Duality in The Dream of the Rood

In The Dream of the Rood, the speaker tells of a dream in which he saw and spoke with the cross on which Jesus was killed. The poem speaks on the duality and symbolism of the cross and gives an Anglo-Saxon perspective that isn’t often considered by most people.

The cross is viewed as a holy symbol, representing Christ and the forgiveness of sin. At face value, it is a symbol that does not normally represent any kind of violence. However, when speaking to the rood in the speaker’s dream the cross tells of the burden of being forced to be a part of the death of Jesus Christ. It speaks of the nails being driven into it, the insults slung at both the rood and Jesus, and being soaked in blood from the crucifixion. The rood, in its own words, was a gallows for Jesus that became a symbol of redemption for mankind.

Throughout the poem, the speaker uses language that appeals to the culture of war that Anglo-Saxons were known for. According to the rood, Christ was a warrior-god, a young hero, the Wielder of Victories. It speaks of the crucifixion in ways that make it sounds like a battle, with enemies surrounding them and being riddled with arrows. After the rood tells of its own redemption, it calls upon the speaker to spread the glory of Christ’s death and redemption to the people.