The great whale (miclan hwale)

The whale who pretends to be an island

This passage comes from the Old English poem The Whale (lines 1-31a). You can access the full Old English text hereThe Whale is one of three poems in the Exeter Book that are derived from the Physiologus, the first bestiary (originally composed in Greek, later translated into Latin). The Exeter Book is a codex (book) of Old English poetry. It is dated palaeographically (based on the style of handwriting or script) dated to the second half of the tenth century.

Translation and glossing by Hana Videen. Hover over words to see how they’re pronounced. More about this project here.

Bestiary of Ann Walsh. England, 15th century. Kongelige Bibliotek, Gl. kgl. S. 1633 4º, fol. 59v. [bestiary.ca]

NuNow with wordumwords, through thought and woðcræftesong-craft, I will tell a tale about fisca cynna kind of fish, the miclan hwalegreat whale.

Seafarers oftoften meet him by accident—he’s called Fastitocalon— frecnedangerous and ferðgrimspirit-grim, he who floats on fyrnstreamaancient streams. His look is like hreofum stanerough stone, the greatest sea-bank crumbling near the water’s edge, clothed in sondbeorgumsand dunes so that seafarers think they are looking at sum ealondsome island.

Bestiary. England, c. 1110-1130. Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS. Laud Misc. 247, fol. 157r. [Luna]

Men moor their heahstefn scipuhigh-prowed ships with oncyrrapumanchor-ropes to the unlondefalse land, the Un-land, settling their sæmearassea-steeds at the water’s endeend and going boldly upon þæt eglondthat islandBiwundenEncircled by the streamecurrent, the ships remain fæstesecure near the shore.

Richard de Fournival’s Bestiaire d’amour. France (Paris), 13th-14th century. Bibliothèque Nationale de France, fr. 1951, fol. 30r. [bestiary.ca]

The werigferðeweary-spirited seafarers, expecting no danger, make camp on þam ealondethat island, lighting a flame and kindling a heahfyrhigh fire. Tired but happy, they are ready for ræsterest.

When the deceit-cræftigcrafty one senses the travellers are fæstesecure upon him, keeping camp, wishing for fair weather, down he plunges—all at once—on the sealtne wægsalt-way. The ocean’s gæstgast goes to grundground with his plunder, delivering scipuships with their drencedrowned to the deaðseledeath-hall.

BL_HarleyMS4751_fol69r
Harley Bestiary. England (Salisbury?), c. 1230-1240. British Library, Harley MS. 4751, fol. 69r. [bl.uk]

8 comments on “The great whale (miclan hwale)Add yours →

  1. This was fantastic! I enjoyed noticing how many common words from OE still are used today. And there are some that I wish still were.

    1. Thanks! I definitely wish we still had “ferðgrim” and “woðcræfte” in our daily speech.

  2. This site is so fun! I’ll be teaching an early English literature survey this fall semester — I’ll definitely recommend my students visit this site.

  3. Thank you so much for the joy of this website – your illuminating comments and James Merry’s irrepressible illustrations! You have taken me back to Mr. Marsh, English A-Level, Paradise Lost, Book 1. If I may quote rather a large chunck below… Many thanks, from Norroway o’er the Foam!

    Thus Satan talking to his neerest Mate
    With Head up-lift above the wave, and Eyes
    That sparkling blaz’d, his other Parts besides
    Prone on the Flood, extended long and large
    Lay floating many a rood, in bulk as huge
    As whom the Fables name of monstrous size,
    Titanian, or Earth-born, that warr’d on Jove,
    Briarios or Typhon, whom the Den
    By ancient Tarsus held, or that Sea-beast
    Leviathan, which God of all his works
    Created hugest that swim th’ Ocean stream:
    Him haply slumbring on the Norway foam
    The Pilot of some small night-founder’d Skiff,
    Deeming some Island, oft, as Sea-men tell,
    With fixed Anchor in his skaly rind
    Moors by his side under the Lee, while Night
    Invests the Sea, and wished Morn delayes:
    So stretcht out huge in length the Arch-fiend lay
    Chain’d on the burning Lake, nor ever thence
    Had ris’n or heav’d his head, but that the will
    And high permission of all-ruling Heaven
    Left him at large to his own dark designs,
    That with reiterated crimes he might
    Heap on himself damnation…

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