BEOWULF Reinforced

8/6/2019 BEOWULF Reinforced

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Did you know that

An epic is a long narrative poem on a serious

and important subject,

centered on a heroic or quasi-divine figure. The actions of the heroic personage decide

the fate of a nation, a culture, or a set of

tribes.


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Did you know that

Most epics, and Beowulfis no exception, are

crafted by the author from oral traditions

developed over a time ofsocial unrest and

war.

The heroic ideal is based on the culture that

produced the epic, and is represented as a

cultural ideal in the hero.


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The action consists of deeds ofvalor or

superhuman courage (especially in battle).

Supernatural forces interest themselves in the

action and intervene at times. The

intervention of the gods is called "machinery."

The style of writing is elevated, even

ceremonial.


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The hero is a figure of great national or even

cosmic importance, usually the ideal man of

his culture. He often has superhuman or

divine traits. He has an imposing physical

stature and is greater in all ways than the

common man.

The setting is vast in scope. It covers great

geographical distances, perhaps even visitingthe underworld, other worlds, other times.


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Beowulf action is dated c500AD before the

migration

Elements , setting and characters are

Scandinavian

Written in England in c700AD

Nearly destroyed in 1700 by fire

Must have been written by a Christian scop

because of the christian element injected to it.

Beowulf , the epic


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Beowulf , the epic

Was originally a historical source

1936, Oxford scholar J.R.R. Tolkien published a

groundbreaking paper entitled Beowulf: TheMonsters and the Critics - the manuscript

gained recognition as a serious work of art.


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Beowulfis a primary epic, first existed in the

oral tradition.

Beowulfemploys digressions, long speeches,

journeys and quests, various trials or tests of

the hero, and even divine intervention, as do

classic epics.

Beowulf is alsofolkepic

Beowulf , the epic


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Beowulf, is the title character. He represents

the values of the heroic age,

comitatus the honor system .

generosity often was considered a virtue and

a mark of character.

Courage, loyalty

reputation

BEOWULF as a hero


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What is comitatus?

the honor system that existed in (Scandinaviancountries, 5th and 6th c) between a king, or feudallord, and his warriors.

Thanes swore devotion to their leader and vowedto fight boldly, to the death if necessary, for him.If the leader should fall, his thanes must avengehis life. For his part, the leader rewarded his

thanes with treasure, protection, and land. Hisgenerosity often was considered a virtue and amark of character.


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Poetic Devices in Beowulf

1. alliteration is the repetition of initial sounds of

words

example:

1. "The harrowing history haunted the heroes2. 839ferdonfolc-toganfeorran ond nean

(839 chieftains came from far and near)

The point is that alliteration is as important inBeowulfas rhyme is for some later poets.


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2. Imagery in the poem is vivid and often fun, and

frequently related through the use ofkennings.

Kennings are compound expressions that use

characteristics to name a person or thing.

Following are some other examples of kennings:

hronrade (whale road) referring to the sea

hand-sporu (hand spike ) referring to Grendel's talon

word-hord (word hoard) referring to ones vocabulary

ban-cofan (bone box) referring to a person's body


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3. Litotes, which are figures of speech in which a

positive statement is made by the negative ofits opposite. It is a form of understatementthat is none too subtle.

Example:

* "Abraham Lincoln was not too bad aPresident" when we mean to convey that hewas a great President.

* When describing Grendel's mere (or pool),King Hrothgar says (1372) it is "Not a pleasantplace!" It is, in fact, filled with horror.


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4. Few similes in Beowulf. Simile often is

described as a comparison between twoobjects, people, or ideas through the use of a

comparative such as "like" or "as.

* the ship went over the sea "like a bird.


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For the teacher :Beowulfis rich in meaning. Some

see it as an early celebration of Christianity.

Others think it extols orcondemns heroic values.

English novelist and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien

("Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics,"Proceedings of the British Academy, XXII [1936],

24595) argued that Beowulfis a balance

between beginnings and endings, of youth and

age, the most dominating being Beowulf's. Whilethe poem is of value historically, it is more

interesting as a powerful work of art.


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For the teacher: Hrothgar's great hall (Heorot,

"Hall of the Hart") functions as both symbol andsetting. Symbolically, it represents theachievements of the Scyldings, specificallyHrothgar, and their level of civilization. It is a place

of light and warmth in the dark, cold winters. HereHrothgar celebrates his victories and rewards histhanes (warriors) with various rings and treasures.Heorot is no common beer hall; it is more of a

palace, towering high like a cliff. Significantly, thisis where Beowulf's first great battle for the Danestakes place.


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Themes of Beowulf

1. comitatus, the honor code that exists

between the king, or feudal lord, and his

warriors.

Thanes swear devotion to their leader and vow to

fight boldly, to the death if necessary, forhim. If the

leader should fall, his life must be avenged.Forhis

part, the leader rewards his thanes with treasure,protection, and land. His generosity often is

mentioned as one ofhis strengths ofcharacter.


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2. One of the themes of the poem is that man's

fortunes change, and he should celebrate buttake care when fortune seems to turn his way

because disaster may visit soon. One must not

tempt the gods of irony

3. Reputation The warriors' credo is devoted

to glory, reputation, honor, wealth, and fame.

The modern reader might benefit fromunderstanding that fame and reputation are close to

the same thing in Beowulf's world.


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4. Hospitality and generosity are major themes

in Beowulf, and Wealhtheow is their most

gracious representative. Wealhtheow is the

perfect host.


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An extended narrative poem,

usually simple in construction, but grand in scope,

exalted in style, andheroic in theme, often giving

expression to the ideals of a nation or race.

Sidelight: Homer, the author ofThe Iliadand TheOdyssey, is sometimes referred to as the "Father

of Epic Poetry." Based on the conventions heestablished, classical epics began with anargument and an invocation to a guiding spirit,then started the narrative in medias res. Inmodern use, the term, "epic," is generally appliedto all lengthy works on matters of greatimportance. The Rhapsodoi, a professionalreciter, memorized his work and passed it on byword of mouth as part of an oral tradition.


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Footnote for the teacher:

Like Agamemnon and the Greek chieftains,every Saxon leader had his gleeman orminstrel, and had also his own poet, his scopor shaper, whose duty it was to shape a

glorious deed into more glorious verse.

So did our pagan ancestors build their

monuments out of songs that should live inthe hearts of men when granite or earthmound had crumbled away.


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BEOWULF

The old epic poem, the longest,the oldest, surviving/ existingmanuscript in English Literature,is called after its hero Beowulf.

it is more than myth or legend,more even than history;

it is a picture of a life and a

world that once had realexistence.


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Of that vanished life, that

world of ancientEnglishmen, only a fewmaterial fragments remain:a bit of linked armor, a

rusted sword with runicinscriptions, the oaken ribsof a war galley buried withthe Viking who had sailed

it on stormy seas, and whowas entombed in itbecause he loved it.


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All these are silent witnesses; they have

no speech or language.

But this old poem is a living voice,

speaking with truth and sincerity of thedaily habit of the fathers of modernEngland, of their adventures by sea or

land, their stern courage and gravecourtesy, their ideals of manly honor,their thoughts of life and death.


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Then the warrior, battle-tried, touched the

sounding glee-wood:Straight awoke the harps sweet note; straight

a song uprose,

Sooth and sad its music. Then from heros lips

there fell

A wonder-tale, well told.

Beowulf, line 2017 (a free rendering)


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Geats also called Weder-Folk or Weders. This is

Beowulf's tribe in southwestern Sweden. eddy a current running contrary to the main current,

sometimes producing whirlpools.

retainer an attendant to the king, here sometimes usedinterchangeably with "thane."

mail flexible armor made of small, overlapping rings orscales.

Weders Geats

Weland in Germanic legend, a blacksmith with magical

powers; he made Beowulf's war-shirt (455). Lapps inhabitants of northern Scandinavia and Finland.

The Anglo-Saxon is "Finna land"(580).


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mere a small lake or marsh.

two seas apparently the Baltic and the Atlantic; possiblythe Baltic and the North Sea.

Heremod Danish king who ruled disgracefully beforeScyld rose to power.

guest-house Heorot.

Fen a low swampy land

flagon a vessel for holding mead or other alcoholicliquids, usually made of metal or pottery and featuring aspout as well as a handle.

Hrothulfson of Halga, nephew of Hrothgar.

Ingw

ines another name for theD

anes, literally "friendsof Ing.

palisade a defensive fortification or fence made ofpointed sticks (pales).


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Healfdene father of Hrothgar.

the giants here a reference to the Frisians.

Hoc father of Hildeburh and Hnaef.

Folcwalda father of Finn.

Hunlaf's son a Half-Dane warrior who presents

the sword to Hengest. Guthlafand OslafHalf-Dane thanes.

uncle and nephew(1164) apparently a referenceto Hrothgar and Hrothulf.

Hama, Brosing,

and Eor

manric For a thoroughdiscussion of the necklace and the Goths, see

Chickering, pp. 331333.

Frankish pertaining to the Franks, a Germanictribe in the Rhine region.


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KENNINGS

Spear-Danes Scyldings, the tribe ofScyld Scefing.

whale-road ocean or sea, from theAnglo-Saxon hron-rade. This

is one of the poem's best known kennings, descriptive metaphors

that identify a person or thing by a chief characteristic or use.

Life-lordGod.

ring-giver ruler, king, feudal lord.

middle-eartha land between Heaven and Hell, inhabited by

mankind as well as a variety of good or evil creatures with

origins in legend, mythology, or fantasy.

walking dead similar to zombies, cursed to roam the earth after

death.


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*whale-road ocean or sea, from the Anglo-Saxon hron-rade. This is one

of the poem's best known kennings, descriptive metaphors that

identify a person or thing by a chief characteristic or use. Life-lord God.

ring-giver ruler, king, feudal lord.

middle-earth a land between Heaven and Hell, inhabited by mankind

as well as a variety of good or evil creatures with origins in legend,

mythology, or fantasy.

walking dead similar to zombies, cursed to roam the earth after

death.

word-hoard a kenning for vocabulary.

gold-laced hall Heorot

shield of the people here, a reference to King Hrothgar.

feud-bites a kenning for wounds.


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Bright-Danes another name for the Scyldings, the referenceto shining light.

Helm

ings Wealhtheow's original tribe. King ofGlory God, not Hrothgar.

body-warden a kenning for a chain-mail shirt.

shepherd of sins Grendel, perhaps in contrast to God asshepherd of souls.

protector of nobles Beowulf. killer-guest Grendel. The poet ironically plays with the

theme of hospitality.

the web's short measure the web of lifedestiny, fate,Wyrdhas spun a short life for Queen Hildeburh's brother

and son. chief of the War-Scyldings Hnaef.

hand-spike a kenning referring to the nail on Grendel's claw.

battle-talon another reference to Grendel's claw.


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Swedes

Geats

Jhutes

Danes

Early Denmark andSweden

During the Time ofBeowulf


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House ofHrethel

Swerting


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The ScyldingsDanes (also called the Shieldings, Spear-Danes, Ring-Danes, West-Danes,

Bright-Danes, South-Danes, Ingwins, ( of the island of Sjlland or Zealand)


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Let us hear, then, the story ofBeowulf,

picturing in our imagination the story-teller

and his audience. The scene opens in a greathall, where a fire blazes on the hearth and

flashes upon polished shields against the

timbered walls.


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Down the long room

stretches a table wheremen are feasting or

passing a beaker from

hand to hand, and anon

crying Hal! hal! in answer

to song or in greeting to a

guest.


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At the head of the hall sits the chief with his

chosen ealdormen. At a sign from the chief, agleeman rises and strikes a single clear note

from his harp. Silence falls on the benches; the

story begins:


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The scop begins..


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Hail! we of the Spear

Danes in days of old

Have heard the glory of

warriors sung;

Have cheered the deedsthat our chieftains

wrought,

And the brave Scylds

triumph oer his foes.


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Then because there areScyldings present, andbecause brave menrevere their ancestors,the gleeman tells a

beautiful legend of howKing Scyld came andwent: how he arrived asa little child, in a war-

galley that no mansailed, asleep amidjewels and weapons;


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and how, when his life

ended at the call of Wyrdor Fate, they placed him

against the mast of a ship,

with treasures heaped

around him and a golden

banner above his head,

gave ship and cargo to the

winds, and sent their chiefnobly back to the deep

whence he came.


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So with picturesque words the

gleeman thrills his hearers with a vividpicture of a Vikings sea-burial. It thrills

us now, when the Vikings are no more,

and when no other picture can be

drawn by an eyewitness of that

splendid pagan rite.


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One of Scylds

descendants was KingHrothgar (Roger) who

built the hall Heorot,

where the king and his

men used to gather

nightly to feast, and to

listen to the songs of scop

or gleeman.


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There was joy of heroes, butin one night the joy waschanged to mourning.

Out on the lonely fens dwelt

the jotun (giant or monster)Grendel, who heard thesound of mens mirth andquickly made an end of it.


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One night, as the thanes slept in the

hall, he burst in the door and carried offthirty warriors to devour them in his lair

under the sea.


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Another and anotherhorrible raid followed,till Heorot wasdeserted and the fearof Grendel reigned

among the SpearDanes.

There were brave men among them, but of what

use was courage when their weapons werepowerless against the monster? Their swordswould not bite on his body.


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The rumor of

Grendel reached

the land of the

Geats, where

Beowulf lived at

the court of hisuncle, King

Hygelac.


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No sooner did

Beowulf hear of a

dragon to be slain, of

a friendly king in

need of a man, than

he selected fourteencompanions and

launched his war-

galley in search of

adventure.


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Arrival of Beowulf in Heorot

At this point the old epicbecomes a remarkableportrayal of daily life. In itspicturesque lines we see the

galley set sail, foam flyingfrom her prow; we catch thefirst sight of the southernheadlands, approach land,

hear the challenge of thewarder of the cliffs Unferthand Beowulfs courteousanswer.


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We follow the marchto Heorot in war-gear, spears flashing,

swords and byrniesclanking, andwitness theexchange of

greetings betweenHrothgar and theyoung hero.


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Reception in Heorot

Again is the feast spread in Heorot; once more

is heard the song of gleemen, the joyous

sound of warriors in comradeship. There is

also a significant picture of Hrothgars wife,

mindful of courtesies, honoring her guests

by passing the mead-cup with her own hands.

She is received by these stern men withprofound respect.


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When the feast draws to an end the fear of

Grendel returns. Hrothgar warns his gueststhat no weapon can harm the monster, that it

is death to sleep in the hall; then the Spear

Danes retire, leaving Beowulf and his

companions to keep watch and ward. With

the careless confidence of brave men,

forthwith they all fall asleep:


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Forth from the fens, from the mistymoorlands,Grendel came glidingGods wrath hebore

Came under clouds until he saw clearly,Glittering with gold plates, the mead-hall of men.

Down fell the door, though hardenedwith fire-bands,

Open it

sprang at the stroke of his paw.

Swollen with rage burst in the bale-bringer,

Flamed in his eyes a fierce light, likestfire.


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Throwing himself uponthe nearest sleeper,Grendel crushes andswallows him;

then he stretches out apaw towards Beowulf,only to find it seized in

such a grip as the fiendhad never felt before.

A desperate conflict begins, and a mightyuproar,--

crashing of benches,

shoutings of men,

the war-song of Grendel, who is trying to breakthe grip of his foe.


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As the monster struggles

toward the door, draggingthe hero with him, a wide

wound opens on his

shoulder;

the sinews snap,

and with a mighty wrenchBeowulf tears off

the whole limb.


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While Grendel rusheshowling across the fens,

Beowulf hangs the grislyarm with its iron claws,the whole grapple ofGrendel, over the door

where all may see it.

Once more there is joy in Heorot,

songs, speeches, the liberal givingof gifts. Thinking all danger past,

the Danes sleep in the hall;


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but at midnight comes the mother of Grendel,

raging to avenge her son. Seizing the kingsbravest companion she carries him away, and

he is never seen again.


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Here is another adventure for Beowulf.

To old Hrothgar, lamenting his lost earl, the hero

says simply:

Wise chief, sorrow not. For a man it is meet

His friend to avenge, not to mourn for his loss;

For death comes to all, but honor endures:

Let him win it who will, ere Wyrd to him calls,

And fame be the fee of a warrior dead!


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Following the trail of the Brimwylf

or Merewif(sea-wolf or sea-

woman) Beowulf and hiscompanions pass through

desolate regions to a wild cliff on

the shore. There Unferth offers his

good sword Hrunting for thecombat, and Beowulf accepts,

saying:

ic me mid Hruntinge Dom gewyrce, oththe mec deathnimeth.

I with Hrunting Honor will win, or death shall me take.


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Then he plunges into the blackwater, is attacked on all sides by

theG

rundwrygen or bottommonsters, and as he stops to fightthem is seized by the Merewifanddragged into a cave, a mighty sea-hall free from water and filled

with a strange light.

On its floor are vast treasures; its walls are

adorned with weapons; in a corner huddlesthe wounded Grendel. All this Beowulf sees in

a glance as he turns to fight his new foe.


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Follows then another terrificcombat, in which the brand

Hrunting proves useless. Though itrings out its clanging war-song onthe monsters scales, it will notbite on the charmed body.

Beowulf is down, and at thepoint of death, when his eyelights on a huge sword forgedby the jotuns of old.


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Struggling to his feet he seizesthe weapon, whirls it around

his head for a mighty blow,and the fight is won.

Another blow cuts off the head of

Grendel, but at the touch of the

poisonous blood the steel blade

melts like ice before the fire.

Leaving all the treasures, Beowulftakes only the golden hilt of the magicsword and the head of Grendel,renters the sea and mounts up to hiscompanions.


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They welcome him as one returned from the

dead. They relieve him of byrnie and praised

him.

Beowulf towers among them, a conspicuous

figure, and next to him comes the enormous

head of Grendel carried on a spear-shaft by

four of the stoutest thanes.


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So ends the first part of the epic.

More feasting, gifts, noble speeches follow

before the hero returns to his own land,laden with treasures.


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PART II

In the second part Beowulf

succeeds Hygelac as chief of

the Geats, and rules them

well for fifty years.

Then a firedrake, guardingan immense hoard of

treasure (as in most of the olddragon stories), begins toravage the land.


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Once more the agedBeowulf goes forth tochampion his people;but he feels that Wyrdis close to hand, andthe fatalism which

pervades all the poem isfinely expressed in hisspeech to hiscompanions.


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In his last fight he kills the

dragon, winning the

dragons treasure for his

people; but as he battles

amid flame and smoke the

fire enters his lungs, and he

dies as dies a man, payingfor victory with his life.


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h l h h


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Bid my brave men raise a barrow for

me on the headland, broad, high, tobe seen far out at sea: that hereafter

sea-farers, driving their foamy keels

through oceans mist, may behold and

say, Tis Beowulfs mound!

Among his last words is a command which

reminds us again of the old Greeks, and of the

word of Elpenor to Odysseus:


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The finds in this barrow supported the

existence of Beowulfbarrow


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The barrow of

Skalunda, a

barrow that

was identified

by the

archaeologistBirger Nerman

as Beowulf's

burial mound.

O f h d S h


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One of the mounds near Stonehenge

similar to those of Sutton Hoo.


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When our enemies hear out lord is dead and that only one manamong the Geats dared to defendhim, they will soon attack us. TheFranks and the Frisians would like to finish the war that Hygelacstarted. The Swedes are only waiting for a chance to trouble usagain. Beowulf was too strong for them, and so we had piece formany years. Now it will be different. Mothers and fathers will weepagain for their deadchildren. The black raven, the wolf and theeagle will find a feast on the battlefield. The Geats will be peoplewandering without a homeland once our enemies come in upon us.'

It appears that Beowulf's death signals the end of the Geatishpeople and the glory they won during Beowulf's reign.


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The heros last words and the closing scenes of

the epic, including the funeral pyre, the bale-

fire and another Viking burial to the chant of

armed men riding their war steeds, are among

the noblest that have come down to us from

beyond the dawn of history.


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Such is the story ofBeowulf. It is recorded ona fire-marked manuscript, preserved as by amiracle from the torch of the Danes, which is

now one of the priceless treasures of theBritish Museum. The handwriting indicatesthat the manuscript was copied about theyear 1100, but the language points to the

eighth or ninth century, when the poem in itspresent form was probably composed onEnglish soil.

D t i h t th t l t d


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Determine what these translated

kennings refer to:

moons of the forehead

brow-stars

raven harvest

sleep of the sword

flame-farewelled

bane of wood

sun of the houses

serpent's lair

eyes

eyes

corpse

death

death

fire

fire

gold



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kennings refer to:

spear-din

bee wolf

slaughter-dew

battle-sweat

wound-sea

breaker of rings

mountain of the hawk

blood-ember

battle

bear

blood

blood

blood

chieftain or king

Arm

axe



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kennings refer to:

mind's worth

bait-gallows

Feed the eagle

swan of blood

whale-road

sail road

whale's way

swan-road

honour

hook

kill enemies

Raven

The sea

The sea

The sea

The sea



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kennings refer to:

valley-trout

wave-steed

sea-steed

sky-candle

sky's jewel

blood-worm

icicle of blood

wound-hoe

serpent

ship

ship

the sun

the sun

sword

sword

sword



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kennings refer to:

Headland of swords

weather of weapons

feeder of ravens destroyers of eagles

hunger

breaker of trees

wolf's-joint

shield

war

warrior

Warrior

wind

wrist


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Documents

BEOWULF Reinforced