The “Heliand,” an epic poem …

Years: 830 - 830

The “Heliand,” an epic poem about the life of Christ written in the alliterative verse style of a Germanic saga, attempts to blend the old paganism with the new Christianity by presenting the Christian message in traditional heroic imagery, with the messiah as a Germanic duke.

The largest known work of written Old Saxon, the original manuscript would have been approximately six thousand lines, of which four incomplete fragments have been found that span most of the original.

Its preface indicates it was commissioned by Louis the Pious, which limits its origins to the years of Louis' reign, namely 814 to 840.

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