& Anglo-Saxon PoetryNotes by Don Pogreba and Diane More

One manuscript in which Beowulf has survived to the present day. nearly destroyed in a fire in 1731 wasn’t until 1845 that efforts were

made to preserve the text The manuscript dates to about 1000

CE, Exact date is unknown Most scholars assume the poem

was written in about the 800s in England

describes vaguely historical events in Scandinavia from the period between 450-600 CE.

Was originally dismissed as a piece of valuable literature. Most critics said the work had no

literary merit, and studied it for its historical value.

J.R.R. Tolkien reversed this view with his influential lecture in 1936, “The Monster and Its Critics”.

dailymail.co.uk

King of the Geats,

Beowulf leaves home to help Hrothgar, King of the Danes

Instead of rhyme or meter, Anglo-Saxon poetry relies on alliteration

Lines are divided into two halves with a caesura in the middle.The halves are tied

together by alliteration

Some translations omit this in favor of meaning.

Hwæt! We Gardena         in geardagum,þeodcyninga,         þrym gefrunon, hu ða æþelingas         ellen fremedon. Oft Scyld Scefing         sceaþena

þreatum, monegum mægþum,         meodosetla

ofteah, egsode eorlas.         Syððan ærest wearð feasceaft funden,         he þæs frofre

gebad, weox under wolcnum,        

weorðmyndum þah, oðþæt him æghwylc         þara

ymbsittendra oferhronrade         hyran scolde, gomban gyldan.         þæt wæs god

cyning!

Compound poetic phrases substituted for the usual name of a person or thing Whale-road (Ocean) Slaughter-dew (blood) Spear-din (battle)

Common in Old English and Norse epics

Help with alliterationOften rely on mythological

stories for added meaningCan be combined for

greater effect Slaughter dew worm dance

(bloody battle to the death)Anglo-Saxon hallhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/anglo_saxons/stories_and_pastimes/

The inclusion of God or Christ as the object of praise/worship. 53 times in the entire

poemBiblical allusions

The FloodThe concept of

Grendel as the descendant of Cain.The poet argues that

Grendel was, like all monsters, descended from the cursed son of Adam and Eve.

http://cookit.e2bn.org/historycookbook/28-325-Life-in-saxons-vikings.html

Role of Protection Norse Society was based on

loose political relationships. A powerful warrior (a thane)

would lead a group of warriors and their families.

Often hereditary, but loose A weak thane could easily lose

his warriors. Warrior Culture.

The final goal for every warrior was to be defeated in battle.

Death by old age was not preferred

Only warriors who were killed in battle were accepted in Valhalla, the warrior “heaven” in Norse mythology.

http://pagan.wikia.com/wiki/Valhalla

Figure of speech in which understatement is employed for rhetorical effect An idea is expressed by a

denial of its opposite, often employing double negativesTo say that something is

attractive, we might say it’s “not unattractive”.

Good= Not BadLike= Not unlikeOld= Not as young as she

used to be

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http://literaryzone.com/?p=143

Descriptive terms accompanying or occurring in place of a nameWilliam the

ConquerorStar Cross’d LoversDiscreet

TelemachusOften make use of

repeated/stock phrases (clichés)

http://www.glogster.com/glog.php?glog_id=1704009&scale=54&isprofile=true

Difficult to translateOld English for a man's

good name on others' lips 'fame, praise,' or dom,

loosely meaning 'the good judgment of others,' related to the verb 'deem‘

The final goal of the heroic life.

It is no accident that the last word of the poem should be lof-geornost 'most eager for fame.'

http://meggardiner.wordpress.com/2007/12/18/beowulf/

"To achieve a place in such a world, a nobleman had to rely on his own personal strength, which is always an ambiguous force for others' good. . . . The Anglo-Saxons believed that life was a struggle against insuperable odds and that a man's wyrd or 'lot' would be what it would be. . . . . Even in early pagan days, they do not seem to have believed in a supernatural conception of Destiny. Wyrd originally meant simply 'what happens' . . . . Perhaps it was precisely because. . . life was potentially meaningless, that they looked to the heroic notion of personal fame to find the strength to resist wyrd. The Anglo-Saxons had an incomparable sense of the transience and pointlessness of mortal life. Only a man's name lived on, and then only in the mouths of others, usually the poets."

Read with the group, either silently or aloud. Aloud is recommended

because it was how this story was first told!

As you read with your group, you will keep a Reader Response Journal based on your own responses to the text, and to your group’s theme

http://theconsigliori.com/blog/2011/10/your-daily-recruiting-journal-part-1-of-a-continuing-series/

In your reading journal, you will note the following for each of the three sections of the story:

1. Reader Response: Connections you have made (to other texts you know (including films), either from this class or elsewhere, current events, events or people from your life, etc.)  You should note anything the text makes you think about as you read. 

1. Important plot points and characters, as well as those characters’ personality traits.

2. Anglo-Saxon language, such as kennings, litotes, epithets, and alliteration.  Note: It is not necessary to note every single instance; instead, focus on those that seem particularly notable.  Try to find kennings and epithets, in particular, as litotes and alliteration are dependent upon translation.

3. Your group’s theme/motif:

Include oral vs. written traits (repetition, levels of detail, action vs. description), the effects of the Anglo-Saxon writing style, and any particularly descriptive passages.

Note the style of the writer, how the original, oral story is affected by transcription, and how translation might affect this.

How are women treated by this author, vs. the men?  What “masculine” traits are used to describe the characters, and the heroes in particular? 

Consider Lof, Wyrd, and the Anglo-Saxon perception of Heroism.  Feel free to compare to Odysseus and other heroes.

Note all references to gender-related traits and gender roles.  (Women are notably sparse in this text. Don’t let that fool you: This in itself is a comment on gender roles!)

The Beowulf Poet is clearly Christian, while Beowulf himself was pagan (Norse/Teutonic religion, in this case). 

How do these two systems of belief “play” together in the text? 

Note all references to either religion, and the implications for the story.

How do the Norse and Old English cultures perceive differences? 

What is considered monstrous, and how does the supernatural play into the idea of monstrousness? 

Note all traits of the monsters or “baddies” that Beowulf faces, and compare them with the expectations and norms for the human beings in the story. 

*In addition to noting archetypes from this period of storytelling, part of this group’s job is to note how the traits of the monsters might have been traits of real animals or men from the time the story takes place: how have real things been translated through time into legendary and mythological figures?