Oxford, Bodleian Library, Junius 11, is one of the four surviving Anglo-Saxon manuscripts which contain significant amounts of Old English poetry. The other three manuscripts are the Vercelli Book, the Exeter Book, and the Beowulf Manuscript, all three of which have their own articles in this encyclopedia. Junius 11 is sometimes called the “Caedmon Manuscript” or “Caedmon Genesis” because the poems in it had been attributed to the Anglo-Saxon poet Caedmon (or Cædmon), and most of the manuscript relates to the Book of Genesis. However, the attribution to Caedmon is no longer accepted and so this name for the manuscript is no longer used. [See also our article on Caedmon]

The manuscript consists entirely of poetry in Old English and is also illustrated. The poems are known as

2067 words

Citation: Stokes, Peter Anthony. "Junius 11". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 25 November 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=5553, accessed 21 November 2024.]