Cambridge researchers have proven that the hero of The Song of Wade was in fact a figure from a knightly romance, and that a scribe’s error transformed his tale of battles with wolves and serpents into a story of elves — misleading generations of scholars.
Experts at the University of Cambridge have solved a long-standing philological puzzle, showing that the 12th-century Song of Wade was not a myth about monsters, but a chivalric romance. A single mistake by a medieval copyist, who confused the letters w and y, turned “wolves” into “elves,” shifting the interpretation of the text into the realm of fantasy.
Dr James Wade and Dr Seb Falk demonstrated that this correction repositions the story from mythological legend to the world of knightly combat and moral drama. The text mentions wolves, vipers, and sea serpents, while Wade himself emerges as a figure of medieval romance rather than a monster hunter.
This discovery also clarifies why Geoffrey Chaucer invoked Wade’s name in works such as Troilus and Criseyde and The Canterbury Tales, where it served as an allusion to the hero’s moral qualities and a source of literary irony.
Remarkably, the fragment was not preserved in a literary manuscript but in a religious sermon on humility — highlighting the way popular culture was used in the 12th century as a tool for moral instruction. The scholars further suggest possible authorship by Alexander Neckam or his circle, noting the text’s sophisticated style and rhetorical mastery.
“This sermon is still relevant today: it reminds us that the real threats are not mythical monsters but ourselves,” the researchers emphasized. The new interpretation of The Song of Wade opens fresh perspectives on medieval culture, where knightly tales functioned both as entertainment and as spiritual teaching.
