Beowulf Old English Text
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Beowulf to Ancient Greece: It Is T^E First Great Work of a Nationai Literature
\eowulf is to England what Hcmer's ///ac/ and Odyssey are Beowulf to ancient Greece: it is t^e first great work of a nationai literature. Becwulf is the mythical and literary record of a formative stage of English civilization; it is also an epic of the heroic sources of English cuitu-e. As such, it uses a host of tra- ditional motifs associated with heroic literature all over the world. Liks most early heroic literature. Beowulf is oral art. it was hanaes down, with changes, and embe'lishrnents. from one min- strel to another. The stories of Beowulf, like those of all oral epics, are traditional ones, familiar to tne audiences who crowded around the harp:st-bards in the communal halls at night. The tales in the Beowulf epic are the stories of dream and legend, of monsters and of god-fashioned weapons, of descents to the underworld and of fights with dragons, of the hero's quest and of a community threat- ened by the powers of evil. Beowulf was composed in Old English, probably in Northumbria in northeast England, sometime between the years 700 and 750. The world it depicts, however, is much older, that of the early sixth century. Much of the material of the poem is based on early folk legends—some Celtic, some Scandinavian. Since the scenery de- scribes tne coast of Northumbna. not of Scandinavia, it has been A Celtic caldron. MKer-plateci assumed that the poet who wrote the version that has come down i Nl ccnlun, B.C.). to us was Northumbrian. -
The Father's Lament
The Father’s Lament: The Representation of Male Grief in Beowulf In Beowulf, the passage known as The Father’s Lament is renowned as a paragon of the Old English poetic style. In the ominous style of battle verse, it works through major Beowulfian themes and considers the complicated traditions of Anglo Saxon kinship. Some scholars have argued this passage behaves primarily as a way for Beowulf to contemplate his indecision and pressure to lead (De Looze.) I will focus less on how memory serves Beowulf, as the importance of heritage serves an important but unrelated purpose, and instead consider how The Father’s Lament demonstrates loss in the abstract. With no explicit grammatical relationship to the preceding lines, the passage behaves appositionally to the King Hrethel’s circumstance. Considering Frederic Robinson’s Beowulf in the Appositive Style, and his argument for the poet’s cultivated use of narrative dualism, it becomes necessary to investigate the poet’s intention for The Father’s Lament. I argue that the poet chose to employ an appositional approach to Hrethel’s grief out of respect for lordship, founded in the kinship of the comitatus. This touches on Beowulfian elements of moderation and loyalty, while working inside the larger theme of religious apposition. Once I have established a logic for the poet’s style in The Father’s Lament, I will question the poet’s seemingly adverse handling of King Hrothgar’s grief. In Strategies of Distinction, Walter Pohl defines the role of language and the changing utility of specific vocabularies to further layer Old English narratives. -
Mytil Nndhlstory
212 / Robert E. Bjork I chayter tt and Herebeald, the earlier swedish wars, and Daeghrefn, 242g-250ga; (26) weohstan,s slaying Eanmund in the second Swedish-wars-,2611-25a; of (27-29)Hygelac's fall, and the battle at Ravenswood in the earlier Swedish war, 2910b-98. 8. For a full discussion, see chapter I l. 9. The emendation was first suggested by Max Rieger (lg7l,4l4). MytIL nndHlstory D. Niles W loh, SU*Uryt Nineteenth-century interpret ations of B eowutf , puticululy mythology that was then in vogue' in Germany, fell underthe influence of the nature or Indo- More recently, some critics have related the poem to ancient Germanic feature b*op"un rnyih -O cult or to archetypes that are thought to be a universal of nu-un clnsciousness. Alternatively, the poem has been used as a source of the poem' knowledge concerning history. The search for either myth or history in useful however,-is attended by severe and perhaps insurmountable difficulties' More may be attempts to identify the poem as a "mythistory" that confirmed a set of fabulous values amongthe Anglo-saxons by connecting their current world to a ancesfral past. /.1 Lhronology 1833: Iohn Mitchell Kemble, offering a historical preface to his edition of the poem' locates the Geats in Schleswig. 1837: Kemble corrects his preface to reflect the influence of Jakob Grimm; he identifies the first "Beowulf" who figures in the poem as "Beaw," the agricultural deity. Karl Miillenhoff (1849b), also inspired by Grimm, identifies the poem as a Germanic meteorological myth that became garbled into a hero tale on being transplanted to England. -
Hygelac's Only Daughter: a Present, a Potentate and a Peaceweaver In
Studia Neophilologica 000: 1–7, 2006 0 Hygelac’s only daughter: a present, a potentate and a 0 peaceweaver in Beowulf 5 ALARIC HALL 5 The women of Beowulf have enjoyed extensive study in recent years, but one has 10 escaped the limelight: the only daughter of Hygelac, king of the Geats and Beowulf’s 10 lord. But though this daughter is mentioned only fleetingly, a close examination of the circumstances of her appearance and the words in which it is couched affords new perspectives on the role of women in Beowulf and on the nature of Hygelac’s kingship. Hygelac’s only daughter is given as part of a reward to Hygelac’s retainer 15 Eofor for the slaying of the Swedish king Ongentheow. Beowulf refers to this reward 15 with the unique noun ofermaðmas, traditionally understood to mean ‘‘great treasures’’. I argue, however, that ofermaðmas at least potentially means ‘‘excessive treasures’’. Developing this reading implies a less favourable assessment of Hygelac’s actions here than has previously been inferred. I argue further that the excess in 20 Hygelac’s treasure-giving derives specifically from his gift of his only daughter, and 20 the consequent loss to the Geats of the possibility of a diplomatic marriage through which they might end their feud with the Swedes. A reconsideration of Hygelac’s only daughter, then, offers new perspectives on the semantics of ofermaðum,on Hygelac’s kingship, and on women in Beowulf. 25 Hygelac’s daughter is mentioned in the speech which is delivered by the messenger 25 who announces Beowulf’s death to the Geats after Beowulf’s dragon-fight. -
Beowulf Translation by Seamus Heaney So. the Spear-Danes in Days Gone by and the Kings Who Ruled Them Had Courage and Greatness
Beowulf Translation by Seamus Heaney So. The Spear-Danes in days gone by And the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness. We have heard of those princes’ heroic campaigns. There was Shield Sheafson, scourge of many tribes, A wrecker of mead-benches, rampaging among foes. This terror of the hall-troops had come far. A foundling to start with, he would flourish later on As his powers waxed and his worth was proved. In the end each clan on the outlying coasts Beyond the whale-road had to yield to him 10 And begin to pay tribute. That was one good king. Afterwards a boy-child was born to Shield, A cub in the yard, a comfort sent By God to that nation. He knew what they had tholed, The long times and troubles they’d come through Without a leader; so the Lord of Life, The glorious Almighty, made this man renowned. Shield had fathered a famous son: Beow’s name was known through the north. And a young prince must be prudent like that, 20 Giving freely while his father lives So that afterwards in age when fighting starts Steadfast companions will stand beside him And hold the line. Behavior that’s admired Is the path to power among people everywhere. Shield was still thriving when his time came And he crossed over into the Lord’s keeping. His warrior band did what he bade them When he laid down the law among the Danes: They shouldered him out to the sea’s flood, 30 The chief they revered who had long ruled them. -
Dating Beowulf
4 Beowulf as Wayland’s work: thinking, feeling, making James Paz But send thou to Hygelac, if the war have me, The best of all war-shrouds that now my breast wardeth, The goodliest of railings, the good gift of Hrethel, The hand-work of Weland. Tale of Beowulf, trans. William Morris1 I have long been enamoured with the material culture of Beowulf, with the lovely and almost loving descriptions of swords, helms, cups, tapestries, coats of mail, hoards of gold. More recently, I have become intrigued by the craftworkers behind these artefacts, the carpenters, masons, weavers and embroiderers, glassworkers and leatherworkers, and especially the smiths. But what have solid, inanimate artefacts and the hard, manual labour that goes into making those artefacts got to do with intimacy? How can we think about feeling through making? One of the challenges of this collection is to read Beowulf in a more personal way. Although I had not given it much thought before, this challenge made me wonder whether my own working-class background might lie behind my love for the artefactual. I am a first-generation scholar, the first in my family to attend university, let alone pursue postgraduate studies. The norm was for men to leave school at sixteen (or younger) and find a trade, which they would remain in for the rest of their lives. My entry into middle-class academia might be viewed as a ‘success story’ or as evidence of ‘upward’ social mobility, and I am grateful for the chances that have been given to me, for being able to follow pathways that were not always open to those who came before me. -
Links Between Landowners and the State,” “The Field of Old English—The Nature of the Language, and Between “Landlordship and Peasant Life” (158)
OLD ENGLISH NEWSLETTER Published for The Old English Division of the Modern Language Association of America by The Department of English, University of Tennessee, Knoxville VOLUME 42 NUMBER 1 & 2 2009 ISSN 0030-1973 Old English Newsletter Volume 42 Number 1 & 2 2009 Editor R. M. Liuzza, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Associate Editors Year’s Work in Old English Studies: Daniel Donoghue, Harvard University Bibliography: Thomas Hall, University of Notre Dame Contributing Editors Research in Progress: Heide Estes, Monmouth University Conference Abstracts: Dana Oswald, University of Wisconsin, Parkside Bibliography: Melinda Menzer, Furman University Editorial Board Patrick W. Conner, West Virginia University Antonette diPaolo Healey, Dictionary of Old English David F. Johnson, Florida State University Catherine Karkov, University of Leeds Ursula Lenker, University of Munich Mary Swan, University of Leeds Assistant to the Editor: Teresa Hooper The Old English Newsletter (ISSN 0030-1973) is published for the Old English Division of the Modern Language As- sociation by the Department of English, University of Tennessee, 301 McClung Tower, Knoxville, TN, 37996-0430; email [email protected]. The generous support of the Department of English at The University of Tennessee is gratefully acknowledged. Subscriptions: The rate for institutions is $20 US per volume; the rate for individuals is $15 per volume, but in order to reduce administrative costs the editors ask individuals to pay for two volumes at once at the discounted rate of $25. Individual back issues can be ordered for $5 each. All payments must be made in US dollars. A subscription form is online at www.oenewsletter.org/OEN/subscription_form.pdf. -
Beowulf | by Anonymous Translated by Francis B
BEOWULF | BY ANONYMOUS TRANSLATED BY FRANCIS B. GUMMERE www.studysync.com | 610 Daniel Young Drive, Sonoma, CA 95476 © 2015 BookheadEd Learning, LLC CONTENTS PRELUDE OF THE FOUNDER OF THE DANISH HOUSE 5 I 7 II 9 III 11 IV 13 V 15 VI 17 VII 20 VII 22 IX 24 X 27 XI 29 BEOWULF 2 XII 32 XIII 34 XIV 37 XV 39 XVI 41 XVII 43 XVIII 45 XIX 47 XX 49 XXI 51 XXII 54 XXIII 57 XXIV 60 XXV 63 XXVI 65 XXVII 67 BEOWULF 3 XXVIII 69 XXIX 74 XXX 76 XXXI 79 XXXII 82 XXXIII 84 XXXIV 88 XXXV 91 XXXVI 93 XXXVII 95 XXXVIII 97 XXXIX 99 XL 102 XLI 105 FOOTNOTES 107 BEOWULF 4 PRELUDE OF THE FOUNDER OF THE DANISH HOUSE 1. LO, praise of the prowess of people-kings 2. of spear-armed Danes, in days long sped, 3. we have heard, and what honor the athelings won! 4. Oft Scyld the Scefing from squadroned foes, 5. from many a tribe, the mead-bench tore, 6. awing the earls. Since erst he lay 7. friendless, a foundling, fate repaid him: 8. for he waxed under welkin, in wealth he throve, 9. till before him the folk, both far and near, 10. who house by the whale-path, heard his mandate, 11. gave him gifts: a good king he! 12. To him an heir was afterward born, 13. a son in his halls, whom heaven sent 14. to favor the folk, feeling their woe 15. that erst they had lacked an earl for leader 16. -
The Beowulf Poet's Accommodation of Pre-Christian Germanic Culture
University of Mississippi eGrove Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2014 The Beowulf Poet's Accommodation Of Pre-Christian Germanic Culture Walter Beverly University of Mississippi Follow this and additional works at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd Part of the Medieval Studies Commons Recommended Citation Beverly, Walter, "The Beowulf Poet's Accommodation Of Pre-Christian Germanic Culture" (2014). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 544. https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/544 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at eGrove. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of eGrove. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE BEOWULF POET’S ACCOMMODATION OF PRE-CHRISTIAN GERMANIC CULTURE A Thesis presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of English The University of Mississippi by Walter B. Beverly, Jr. May 2014 Copyright Walter B. Beverly, Jr. 2014 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT Since the beginning of Beowulf scholarship, much debate has been given to whether the poet emphasizes the paganism of his pre-Christian characters, or the Christianity practiced by himself and his audience. Proponents for each stance have given sound arguments, often through comparing Beowulf to other works of heroic Germanic literature, particularly Icelandic sagas and Eddic poetry. In this thesis, I, myself compare Beowulf to works such as Volsunga Saga, Hrolfssaga Kraka and Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda. As I acknowledge and expand on prior scholarship, I argue that the Beowulf poet portrays pre-Christian Germanic society as one accommodated within his own, by showing how the poet develops his hero according to virtues from the pre-Christian past, and which were still celebrated by his contemporary audience. -
Francis Leneghan, <I>The Dynastic Drama Of</I> Beowulf. Woodbridge
Mediaevistik 33 . 2020 423 für Spielfrauen, Minnelieder vorzutra- Francis Leneghan, The Dynastic Dra- gen, d.h. öffentlich am Hof aufzutreten? ma of Beowulf. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Dafür liegen einige Belege vor, wie auch D. S. Brewer, 2020, xxi, 300 pp. die bisherige Forschung vereinzelt her- This is an intelligent study but less one vorgehoben hat (vgl. W. Haubrichs, Die of dynastic drama than an eager appli- Spielleute im Mittelalter, 2003; nur in cation of Christian kingship tropes to einer Anm., nicht in der Bibliographie Beowulf, as those tropes appear in the verzeichnet). Der Begriff, “androgyne biblical Books of Kings (1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Strophe,” hier eingesetzt für solche, wo Kings). Beowulf mentions many peoples, weder eine männliche noch eine weib- if only briefly. However, three are featu- liche Stimme eindeutig bestimmt wer- red extensively, Scyldings or Danes, the den kann, erweist sich als heuristisch Scylfings or Swedes, and the Hrethlings sehr nützlich, denn, wie Lahr immer or Geats, Beowulf’s people. Of course, wieder gut herausarbeitet, dieser frühe Leneghan treats the rise of the Scyldings, Minnesang ist durch erheblich mehr an a three-generation dynasty centered on Nuancen im Tonfall charakterisiert, als Hrothgar, his great hall, Heorot, which wir es bisher wahrhaben wollten, wozu Grendel terrorizes, and his Danes; then entscheidend der Einsatz von Dialog und he treats Swedish Scylfings, also at least Wechsel beiträgt. Die Autorin betont three generations, and then the troubles of zugleich, dass hier das Publikum stets the Hrethlings (the Geats), from Hrethel miteinbezogen wird, aber worin besteht to his sons, and to his grandson, Beowulf, dann der Unterschied zum hohen oder who as a young champion voyages to He- späten Minnesang, abgesehen von der orot in response to Grendel’s terror. -
The Year's Work in Old English Studies 2005 Contributors
OLD ENGLISH NEWSLETTER Published for The Old English Division of the Modern Language Association of America by The Department of English, University of Tennessee, Knoxville VOLUME 40 NUMBER 2 Winter 2007 ISSN 0030-1973 Old English Newsletter Volume 40 Number 2 Winter 2007 Editor R. M. Liuzza, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Associate Editors Year’s Work in Old English Studies: Daniel Donoghue, Harvard University Bibliography: Thomas Hall, University of Notre Dame Contributing Editors Research in Progress: Heide Estes, Monmouth University Conference Abstracts: Robert Butler, Alcorn State University Bibliography: Melinda Menzer, Furman University Editorial Board Patrick W. Conner, West Virginia University Antonette diPaolo Healey, Dictionary of Old English David F. Johnson, Florida State University Catherine Karkov, University of Leeds Ursula Lenker, University of Munich Mary Swan, University of Leeds Assistant to the Editor: Teresa Hooper The Old English Newsletter (ISSN 0030-1973) is published for the Old English Division of the Modern Language Asso- ciation by the Department of English, University of Tennessee, 301 McClung Tower, Knoxville, TN, 37996-0430; email [email protected]. The generous support of the International Society of Anglo-Saxonists and the Department of English at The University of Tennessee is gratefully acknowledged. Subscriptions: The rate for institutions is $20 US per volume; the rate for individuals is $15 per volume, but in order to reduce administrative costs the editors ask individuals to pay for two volumes at once at the discounted rate of $25. Individual back issues can be ordered for $5 each. All payments must be made in US dollars. A subscription form is online at http://www.oenewsletter.org/OEN/subscription_form.pdf. -
Beowulf (Prose Version)
Beowulf by Anonymous All new material ©2008 Enotes.com Inc. or its Licensors. All Rights Reserved. No portion may be reproduced without permission in writing from the publisher. For complete copyright information please see the online version of this text at http://www.enotes.com/beowulf-text Table of Contents Notes.....................................................................................................................................................................1 Reading Pointers for Sharper Insight...............................................................................................................3 Prelude of the Founder of the Danish House....................................................................................................6 Chapter I..............................................................................................................................................................7 Chapter II............................................................................................................................................................8 Chapter III...........................................................................................................................................................9 Chapter IV.........................................................................................................................................................10 Chapter V..........................................................................................................................................................11