In the 14th century, the reference would have been instantly recognized.
Geoffrey Chaucer, often hailed as the first major English poet, mentions an older poem known as the 'Tale of Wade' in his works. At the time, this allusion required no explanation, yet today the poem has nearly vanished from the literary record.
Only a small surviving fragment—consisting of a few lines quoted in a 12th-century Latin sermon rediscovered in the 1890s—has left scholars more perplexed than enlightened.
Now, two Cambridge University scholars, James Wade (coincidentally sharing the poem’s name) and Seb Falk, believe they have solved the puzzle by identifying a centuries-old scribal error that has continued to confound editors nearly a millennium later.
Put simply, it was a medieval misprint.
Previously, the fragment seemed to describe a solitary man among elves and other mysterious creatures, fitting the narrative of a mythic giant or a heroic figure like Beowulf battling supernatural monsters.
This interpretation made the poem’s inclusion in Chaucer’s works—such as the romantic interlude in 'Troilus and Criseyde' or the allusion in one of the 'Canterbury Tales' about a wealthy man marrying a younger woman—surprisingly out of place.
The new study, published recently in The Review of English Studies, argues that the word 'elves' arose from a linguistic slip by a scribe who misread a term that should have been 'wolves.' The poem’s protagonist, Wade, is thus recast as a figure from a chivalric romance world of knights and courtly love, far more consistent with Chaucer’s verse.
"This Chaucerian mystery has baffled scholars for centuries," said Falk, a lecturer at Cambridge’s Girton College. Discussions over Wade date back to at least 1598.
James Wade, also of Girton, described their findings as resolving what a 1936 scholar dubbed the most famous textual 'quid' or problem in Chaucer studies.
"If the question is why Chaucer cited this figure from Teutonic myth at these key moments," Wade explained, "the answer is: he didn’t."
Richard North, professor of English language and literature at University College London, praised the authors’ analysis of the 12th-century verses. "I think they are right to argue that Wade is more likely a knight from a lost romance than a giant from English folklore," he said.
Some experts, however, urge caution about the broader implications. Stephanie Trigg, professor of English literature at the University of Melbourne, Australia, expressed being "convinced by the reading of wolves (not elves)" and noted the analysis contains "lots of fascinating details and contexts," but added, "I would be cautious about claiming this radically changes how we understand Chaucer."
"They certainly enrich the network of allusions and references behind these tantalizing fragments," she said. "Am I convinced this will fundamentally alter our reading of Chaucer’s texts? The truth is, no."
The verses central to this mystery were uncovered by another notable figure, Montague Rhodes James, a medieval scholar now better known for his ghost stories.
In 1896, while reading 12th-century Latin sermons at Cambridge’s Peterhouse library, James stumbled upon a surprising English passage. Collaborating with scholar Israel Gollancz, they concluded it originated from a poem they named the 'Song of Wade,' which they translated as:
The new research concludes that the sermon’s scribe confused a runic letter, still in use in Middle English and pronounced as 'w,' with the letter 'y.' This error turned 'wlves' into 'ylves.' Additionally, the word previously translated as 'nymphs,' 'nikeres,' is argued to actually refer to sea serpents. Based on the surrounding Latin text, the authors suggest the passage comments on bestial human behavior, translating it as follows:
"These three lines seemingly referenced elves and sea monsters, placing the text firmly in the world of Beowulf and other Teutonic legends," Wade explained. "What we realized is that there are no elves in this passage, no sea monsters, and that everyone had been mistaken until now after carefully studying the script."
The investigation took three years, Wade added, and he suspects the mistake happened because the scribe was chosen for his Latin expertise.
"One suspicion, though unprovable, is that the scribe erred in Middle English because he had never written in English before," Wade said.
The references to Wade, the scholars argue, show that both the sermon author and Chaucer drew upon contemporary popular culture to engage a broader audience—much like politicians, artists, or preachers continue to do today.
"The way the poem is cited in the sermon as a meme—something widely understood—tells us how pervasive it once was," Falk noted.
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