Heliland

Heliland, the name of an Old Saxon poem, dating from the 9th century. Its subject is the life and work of Christ, constructed as a harmony of the four gospels. The poem is written in alliterative verse, in the spirit of the old Low German popular poetry. Besides being the most important relic of the Old Saxon dialect, it is not without intrinsic literary merit. Of two extant MSS. one is in the British Museum; the other is at Munich. Heyne has issued a critical edition of the text (3d ed. 1883), and there is a translation into modern High German by Simrock (3d ed. 1882).