The Seafarer Exile

Many times throughout Anglo-Saxon literature, exile has been a prevalent detail which set a deep, dark tone for the story which would follow. These stories typically follow a character exiled by a circumstance, unable to return to their life prior. In The Wanderer, the main character is alone due to all his people dying. With his kinsman and his lord dead, he has nowhere to go, and nobody to go to. He spends his time drifting, lamenting over his past while in search of a new lord. The Seafarer also exhibits similar traits in which the main character is led by his own curiosity to continue his lone venture on the sea. In the Wife’s Lament, the main character is exiled by her own lack of friends. She laments over her loneliness, but does not
go out to try to change this. Additionally, she feels her husband has moved on, having found another wife. In conclusion, Anglo-Saxon writings all share a sense of exile in which the character laments their situation.

Each main character has had conflicts which led up to the point of exile which they are faced with. In some cases, they desire divine intervention to assist them in their peril, and hopefully reclaim their places in society. These pleas for a higher power demonstrated the desire for help from their abandon. In reality, these exiled characters could have made their own changes to their lives, making it better for themselves.

In The Seafarer, the main character laments the coming of spring, desiring to continue the adventures which he had been experiencing out at sea. He believes the glory days of the Earth are over, due to the collapse of wealthy and powerful civilizations. The main character truly believes the weak have inherited the Earth, and we are at the mercy of God. This bleak outlook contributes to his threat of exile, as he believes the glory and nobility have faded from the Earth, and they are left with the world which remains. The main character does not value earthly possessions such as money, as he realizes they will only pass when he dies. He does fear the wrath of God, however. This fear is what motivates him to continue his service, hoping when he passes, he will be graced with eternal life in heaven. This was a heavy influence from the monks which edited the original poems, altering portions discussing pagan beliefs. Therefore, exile shown in The Seafarer very much consists of exile from God.

The Wanderer consists of a man which has experienced a tragedy in his life, forcing him to drift, in search of a new home.
His lord, his family, and all his kinsman have been killed, so he has been reduced to loneliness, unable to tell anyone what is on his mind. He believes sorrow is his only friend, and he cannot experience wealth or fame, rather a lone wandering, and a frozen body. When he dreams, he states that he dreams about times he had in the mead-hall, embracing his fellow men and lord. When he awakes, however, he is greeted only by the waves and the birds. The main character at heart laments the passing of life’s pleasures and the people which enjoyed them. He discusses what it means for a man to be wise, and what it means to be a warrior. In this discussion, he states a wise man must be old, careful, and thoughtful about his surroundings, while a warrior must not be weak, foolish, or bashful. He imagines an old building, with dead warriors outside, all mangled and stripped of their flesh by scavengers. To him, this represents the destruction of Earth by God, leaving only the carcasses of men behind. The story of The Wanderer represents the exile from life’s pleasures, and furthermore, exile from
God.

The Wife’s Lament follows a woman whose husband has left and went to a foreign land, leaving her behind.
It is unclear whether he was exiled or left on his own volition, but the woman feels sorrow, so she desires to find him. She is not allowed to, and is forced to live alone, confined to her thoughts, unsure of the fate of her husband. Because of this confinement, is forced to imagine to herself what has befallen her husband. She imagines that he had been exiled to a foreign land, surrounded by water. She also imagines that her husband has found another wife in a foreign land, and has moved on, ceasing to think about her. The forms of exile which take effect in The Wife’s Lament is both a physical exile, as well as an emotional exile, as she has lost her love, and does not know where he
is. In all three of these poems, exile is a common theme, and threat to the main character of each poem. In The Seafarer, the main character feels that the world which he lives in was inherited by the weak, and they do not have enough fear in God. He feels that a fear of God is necessary, as their only way to get into heaven is to work endlessly against the powers of the devil, to appease God’s wrath and allow them into the afterlife. In The Wanderer, the main character feels lament about the exile which he is now faced with after his lord, kinsmen, and family being killed during war. He seeks to find a new lord, but ultimately loathes for the life he once had, and feeling exiled by his situation. His exile is made worse in the fact that he has nobody to share his story with, forced to keep his past to himself as he travels to find a new lord which can take care of him. Lastly, the woman in the Wife’s Lament desires to find her husband which has left for a foreign land, but is exiled into a hole in the ground when making her attempt. This forces her to merely imagine what has befallen her husband. Whether he had moved on or been exiled himself, or whether he may have intentionally left to find a new wife, she cannot be sure. Therefore, a major role in Anglo Saxon literature was exile, and each poem portrays the exile of a person typically left to wander, or exist in loneliness in regard to their situation.