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In this paper I apply current ecologically centred methodologies in the humanities to explore the familiar image of the bird-soul in The Seafarer in close relation to the real seabirds that are one of the most striking aspects of the maritime environment of the poem. Far from appearing as mere background incidentals, the poet's treatment of the seabirds we first encounter resonates with contemporary ornithological knowledge, and suggests that they feature specifically as species that best convey the ascetic trials and endeavours of the sea-going speaker who observes, listens to and names seabirds. The curious essence of seabirds as creatures that are always at home on the seas, and yet journeying to a home elsewhere, establishes them as what I term "native foreigners", a paradox that highlights the seafarer's conflicting yearnings and reflects the difficult earthly/celestial dynamic in the poem's perceptions of the soul's journey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the inscriptions on the Ruthwell Cross, which forms part of what has come to be called "The Ruthwell Crucifixion Poem," which was the subject of research by scholar John M. Kemble. The similarities between this poem and "The Dream of the Rood." It is noted that in a paper written in 1840, Kemble failed to identify the speaker of the Ruthwell poem as the Cross. Scholar Pamela O'Neill and her rejection of the idea that the Cross speaks to the dreamer in the Ruthwell poem is discussed.

The article discusses the Old English poem "Juliana" by Cynewulf, with particular focus given to its use of rhetoric and the assertion of critics including Rosemary Woolf that it is an inferior, shallow work compared to the poet's earlier output. The poem's religious and cultural themes are also commented on.