Final answer:
Caedmon had a vision of divine inspiration to compose songs in his sleep.
Step-by-step explanation:
Caedmon, an Anglo-Saxon poet who lived in the 7th century, is renowned for his association with divine inspiration and the origin of his poetic abilities. The historical account of Caedmon's life, as chronicled by the Venerable Bede in his "Ecclesiastical History of the English People," narrates a transformative event that underscores the concept of divine inspiration in medieval literature.
According to Bede's account, Caedmon was an unskilled herdsman at the monastery of Whitby. One night, during a feast where the harp was passed around for each person to sing in turn, Caedmon, feeling inadequate, left the gathering to tend to the animals. While sleeping in the stable, he claimed to have had a vision in which a figure appeared and instructed him to sing poetry. In his dream, Caedmon found himself composing verses that he had never known before, praising God's creation.
Upon waking, Caedmon discovered that he could indeed recite the verses he had composed in his dream. This extraordinary event marked the beginning of Caedmon's poetic abilities, and he became a significant figure in the literary landscape of the time.
Caedmon's story is often cited as an early example of divine inspiration in the creative process. His claim to have received poetic gifts through a vision aligns with the medieval belief in the connection between the divine and artistic expression. This narrative contributes to the broader medieval literary tradition that often attributed extraordinary talents to divine intervention, emphasizing the spiritual dimensions of artistic creation during this historical period. Caedmon's experience has left an enduring mark on the understanding of inspiration and creativity in medieval literature.