Caedmans Hymn

Caedmon’s Hymn is a religious hymn about an angel appearing to Caedmon completely out of nowhere. Caedmon is surprised by the visit the hymn uses a lot of accumulative phrases for god. Caedmon’s hymn enforces the idea of God by using many different phrases for the same thing EG: Keeper of heaven, Father of glory, Almighty Lord. These different terms all represent a Catholic God, here the idea of God is being enforced. Caedmon believes the person appearing to him is an angel, a servant of God. Caedmon in the beginning sang the poem as he lived in a time when a lot of the population were illiterate. Although Caedmon could not sing before the angel appeared after his vision Caedmon was able to sing. With Caedmon fitting the different words into a riming scheme it would make the poem easier to remember. Oral pagan culture is being captured by Catholic literate culture. Caedmon doesn’t write down the poem in English but in Latin.

 

     Caedmon’s hymn has great significance as it was the beginning of English poetry. The story is not an origin myth of English poetry but rather a miracle story about Abbess Hild. Caedmon had great significance as he was able to harness native poetic tradition to handle Christian themes. Caedmon’s hymn is thought to be the first oral poetry thought worth recording in writing. The poem deals with religious terms about god and about angels. Caedmon is filled with a lot of praise for God, it is like seeing the angel made him a lot more appreciative of God. The poem describes how god made man and middle earth for them to stay, with heaven as there roof. The poem describes god as the keeper of mankind and heaven as the eternal afterlife