Who was Cædmon?
The Cædmon Company
Supported by Delfont Mackintosh Theatres and The Mackintosh Foundation, we are a company of artists that use the power of creative writing & live performance to help improve the mental wellbeing of vulnerable children and young people
During a restless night's sleep, filled with dreams of judgement and shame, Cædmon was approached by a mysterious figure who asked him to sing the song he knew to be in his heart.
At first, he refused but gradually felt the confidence and fire within him rise. Opening his mouth he was shocked to find that he could sing out loud. When he awoke, the song remained within him and he continued to sing.
From that moment on, he never stopped. For the rest of his life, he spoke the truth that filled his heart, becoming a voice for those who had no voice.
That was the man but who is the Cædmon Company and why are they a voice to the voiceless?
In a time long ago, when giants still walked the land, there was a herdsman who went by the name of Cædmon (pronounced /ˈkædmən/).
Born with the true heart of a poet, yet considered illiterate by others, he loved nothing more than to listen to other people’s stories, songs and ballads.
Cædmon longed to sing a song that was his own yet, every time he tried, the words remained out of reach and out of time.
One evening a group of guests arrived at the monastery where Cædmon was employed to care for the cattle.
During a feast held in their honour, one of the guests passed around the table a harp, inviting people to sing a song that was their own.
Cædmon, seeing the harp come his way and desperate to sing but not knowing how to, quietly left the feast while no one was looking to sleep in the cold barn with the cattle.
