This
paper discusses how in "The Dream of the Rood", the poet has added elements of the idealized
heroic death to the
crucifixion. The paper relates that the
poem is a story of the crucifixion, told from the point of view of the Cross, as it is seen by the poem's narrator in a vision. Like "Caedmon's Hymn" this poem is characterized by its blending of
pagan heroic values with Christian ones. The paper includes an outline of the poem.