Beowulf -:
Lets
begin with the opening scene of the epic poem, Beowulf. “Listen up!” the
narrator says as he gets ready to tell the story. “Often have we heard the
tales of our famous heroes and their victories on the battlefield.” So the
narrator is getting ready to tell yet another tale of a famous hero’s victory -
and his defeat. Believe it or not, the language the narrator is speaking is
English - at least, English as it was over a thousand years ago, when Beowulf
was written.
So why do we still read a poem that’s over a
thousand years old? That’s an excellent question. To help answer it, we are
going to take a quick look at the historical context that brought us this
incredible piece of literature; some of the factors that contributed to the
preservation of this Anglo-Saxon language, also known as “Old English;” and
five specific reasons that we still read Beowulf, including some character
traits and terms to keep in mind while you’re reading. First, let’s set the
stage with some background history. For centuries, the Roman Empire had ruled
much of the world. But by the start of the 5th century, the Roman Empire had
lost much of its power. Years of civil wars, political chaos, and successful invasions
by Germanic tribes like the Visigoths and Vandals forced the Romans to abandon
lands that were once under their control. The Roman retreat from the island of
Britannia allowed several nomadic tribes from Denmark and northern Germany -
the Jutes, Saxons, and Angles – to claim this land as their new home. By the
8th century, the new Anglo-Saxon culture formed by these tribes so dominated
the island that it became known as “Angle-Lond” which would later become
“England”.
When the
first Anglo-Saxons migrated to Britannia, they brought with them their
religious beliefs in Norse mythology, worshipping the gods Thor, Odin and
Freya, among others. Evidence of these religious beliefs can still be found in
the English names for the first six days of the week, which are all named after
gods of Norse mythology. But the Nordic influence didn’t outlast the lingering
Roman influence. The religion of the Roman Empire was Christianity, and due to
the efforts of St. Patrick and other Christian missionaries, the Celts, who
controlled nearby Ireland and parts of Scotland, were predominantly Christian.
As
Anglo-Saxon culture spread across the island, marriage between the pagan
immigrants and the Christian Celts became common. This intermingling, combined
with the missionary work of St. Augustine of Canterbury, resulted in the rapid
spread of Christianity among the Anglo-Saxons.
By the end
of the 8th century, almost the entire island of Britannia was decidedly
Christian. So why did the Anglo-Saxon language survive to become the English
language that we know? After all, Germanic tribes like the Angles and the
Saxons had always relied on oral tradition to pass along their stories. Scops,
or tribal poets, created eloquent songs or poems to commemorate important
battles or other events. These songs or poems would be performed and passed
down from generation to generation. This meant that the scop held a very
important place within Germanic tribal society. He was not only the main source
of entertainment for the tribe, but also the musician, the teacher, the
historian, and the cultural curator. But since the tales and histories of the
scop were spoken or sung and never written down, these stories could be lost or
forgotten. And this is exactly what happened to many ancient cultures that were
once vibrant and flourishing. We know nothing of their languages today, and the
stories and histories we have of them are recorded by other cultures. So what
made the Anglo-Saxon language different? Well, we’ve mentioned that the
Anglo-Saxons adopted the religion of the Romans; they were influenced by other
aspects of Roman culture as well, including the value that the Romans placed on
writing. Like the Greeks before them, the Romans were proud of their
accomplishments and their culture. Men who could record their histories and
their stories were held in high esteem. The works of Roman writers Ovid,
Horace, Cicero, and Virgil are widely read even today. If not for this Roman
influence, the Anglo-Saxon language would likely not have survived. There
isn’t, of course, one single person who can be credited with the survival and
preservation of the English language. But there are individuals who stand out
in history as playing a major role. One of these is Alfred the Great, the first
King of the Anglo-Saxons. Alfred gained fame for defeating a Viking invasion in
878 CE, and he remained king until his death in 899. During his reign, Alfred
promoted education by requiring literacy of all men who held positions of
authority, by establishing a court school where lessons were taught in English,
and by writing and translating works into English himself.
Partly due
to his influence and the value that he placed on education and writing in the
common language, we have over 400 surviving manuscripts written in Anglo-Saxon,
or Old English as we call it. One of these manuscripts, called the Nowell
Codex, contains the earliest example of English poetry. That poem is Beowulf.
So, again, why do we read a poem that’s over a
thousand years old? Well, besides the fact that it’s a really good story, there
are other reasons. For now, we’ll focus on of five of them.
1. Beowulf
is the oldest epic poem written in English. It was written down, probably by
monks, sometime between the 8th and 11th century. The fact that this is one of
the earliest pieces of English literature is, all by itself, a really good
reason to read it.
2. Beowulf is the first epic hero in English
literature, even though the character Beowulf isn’t English himself. Beowulf is
special - he’s a literary icon. He also happens to be the first dragon-slayer
in English literature.
3. The poem Beowulf employs many of the literary
devices that writers still use today. It contains some of the earliest
English-language examples metaphor, irony, foreshadowing, understatement,
alliteration, and more.
4. Beowulf gives us a glimpse into Anglo-Saxon
society in the Middle Ages. Beowulf is written in the common language of the
Anglo-Saxon people. Although it was written in England, the story is set in
Denmark and Sweden. Since the early Angles and Saxons passed stories down
orally, as we saw earlier, the story is likely a great deal older than than the
period in which it was written down. It gives us insight into the structure of
society and everyday life, probably giving us a glimpse of a far older culture
than even the written poem itself.
5. Beowulf establishes the Hero’s
Code of Values.
Following
are ten terms and character traits that apply to this code of values and
particularly to Beowulf. Keep them in mind as you are reading through the
excerpts from the poem: Physical strength - in a place and time where living
conditions are quite primitive compared to the modern world, physical strength
is especially valued. A hero has great strength or abilities that seem almost
god-like in many cases. Oratory skill - this means that the hero has the
ability to speak eloquently Comitatus - this term refers to the bond of loyalty
between Germanic rulers and their warriors. The warriors - or “thanes” in the
Anglo-Saxon story - honor, respect, serve, and defend their ruler to the death;
he in turn provides them with protection and a share of his wealth. It is a
relationship of comradery and brotherhood, with a strong emphasis on loyalty
and kinship. This is the step in English social structure that came before the
medieval system of feudalism and the class system that dominated the social
structure for centuries. Wyrd - this word means “fate” and is an indication of
the belief that forces outside of his control determine the course of a man’s
life. This notion that a hero’s life is guided by fate or destiny is a
recurring one in Beowulf and in the stories of epic heroes throughout English
literature as well as in other cultures. Our modern word “weird” comes from
this word. Confidence - the hero is self-assured of his ability to win if fate
so decrees it. Justice/vengeance - Heroes seek justice and, in the Anglo-Saxon
culture, believe in vengeance as a form of it. Which leads us to the idea of….
Wergild - a term that refers to making payment for taking someone’s life; if
you killed someone, you could pay a wergild to make restitution for the death.
This idea emphasizes fairness and taking ownership for one’s actions; in a
social structure with a strong belief in vengeance as a form of justice, it
also provides a means to put a stop to revenge killings that can go back and
forth, and on and on for generations. Pursuit of glory - For a hero, there is
no compromise with fear: a warrior doesn’t back down or turn away from danger,
and he doesn’t allows evil to go unchallenged; he will do what is right, brave,
and heroic, regardless of the danger to himself, even if it costs him his life
- and because of this, he is looked up to by others as almost god-like. This is
the glory that the hero seeks.
When you’re
considering this, also remember that the story of Beowulf was written down
about 1200 years ago, but it is told about a time even earlier - when, as we
saw before, stories and events were passed down by word of mouth. If someone
was going to be remembered, he would need to do something worth telling stories
about - something that would bring glory enough that he would be remembered for
generations to come. Lineage - this term refers to a person’s family line, his
ancestors and descendants. A hero fights and gains glory not only for himself,
but for those who went before him and for those who will come after. He is
bringing honor to his family name.
In the poem
Beowulf, lineage is important; Beowulf is descended from a brave warrior, while
the monster Grendel is of a “fatherless race” and referred to as a descendent
of Cain, a “kin-killer,” the son of Adam and Eve who kills his own brother in
the Biblical account. This contrast underscores how important the idea of
lineage and family loyalty is to the Anglo-Saxons. Respect for enemies - the
hero faces his enemies with the acknowledgement that the enemy goes into battle
with courage also; the hero respects the enemy’s strength and abilities, and
acknowledges that fate will choose between the two opponents. “May the best man
win.”
Thank you and
look forward to see you in next class.
