Old Saxon literature

Old Saxon literature refers to works written in the Old Saxon language, the earliest form of Low German spoken from the 9th to 12th centuries. The most significant surviving literary works are the Heliand, an epic poem about the life of Christ composed around 830, and a fragment of a Genesis translation.12

The Heliand uses Old Saxon alliterative verse and aimed to make Christianity understandable to the Saxons by depicting Christ as a Germanic king and biblical events in a familiar, Saxon context. This poetry shares characteristics with Old English and Old Frisian, such as preserving voiceless stops. Only these two works, along with minor fragments, remain of Old Saxon poetry.21