Sonic Journeys on the Open Sea: Testing the Faithful in Old English and Anglo-Latin Literature

Abstract

Abstract This article examines a distinct literary environment in Anglo-Latin and Old English literature: the open sea. It argues that such an environment was formed primarily through sound, where the geophonic actions of water and wind were used to create a literary motif, a location both to test those seeking God and to showcase their faithfulness. Those tested include the pilgrim on their journey, often to Rome, and the saint, often in ascetic seclusion. In Anglo-Latin, the geophony of the open sea was sometimes rendered with the adjective undisonus (‘wave-sounding’), a rare word used consistently in two ways: first, to function as an impediment to the person on their journey; second, to form a miniature open sea to serve as an hagiographical desert. In Old English, the literary motif of the sonic open sea occurs in the poem Andreas, which uses active verbs such as hlynnan (‘to make a loud noise, sound, [or] resound’) to render the acoustic assaults of the sea at storm. Andrew, depicted as a miles Christi, remains faithful, and the open sea calms and silences, in declaration of his victory. By comparing texts in both the Anglo-Latin and Old English traditions, this article highlights in new ways the important role of sound, particularly geophonic productions, in early medieval English literature.