|
|
Article: Bede's Caedmon, "The Man Who Had No Story" (Irish Tale-Type 2412B).(RESEARCH ARTICLE)
- Article from:
- Folklore
- Article date:
- August 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Folklore Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Abstract
Although various analogues have been cited to Bede's account of the poet Caedmon, none are very close. The plot of a tale well known in modern Irish and Scottish tradition, however, "The Man Who Had No Story" (Irish type 2412B), resembles the first part of Bede's chapter so closely as to suggest that Bede shaped his account under the influence of this narrative pattern, which must, therefore, be assumed to be of some antiquity. Clinching this connection is the motif that Caedmon, a lowly cowherd, is called by name by his mysterious interlocutor. Naturally, Bede turned this tale-type to his own purposes by emphasising devotional features that are not a ...