The Wanderer Resources

Websites

"The Wanderer" in Modern English

In this guide we used Professor Jonathan Glenn's translation of "The Wanderer." You can find it here.

England c. 450-1066 In a Nutshell

At anglo-saxons.net you can find links to information about the history, culture, and famous figures of Anglo-Saxon England. It also links to side-by-side translations of four old Germanic poems, "Deor," "The Seafarer," "The Wanderer," and the Old Norse "Havamál."

Goucher College "Wanderer" Page

A faculty webpage for an introductory English survey course, this site contains background information on the mournful, elegiac genre of which "The Wanderer" is a part, and on the traditions of Anglo-Saxon warrior culture.

British Museum Anglo-Saxon Holdings

Explore the British museum's collection of Anglo-Saxon artifacts, from a spooky-looking knight's helm to ornate twisted-gold jewelry.

The Staffordshire Hoard

Discovered very recently, the Staffordshire hoard excited Anglo-Saxonists as the largest gold-hoard ever to be unearthed. This site collects information about its discovery and history and allows you to view 659 images of the objects in the hoard. Now you can picture what kinds of treasure the speaker of "The Wanderer" is talking about.

Sutton Hoo

Before the discovery of the Staffordshire hoard, the Sutton Hoo burial site was the largest source of Anglo-Saxon artifacts. The Sutton Hoo society's website provides images of the site and the artifacts as well as an extremely comprehensive "Best of the Web"-like page for Anglo-Saxon literature, history, and archaeology.

Audio

Anglo-Saxon Aloud

Professor Michael D.C. Drout reads "The Wanderer" aloud in Old English. The "Anglo-Saxon Aloud" project aims to provide online recordings of the entire Anglo-Saxon Poetic Record, as well as some prose works.

Documents

Manuscript Image

View "The Wanderer" in its manuscript, The Exeter Book.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

History of Anglo-Saxon England as written by Anglo-Saxons. Learn about the history of the Chronicle and view the manuscript here.

The Chronicle in Modern English

And read a translation of Brittania History.

Books

Anglo-Saxon Poetry, edited and translated by S.A.J. Bradley

This anthology contains prose translations of a great deal of Anglo-Saxon poetry. These translations are probably the most faithful of any to the originals in terms of word-choice and syntax.

The Anglo-Saxon World, edited and translated by Kevin Crossley-Holland

Young-adult fiction author Kevin Crossley-Holland's interpretations of Anglo-Saxon poetry and prose are beautiful, but not faithful translations. However, they provide a good, accessible introduction to a great deal of Anglo-Saxon literature.