Week 5: Heroic Women

This week we will be reading two heroic poems that are centred on women.

On Monday, we will turn our attention to Helene (pp. 314-35), an account of St. Helena, who discovered the resting place of the true cross (as mentioned in The Dream of the Rood).


On Wed and Friday we will be reading Judith (Anthology, pp. 401-23).

As you read the poem, please be alert for:

[1] aspects of heroic characterisation

[2] tensions between masculine and feminine identities

[3] the structural aspects of the word-hoard (kennings, etc.) You will be called upon to analyse these aspects of the poetic tradition in which we are working.


For those of you who want to know more about Judith, or about the many fascinating women of the medieval period, here is a useful site:



Happy reading!