The Dream of the Rood is a famous Old English poem found in the Vercelli Book of the 10th century. It is considered by scholars to be the first dream-vision poem.
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The Dream of the Rood begins with narration from the Dreamer. After the Dreamer goes into his detailed vision of the rood, or cross, the Cross is personified and speaks of its duty for God. In order to fulfill the duty of God, the Cross must endure the crucifixion of God in order to carry out God's will.
"The Gospel of Nicodemus and The Dream of the Rood, 148b-156." Neuphilologische Mitteilungen 84 (1983): 338-43.
Fountain, Stephen J. "Ashes to Ashes: Kristeva's Jouissance, Altizer's Apocalypse, Byatt's Possession and The Dream of the Rood." Literature and Theology 8.2 (1994): 193-208.
"Stylistic Disjunctions in The Dream of the Rood." Anglo-Saxon England 13 (1984): 167-186.
The Dream of the Rood is one of the earliest Christian poems in the corpus of Anglo-Saxon literature and an intriguing example of the genre of dream poetry.
In the poem, the scop describes his dream of a conversation with the wood of the Christian cross.
Excerpts [1] from it are carved on the mid-8th century high cross at Ruthwell, Scotland, in the futhorc alphabet.
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