ See Bradley 1982, p.154

References

Bradley, S.A.J, ed. and tr. 1982. Anglo-Saxon Poetry. London: Everyman's Library.

Old English poetry

Poems

Nowell Codex	Beowulf Judith
Junius MS	Genesis A, B Exodus Daniel Christ and Satan
Vercelli Book	Andreas "The Fates of the Apostles" "Soul and Body I" Dream of the Rood Elene "Homiletic Fragment I"
Exeter Book	"Christ I" "Christ II" "Christ III" "Guthlac A, B" "Azarias" "The Phoenix" "Juliana" "The Wanderer" "The Gifts of Men" "Precepts" "The Seafarer" "Vainglory" "Widsith" "The Fortunes of Men" "Maxims I" "The Order of the World" "The Rhyming Poem" "The Panther" "The Whale" "The Partridge" "Soul and Body II" "Deor" "Wulf and Eadwacer" Riddles 1–59 "The Wife's Lament" "The Judgment Day I" "Resignation" "The Descent into Hell" "Alms-Giving" "Pharaoh" "The Lord's Prayer I" "Homiletic Fragment II" Riddle 30b Riddle 60 "The Husband's Message" "The Ruin" Riddles 61–95
Metrical charms	"Æcerbot" "Against a dwarf" "Against a Wen" "A Journey Charm" "For a Swarm of Bees" "For Loss or Theft of Cattle" "For Delayed Birth" "For Water-Elf Disease" "Nine Herbs Charm" "Wið færstice"
Chronicle poems	"Battle of Brunanburh" "Capture of the Five Boroughs" "The Coronation of Edgar" "The Death of King Edgar" "The Death of Alfred" "The Death of Edward" "The Rime of King William"
Other poems	"Metres of Boethius" "Paris Psalter" (BNF MS 8824) "Finnsburh Fragment" "Waldere A, B" "The Battle of Maldon" "Durham" "Rune poem" Solomon and Saturn "The Menologium" "Maxims II" "Proverb from Winfrid's time" "Judgment Day II" "An Exhortation to Christian Living" "A Summons to Prayer" "The Lord's Prayer II" "The Gloria I" "The Lord's Prayer III" "The Creed" "Old English Psalms" (fragments) "The Kentish Hymn" "Psalm 50" "The Gloria II" "A Prayer" "Thureth" "Aldhelm" "The Seasons for Fasting" Cædmon's "Hymn" "Bede's Death Song" "Leiden Riddle" "Latin-English Proverbs" Metrical Preface and Epilogue to Alfred's Hierdeboc Metrical Preface to Wærferth's translation of the Dialogues Metrical Epilogue to CCCC MS 41 Brussels Cross Ruthwell Cross

Poets

Other

Retrieved from "https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=The_Fates_of_the_Apostles&oldid=2976285"

Category:

Old English poems

The Fates of the Apostles

External Links

Notes

References

Navigation menu

Personal tools

Namespaces

Variants

Views

More

Search

Navigation

Tools