Caedmon

Cædmon , fl. 670, English poet. He was reputed by Bede to be the author of early English versions of various Old Testament stories. According to Bede, Cædmon was an ignorant herder who received his poetic powers through a vision. During his later years he became a lay brother in the abbey of Whitby. In 1655, Franciscus Junius, a Dutch scholar, published the text of several Old English poems, including "Exodus" and "Daniel," and ascribed them to Cædmon; modern scholars dispute this conclusion.

Bibliography: See E. V. K. Dobbie, Cædmon's Hymn and Bede's Death Song (1937); study by S. H. Gurteen (1896, repr. 1969).

Caedmon (d. c.680), the earliest English Christian poet. According to Bede, Caedmon was a labourer at the monastery of Whitby, who received in a vision the gift of composing verses in praise of God; he then became a monk and turned the Scriptures into verse.

Caedmon Earliest known English poet, dating from around the 7th century. According to Bede, he was an illiterate herdsman of Whitby Abbey, Yorkshire, who was commanded in a vision to turn the scriptures into poetry. His only surviving work is the fragmentary Hymn on the Creation.