"The Dream of the Rood" and Liturgical Drama

Authors

Julia Bolton Holloway, University of Colorado

Abstract

In lieu of an abstract, the first paragraph of the essay follows:

It is the aim of this paper to examine the "Dream of the Rood" and medieval liturgical drama within a matrix of pilgrimage and liturgy. To do so it will be necessary also to discuss the various forms in which the text of the "Dream of the Rood" has been found: (1) incised on the stone Ruth.well Cross in runes, (2) engraved on the silver Brussels Cross, and (3) written on the parchment pages of the Vercelli Book in Latin letters. Attention will also need to be given to the cross at Bewcastle, which has been identified as a companion to the Ruth.well Cross. An investigation of the liturgical practices established at Jerusalem and Constantinople and conveyed elsewhere through pilgrim accounts will additionally note the presence and importance of women as well as men in the original rituals and observe how the connection continued to be made between women and the Cross through time.

Recommended Citation

Holloway, Julia Bolton (1984) ""The Dream of the Rood" and Liturgical Drama," Comparative Drama: Vol. 18: Iss. 1, Article 2.
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/compdr/vol18/iss1/2