Winter Weather
The exile in "The Wanderer" is forced to travel alone over the stormy sea. Without the protection of a permanent home, he is constantly buffeted by cold winter weather. What starts out as just one...
Animals
Forced to make his way through a barren landscape, the exile has more contact than most with the inhabitants of the great outdoors. Animals are poor replacements for the friends he has lost. The "b...
Binding, Fastening, Containing
The speaker uses images of binding and fastening to express the emotional containment he thinks is necessary for a wise man. He also describes sleep, sorrow, and the waves as binding him, as though...
Mind, Heart, Spirit
"The Wanderer" is chock-full of words and phrases that refer to human interiority. Whoa, big word alert! Don't worry, "interiority" simply means concepts such as the mind, heart, and spirit. When...
Kennings
Anglo-Saxon poetry uses a poetic device called a "kenning," a compound noun that's used in place of a simpler, one-word noun. A kenning is often a metaphorical or symbolic expression. The most famo...