The Husband's Message

E503408

The Husband's Message is an Old English lyric poem in which an exiled husband sends a wooden staff bearing runic symbols to summon his wife to join him across the sea.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
The Husband’s Message 3
The Husband's Message canonical 2

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (44)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Old English poem ⓘ
exile poem ⓘ
lyric poem ⓘ
addresseeRole wife ⓘ
approximateDateOfComposition 10th century ⓘ
approximateDateOfManuscript late 10th century ⓘ
contains runic passage ⓘ
countryOfOrigin England ⓘ
form monologue ⓘ
genre elegiac poetry ⓘ
lyric poetry ⓘ
invitesAction wife should cross the sea to join her husband ⓘ
language Old English ⓘ
literaryCategory Exeter Book elegy ⓘ
linked to: Exeter Book
literaryDevice prosopopoeia ⓘ
literaryPeriod Old English literature ⓘ
literarySignificance important example of Old English love and exile poetry ⓘ
manuscriptRepository Exeter Cathedral Library ⓘ
manuscriptShelfmark MS 3501 ⓘ
mediumOfMessage wooden staff ⓘ
meter Old English alliterative meter ⓘ
motif messenger ⓘ
runic inscription ⓘ
wooden staff ⓘ
narrativeVoice first person ⓘ
originalScript Insular minuscule ⓘ
plotSummary An exiled husband sends a wooden staff bearing runic symbols to summon his wife to join him across the sea. ⓘ
primaryManuscript Exeter Book ⓘ
protagonistRole exiled husband ⓘ
relatedWork The Wife's Lament ⓘ
linked to: The Wife’s Lament
scholarlyDebate The identity of the speaker is debated. ⓘ
The relationship between this poem and The Wife's Lament is debated. ⓘ
linked to: The Wife’s Lament
scholarlyField Old English studies ⓘ
setting exile in a foreign land ⓘ
sea voyage ⓘ
studiedIn medieval English literature courses ⓘ
theme exile ⓘ
journey over the sea ⓘ
loyalty ⓘ
marital fidelity ⓘ
reunion ⓘ
separation of lovers ⓘ
usesRunes true ⓘ
writtenInVerseForm alliterative verse ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (5)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Anglo-Saxon literature → notableWork → The Husband's Message ⓘ
Exeter Book → content → The Husband’s Message ⓘ
linked to: The Husband's Message
Codex Exoniensis → contains → The Husband's Message ⓘ
MS 3501 → contains → The Husband’s Message ⓘ
linked to: The Husband's Message
Wulf and Eadwacer → relatedWork → The Husband’s Message ⓘ
linked to: The Husband's Message