<P> Cynewulf lived roughly c. 770 -- 840 AD , yet very little is known about his life . The only information scholars have on Cynewulf 's life is what they can discover from his poetry . Two of Cynewulf 's signed poems were discovered in the Vercelli Book , which includes Cynewulf 's holy cross poem `` Elene '' as well as Dream of the Rood . Where many scholars will argue that all of the poems in the Vercelli are in fact Cynewulf 's , the noted German scholar Franz Dietrich demonstrates that the similarities between Cynewulf 's `` Elene '' and The Dream of the Rood reveals that the two must have been authored by the same individual . Dietrich makes four main arguments : one , the theme of both poems is the cross , and more importantly , in both poems , the cross suffers with Christ ; two , in `` Elene '' Cynewulf seems to make clear references to the same cross in Dream of the Rood ; three , in `` Elene '' and his other poems Cynewulf usually speaks of himself , which makes it quite possible that the dreamer in Dream of the Rood is none other than Cynewulf himself ; and finally four , `` In both poems the author represents himself as old , having lost joys or friends and as ready to depart . </P>
<P> Cynewulf lived roughly c. 770 -- 840 AD , yet very little is known about his life . The only information scholars have on Cynewulf 's life is what they can discover from his poetry . Two of Cynewulf 's signed poems were discovered in the Vercelli Book , which includes Cynewulf 's holy cross poem `` Elene '' as well as Dream of the Rood . Where many scholars will argue that all of the poems in the Vercelli are in fact Cynewulf 's , the noted German scholar Franz Dietrich demonstrates that the similarities between Cynewulf 's `` Elene '' and The Dream of the Rood reveals that the two must have been authored by the same individual . Dietrich makes four main arguments : one , the theme of both poems is the cross , and more importantly , in both poems , the cross suffers with Christ ; two , in `` Elene '' Cynewulf seems to make clear references to the same cross in Dream of the Rood ; three , in `` Elene '' and his other poems Cynewulf usually speaks of himself , which makes it quite possible that the dreamer in Dream of the Rood is none other than Cynewulf himself ; and finally four , `` In both poems the author represents himself as old , having lost joys or friends and as ready to depart . </P>
who is the dreamer in the dream of the rood
who is the dreamer in the dream of the rood
Cynewulf
Cynewulf