'Tho uuard uuind mikil, / hoh uueder afhaben': la tempesta, il poeta del Heliand e la rielaborazione della fonte'

The narration of Jesus walking on the water (Heliand, vv. 2899-2973a) represents a significant exemplification of how the poet made use of his source. His strategy consisted in a progressive unveiling of the contents with a great attention to the purpose of rewriting the Gospel in order to educate the Saxons to the new religion. In the mentioned verses in particular the poet aims to describe the process culminating in the acquisition of the true faith in God, obtained by the disciples, here called seöolöõðandean ‘seamen’, only after striking with the tempest and fearing for their own lives. The sea, the landscape, the psychological attitude of the characters, every formal element of the narration has been transformed in order to be adapted to the expectations of the audience. The final result is a poetic representation of the Gospel involving the audience completely, touching both understanding and feelings, preserving however the authentic meaning of the source.