Beowulf
(c. 9th century)
What do I need to read?
“Beowulf”
The opening lines of Beowulf in Old English:
Hwæt! We Gardena
þeodcyninga,
hu ða æþelingas
Oft Scyld Scefing
in geardagum,
þrym gefrunon,
ellen fremedon.
sceaþena þreatum,
monegum mægþum,
egsode eorlas.
feasceaft funden,
weox under wolcnum,
oðþæt him æghwylc
meodosetla ofteah,
Syððan ærest wearð
he þæs frofre gebad,
weorðmyndum þah,
þara ymbsittendra
ofer hronrade
gomban gyldan.
Ðæm eafera wæs
geong in geardum,
folce to frofre;
hyran scolde,
þæt wæs god cyning!
æfter cenned,
þone god sende
fyrenðearfe ongeat
þe hie ær drugon
lange hwile.
wuldres wealdend,
Beowulf wæs breme
Scyldes eafera
aldorlease
Him þæs liffrea,
woroldare forgeaf;
(blæd wide sprang),
Scedelandum in.
5
10
15
Who are the characters in this story?
The Danes (also called the Scyldings)
Hrothgar, king of Denmark
Wealhtheow, his wife and queen
Freawaru, their daughter
Wulfgar, official at Hrothgar’s court
Unferth, heckler of Beowulf
Aeschere, retainer of Hrothgar
Heorot Hall, Danish mead hall
Hrothulf, nephew of Hrothgar
Hildeburh, married to Finn (Frisian)
Hnaef, Hildeburh’s brother
Hengest, leader after Hnaef dies
Heremod, wicked king of the Danes
Danish Monsters
Grendel, killed by Beowulf
Grendel’s mother, killed by Beowulf
The Geats (also called Weder people, southern Sweden)
Beowulf, hero of the poem
Hygelac, king of the Geats, son of Hrethel
Hygd, his wife and queen
Wiglaf, Beowulf’s loyal young retainer
Hrethel, Beowulf’s maternal grandfather
Herebeald, eldest son of Hrethel
Haethcyn, second son of Hrethel
Geatish Monster
Fire Dragon, killed by Beowulf and Wiglaf
The Heathobards
Froda, king of the Heathobards
Ingeld, his son and prince, ultimately married to Freawaru (Danish)
The Frisians
Finn, married to Hildeburh (Danish)
The Brondings
Breca, swimmer in contest with Beowulf as a youth
The Angles
Offa, good king married to shrewish Thryth whom he tames
The Swedes (also called the Scylfings)
Ongentheow, king of the Swedes
Onela, king of the Swedes and son of Ongentheow
Ohthere, son of Ongentheow
Eadgils, son of Ohthere
Other Heroes
Sigemund, dragon slayer
Fitela, his nephew
Names of Swords
Hrunting, Unferth’s sword (Danish)
Naegling, Beowulf’s sword (Geatish)
Where did this story come from?
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Beowulf is the earliest European vernacular epic (in the language of the local
people)
It is a heroic poem illustrating Norse philosophy
It is considered the highest achievement of Old English/Anglo-Saxon literature
The Norse poets’ work was largely obliterated by priests of Christianity who
hated pagans and destroyed their writings
There are several major remaining Norse sagas and epics:
• English: Beowulf
• German: The Nibelungenlied
• Iceland: The Eddas
The first page of an original manuscript of Beowulf
What is the Norse philosophy?
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All men, even the strongest and noblest, are fated to unhappiness
Sorrow is man’s heritage
The best way to meet it is to fight courageously
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There are no happy endings
The world is harsh, bleak, and cold
Victory is possible in death
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For Anglo-Saxons, conversion to Christianity did not alter views of life and
death
They simply added Christianity to the heroic code
This warrior code was so deeply rooted that the Christian church had to
condone the blood feud to the end of the Anglo-Saxon period
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Beowulf is a product of this blending of old and new
How is the story told?
 the ship burial of the Danish king Shild and his story are told
 his royal descendants are listed, down to Hrothgar, who builds Heorot Hall
 note: the Beo mentioned in this section is not our hero Beowulf
 Heorot is ravaged by the monster Grendel
 Beowulf arrives and offers to wait for Grendel
 Beowulf's background is told
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Beowulf vanquishes Grendel
the hall celebrates with speeches and gift-giving
Heorot is invaded by Grendel's mother
Beowulf fights with her underwater and kills her
 there is renewed celebration
 Beowulf takes leave of Hrothgar and returns home
 Beowulf reports his journey to his uncle King Higlac
 some years later, after the death of Higlac and his successors, Beowulf becomes
King
 Beowulf fights with and defeats the dragon, but his wounds are fatal
 Wiglaf receives Beowulf's directions for a funeral and memorial
What are the elements of the Christian tradition?
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Man must obey God
Man must observe God’s laws
Pride should be avoided
There is more connection to the strictness of the Old Testament than to the
forgiveness of the New Testament
What are the elements of the pagan tradition?
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The love of war is valued
Courage and loyalty are important virtues
Feuds are necessary to protect lives and property
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The comitatus (see below) and family loyalties are necessary alliances
There is a concern with supernatural elements (monsters, dragons) and workings
of fate
these pagan elements are seen in poem in Beowulf’s funeral, frequent allusions
to fate, and Beowulf’s concern with worldly glory as a means to immortality
(much like Achilles)
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Beowulf acts as an admirable Christian except when Christianity and the
warrior code conflict; then Christianity loses:
“Beowulf, son of Ecgtheow, spoke:
‘Wise sir, do not grieve. It is always better to avenge dear ones than to
indulge in mourning. For every one of us, living in this world means waiting for
our end. Let whoever can, win glory before death. When a warrior is gone,
that will be his best and only bulwark.”’ (lines 1383-1389)
What is the concept of comitatus?
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this is a voluntary band of loyal retainers who fight with a king
they are hired as a private army
these are men of courage and bravery
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they are rewarded by the king with the riches of battle, food, and shelter
the king is provided with the troops he needs to maintain his position
this mutual-needs relationship is vital to all concerned
How is Heorot Hall used?
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it has an important role in the story and in the lives of these warriors
it is used as a center for the comitatus, a clubhouse, a dining room, and a
dormitory
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it is used for banquets such as the one after Grendel’s death to show the
splendor of Danish civilization
this banquet also shows the harmonious relationship of the feasters
the hall is also a place for the performance of rituals and awarding of gifts
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Heorot Hall
Why is the Shield/Scyld story included?
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It predicts and foreshadows Beowulf’s story
It also shows the demands for a hero: the strength to fight, heirs to continue,
generosity to win loyalty
Shield/Scyld is shown as a shield, protector
The images of funerals (Shield’s/Scyld’s and Beowulf’s) open and close the epic
How are the monsters used?
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they are pagan signs of the unknown
they represent unnamed fears
they set the scene and show a need for a hero
How is Beowulf presented as a hero?
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He humbly refuses to assume the throne of the Geats (his own people) until the
line of Hygelac has run out
He is ready to fight Grendel and the monster in Hrothgar’s court when no one
else can beat them
He has mastery of the sea
He has control and self-discipline
He has the necessary duty to responsibility
How are images of light and dark used?
Images of Dark
• These are associated with Grendel
• Grendel’s darkness represents the blindness of moral confusion, of uncertainty,
of fearful ideas
Grendel
Wiglaf slaying the dragon
Images of Light
• These are associated with Beowulf
• It is dawn when Beowulf wins a victory over the sea monsters
• It is dawn when Beowulf sights land when he is swimming with Breca
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Dawn is seen as God’s beacon
Bright mornings represent victory, a return home
There is a light in hall after Grendel’s mother’s death
Why does Beowulf die in this way?
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His death is seen by some as a result of hubris or greed
Yet it can also be seen as an obligatory “good death” of a saintly figure
He dies in battle to save his people
He leads a heroic life crowned with a heroic death
What do I need to know?
1.
2.
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4.
How does Beowulf compare to Achilles or Odysseus as an epic hero?
How does the poem show both pagan and Christian features?
How is Beowulf an epic?
How do images of light and dark parallel the themes of the story?
Trivia:
Most of the names in Beowulf are compound words:
Hrothgar
glory + spear
Hrethric
glory + kingdom/empire
(ric is the origin of the Modern German Reich)
Hrothmund glory + hand/protection
Heorogar
army + spear
Ecgtheow
sword + servant
Beowulf
bear + wolf
One of the greatest critics of Anglo-Saxon literature, especially Beowulf, is J.R.R.
Tolkien, the author of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, who based the characters and
languages of his epic story on Beowulf and other medieval writings.
To hear Old English spoken:
http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/changlang/activities/lang/beowulf/beowulfpage1.
html
The 1999 film The Thirteenth Warrior (with Antonio Banderas) presents a similar
story of 12 Norse warriors fighting for Hrothgar against the monster Wendol,
although it includes (inexplicably) an Arab fighting with the Norsemen. Based on
Michael Crichton’s novel Eaters of the Dead.
The film Beowulf & Grendel was released in 2006 with Gerard Butler as Beowulf.
It presents Beowulf as decidedly more Christian than pagan and Grendel as a
wronged primitive man understandably seeking revenge for his family. Very
authentic setting and acting, including a poet formulating the Beowulf legend and
quoting from the written epic.
The 2007 film Beowulf is cinematically interesting, but it is not at all accurate.