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Lecture no. 3 BEOWULF The First Anglo-Saxon Heroic Epic Poem

[ bewlf]

Why Beowulf? Oldest full-length poem in any Germanic Language (it was written in the

vernacular, i.e. West Saxon, not in Latin) The only long Old English poem that has survived in its complete form Historical value it actually allows us to tell when it was written down in

history Literary value - it sets up the way stories are told in English culture Cultural value it lets us have a look into the wonderful ancient culture of the

Danes and Geats1, ancestors of the English people. The Manuscript - Facts

700-1020 AD / 8th-10th century (judging by the style of the language and the form of the letters)

2 scribes (because there are 2 different kinds of handwriting in the codex, one much neater than the other)

3,182 lines (which may be divided into one Prologue and forty-three sections that may stand for cantos )

It appears in the Cotton manuscript General Information Beowulf, an Old English poem of 3,182 lines, surviving in a 10th-century

manuscript. It tells of two major events in the life of the Geatish hero Beowulf: the first when, in his youth, he fights and kills first Grendel, a monster who has been attacking Heorot, the hall of the Danish king Hrothgar, and then Grendels mother who comes the next night to avenge her son; the second, 50 years later, when Beowulf, who has for a long time been king of the Geats, fights a dragon who has attacked his people, in a combat in which both Beowulf and the dragon are mortally wounded. The historical period of the poems events can be dated in the 6th century, from a reference to Beowulfs King Hygelac by the historian Gregory of Tours; but much of the material of the poem is legendary and paralleled in other Germanic historical-mythological literature in Norse, Old English, and German.

The 3182 lines in alliterative metre refer back to events occurring about 500 A.D., incorporating an impressive body of Scandinavian historical episodes as well as folk legends.

1 Geats - ancient Germanic people of Southern Sweden, conquered by the Swedes in the

6th century AD

The elements of English civilization:

the use of the harp the existence of the kings council (witan) a paved road in the Roman fashion

Two types of material went into the making of the epic: historical characters, Scandinavian chieftains, attested by documents; the supernatural realm of fairy- tales: water-monsters, fire-belching

dragons who establish kinship with Biblical characters (the monster Grendel is a descendant of Cain)

Bewoulf is the last great hero of his people/race (in a way he is a tragic figure as well as a hero )

One can notice both Christian and Pagan mixture (mixture of pagan custom with gods and monsters and Christian belief with demons and the power of God; its a story of transition)

The story had been in circulation as an oral narrative for many years before it was written.

Setting

The poem is set on the coast of Denmark (in Scandinavia) on a piece of land under contention between two groups of Scandinavian people called the Danes (living in Denmark) and the Geats (living in nowadays Sweden). These two nations are at war. They live for: -Battle -Honour -Bravery

The Plot the story revolves around 3 battles 2 parts:

1. one with the young Beowulf-the-hero 2. the other with the old Beowulf-the-king

Old world vs. new world (the old story of the hero is much more the pagan story the mighty warrior fighting the magical powers of darkness and chaos; the second is far more rooted in a new world of politics, stable government, and a king who sacrifices himself for his people)

Beowulf. Form and Structure The verses were intoned or chanted, usually with harp accompaniment. The

favourite trope/figure of speech is the kenning (a kind of compound metaphor or paraphrase, describing a thing instead of naming it). For instance: land-dwellers for people, bone-frame for body, houses mouth for door, etc.

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The story is broadly that of the Danish king Hrothgars conflict with Grendel, a monster, of whom he rid himself with the help of the Geatish hero, Beowulf.

The poem starts in the usual fashion, with the genealogy of Hrothgar, going back to an ancestor, Scyld Scefing/Schefing, whose glorious life is remembered by his people at the hour of his death. The pagan ritual of the body being entrusted to the sea on a ship loaded with weapons and treasures was confirmed by excavations.

Then, we are brought to Hrothgar, the son of Healfdene. Hrothgars building a majestic hall, Heorot, in which to entertain his escort, has something majestic about it. It is a demiurgic act of ordering a work of art into being, somehow resembling Gods creation of the world.

The heavenly and the earthly are once more brought into union through the motif of the fall: just as Cains murder of his brother brought doom upon mankind, so did the seed of evil in Heorot (the kings conflict with his son-in-law) result in unhappiness for his people (Grendels raids on his hall of thanes, whom he kills and carries away). As the code of loyalty requires it, Beowulf from Geatland (South Sweden) comes to the rescue of Hrothgar, who had been his fathers friend in youth. Although not lacking in courage, the old Danish king can no longer be expected to save his people in single combat with the infernal monster, as was the custom in a heroic society. Beowulf is young and a proved hero, who has fought monsters in the night and won perilous contests (swimming in the open sea, braving the roaring waves).

Beowulf crosses the sea, accompanied by fourteen thanes. In the light of the heroic code, the virtues celebrated in the guests are not humility or the endurance of unhappy exiles but stern-faced (serious, unsmiling) determination and proud quest/search/hunt of ambitious adventures.

Grendel: the monster is a perfect rascal/devil, because he refuses the use of weapons, like any civilized man, fighting with his hands, like a beast, and Beowulf is to confront him on equal terms, as it suits a noble thane.

The guests are warmly entertained by the king of the Danes, his queen and their thanes. During the night, the monster bursts into the hall, which has been left to Beowulf and his men, killing one of them. Beowulf, without armour or weapons, puts Grendel to flight, after mortally wounding him. The Geatish hero receives gifts from Hrothgar and a valuable necklace from the queen, which Beowulf will give to his king, Hygelac, on his return home, being in his turn rewarded with a sword and a large share in the kingdom of the Geats.

During the next night, Grendels mother comes to avenge her sons death, carrying off the kings chief counsellor. Beowulf follows the monster into her layer under the sea. He kills the monster and severs the head of Grendels corpse he finds

in the cave, bringing it to his companions as a trophy. After the death of Hygelac and that of his son at the hands of the Swedes, Beowulf succeeds to the throne proving the kindest, the most just and the most eager for fame king that has ever been. In old age he gets one mare chance to prove his courage and self-sacrifice for the good of his people. As a fire-spitting/belching dragon is ravishing/assaulting the land, he decides once more to meet the inhuman enemy in single combat. It is only Wyglaf, a young thane whom he loves as if he were his son, that helps him in his final battle, while the other warriors prove as empty and idle as Hrothgars in his old age. Beowulf kills the dragon, but he himself dies from the wounds he receives. The kings body is burnt on a pyre, and the remains are covered by a huge barrow (earthen mound raised over a grave), the dragons treasure being placed in it. The poem comes thus to a round end. Heroic Values in Beowulf

Relationship between king and his warriors/thanes The king rewards his warriors with gifts/

properties If a kinsman is slain, obligation to kill the

slayer or obtain payment (wergild) in compensation

The Hero

Beowulf = Bee + wolf/ hunter = bear (a combination of bee and wolf or hunter; one of the scariest creatures of the north was the bear)

The call (Beowulf is called away from home by the chance for fortune and glory, he acts with braveryand his ultimate goal is to die with bravery and honour)

All through the poem the hero is motivated in his deeds by the desire for lasting fame, considered in the light of the Germanic moral code, as the only remedy for the transitiveness of human destiny in this world.

The story of Beowulf may be simplified as the heros growth from youth to maturity.

In youth Beowulf acquires fame in the foreign land of Denmark by killing the monster Grendel in King Hrothgars hall and then Grendels mother in a cave under water. In so doing he is accomplishing his duty of loyalty as a thane to his lord.

In his old age Beowulf is himself a lord and protector of his people over whom he has ruled for fifty years. He fights a dragon that is devastating his kingdom and dies of the wounds after killing the dragon. All through the poem the hero is motivated in his deeds by the desire for lasting fame, considered in the light of the Germanic moral code, as the only remedy for the transitiveness of human destiny in this world.

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Aims in life -Fortune & glory -Bravery & honour -Die with honour

Themes Good vs. Evil Fate/ Wyrd King Thanes Relation Revenge (paying back a blood debt, as a part of

honour) Reward Tension between Heroic Code and Christianity

x Beowulf as a Heroic Epic Poem

No single author (it is a product of the oral tradition)

Written down after centuries of oral transmission General Characteristics 1. Beowulf was originally intended to be sung or recited to music 2. Deities and other supernatural agencies are often involved in human

affairs. 3. The poem has national interest. 4. The main characters are larger-than-life demigods (descendants of

deities) or heroes of immense stature and strength. They represent such cultural ideals are fair play and selflessness (Beowulf).

Elements of the Epic Style 1. Names are symbolic: e. g. Beowulf, Bee-Wulf (the enemy of bees, or the

Bear). 2. Long, formal speeches such as challenges, inset narratives, flashbacks,

and points of debate occur within the midst of the action; characters are commonly revealed in dialogue.

3. Speeches are often followed by such phrases as thus he spoke to emphasize that the words are those of a character and not of the narrator.

4. Since epics were composed to honour the deeds of heroic ancestors, such poems often have an aristocratic bias: peasants and servants (unless of aristocratic birth) are insignificant. For example, the churl who discovers the fire belching dragons cave in Beowulf is unnamed and is given no dialogue.

Characteristics of the Epic Hero 1. The hero is introduced in the midst of turmoil, at a point well into the

story; antecedent action will be recounted in flashbacks. 2. The hero, often a demi-god, possesses distinctive weapons of great size

and power. 3. Although his fellows may be great warriors (like Beowulf, he may have a

group of noble followers with whom he grew up), he undertakes a task that no one else dare attempt.

Explanatory Notes

West Saxon, one of the four Old English dialects that rose into literary prominence during the reign of king Alfred the Great (871-899)

thane, a professional warrior, a member of the tribal group centered around a king (cyning) whom he followed loyally to death in return to material favours

lord, also cyning (king), the military leader of a tribal group mainly constituted of kinsmen (comitatus)

LITERARY TERMS KENNING: A form of compounding in Old English poetry. In this poetic

device, the poet creates a new compound word or phrase to describe an object or activity. Specifically, this compound uses mixed imagery to describe the properties of the object in indirect, imaginative, or enigmatic ways. The resulting word is somewhat like a riddle since the reader must stop and think for a minute to determine what the object is. Kennings may involve conjoining two types of dissimilar imagery, extended metaphor, or mixed metaphor. The most famous example is whale-road as a poetic reference to the sea. Other examples include: Thor-Weapon as a reference to a smiths hammer, battle-flame as a reference to the way light shines on swords, gore-bed for a battlefield filled with motionless bodies, and word-hoard for a mans eloquence. In Beowulf, we also find bone-house for body, gold-friend of men for generous prince, flashing light for sword, and ring-giver for a lord.