John F. Vickrey

The Vision of Eve in Genesis B

THE narrative of the Old English poem Genesis B is remarkable for a number of departures from the traditional account of the Fall of Man. One such departure is the vision of Eve. In brief, part of the devilish emissarys temptation is that if she eats of the fruit she will be granted the sight of heaven. When she has eaten, this vision is granted her, and her description of what she sees becomes in turn a part of her temptation of Adam. It is curious that although the vision of Eve has by no means been without consequence in the interpretation of the poem, there has never been a close consideration of the passages in which the vision is described. In the first of these, the demon tempts Eve by promising, inter alia, that if she eats of the fruit her eyes will become so bright that she will see all the world and the throne of God Himself and henceforth enjoy His favor.