The Anglicization of Ælfric's "Passio Sancti Eadmundi Regis et Martyris"

Abstract

While depicting Christian saints is certainly not unique to Old English literature, the presence of a hagiographic tradition within its corpus offers a variety of possibilities for academic investigation by editors of Old English texts. Of particular interest is JElfric's "Passio Sancti Eadmundi Regis et Martyris." This hagiography, which focuses upon an Anglo-Saxon king of the ninth century, is acknowledged by JElfric to be a translation of Abbo of Fleury' s Latin account of Edmund's death. Fortunate! y, copies of both JElfric's Old English version and Abbo's Latin original have survived to the modern day. As a result, the modern editor of "Passio Sancti Eadmundi Regis et Martyris" can utilize both texts in the editorial process and highlight those elements that make JE!fric's version a rhetorically distinct version of Saint Edmund's martyrdom.

Date of Award	2012
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	Eastern Illinois University
Supervisor	Timothy Shonk (Supervisor)