Line 1a

'oft him anhaga' - The Old English word oft usually means 'often, but in poetry it can also mean 'always'. The Wanderer's sorrows may dominate his every moment.
Both anhaga and anhoga (40) may have the weakened sense 'one who is alone'. There may be the Christian implication 'hermit' - the Lambeth Psalter glosses solitarius as anhoga oÝÝe anwuniende. Etymologically, anhaga is probably derived from hogian, 'to think' and anhoga from *hecgan, 'to enclose'. What does the asterisk before hecgan signal?

Reveal Answer