St. Erkenwald (poem)

St. Erkenwald is an alliterative poem of the fourteenth century, thought to have been composed in 1386. It has sometimes been attributed to the Pearl poet (or Gawain poet). It takes as its subject Erkenwald, the bishop of London between 675 and 693.

It exists in only one manuscript, MS Harley 2250 in the British Library. The first line in the manuscript begins with a rubricated letter "A" two lines high and line 176 begins with a similar letter "T". The first modern edition was published by HL Savage and Israel Gollancz in 1926. The author is unknown, but there is some evidence it may have been the Pearl Poet, who wrote the poems Pearl and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, among others.

The poem consists of 352 lines. Alliteration is used consistently throughout the poem, usually with three alliterating words per line.

St. Erkenwald's storyline appears to house two distinct sections. The first provides a brief, historical context for the poem. The primary section also depicts the discovery of an awe-inspiring sarcophagus and the concern and confusion of those that found it. The last 180 lines of the poem focus on St. Erkenwald's dialogue with the re-animated corpse.

The poem begins with a brief historical synopsis which describes the shift from pagan belief to Christendom. When the pagan Saxons invaded Britain, a great deal of land was destroyed, while many priests and laypeople were also killed. St. Augustine of Canterbury was sent to convert the English and to purify the pagan temples. The poem goes on to state that modern day London was then called "the New Troy." From this comes an incident in the life of St. Erkenwald. Throughout the construction of a cathedral on the site of a former pagan temple, a mysterious tomb is uncovered. Adorned with gargoyles and made of grey marble, the tomb is inscribed with a series of golden characters; however, no scholar is able to decipher them. Once granted permission by the sextons, the mayor takes control of the sanctuary and tomb for further investigation. As they open the lid of the tomb, they find a preserved body and the garments of a king. Puzzled by the identity of the corpse and concerned about a royal, yet forgotten past, St. Erkenwald is summoned to the tomb. After Erkenwald prays, hoping to learn the identity of the body, a "goste-lyfe" animates the corpse and revives it. Such a "goste-lyfe" most probably refers to the Christian Holy Spirit. As Erkenwald questions the corpse, it is revealed that he is a pre-Christian Briton and once a just judge that lived during the Britain times—under the rule of King Belinus. His explanation for his royal attire is his impartial rulings throughout his time as a judge. Although he claims he was a fair and just judge, he was forced into a "lewid date" (205). Such a term most likely refers to a state of limbo due to his existence before the salvation of Christ. This reveals an underlying thread of theological questioning that pervades throughout St. Erkenwald: Did all before Christ go to hell? Erkenwald sheds a single tear that baptizes and consequently saves the corpse from his "lewid date." With this, the corpse immediately dissolves into dust, as the soul of the man finally enters eternal peace.

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