CAEDMON, St. — Benedictine and first Christian English poet, d. between 670 and 680. As to his name, a Celtic origin or a Hebrew or Chaldean pseudonym has been suggested.
A humble cowherd at the monastery of Streaneshalch (Whitby), as Bede relates (Hist. eccl., IV, 24), C. had never composed verses, and one night, while a singing contest was being held in the monastery, he had withdrawn, conscious of his ignorance. During the night he had a vision, in which he felt impelled to compose poetry. He improvised, thus, a wonderful hymn on creation, to the amazement of Abbess Hilda, who recognized in him a man inspired by God and admitted him among her monks. From them he learned biblical episodes, which he then gave poetic form. According to William of Malmesbury (1123) he was probably buried at Whitby. His feast is celebrated on Feb. 11.
Certainly by C. are the 9 lines of a Hymn to God, reported by Bede in Latin. The so-called C. poems, however, contain paraphrases of parts of Genesis, Exodus, Daniel and Christ and Satan (3 poems on the fall of the angels, the descent into limbo and the temptation). Genesis and Christ and Satan stand out for their dramatic tone; especially the character of Satan is vigorously drawn.