25 April 22 – Beowulf #20

Who was Beowulf?

As we draw closer to the end of Beowulf’s epic story, it is fair to ask who he was. Was he man or myth? It is safe to say that he was that he was.not an ordinary man; he is the epitome of a true hero.

Whether man or myth, he was not ordinary man; he is the epitome of a true hero.

Beowulf is considered an epic hero because his bravery has won many battles. This bravery also makes him a tragic hero because he is a great man with the tragic flaw of pride, which leads to his death.

In his youth, Beowulf is a great warrior, characterized predominantly by his feats of strength and courage, including his fabled swimming match against Breca. He also perfectly embodies the manners and values dictated by the Germanic heroic code, including loyalty, courtesy, and pride.

"The hero of all heroes," Beowulf, strong and courageous, is the prince of Geats. Once he makes a vow, he stands by his word, no matter what the cost, even if it takes his life. He is reluctant to back down from battle, just so he can be there for the people who are in great need to be saved from evil. He signifies the true heroic character because he is willing to risk his life for his ideals.

And now . . . 

Such was the drift of the dire report

That gallant man delivered. 

He got little wrong

In what he told and predicted.     3030

The whole troop

To the uncanny scene under Earnaness.

There, on the sand, where his soul had left him, to rest, their ring-giver

From days gone by. 

The great man

Had breathed his last. 

Beowulf the King

Had indeed met with a marvelous death.

The serpent on the ground, gruesome and vile,

Lying facing him. 

The fire-dragon      3040

Was scaresomely burnt, scorched all colors. 

From head to tail, his entire length

Was fifty feet. 

He had shimmered forth 

On the night air once, then winged back

Down to his den; but death owned him now, 

He would never enter his earth-gallery again. 

Beside him stood pitchers and piled-up dishes, 

flagons, precious swords

Eaten through with rust, ranged as they had been

While they waited their thousand winters underground.   3050 

That huge cache, gold inherited

From an ancient race, was under a spell-- 

Which meant no one was ever permitted To enter the king-hall unless God himself,

Mankind’s Keeper, True King of Triumphs,

Allowed some person pleasing him--

And in his eyes worthy--to open the hoard.

What came about brought to nothing

The hopes of the one who had wrongly hidden

Riches under the rock face. First the dragon slew            3060

That man among men, who in turn made fierce amends 

And settled the feud. 

Famous for his deeds

A warrior may be, but it remains a mystery 

Where his life will end, when he may no longer 

Dwell in the mead-hall among his own.

So it was with Beowulf, when he faced the cruelty

And cunning of the mound-guard. 

He himself was ignorant 

Of how his departure from the world would happen. 

The high-born chiefs who had buried the treasure 

Declared it until doomsday so accursed      3070

That whoever robbed it would be guilty of wrong

And grimly punished for their transgression, 

Hasped in hell-bonds in heathen shrines.

Yet Beowulf’s gaze at the gold treasure

When he first saw it had not been selfish.

Wiglaf, son of Weohstan, spoke:

“Often when one man follows his own will

Many are hurt. This happened to us. 

Nothing we advised could ever convince

The prince we loved, our land’s guardian, 3080

Not to vex the custodian of the gold,

Let him lie where he was long accustomed,

Lurk there under the earth until the end of the world. 

He held to his high destiny. 

The hoard is laid bare, 

But at a grave cost; it was too cruel a fate

That forced the king to that encounter.

I have been inside and seen everything

Amassed in the vault. 

I managed to enter 

Although no great welcome awaited me

Under the earth wall. 

I quickly gathered up    3090

A huge pile of the priceless treasures

Handpicked from the hoard and carried them here 

Where the king could see them. 

He was still himself, 

Alive, aware, and in spite of his weakness

He had many requests. 

He wanted me to greet you 

And order the building of a barrow that would crown 

The site of his pyre, serve as his memorial,

In a commanding position, since of all men

To have lived and thrived and lorded it on earth

His worth and due as a warrior were the greatest. 3100

Now let us again go quickly

And feast our eyes on that amazing fortune 

Heaped under the wall. I will show the way

And take you close to those coffers packed with rings 

And bars of gold. Let a bier be made

And got ready quickly when we come out And then let us bring the body of our lord,

The man we loved, to where he will lodge

For a long time in the care of the Almighty.”

Background

19th-century archaeological evidence may confirm elements of the Beowulf story. Eadgils was buried at Uppsala (Gamla Uppsala, Sweden) according to Snorri Sturluson. When a western mound was excavated in 1874, the finds showed that a powerful man was buried in a large barrow, c. 575, on a bear skin with two dogs and rich grave offerings. The eastern mound was excavated in 1854, and contained the remains of a woman, or a woman and a young man. The middle barrow has not been excavated. Tribes mentioned in Beowulf, showing Beowulf's voyage to Heorot and the likely site of the poem's composition in Rendlesham, Suffolk, settled by Angles.

In Denmark, recent archaeological excavations at Lejre, where Scandinavian tradition located the seat of the Scyldings, Heorot, have revealed that a hall was built in the mid-6th century, matching the period described in Beowulf, some centuries before the poem was composed. Three halls, each about 50 metres (160 ft) long, were found during the excavation.

Where the Norse Tribes Called Home:

Exploration 1: Would you describe Beowulf’s sixth century as a civilization? Why / why not?

Exploration 2: What made Beowulf’s death “marvelous”?

Exploration 3: Describe Beowulf as man and as myth?