The Dream of the Rood Key Facts
Published: Dec 31, 2024
Updated: Apr 17, 2026
The Dream of the Rood Key Facts
- Title: The Dream of the Rood
- [In this poem, the narrator is having a dream. In this dream or vision he is speaking to the Cross on which Jesus was crucified.]
- Author: Anonymous
- Manuscript Source: The poem survives in the Vercelli Book, which is dated to the tenth century
- Verse Form: Alliterative Verse
- Genre: Christian Poem/Dream Poetry
“Rood” originated from the Old English word, “rōd” meaning pole. It is a reference to the “crucifix” on which Christ accepted his glorious death.