Beowulf : Literary Notes and Historical Background

Beowulf: a Study in Intertextuality

3 Major Elements of Concentration:

1. Historical Background of Britiain
2. Literary History (genre, terminology)
3. Evolution of text

Historical Background
Old English Period (428 A.D. – 1100 A. D.) Beowulf (725? A.D.)
Anglo-Norman Period (1100 A.D. – 1350 A. D.)
The Invaders: The groups and approximate time period of their invasions of
Britain include:

1. 600 BC Celts (from different parts of Europe)

2. 55 BC Romans (from Italy)
3. 410 AD Anglo-Saxons (from modern Germany)
4. 793 AD Vikings (from modern Denmark, Norway, and Sweden)
5. 1066 AD Normans (from modern France)

RESULT: Fusion of Greco-Roman, Christian, and Germanic traditions

One textbook refers to the Anglo-Saxons as the “first Englishmen”

1066: Normans (Northmen who had
conquered France) conquer Anglo-
Saxon England under William the
Conqueror (duke of Normandy)

Anglo-Saxon England 441-793

In 441, the Anglo-Saxons were a
tribal culture like the Celts. Their
culture is chronicled in the epic
poem, Beowulf.
The Tribal Culture of the Celts and other
Northern Europeans Tribes
• Each tribe had their own king
• They built walled farms and wood-hut villages
• They used bronze and iron tools, and grew
crops
• They also warred with each other
• Since war was always a possibility, life was
unstable and often violent
• warriors were loyal to a king and would fight to
the death for him, surrender was
cowardly
• these were oral cultures (there was no writing
or recorded history)
• these cultures were non-Christian; they were
“pagans”, worshipping many gods
• Scholars say that these invasions happened
because of Britain’s fertile land; the land in
Northern Europe being less fertile and subject to
flooding from the North Sea.
Final Reminder
As we read
Beowulf, we are in
Denmark and
Sweden, around
500 AD, before
the move towards
one king,
Christianity,
peace, and
literacy. Though
we are in
Denmark and
Sweden, these
tribal cultures (the
Geats and the
Scyldings) are
much like those in
early Anglo-Saxon
England.
CHRISTIANITY:
1. St. Augustine: (597 A.D.) sent by Pope to
preach Christianity to Anglo-Saxons
2. Venerable Bede: (730 A.D.) highly
literate churchman who wrote annals in
Latin
3. Alfred (King of West Saxons): (871 A.D.)
patron of literature; translated works from
Latin to Old English

The spread of CHRISTIANITY to the Anglo-

Saxon’s, benefited the Anglo-Saxon
culture in many ways:
1. it brought writing to this formerly oral
culture, an essential skill for an
“advanced culture”
2. it brought new values (peace,
compassion, cooperation--instead of
arrogance and violence)
3. books were copied, records were written
by monks, thus preserving their culture in
writing
Literary Genre of Beowulf
Epic: A long narrative poem in elevated style. It presents a character (s) of high
degree and details important events that have a national, worldwide, or cosmic
setting. (The Odyssey, the Star Wars films etc.) Traditionally, epics came
from oral cultures, were passed down orally, and were of importance to a nation.
With the spread of literacy and writing, single authors began to write epics.
Most epics have the following characteristics:
1.) an epic hero of imposing stature and who is meaningful as a legend or
historical figure
2.) his/her actions take place on a grand scale and are important nationally,
internationally, or worldwide
3.) the action consists of a great deed( s) requiring superhuman courage &
maybe superhuman strength
4.) supernatural forces (gods, angels, demons) are involved or interested in the
action
5.) the style is grand or elevated

A hero is simply a behavioral model. To some, a basketball player might be a

hero, but to another that may seem silly. How could a basketball player be a
hero? What are the reasons? We all have our own heroes for our own reasons.
Thus a simple all-encompassing definition of a hero might simply be as a
behavioral model.
Life in the Times of Beowulf
Though this Anglo-Saxon work seems to chronicle the life of a Viking people, as
opposed to the Germanic Anglo-Saxons, these cultures were close enough for
the cultures to be interchangeable. The following aspects of Anglo-Saxon society
include (as noted in British history notes):

The Tribal Culture of the Anglo-Saxons

-Each tribe had their own king
-They built walled farms and wood-hut villages
-They used bronze and iron tools, and grew crops
-They also warred with each other
-Since war was always a possibility, life was unstable and often violent

-warriors were loyal to the king and would fight to the death for him,
surrender was cowardly. Honor and loyalty to the tribe and to the king were
more important, in a way, than material goods, for being remembered well
after death, where you could not take material objects, was very important
-these were oral cultures (there was no writing or recorded history)
-these cultures were non-Christian; they were “pagans”, worshipping many gods.
Additional Notes on Anglo-Saxon Culture

The mead-hall:within the tribal cluster of wooden buildings surrounded by a strong

wooden fence, stood the mead-hall. Here the king and his warriors (called
thanes) feasted and drank mead (Anglo-Saxon beer). In the mead-hall, they were
entertained by a scop (shope), a poet/story teller/historian.

The scop: the job of the scop was very important. Besides telling a story, his job
was to retell current and past events, to record, remember, and retell history all
from the record of his mind.

Fame and honor meant a lot to these people; it was the scop’s job to preserve a
record of their achievements for later generations.
Main Characters in Beowulf

Beowulf (The hero.A Geat who leads his band of warriors to find and kill Grendel)

Grendel (man-monster who raids Hrothgar’s mead-hall, eating his people)

Hrothgar (King of the Scyldings in Denmark)

Hygelac (King of the Geats-Beowulf’s king back in Sweden)

Unferth (one of Hrothgar’s thanes--he questions Beowulf’s strength and ability )

Wealhtheow (Hrothgar’s wife)

Important Relationships to Remember for Understanding:

Son of Ecgtheow--Beowulf (also called Hygelac’s thane)
Son of Ecglaf--Unferth (also called Hrothgar’s herald)
Son of Healfdene--Hrothgar
 3 Major Combats
• Beowulf vs. Grendel
• Beowulf vs. Grendel’s
Mother
• Beowulf vs. Dragon

3 Aspects of each
Combat:
• Nature of the enemy
• Beowulf’s motivation
• Weapons involved
Characteristics of Anglo-Saxon Poetry (The skill and style of the Scop)
An important fact to remember about the style of Beowulf is the matter of
ANCESTRY. The writer of Beowulf often mentions details that do not seem to
relate to the main plot, (mainly commentary on ancestors: “son of...”; so-and-
so’s “thane”). This is done for a few reasons:

a. as an oral marker -- stories were often told in more than one sitting. The
scop might leave off one spot and repeat some information the next day to
remind listeners were he left off.

b. as a retelling of history and a chronicle of ancestry .When the writer

mentions relationships (i.e. calling Beowulf “Hygelac’s thane” in line 131 or
calling Hrothgar “the son of Healfdene” in line 125) he may do this to remind
listeners of who came from where and who is related to who. They had no
writing or history books to chronicle these things. Being remembered was very
important in Anglo-Saxon society.

c. to keep rhythm.The scop told the poem to a beat, rhythm, and with
alliteration. Words may be shortened or elongated for this purpose.
Kenning: two or more words which, when put together, serve as a symbol or
metaphor for another word.

These were often used for entertainment, variety, and to keep the beat and
rhythm. Sometimes they are obvious to us. Other times, they are more obscure.

Examples:

candle of heaven -- the sun

peace-weaver -- women

light of battle-- sword

Alliteration: the repetition of initial consonant sounds. Also used for
entertainment, variety, and to keep the beat and rhythm.

Incidentally, Beowulf doesn’t rhyme--not all poems have to rhyme. Anglo-Saxon

poetry is known more for alliteration than rhyme).

Example from lines (4-7):

Many a mead-hall Scyld, son of Sceaf,

Snatched from the forces of savage foes,
From a friendless foundling, feeble and wretched,
He grew to a terror as time brought change
Caesura: the building block of Anglo-Saxon poetry. Each line had a pause in
the middle to create a kind of beat. By my count, each line had 8 syllables
with the pause or the caesura in the middle.

In meter, caesura (alternative spellings are cæsura or cesura) is a term to

denote an audible pause that breaks up a line of verse. In most cases,
caesura is indicated by punctuation marks which cause a pause in speech: a
comma, a semicolon, a full stop, a dash, etc. Punctuation, however, is not
necessary for a caesura to occur.

There are two types of caesurae: masculine and feminine. A masculine

caesura is a pause that follows a stressed syllable; a feminine caesura follows
an unstressed syllable.

Consider the opening line of Beowulf:

Hwæt! we Gar-Dena || on geardagum
("Lo! we Spear-Danes, in days of yore. . .")
In the Anglo-Saxon culture, the group, the
community was valued over the individual. The
worst thing that could happen to a person was
to have their tribe wiped out, or to be banished.
Joy, security, and survival came from the group.

Grendel was alone, “banished from men, a

cursed and ugly creature. ”We see in lines 78-
79 that perhaps Grendel was sorrowful and
bitter that that he had been banished as the
seed of Cain. He sees the men sleeping “fast
in slumber, forgetting grief,/Forgetting the woe
of the world of men.” Perhaps he wants to have
a community, to have happiness, to cure his
loneliness. This is all speculation; however, we
definitely see that he does not like it that
Hrothgar’s people were so joyous.
Once he had his men land
safely, they “gave thanks to
God” for a safe journey.This
mentioning of God would have
taught the audience that even
great heroes must
acknowledge a higher power
greater than themselves, and
perhaps even to avoid boasting
too much, getting too big of a
head.

(*God is also mentioned in

the following lines:234-235,
288, 361-362, 439 500, 516,
530, 677-678, 684, 698, 707,
717, 906, 1090-1093, 1093,
1103, 1130, 1132, 1169-1225
In lines 163 - 190 we see the first of what seems to be long-winded speeches in
Beowulf.The coast guard is both visually impressed with the stature of Beowulf
and his men, but also must challenge them so that he may know if they are
friends or enemies.The information in these speeches could be said more
economically, but we must remember that these long (epic) speeches fulfill
several purposes:
1.)They provide story information (in this speech we learn how impressive
Beowulf and his men look).
2.)They can chronicle ancestry (important to know where someone came from
both for the characters in the story, but for the scop to provide a oralhistory of
important people, deeds, and battles in his culture).
3.)An oral marker.The scop may have left off at a certain point (these stories
were told in more than one sitting, perhaps over days) so people needed to be
reminded, say the next day of where a story left off.
4.)Being able to speak well was valued by the Anglo-Saxon culture.We will see
that Beowulf speaks well and thus is a valued leader.
In lines 191 - 210, Beowulf responds with his own “wordy speech”.We see the
coast guard is once again impressed and he agrees to allow Beowulf into his
country, saying in lines 234-235 “The mighty Lord in His mercy shield you and
hold you safe.”
III. Final Comments on Theme
A. The Hero Theme
In the end Beowulf has hit many of the categories needed to fulfill his role in
literature as an EPIC HERO.I probably have not included every example
possible, but those listed will make a good case.

1.) An epic hero of imposing stature and who is meaningful as a legend or

historical figure
Lines that describe his stature:238 - 256, 279 - 292 (Beowulf is rumored to have
30 men’s strength).

2.) The hero’s actions take place on a grand scale and are important
nationally, internationally, or worldwide.
Beowulf saves Hrothgar’s people and inspires a lasting peace between nations.

3.) The action consists of a great deed( s) requiring superhuman courage

& maybe superhuman strength.

4.) Supernatural forces (gods, angels, demons) are involved or interested

in the action
Outside of that definition we learn what the idea of the HERO/GOOD LEADERin
Anglo-Saxon Society meant. BEOWULF was:
1. STRONG.He was the “real deal.” He could back up his promises with action
and heroic deeds.
2. WISE/SPOKE WELL. Knew the right thing to say at the right time. He could
win a battle with
words, avoiding violence. Was a gracious and humble speaker as well.
3. LED BY EXAMPLE, not by boasting.
4. HUMBLE. He was not too prideful (note his contrast with the big-talking
Unferth; thanking Unferth for his lending the sword and not mentioning it failed.
Gave credit to God for his success, realizing he was not all powerful.
5. LOYAL and obedient to his own king (Hygelac) as well as Hrothgar.
Beowulf would have been the ideal leader in Anglo-Saxon times mainly because
of 1, 2, and 5.Hrothgar was also an ideal leader because he treated his people
well. Remember, in Anglo-Saxon times it was important to be loyal to your own
people, to be able to fight, and to take care of your own. It was also important to
be remembered well. Doing these things would mean you were remembered
well. Doing what Beowulf did makes you a legend for all time. As we all know,
only a select few people in every day and age get to be the “Beowulf”.
Relationship of Society to the Individual
(Relationship of Team to Individual: Relating this Theme to the Lives of
Modern Students)
In order to give the students a vested interest in anything, relating it their lives is
the key.This thematic discussion of Beowulf’s society might look as much
like a discussion on basketball.I find it useful to see connections from
Beowulf in team sports.
1. Modern Connection: So you want to be a star? (Use Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe
Bryant, or Allen Iverson, for example.) Fine, but your team will not win if all
you care about is yourself (i.e. scoring your 30 points a game). Present the
scenario that winning as a team is elevated above superstar status in our
society. Sure a superstar will have tons of respect, but there is a certain kind
of ultimate respect paid to winners and team players. Often the great career
of a star will be remembered with an “asterisk”. Many people will say:“ Yes
he was one of the best, but he never won a championship. (Would Jordan
be considered so great if he had never won a championship, but he led the
league in scoring every year?) The scenario is the same in Anglo-Saxon
times.
2. What if you aren’t a team player and you aren’t a great player? What might
happen to your fate on the basketball team? You may be benched,
disrespected, released, or traded (essentially fired)
2.Beowulf’s Time:What if you weren’t a team player, in Anglo-Saxon times?
What if you were selfish, putting your needs above the needs of your tribe?
Guess what? You may be disrespected, reprimanded, or even banished.
Taking care of your own, just like being a team player, was of utmost
importance.

Without your tribe in these rough and violent times you were nothing. They
were your family, life, friends, source of joy and laughter, support etc. Having
one’s tribe wiped out or being banished were two of the worst things that
could happen to a person. All your emotional support, gone. Someone to
take care of you when you are ill, gone. Protection, gone. Some warriors
(and others) would rather die than be overcome overruled by another group.

One of the morals: be good to your tribe and be remembered well. If you
want to be great, accomplish great things, but you must treat your people
well in order to be respected.