(Un)staþolfæstnes and its Problems: Grounding Minds in Early Medieval England

Abstract

The Old English text Solomon and Saturn includes a list of materials from which Adam, the first man, is made. A pound of cloud constitutes his modes unstaðelfæstnes [mind’s unsteadfastness / instability]. Various other texts from early medieval England also refer to the mod, or mind, as an intrinsically unstable and changeable entity, using key terms such as staðelfæst [grounded / stable] and staðolian [to ground / stabilise]. In many of these texts, this instability is mentioned as an inherent quality of mind. Instability, contingency and change are regarded as integral and typical features of the mind but equally, there are warnings for the waywardness of the mind. The literature frequently encourages readers to ground and maintain control over their minds. Sources recommend restraining and training the mind to ‘govern’ and ‘steer’ it, and they even refer to the possibility of finding mental stability in another foundation. This article considers these seemingly contradictory portrayals of minds and instructions for grounding them, and delivers a more nuanced conception of what (physical) freedom early medieval people would imagine their minds to have, and what foundations they considered helpful for grounding them.