Marking Boundaries in Beowulf: Ęschere's Head, Grendel's Arm And
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The Battle with Grendel
That Herot would be his to command. And then He declared: 385 ' "No one strange to this land Has ever been granted what I've given you, No one in all the years of my rule. Make this best of all mead-halls yours, and then Keep it free of evil, fight 390 With glory in your heart! Purge Herot And your ship will sail home with its treasure-holds full." . The feast ends. Beowulf and his men take the place of Hrothgar's followers and lie down to sleep in Herot. Beowulf, however, is wakeful, eager to meet his enemy. The Battle with Grendel 8 Out from the marsh, from the foot of misty Hills and bogs, bearing God's hatred, Grendel came, hoping to kill 395 Anyone he could trap on this trip to high Herot. He moved quickly through the cloudy night, Up from his swampland, sliding silently Toward that gold-shining hall. He had visited Hrothgar's Home before, knew the way— 4oo But never, before nor after that night, Found Herot defended so firmly, his reception So harsh. He journeyed, forever joyless, Bronze coin showing a Straight to the door, then snapped it open, warrior killing a monster. Tore its iron fasteners with a touch, 405 And rushed angrily over the threshold. He strode quickly across the inlaid Floor, snarling and fierce: His eyes Gleamed in the darkness, burned with a gruesomeX Light. Then he stopped, seeing the hall 4io Crowded with sleeping warriors, stuffed With rows of young soldiers resting together. And his heart laughed, he relished the sight, Intended to tear the life from those bodies By morning; the monster's mind was hot 415 With the thought of food and the feasting his belly Would soon know. -
Uncovering the Origins of Grendel's Mother by Jennifer Smith 1
Smith 1 Ides, Aglæcwif: That’s No Monster, That’s My Wife! Uncovering the Origins of Grendel’s Mother by Jennifer Smith 14 May 1999 Grendel’s mother has often been relegated to a secondary role in Beowulf, overshadowed by the monstrosity of her murderous son. She is not even given a name of her own. As Keith Taylor points out, “none has received less critical attention than Grendel’s mother, whom scholars of Beowulf tend to regard as an inherently evil creature who like her son is condemned to a life of exile because she bears the mark of Cain” (13). Even J. R. R. Tolkien limits his ground-breaking critical treatment of the poem and its monsters to a discussion of Grendel and the dragon. While Tolkien does touch upon Grendel’s mother, he does so only in connection with her infamous son. Why is this? It seems likely from textual evidence and recent critical findings that this reading stems neither from authorial intention nor from scribal error, but rather from modern interpretations of the text mistakenly filtered through twentieth-century eyes. While outstanding debates over the religious leanings of the Beowulf poet and the dating of the poem are outside the scope of this essay, I do agree with John D. Niles that “if this poem can be attributed to a Christian author composing not earlier than the first half of the tenth century […] then there is little reason to read it as a survival from the heathen age that came to be marred by monkish interpolations” (137). -
Tolkien's Creative Technique: <I>Beowulf</I> and <I>The Hobbit</I>
Volume 15 Number 3 Article 1 Spring 3-15-1989 Tolkien's Creative Technique: Beowulf and The Hobbit Bonniejean Christensen Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore Part of the Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons Recommended Citation Christensen, Bonniejean (1989) "Tolkien's Creative Technique: Beowulf and The Hobbit," Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 15 : No. 3 , Article 1. Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol15/iss3/1 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 Asserts that “The Hobbit, differing greatly in tone, is nonetheless a retelling of the incidents that comprise the plot and the digressions in both parts of Beowulf.” However, his retelling is from a Christian point of view. Additional Keywords Beowulf—Influence on The Hobbit; olkien,T J.R.R. -
Swā Hwæt? Percorsi Interpretativi E Scelte Traduttive Di Una ‘Parola Fantasma’
Tradurre: un viaggio nel tempo Maria Grazia Cammarota Swā hwæt? Percorsi interpretativi e scelte traduttive di una ‘parola fantasma’ Marina Buzzoni (Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italia) Abstract Under the most common interpretation, Old English hwæt, the very first word of the epic poem Beowulf, is to be considered as an interjection (e.g. Lo!). After discussing two theoretical posi- tions that depart from this traditional assumption, i.e. the exclamative hypothesis (Walkden 2013) and the pragmatic marker hypothesis (Brinton 1996, 2017), this study aims at taking into considera- tion the hermeneutical and translational implications of the aforementioned theories. It will also be claimed that a virtuous synthesis of the two positions is not impossible; therefore, new translations of ancient texts are called for, in which such synthesis can be pursued. Sommario 1 Premessa. – 2 L’ipotesi esclamativa. – 2.1 Su aat. (h)waz. – 2.2 Rese testuali in antico inglese. – 3 L’ipotesi pragmatica. – 4 Conclusioni. Keywords Old English. Hwæt-hypotheses. Theory and practice of translation. 1 Premessa La ricerca linguistica ha a lungo dibattuto sulle proprietà sintattiche delle parole wh- e, nello specifico, del termine ags. hwæt, as. huat, aisl. hvat, aat. (h)waz che, in particolare nel suo uso non argomentale e non inter- rogativo – attestato in pressoché tutte le lingue germaniche antiche con la sola apparente eccezione del gotico –,1 continua a causare ai traduttori notevoli difficoltà interpretative. 1 Uso non argomentale e interrogativo (con significato analogo a ingl. why, how): Heliand 5158, huat uuili thu thes nu sôken te ûs? (Perché ti lamenti di ciò [= di avere venduto Cristo per denaro] presso di noi?); Murphy 1992, 170: «Why are you coming to see us about this?». -
Anglo-Saxon Literary Landscapes Literary Anglo-Saxon
ENVIRONMENTAL HUMANITIES IN PRE-MODERN CULTURES Estes Anglo-Saxon Literary Landscapes Heide Estes Anglo-Saxon Literary Landscapes Ecotheory and the Environmental Imagination Anglo-Saxon Literary Landscapes Environmental Humanities in Pre‑modern Cultures This series in environmental humanities offers approaches to medieval, early modern, and global pre-industrial cultures from interdisciplinary environmental perspectives. We invite submissions (both monographs and edited collections) in the fields of ecocriticism, specifically ecofeminism and new ecocritical analyses of under-represented literatures; queer ecologies; posthumanism; waste studies; environmental history; environmental archaeology; animal studies and zooarchaeology; landscape studies; ‘blue humanities’, and studies of environmental/natural disasters and change and their effects on pre-modern cultures. Series Editor Heide Estes, University of Cambridge and Monmouth University Editorial Board Steven Mentz, St. John’s University Gillian Overing, Wake Forest University Philip Slavin, University of Kent Anglo-Saxon Literary Landscapes Ecotheory and the Environmental Imagination Heide Estes Amsterdam University Press Cover illustration: © Douglas Morse Cover design: Coördesign, Leiden Layout: Crius Group, Hulshout Amsterdam University Press English-language titles are distributed in the US and Canada by the University of Chicago Press. isbn 978 90 8964 944 7 e-isbn 978 90 4852 838 7 doi 10.5117/9789089649447 nur 617 | 684 | 940 Creative Commons License CC BY NC ND (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0) The author / Amsterdam University Press B.V., Amsterdam 2017 Some rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, any part of this book may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise). -
Durham, 1977. Annual Report
•« Archives :.-. -Sfti 352.07 D96 1977 PORT 352.07 D96 1977 REPORT s I iversitt^ of hire ArcWiV'" 352.0T m Table of Contents Page No. TOWN ORGANIZATION Officers and Committees 1 Comparative Tax Rate 2k Tax Rate 24 Durham Data 57 Property Owned by the Town 57 Town Meeting Minutes, 1977 88 INSERT 1978 Town Meeting Warrant 1978 Budget Water Operating Budget - 197^ Sewer Maintenance - 1978 Property Valuation REPORTS Accountant's Opinion 11 Administrative Assistant to the Board of Selectmen 8 Acknowledgment 96 Audit Summary 10 Budget Committee Ik Building Inspector 78 Civil Defense 63 Conservation Commission 75 Durham Ambulance Coros 28 Durham District Court 50 Durham Public Library 84 Fire Commissioners 31 Health Officer 48 Historic District Commission 74 In Appreciation 7 Incinerator 62 Newmarket Health Center 83 Oyster River Home Health Association 80 Parks and Recreation Committee 76 Planning Board 77 Police Department 38 Probation Officer 52 Public Works Advisory Committee 6I Public Works Department 59 Report of Trust Funds 72 Revenue Sharing Report 27 Selectmen's Report 5 Sewer Policy Committee 66 1964 Sewer Construction Bond Issue 67 1968 College Brook Interceptor Renewal Project 68 1971 Grease Handling Facilities Project 69 Statement of Bonded Debt 12 Strafford Regional Planning Commission 79 Swans 86 Page Tax Collector Town Clerk Town Treasurer Tree Warden Trustees of Trust Funds Vital Statistics Wastewater Treatment Facilities Water Department 1975 Water Tower Construction Bond Issue Welfare t Town Officers and Committees Expiration of Term ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT TO SELECTMEN Alan H. Edmond BUDGET COMMITTEE (4 Years) ELECTED MARCH O.B. Durgin, rep. Selectmen William S. -
Beowulf Timeline
Beowulf Timeline Retell the key events in Beowulf in chronological order. Background The epic poem, Beowulf, is over 3000 lines long! The main events include the building of Heorot, Beowulf’s battle with the monster, Grendel, and his time as King of Geatland. Instructions 1. Cut out the events. 2. Put them in the correct order to retell the story. 3. Draw a picture to illustrate each event on your story timeline. Beowulf returned Hrothgar built Beowulf fought Grendel attacked home to Heorot. Grendel’s mother. Heorot. Geatland. Beowulf was Beowulf’s Beowulf fought Beowulf travelled crowned King of funeral. Grendel. to Denmark the Geats. Beowulf fought Heorot lay silent. the dragon. 1. Stick Text Here 3. Stick Text Here 5. Stick Text Here 7. Stick Text Here 9. Stick Text Here 2. Stick Text Here 4. Stick Text Here 6. Stick Text Here 8. Stick Text Here 10. Stick Text Here Beowulf Timeline Retell the key events in Beowulf in chronological order. Background The epic poem, Beowulf, is over 3000 lines long! The main events include the building of Heorot, Beowulf’s battle with the monster, Grendel, and his time as King of Geatland. Instructions 1. Cut out the events. 2. Put them in the correct order to retell the story. 3. Write an extra sentence or two about each event. 4. Draw a picture to illustrate each event on your story timeline. Beowulf returned Hrothgar built Beowulf fought Grendel attacked home to Geatland. Heorot. Grendel’s mother. Heorot. Beowulf was Beowulf’s funeral. Beowulf fought Beowulf travelled crowned King of Grendel. -
Proquest Dissertations
Borders and Blood: Creativity in Beowulf by Lisa G. Brown A Dissertation Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of English in the Graduate School of Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, Tennessee August 2010 UMI Number: 3430303 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMT Dissertation Publishing UMI 3430303 Copyright 2010 by ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This edition of the work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 1 7, United States Code. ProQuest® ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Submitted by Lisa Grisham Brown in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, specializing in English. Accepted on behalf of the Faculty of the Graduate School by the dissertation committee: ^rccf<^U—. Date: ?/fc//Ul Ted Sherman, Ph.D. Chairperson Rhonda McDaniel, Ph.D. Second reader ^ifVOA^^vH^^—- Date: 7Ii0IjO Martha Hixon, Ph.D. Third reader %?f?? <éA>%,&¿y%j-fo>&^ Date: G/ (ß //o Tom Strawman, Ph.D. Chair, Department of English ____^ UJo1JIOlQMk/ Date: ^tJlU Michael Allen, Ph.D. Dean of the Graduate School Abstract In Dimensions ofCreativity, Margaret A. Boden defines a bordered, conceptual space as the realm of creativity; therefore, one may argue that the ubiquitous presence of boundaries throughout the Old English poem iteowwZ/suggests that it is a work about creativity. -
Of St Cuthbert'
A Literary Pilgrimage of Durham by Ruth Robson of St Cuthbert' 1. Market Place Welcome to A Literary Pilgrimage of Durham, part of Durham Book Festival, produced by New Writing North, the regional writing development agency for the North of England. Durham Book Festival was established in the 1980s and is one of the country’s first literary festivals. The County and City of Durham have been much written about, being the birthplace, residence, and inspiration for many writers of both fact, fiction, and poetry. Before we delve into stories of scribes, poets, academia, prize-winning authors, political discourse, and folklore passed down through generations, we need to know why the city is here. Durham is a place steeped in history, with evidence of a pre-Roman settlement on the edge of the city at Maiden Castle. Its origins as we know it today start with the arrival of the community of St Cuthbert in the year 995 and the building of the white church at the top of the hill in the centre of the city. This Anglo-Saxon structure was a precursor to today’s cathedral, built by the Normans after the 1066 invasion. It houses both the shrine of St Cuthbert and the tomb of the Venerable Bede, and forms the Durham UNESCO World Heritage Site along with Durham Castle and other buildings, and their setting. The early civic history of Durham is tied to the role of its Bishops, known as the Prince Bishops. The Bishopric of Durham held unique powers in England, as this quote from the steward of Anthony Bek, Bishop of Durham from 1284-1311, illustrates: ‘There are two kings in England, namely the Lord King of England, wearing a crown in sign of his regality and the Lord Bishop of Durham wearing a mitre in place of a crown, in sign of his regality in the diocese of Durham.’ The area from the River Tees south of Durham to the River Tweed, which for the most part forms the border between England and Scotland, was semi-independent of England for centuries, ruled in part by the Bishop of Durham and in part by the Earl of Northumberland. -
The Tale of Beowulf
The Tale of Beowulf William Morris The Tale of Beowulf Table of Contents The Tale of Beowulf............................................................................................................................................1 William Morris........................................................................................................................................2 ARGUMENT...........................................................................................................................................4 THE STORY OF BEOWULF.................................................................................................................6 I. AND FIRST OF THE KINDRED OF HROTHGAR.........................................................................7 II. CONCERNING HROTHGAR, AND HOW HE BUILT THE HOUSE CALLED HART. ALSO GRENDEL IS TOLD OF........................................................................................................................9 III. HOW GRENDEL FELL UPON HART AND WASTED IT..........................................................11 IV. NOW COMES BEOWULF ECGTHEOW'S SON TO THE LAND OF THE DANES, AND THE WALL−WARDEN SPEAKETH WITH HIM.............................................................................13 V. HERE BEOWULF MAKES ANSWER TO THE LAND−WARDEN, WHO SHOWETH HIM THE WAY TO THE KING'S ABODE................................................................................................15 VI. BEOWULF AND THE GEATS COME INTO HART...................................................................17 -
From Beowulf “Hail, Hrothgar! Higlac Is My Cousin and My King; the Days
From Beowulf “Hail, Hrothgar! Higlac is my cousin and my king; the days Of my youth have been filled with glory. Now Grendel’s Name has echoed in our land: Sailors Have brought us stories of Herot, the best Of all mead-halls, deserted and useless when the moon Hangs in skies the sun had lit, Light and life fleeing together. My people have said, the wisest, most knowing And best of them, that my duty was to go to the Danes’ Great King. They have seen my strength for themselves, Have watched me rise from the darkness of war, Dripping with my enemies’ blood. I drove Five great giants into chains, chased All of that race from the earth. I swam In the blackness of night, hunting monsters Out of the ocean, and killing them one By one; death was my errand and the fate They had earned. Now Grendel and I are called Together, and I’ve come. Grant me, then, Lord and protector of this noble place, A single request! I have come so far, Oh shelterer of warriors and your people’s loved friend, That this one favor you should not refuse me- That I, alone and with the help of my men, May purge all evil from this hall. I have heard, Too, that the monster’s scorn of men Is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none. Now will I. My lord Higlac Might think less of me if I let my sword Go where my feet were afraid to, if I hid Behind some broa linden shields: My hands Alone shall fight for me, struggle for life Against the monster. -
13 Reflections on Tolkien's Use of Beowulf
13 Reflections on Tolkien’s Use of Beowulf Arne Zettersten University of Copenhagen Beowulf, the famous Anglo-Saxon heroic poem, and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Author of the Century”, 1 have been thor- oughly analysed and compared by a variety of scholars.2 It seems most appropriate to discuss similar aspects of The Lord of the Rings in a Festschrift presented to Nils-Lennart Johannesson with a view to his own commentaries on the language of Tolkien’s fiction. The immediate pur- pose of this article is not to present a problem-solving essay but instead to explain how close I was to Tolkien’s own research and his activities in Oxford during the last thirteen years of his life. As the article unfolds, we realise more and more that Beowulf meant a great deal to Tolkien, cul- minating in Christopher Tolkien’s unexpected edition of the translation of Beowulf, completed by J.R.R. Tolkien as early as 1926. Beowulf has always been respected in its position as the oldest Germanic heroic poem.3 I myself accept the conclusion that the poem came into existence around 720–730 A.D. in spite of the fact that there is still considerable debate over the dating. The only preserved copy (British Library MS. Cotton Vitellius A.15) was most probably com- pleted at the beginning of the eleventh century. 1 See Shippey, J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century, 2000. 2 See Shippey, T.A., The Road to Middle-earth, 1982, Pearce, Joseph, Tolkien.