The ''Legend of the Rood'' ( la, De ligno sancte crucis) is a complex of medieval tales loosely derived from the Old Testament. In its fullest form, the narrative tells of how the dying Adam sends his son Seth back to

Paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in parad ...

to seek an elixir which will render him immortal. This part of the tale is sometimes referred to as "the Quest of Seth for the Oil of Life". The angel guarding the gates of Paradise refuses Seth access, but does give him a seed from the tree from which Adam and Eve had stolen the apple. On his return, Seth finds his father dead, but places this seed under his tongue and then buries him at Golgotha. A tree grows from the seed, which is cut down. The wood experiences many adventures, reappearing as a motif in popular renderings of many Old Testament stories. At one point it is a bridge over which the

Queen of Sheba The Queen of Sheba ( he, מַלְכַּת שְׁבָא‎, Malkaṯ Šəḇāʾ; ar, ملكة سبأ, Malikat Sabaʾ; gez, ንግሥተ ሳባ, Nəgśətä Saba) is a figure first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. In the original story, she bring ...

passes. Ultimately, it is made into the cross (

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English ...

: ''rood'') on which Jesus is crucified. The ''Legend of the Rood'' is a key component in the complex of motifs known as the

Medieval popular Bible The medieval popular Bible is a term used especially in literary studies, but also in art history and other disciplines, to encompass the wide variety of presentations of biblical material in medieval culture not directly recorded in the exegeti ...

. It is found in many medieval Adam Books, and provides the central framework of works such as the Welsh Ystorya Adaf. These narratives have been extensively studied by Beryl Smalley, Brian O. Murdoch, Robert Miller and others. Medieval scholars tend to use the word "legend" solely as a translation of Latin ', meaning the biography of saints as a literary form, and hence are often reluctant to use the word too liberally in other contexts. However, as a set-phrase, "Legend of the Rood" has become familiar enough to be uncontroversial.

Literature

* * * *Robert Miller, German and Dutch versions of the legend of the wood of the Cross before Christ, diss Oxford 1992. * (Begins with Moses) * {{Adam and Eve Old Testament

See also

Literature