Abstract

St. Erkenwald is a Middle English narrative poem in alliterative verse which relates the confrontation between Erkenwald, who was bishop of London and the East Saxons in the late seventh century, and the uncorrupted corpse of a righteous judge of pre-Roman London. In the climax of the encounter, Erkenwald delivers the judge's pagan soul from hell by inadvertently baptizing the corpse with his tears