Per una interpretazione di Juliana 550b

Abstract

This paper deals with the interpretation of OE þweorhtimbran in Cynewulf’s Juliana, line 550b; a preliminary analysis of the poem aims to establish its context and background, as well as its complex relation with the Latin text. The subsequent etymological research and review of occurrences are intended to ascertain the exact meaning of the elements in the compound, their analogues and their uses in the association of ideas. Through a survey of the occurrences of adjectives with the same element -tīeme, the semantic evolution of the root can be used to interpret the meaning as ‘abounding [‘teeming’] with opposition’, hence ‘fiercely adverse’ and also ‘generating enmity [against the devil]’, referring to Juliana’s example, as her martyrdom will gain many conversions. This new interpretation would be consistent with the emphasis laid on Juliana’s firmness and her prominent role in the war waged against evil in this world by the spiritual soldiers of Christ in the Old English poem.