The essays presented here pay tribute to Hans Sauer as a specialist on English medieval literature and culture. This book shows what we can safely infer from medieval texts and where we need to be cautious or should reassess what has hitherto been suggested. It shows what the Middle Ages inherited from earlier days and transformed during their own time, what they gave to later eras, and what clearly belongs into the realm of fantasy films. The essays mainly concentrate on Old and Middle English prose and poetry, also including theoretical approaches to understanding medieval culture.