Saint Caedmon
Saint Caedmon (born c. 657 AD; died c. February 11, 680 AD at Whitby, North Yorkshire, England) was an Anglo-Saxon monk of Whitby Abbey and is celebrated as the first named English Christian poet. His Caedmon's Hymn — a short nine-line praise-poem preserved in the Ecclesiastical History of the Venerable Bede — is the oldest surviving specimen of Old English verse that can be attributed to a known author. According to Bede, Caedmon received the gift of song in a miraculous dream, going on to compose many verses on Scripture and sacred history. His feast day is February 11.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Caedmon
| Saint Caedmon | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | February 11 |
| Profession | Cowherd; Anglo-Saxon monk; first English Christian poet |
| Rel. Affiliation | Abbey of Whitby (under Saint Hild) |
| Patronage | Poets; English literature; cowherd workers |
| Attributes | Harp; scroll or book; Whitby Abbey in background |
| Birthplace | Northumbria, England (Whitby area) |
| Death Place | Whitby, North Yorkshire, England |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes |
| Primary Shrine | Whitby Abbey ruins, Whitby, North Yorkshire, England |
| Liturgical Class | Not included (universal calendar); observed in the Calendar of the Church of England |
| Historic Class | Not included |
Biography
Caedmon worked as a cowherd attached to the monastery of Whitby, governed by the abbess Saint Hild (also Hilda). He was apparently illiterate and had no musical training. As a herdsman, he sometimes left social gatherings where the harp was passed around for communal singing, because he did not know how to sing.
One night, according to Bede's account in Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum (Book IV, Chapter 24), Caedmon fell asleep in the stable after leaving such a gathering. A figure appeared to him in a dream and commanded, "Caedmon, sing me something." When Caedmon protested that he could not sing, the figure told him to sing about Creation. Caedmon then sang the Hymn of Creation — a nine-line Old English poem praising God as Creator — which is known as Caedmon's Hymn and survives in several manuscript copies.
When he awoke, he found he could remember the words and add more in the same vein. He was brought before Abbess Hild, who tested him by having scholars read passages of sacred history to him, which he would then compose into English verse overnight. Recognizing the divine gift, Hild persuaded him to become a monk. For the rest of his life he composed verses on many biblical themes: the creation and fall of man, the Exodus, the life of Christ, the Passion and Resurrection, and the Last Judgment. Although only the nine-line Hymn survives with certainty, longer poems attributed to him circulated widely.
Caedmon sensed his death approaching, asked to be brought to the guest-house, spoke peacefully with those around him, asked for the Viaticum, and died quietly around 680 AD. The Venerable Bede's account is our only historical source for his life, but it is a detailed and moving narrative.
Literary significance
Caedmon's Hymn is the oldest attributed poem in the Old English (Anglo-Saxon) language, predating Beowulf in its composition (though Beowulf exists in a single later manuscript). It demonstrates the Anglo-Saxon tradition of taking biblical themes and rendering them in the alliterative Old English verse form, fusing Christian faith with Germanic poetic tradition. Caedmon's example inspired an entire tradition of biblical paraphrase poetry in Old English, including the Junius Manuscript poems.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Northumbria, England (Whitby area)
Death location: Whitby, North Yorkshire, England
Notable location: The monastery of Saint Hild where he received his gift of verse and lived as a monk; now a famous ruin (Whitby Abbey, Whitby, North Yorkshire, England)
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Parishes
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Shrines
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Known shrines
- Whitby Abbey, Whitby, North Yorkshire — the monastery where Caedmon lived and received his gift; now an atmospheric ruin overlooking the North Sea.
- A Celtic cross (Caedmon's Cross) stands in the churchyard of St Mary's Church, Whitby, as a memorial to him.
Feast day
February 11
Veneration
Saint Caedmon is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England with a feast day on February 11. He is particularly honored at Whitby.
Prayers
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