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Volume 18 Number 2 Article 8 Spring 4-15-1992 Loss and Recompense: Responsibilities in Beowulf Sarah Beach Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore Part of the Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons Recommended Citation Beach, Sarah (1992) "Loss and Recompense: Responsibilities in Beowulf," Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 18 : No. 2 , Article 8. Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol18/iss2/8 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Mythopoeic Society at SWOSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature by an authorized editor of SWOSU Digital Commons. An ADA compliant document is available upon request. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To join the Mythopoeic Society go to: http://www.mythsoc.org/join.htm Mythcon 51: A VIRTUAL “HALFLING” MYTHCON July 31 - August 1, 2021 (Saturday and Sunday) http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-51.htm Mythcon 52: The Mythic, the Fantastic, and the Alien Albuquerque, New Mexico; July 29 - August 1, 2022 http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-52.htm Abstract Examines “the importance of communal responsibilities, particularly dealing with matters of loss and recompense” in the supporting narrative material of the Beowulf poem. This theme provides “a key for understanding the relationship between the main events of the poem and the supporting sub-stories.” Additional Keywords Beowulf—Social and political aspects; Loss; Recompense; Responsibility This article is available in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol18/iss2/8 CPyTHLORC Issue 68 - Spuing 1992 Page 55 SaRah Beach INTRODUCTION The opening of Beowulf, with its description of Scyld Loss and recompense play important parts in much of Scefing andhis glorious descendants does more than just Old English literature. The balance between the two is set the scene of Hrothgar's Heorot. It emphasizes the im­ often central to the society presented by that literature. The portance of the lord to his people from the very beginning balancing of losses depends largely upon the correct ful­ of the poem. The opening lines describe how Scyld, alone, fillment of a person's responsibilities. In Beowulf, the inter­ came to the Danes, and became their lord. In time, a son connection of responsibilities weaves the three main was bom to him," one God sende / folce to frofre" (13-14) episodes of the poem into one tapestry. Responsibilities to ["whom God had sent / to comfort the people"].2 Indeed, retainers, responsibilities to lord, responsibilities to kin — both father and son were sent as comfort to the Danes, a stretching even so far as responsibility to man-kind —are consolation — one could even say, a recompense. As the each in turn explored in the poem. poet continues: "fyren earfe ongeat, / aet hie aer dragon aldorlease / lange hwile" (14-16) [”—well had He seen / One of the main problems involved in a study of the sinful distress they suffered earlier, leaderless for Beowulf is the apparent discontinuity between the main long"]. To be "aldorlease", lordless, is presented from the action of the work and the numerous sub-stories1 which beginning of the work as a grievous condition. dot the narration. The main argument of this article sup­ ports the contention that the two central elements of the Much later in the poem, the lordless, kinless state is re­ poem, Beowulf's three adventures and the supporting emphasized. Just prior to Beowulf's fight with the dragon, narrative material, are interrelated. A close study of the the poet introduces a passage which has been called "The supporting material reveals the relationship, even to the Lay of the Last Survivor." Within this passage, the poet point of explaining why Beowulf is presented so complete­ creates an emotional description of one who no longer has ly as a monster-fighter. The key lies in examining the a community. He ends his days amidst the treasure his lord importance of communal responsibilities, particularly and kinsmen had gathered in their days of glory. dealing with matters of loss and recompense. EallehTedeaft fomam aerran maelum, ond se an 5 a gen I. LORD AND RETAINER leoda duguSe, se Sser lengest hwearf, One of the most important elements of Anglo-Saxon weard winegeomor, wende ]?aes ylcan, life was a man's relationship to his lord and kin. The >aet hg lytel faec longgestreona various aspects of these relationships are widely treated in bracanmoste. (2236-2241) Old English literature. Perhaps the most poignant expres­ sion of the loss of lord and kin occurs in The Wanderer. In [Death swept them off that poem, the narrator grieves for his lost kin and his dead in those distant times, and the one man left of the nation's war-troop who survived the longest, lord, and expresses the hope of finding some lord who will treat him with kindness. mourning his friends, knew his fate, that a short time only would he enjoy In Beowulf the relationships of lord and retainer and kin the heaped treasures.] supply supporting material to the story of the monster­ The Last Survivor was perhaps an older man, beyond the fighting hero. Repeatedly, matters of loyalty to lord and age of seeking a new lord. Unlike the narrator of The responsibility to kin are the subjects of the sub-stories. Wanderer, the Last Survivor stays with the inanimate rem­ From the opening scene to the closing funeral comments, nants of his community. In doing so, he avoids presenting the importance of the lord figures prominently in the to the world the appearance of a man who has lost his lord, his ring-giver. In Anglo-Saxon society, the life of the exile was an The fact that the lord is expected to bestow gifts on his undesired fate. Yet, even more undesirable, because more followers is presented early in the poem. harmful to the community, was the fate of being leaderless. The "wine-dryhten" ["friendly lord"] was important for Swa sceal geong guma gode gewyreean, social stability. fromum feohgiftum on faeder bearme, Page 56_______________________________ Issue 68 - SpRing 1992 CPyTHLORe >aet hine on ylde eft gewunigen eaxlgesteallan, o y p x t he ana hwearf, wilgesl^as, £onne wig cume, mjere ^eoden mondreamum from, leode gelSsten; lofdSdum sceal fceah >e hine mihtig God maegenes wynnum, in mig^a gehwaere man ge^eon. (20-25) eafe^um stepte, ofer ealle men fori) gefremede. (1709-1718) [So ought a young man, in his father's household, treasure up the future by his goods and goodness, [Not so was Heremod by splendid bestowals, so that later in life to the sons of Ecgwela, the Honor-Scyldings; his chosen men stand by him in turn, grew not to their joy, but killed Danish men his retainers serve him when war comes. in his own hall, bloodily. Swollen in heart, By such generosity any man prospers.] he cut down companions, raging at table, till exiled, alone, a famous prince, This passage emphasizes the necessity for a lord (or one was sent from man's joys, notoriously bad, who will be a lord) of accumulating treasure; not for the though God had given him the joys of great strength, sake of owning treasure, but for the purpose of making had set him, mighty, above all men.] gifts to retainers. As the last line of the passage points out, generosity insures prosperity. Heremod's abuse of his retainers eventually caused him to be cast out of his community. From the height of being the Generosity alone, however, will not insure that a lord lord of the Danes he fell to become one of the wanderers, will gain reliable retainers. A lord of no reputation is not an exile, a man "aldorlease". likely to collect strong warriors as followers. A victorious battle-lord will gain many retainers. The poet makes this Heremod is not an isolated example, however. In a point while setting the scene for the confrontation in latter part of the poem, the poet briefly mentions the story Heorot. He describes Hrothgar as such a lord. of Modthrytho (or Thrytho), wife of Offa, as a contrast to the goodness of Hygd. Modthrytho would cause her 7 3 a waes Hro gare heresped gyfen, father's retainers to be put to death, for alleged abuses of wlges weorSmynd, him his winemagas her person. In doing this, she was both disrupting her geome hyrdon, o3&paet seo geogo8 geweox, father's bond to his retainers and abusing her own magodriht micel. (64-67) privileges as a king's daughter. Although we are told that [Then Hrothgar was given victory in battle, she reformed her ways when she wed, the poet offers a such honor in war that the men of his house condemnation of her earlier behavior: eagerly served him, while younger kinsmen grew into strength.] Ne bi6 swylc cwenfic ]?eaw idese to efnanne, ]?eah 6e hTo aenlieu sy, Because he is a successful war-lord, Hrothgar draws war­ paette freoSuwebbe feores onsaece riors to himself. As his court is still called "great" when aefterligetome leofne mannan. (1940-1943) Beowulf visits it, one can assume that even into his old age [Not queenly Hrothgar maintained the recommended liberality. customs in a lady, however beautiful— Yet, a reputation as a strong warrior coupled with to take the lives of beloved men, open-handedness might not be enough to keep the bond a woman, peace-weaver, inventing false charges.] of loyalty between retainer and lord.
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