Signs That Sing

“A critically sophisticated leap forward in the study of early medieval literature, Signs That Sing issues a bold challenge to long-held preconceptions about the relationships underlying Old English poetry between past and present, pagan and Christian, and oral and literary.”—Joseph Falaky Nagy, author of Conversing with Angels and Ancients: Literary Myths of Medieval Ireland







“Maring sidesteps simplistic oral versus literary schools of thought as she considers Old English verse as the product of an emergent hybrid form, representing a fusion of native poetics and Christian beliefs and practices. A welcome contribution to oral poetics and the understanding of the earliest period of English literature.”—John D. Niles, author of The Idea of Anglo-Saxon England 1066–1901: Remembering, Forgetting, Deciphering, and Renewing the Past



“Elegantly shows how the elements of oral poetry continued to inspire the authors of Old English verse long after their conversion to Christianity. Far from being antiquarian relics, the themes of oral verse joined with learned exegesis and ritual performances to form a rich source of metaphorical meaning in Old English poetry, which this book brilliantly opens up to modern readers.”—Emily V. Thornbury, author of Becoming a Poet in Anglo-Saxon England

“Maring strikes out into wholly new territory. . . . Demonstrating repeatedly the hybridity of a poetic corpus that derives much of its meaning from the fusion of oral themes, literate hermeneutics, and ritual performances, Signs that Sing makes a valuable contribution to the study of Old English poetry.”—Speculum



“Offers a broad sampling of poetic delights, enabling the reader to marvel anew at the aesthetic complexity of some of Europe’s oldest vernacular verse.”—Medieval Review