Yoon-Hee Park,  The Meaning of the Cotton “Wulf” Maxim in the Context of Anglo-Saxon Popular Thought and Culture

Abstract

The sixty-six lines of the Cotton Maxims (Maxims II) consist of a series of
so-called gnomic verses which are supposed to be "pieces of universally
accepted knowledge in the form of versified sentences." In reading of Maxims
II, however, readers are puzzled over how the whole poem could be understood
as a unit, for some of the maxims, including the "wulf" maxim, are not look
like "pieces of universally accepted knowledge" to modern ears. The crux of the
poem is its ambiguous use of "the reiterated sceal or scyle," for the whole work
of Maxims II, "the various items of the sceal series," "are exceedingly difficult
to connect in any logical or even emotional sequence, although sometimes two
or three items do have a demonstrable relationship."
The paper focuses on the interpretation of the "wulf" maxim, expounding
the Anglo-Saxon concept of "wulf" and identifying the specific meaning of
sceal in the context of Anglo-Saxon popular thought and culture. The literal
translation of the wolf gnome of Maxims II is quite simple either in two ways:
"the wolf, wretched solitary being, is typically in the forest" or "the wolf,
wretched solitary being, ought to be in the forest." However, in content, the
gnome is not so simple. In order to interpret the gnome in a precise and proper
way, modern readers should recognize the Anglo-Saxon's way of thinking, their
culture, and both their pagan and Christian belief in nature and God. "The wolf,
wretched solitary being, is typically in the forest" is our interpretation; "The
wolf, wretched solitary being, ought to be in the forest" is their interpretation.

Key Words; wolf/wulf, connotation, Anglo-Saxon wolf-gnome, "sceal," interpretation