The White Horse Vale
The white horse vale symbolizes the work of Christianity in England which has been continued since ages. It existed before the existence of England as a nation. In Book III, the white horse vale seems to be devastated by the foreign powers just like the Christianity which was being demolished by the pursuits of Pagans and Nihilists. The white horse vale is also a recurring motif in the poem.
Mary
Mary symbolizes hope in the poem. When the king feels the most despair, Mary appears and consoles him. Although she doesn’t tell him about the victory in battle, she informs him about his salvation. She appears more than once in the poem, so she is one of the motifs that the poet employed in the poem.
Eldred
The poet has used different characters to depict the spiritual attitudes. For example, Eldred symbolizes all the people who depicts a resigning attitude and despondency because of the passage of time. When he encounters dire circumstances, he shows a passive attitude and becomes pessimistic.
Mark
Mark symbolizes the reluctance to act. He loves predictability and only thinks about negative outcomes. When he faces a difficult situation, he doesn’t try to deal with it instead he starts thinking that he will surely fail to solve the problems.
Colan
Colan symbolizes those who are doubtful and who do not trust people easily. Colan doesn’t trust his leader, i.e. the king of Wessex.
Mistletoe
It symbolizes life that never dies. It is also associated with fertility and good luck. In the poem the chieftain of Danes uses this symbol when he talks about the anguish of God. He says "When the gods forgot the mistletoe, And soundless as an arrow of snow, The arrow of anguish fell."
Paganism
Paganism is a recurring motif and constant references to paganism are present in the poem. It seems to be demolishing Christianity.
Christianity
Another motif in the poem is Christianity. There are constant references to Christianity in various forms. At one level, the poem seems to be the story of Christianity, battling against the damaging forces of paganism and nihilism.
Catholicism
The poem is considered a Catholic allegory because it revolves around Catholics and their struggle to save their religion from the pagans.
