Claimed Cædmon's Hymn Mentioned in Bede 700 CE

This last page of Moore Manuscript shows 4 lines of Druid Akkadian text in Old English style small letters at the top. Online at: https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-KK-00005-00016/264
The main text finishes on the previous page with the last sentence written in red. After this red text are 6 more lines, describing events that took place in 731, 732, 733, and 734. These are called the 'Moore Annals', and they provide additional information to Bede's text, which had concluded (on f. 127r) with news of the death of Archbishop Berctuald of Canterbury in 731 and the consecration of Tawine in his place. 
These entries add new, tantalizing information for the year 731, saying that 'King Ceolwulf was captured, tonsured, and restored to the throne of Northumbria, and Bishop Acca fled from his see'. Bede had dedicated the Historia ecclesiastica to Ceolwulf (see f. 1r) and Acca was his most important patron. The events of 731 that are described in the Moore Annals are are not mentioned in the Historia ecclesiastica proper. The last of these extra annals records an eclipse of the moon on the second kalends of February 734 (30 Jan), showing that the manuscript cannot have been written before that date.
Back to this page, previous scholarship thought the top 3 lines on this page were the Cædmon's Hymn paraphrased earlier in this book. Line 4 was thought to consist of 3 glosses about the text separated by dots. This turns out not to be true. Its addition seems to have inspired by the recent moon eclipse which would have been seen as a reminder about the power of the dark new moon god Su who is mentioned in the Druid text.
After those 4 lines was a text relating to Northumbrian history. This last item incorporates a Northumbrian king list from the accession of Ida in 547 to Ceolwulf (reg. 729–737), who, it says, had reigned for eight years, plus a set of calculations giving the number of years since an event had happened (e.g. 'the monastery at Wearmouth, 63 years ago'). All these calculations work back from a common date, 737 CE
This king list provides the earliest possible date for the copying of the book which is that the scribe of the Moore Bede worked in or not long after 737.
The last part of this page, the lower 18 lines, is in a different script, known as Carolingian (or Caroline) minuscule. This text was written by a Carolingian scribe from the Frankish court of Charlemagne. Scholar Bernhard Bischoff thought the style was very similar to those that had worked on manuscripts linked to Charlemagne's court around the year 800 (e.g. London, British Library, MS Harley 2788). This suggests that the manuscript had left Anglo-Saxon England before the end of the 8th century. The Carolingian scribe copied two texts: an extract from Isidore's Etymologiae on consanguinity, and part of the decree of Pope Gregory II from the Roman council of 721, which had also discussed the prohibited degrees of marriage. 

Druid Text in the Appendix of the Moore Manuscript of Bede's Ecclesiastical History 737 CE

(January 24, 2025) The top 4 lines at the top of this page in small letters are a Druid text in Akkadian using the letter style of Old English. The rest of the book is in Latin which is also using letters in the Old English style. This letter style is also called "insular minuscule" to distinguish it from the higher-grade continential Latin uncial script that was used for the production of elite biblical manuscripts.

This manuscript is the earliest extant copy of Bede's history, and may well have been copied at his own monastery, at Wearmouth or Jarrow, within a few years of his death, perhaps as early as 737. It is usually called the "The Moore Bede" because, prior to entering the collections of the University of Cambridge in 1715 as a gift from George I, it had been owned by John Moore, bishop of Ely (1707–1714). Moore had acquired it sometime between 1697 and 1702, and before that it had been in France, in the library of the cathedral of St. Julien at Le Mans.

Bede's Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum is the earliest surviving account of English history. Its central theme is the conversion of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms to Christianity and the establishment of the English Church. It was Bede's last major work; he finished writing it in 731, and died a few years later on 25 May 735.

The Druid text claims the astrological powers of fate are causing some drought by inhibiting the rain from the god Hu. The corrective action is to use emotion magic associated with the deity Thu and astrology magic associated with the dark new moon god Su. It says:

  1. Revelations (of fate from the heavenly bodies) and the energy of Selu/Selene are resisting Hu. Open Thu to emanate exhalations (breaths, spirits for motion).  The shedding can associate the fertility-fluids. Involve the Celestial-Healer (Selu/Selene) in cursing anger.  Manifest fertility-fluids with emotion-powers (awen).  Manifest Su similarly. Fertility-fluids can can be celestially-healed with emotion-powers (awen). Reveal the manifestations. Respect similarly the pushing.  Manifest Thu. Channel considerations (focused emotions of emotion magic). Involve tradition.  Involve and curse the evening-powers and energy. Activity will craft fear.
  2. Energy is disabling Hu.  Shift attention to resisting the manifestations of energy. Those Thu-powers do not affect Hu.  The fate-curse is from veiling Su. Channel energy.  Equalize their revelations. Emotional-affects can energize spewing-forth. Astrology-magic channels the high-life-powers. Shouts can disable the Celestial-Healer (Selu/Selene).  Open the night-powers of Su.  Energize those Thu-powers. The lack of life-manifestations is the result of nourishing anger. Reveal exhalations. The sky-shell can emanate astrology-magic of the high-powers. Hu can break-through. Activity can be disabled.
  3. Hu can disperse anarchy.  That one can open fertility-fluids.  |  The stuffing (life network) results in the fertility-fluids channeling the life-manifestations.  Resistance from Thu can been disabled.  Anger is manifesting the pushing of the revelations (of fate).  Inhibit the revelations.  Revelations will result in similar fate-curses.  Anger will manifest Su.  Should not life-manifestations be energized? (Then) Equalize involvement of astrology-magic with the Moon-Eye (Su).  Opening astrology-magic results in life-manifestations. The Instigator (Su) can confuse energy with emotions. Blockages are causing a lack of life-manifestations. Activating energy will disable those Alu-powers (life powers).  Lack of fertility-fluids will not set Thu.
  4. [1 words] eyes-of-fate are not similar to emotions.  Life-threads result in the network. Emotion-powers (Awen) cannot foreshadow involvement. Motivate the pushing (of fertility fluids). Revelations (of fate) can make-scarce Ayu.  Divinely empower the Reed-Boat (Ayu). Emotional-effects can be revealed.  |  The confusion is from  lacking divine-attendants (owls, eagle-vultures).  Disable anger at the stuffing (life-network).  |  Manifest the openings (through the sky-shell). Considerations can be veiled. Shift attention to the winged-ones (the attendants).  Ayu's manifestations are lacking fate-curses.  Spinning (emotional energy) is lacking winds/spirits.  Irrigate and reveal astrology-magic's emotional-affects. Astrology-magic can anger the patrollers (owls) of fertility-fluids. ||

Comment: This ability to modify fate by the remedial action of controlling emotions is also found in the Tetrabiblos, which is a Greek  text on the philosophy and practice of astrology written by the Alexandrian scholar Claudius Ptolemy between 100-200 CE. Here Claudius is comparing fate as determined by an astrologer to the diagnosis of a medical ailment and an inherent property of magnetism. All can be modified by proper preventive treatment:

  •  In the case of events that may be modified we must give heed to the astrologer, when, for example, he says that to such and such a temperament, with such and such a character of the ambient, ifthe fundamental proportions increase or decrease, such and such an affection will result. Similarly we must believe the physician, when he says that this sore will spread or cause putrefaction, and the miner, for instance, that the lodestone attracts iron: just as each of these. if left to itself through ignorance of the opposing forces. will inevitably develop as its original nature compels, but neither will the sore cause spreading or putrefaetion if it receives preventive treatment, nor will the lodestone attract the tron if it is rubbed with garlic.

https://archive.org/details/L350ManethoHistoryOfEgyptPtolemyTetrabiblos_201312/page/26/mode/2up

(January 24, 2025) This codex is a copy of Bede's book entitled Historia Ecclesiastica but while its language is Latin its letters are Old English (very similar to old/middle Irish).  This very early copy (around 737 CE) is called the Moore manuscript (737 CE), Cambridge, Kk.5.16, f. 128v. Online at: https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-KK-00005-00016/264. 

Its last few pages seem to be an appendix and at the top of page 128 is this section in small letters. This has been claimed to be Cædmon's Hymn mentioned and paraphrased by Bede. While this is indeed a Druid Akkadian text it does not match Bede's description of Cædmon's Hymn.  Instead it is a short Druid statement about humanity's proper relationship to the divine powers.

Translation of Lines 1 and 2 in Akkadian (North Text 54)

(read top to bottom. Capital letters on object. Small letters are inferred Inner vowels. Verbs are italic bold. Dual use letters are E/H, I/Y, U/W, and '/A in which vowel appears at beginning of words except for Yahu which is keeping its traditional Hebrew transliteration.
Runic Letter Style is Anglo-Saxon. Letter Chart Used: Northern Letter Lineage
  1. Nu U  Gi  ŠeLu  UNu  Ḫu.  Pu Ṭu  Zu  UḪu.  EṢu  AZu  Mu.  Ku  APu  Wu  AGu.  Du  Mu  AWu.  Du  Su  Šu.  Mu  ASu  A'u.  Nu  Du.  ḪiYu  Šu  Ma'u  Du  Ṭu.  IDu  ANu.  Ku  UPu.  Ku  U  Wa  BaDu  U  Gu.  Ṣu  UDu  UGu
  2. Gi  E  Ḫu.  EWu  UNu  Du  Gi.  A  Ṭu  Ya  Ḫu.  Wa  APu  Su.  IDu  Gi. Šu  Nu  A.  Ne'u  Gu  AŠu.  Tu  ELu  IDu.  EḪu  E  ASu.  Pu  MuŠu  Su.  Gu  A  Tu.  Lu  Du  A  Bu  AGu.  Nu  UḪu.  EBu  Zu  Tu  ILu.  Ḫu  Ga'u.  Ṣu  E.

In English

  1. Revelations (of fate from the heavenly bodies) and the energy of Selu/Selene are resisting Hu. Open Thu to emanate exhalations (breaths, spirits for motion).  The shedding can associate the fertility-fluids. Involve the Celestial-Healer (Selu/Selene) in cursing anger.  Manifest fertility-fluids with emotion-powers (awen).  Manifest Su similarly. Fertility-fluids can can be celestially-healed with emotion-powers (awen). Reveal the manifestations. Respect similarly the pushing.  Manifest Thu. Channel considerations (focused emotions of emotion magic). Involve tradition.  Involve and curse the evening-powers and energy. Activity will craft fear.
  2. Energy is disabling Hu.  Shift attention to resisting the manifestations of energy. Those Thu-powers do not affect Hu.  The fate-curse is from veiling Su. Channel energy.  Equalize their revelations. Emotional-affects can energize spewing-forth. Astrology-magic channels the high-life-powers. Shouts can disable the Celestial-Healer (Selu/Selene).  Open the night-powers of Su.  Energize those Thu-powers. The lack of life-manifestations is the result of nourishing anger. Reveal exhalations. The sky-shell can emanate astrology-magic of the high-powers. Hu can break-through. Activity can be disabled.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%A6dmon%27s_Hymn

Marsden, Richard (April 2004). The Cambridge Old English Reader. Cambridge University Press. p. 80. ISBN 978-0-521-45612-8.

Reading Cædmon’s “Hymn” with Someone Else’s Glosses by Kevin Kiernan. Online at: https://www.uky.edu/~kiernan/ReadingCH/ReadingCH.htm


(January 24, 2025) 

Translation of Lines 3 and 4 in Akkadian (North Text 54)

(read top to bottom. Capital letters on object. Small letters are inferred Inner vowels. Verbs are italic bold. Dual use letters are E/H, I/Y, U/W, and '/A in which vowel appears at beginning of words except for Yahu which is keeping its traditional Hebrew transliteration.
  1. Ḫu  NaLu  TuŠu.  A  Pu  Mu.  |  TaḪu  A  Mu  IDu  Du.  UNu  Ṭu  E.  AGu  Du  Ma'u  Nu.  KaŠu  Nu.  Nu  A  Šu  Wu.  AGu  Du  Su.  Yu  Du  Gu.  Ša  Ku  Tu  INu.  Pu  Tu  A   Du.  ADu  EŠu  Gi  IMu.  Ṣ'u  Lu  Du.  Ṣi  Gi  E  A  ALu.  Lu  Mu  RaTu  Ya  Ṭu
  2. [2]  IGu  Šu  Ya  Ma'u.  Qu  A  ŠeTu.  AWu  Yu  Ta'u  Ku.  EDu  Ma'u.  Nu  IṢu  AYu.  Di'u  AMu.  Ne'u  Nu  |  IŠu  U  Lu  AḪu.  E  AGu  TaḪu  |  Du  Pu.  ANu  APu.  EWu  GaPu.  AYu  Du  Lu  Wa.  ṬaWu  Lu  UPu.  IKu  U  Nu  Tu  Ne'u.  Tu  AGu  UBu  Mu  |

In English

  1. Hu can disperse anarchy.  That one can open fertility-fluids.  |  The stuffing (life network) results in the fertility-fluids channeling the life-manifestations.  Resistance from Thu can been disabled.  Anger is manifesting the pushing of the revelations (of fate).  Inhibit the revelations.  Revelations will result in similar fate-curses.  Anger will manifest Su.  Should not life-manifestations be energized? (Then) Equalize involvement of astrology-magic with the Moon-Eye (Su).  Opening astrology-magic results in life-manifestations. The Instigator (Su) can confuse energy with emotions. Blockages are causing a lack of life-manifestations. Activating energy will disable those Alu-powers (life powers).  Lack of fertility-fluids will not set Thu.
  2. [1 words] eyes-of-fate are not similar to emotions.  Life-threads result in the network. Emotion-powers (Awen) cannot foreshadow involvement. Motivate the pushing (of fertility fluids). Revelations (of fate) can make-scarce Ayu.  Divinely empower the Reed-Boat (Ayu). Emotional-effects can be revealed.  |  The confusion is from  lacking divine-attendants (owls, eagle-vultures).  Disable anger at the stuffing (life-network).  |  Manifest the openings (through the sky-shell). Considerations can be veiled. Shift attention to the winged-ones (the attendants).  Ayu's manifestations are lacking fate-curses.  Spinning (emotional energy) is lacking winds/spirits.  Irrigate and reveal astrology-magic's emotional-affects. Astrology-magic can anger the patrollers (owls) of fertility-fluids. ||

Previously Attempted Translation in "Northumbrian."

  1. Nū scylun hergan     hefaenrīcaes Uard,
  2. metudæs maecti     end his mōdgidanc,
  3. uerc Uuldurfadur,     suē hē uundra gihuaes,
  4. ēci dryctin     ōr āstelidæ
  5. hē ǣrist scōp     aelda barnum
  6. heben til hrōfe,     hāleg scepen.
  7. Thā middungeard     moncynnæs Uard,
  8. eci Dryctin,     æfter tīadæ
  9. fīrum foldu,     Frēa allmectig. (Marsden 2004)

In English

  1. Now [we] shall honour / heaven-kingdom's guardian,
  2. the measurer's might / and his mind's plan,
  3. the work of the father of glory[a] / as he of each wonder,
  4. eternal lord, / the origin established;[b]
  5. he first created[c] / for the children of men[d]
  6. heaven for a roof, / holy creator.
  7. Then Middle-earth / mankind's guardian,
  8. eternal Lord, / after bestowed
  9. the lands to men,[e] / Lord almighty.

But with the following caveats allowing the replacement of the text (recensions) with other better understood texts judged to be similar:

  • [a]  A Northumbrian recension characterized by the word aelda in line 5b.
  • [b]  A Northumbrian recension characterized by the word eordu in line 5b.
  • [c]  A West-Saxon recension characterized by the word ylda in line 5b (which accounts for all the texts of the Old English translation of the Historia ecclesiastica).
  • [d]  A West-Saxon recension characterized by the word eorðan in line 5b.
  • [e]  A late, West-Saxon recension characterized by the word eorðe in line 5b and extensive textual corruption.

Comment: The letter assignments are not even close to being correct.