1. BEOWULF: OF MEN AND MONSTERS Feraco Search for Human Potential 30 November 2007

2. Noteworthy Features of the Poem’s First Half  The first portion of “Beowulf” is largely triumphant  The flush of heroic youth  Only one setback (Hrunting’s failure)  Sadness in the stories (King Hrothgar’s storyteller)  Hints that darkness will be coming

3. Rogues’ Gallery  Ecgtheow – Father of Beowulf, husband to King Hygelac’s sister  Killed Heatholaf years ago, starting a fued  Fued was ended by a young King Hrothgar, who paid the “death-price” for Heatholaf  Hygelac – The King of the Geats  He will die wearing the torque Wealhtheow hands to Beowulf  I was wrong – Beowulf will succeed him as king! No idea why I thought Beowulf succeeded Hrothgar…the movie must be working its way into my brain!

4. The Danes’ Family Tree  Shield Sheafson – The Danish king whose funeral marks the opening of the poem  Beow – Shield’s son who follows in his footsteps as king  Halfdane – Beow’s son; continues the family line of kings, and sires Heorogar and Hrothgar  Heorogar is actually king of the Danes before Hrothgar; the latter takes the throne after his brother’s death

5. Legend and Song  Sigemund – A dragon-slayer, Fitela’s nephew, and the subject of the royal storyteller’s song  He wins the dragon’s treasure-hoard after defeating the monster  Ironically, the scop is singing about Sigemund in order to honor Beowulf’s defeat of Grendel  In actuality, the Sigemund tale foreshadows Beowulf’s battle with the dragon near the end of the poem – yet another example of Beowulf’s parallel structure

6. Legend and Song, Part II  Heremod – An old king of the Danes  Betrayed by his own men and forced into exile  Although Heremod is mentioned in order to contrast him with the noble Beowulf, the scop (once again) foreshadows the young hero’s eventual fate  Those of you who have finished already understand this; those of you who haven’t will soon enough!

7. Second Performance  Finn – The Frisian King mentioned by the scop during the second tale  He reaches a truce with the Danes during their war, and keeps the peace with the survivors  He allows the Danes to burn their dead on the funeral pyre, although he does keep the Danes from returning to their homes  This decision eventually dooms him, as the Danes cannot tolerate exile  Homesick and resentful, the Danes betray and murder him before stealing his queen

8. Second Performance, Part II  Hengest – The Dane who assumes command after King Hnaef is lost in the battle with the Frisians  Hildeburh – A Danish princess who married Finn  Carried away by the Danes after her husband’s slaughter

9. “Modern” Figures  Beowulf – Not much left to be said about him  He’s a Geat, and Ecgtheow’s son  One of Hygelac’s thanes  He will eventually assume the throne in Geatland  Hrothgar – The king of the Danes, he builds Heorot Hall

10. “Modern” Figures, Part II  Wealhtheow – Hrothgar’s beautiful and regal queen  Wulfgar – One of Hrothgar’s retainers, he introduces Beowulf upon his arrival  Aeschere – Hrothgar’s best friend amongst the retainers  Carried off and killed by Grendma

11. Villains and Knaves  Unferth – Another one of Hrothgar’s men; he envies Beowulf because he craves the same type of praise  Unferth is intelligent, but he is not respected because he killed both of his brothers  Grendel – The beast who lurks in the haunted mere  A descendant of Cain, and thus cursed by God  Grendel’s mother (“Grendma”) – A demon who attacks Heorot after Grendel’s demise

12. Now, for the Main Course  The characters are worth knowing, but there really isn’t much depth or subtlety to most of them  Outside of Unfurth’s reversal (he gives Hrunting to Beowulf), most of the characters don’t change at all  The themes give Beowulf the bulk of its lasting power  A great deal happens at or just beneath the surface of the poem

13. Just Sit Here and Wait for the End of the World  Although the first half of the poem is about preservation – after all, Beowulf saves Heorot – the poem as a whole is about the ways in which things end  The death of kings in war  The funerals that bracket the poem  Shield’s death opens the piece, and we barely see him alive!  The end of courage, heroism, and loyalty in a darkening age  The toll power takes on anyone who holds it  The end of Cain’s line

14. I Will Protect Myself  In an interesting parallel, the poem is also about protection and restoration  In the wake of Grendel’s attack, Heorot is rebuilt – only to be attacked again when Grendma arrives!  Faith provides protection: Beowulf’s arrival in Denmark is treated as a gift from God, and his defense of the hall smacks of salvation  It also saves Hrothgar, as Grendel cannot approach the throne; it is protected by God  Faith also requires protection – notice how strongly the poet condemns those who burn pagan offerings in an attempt to save Heorot

15. Creaky Tradition  One of the ways that “protection” – the maintenance of what we already have – subtly influences the poem is in its treatment of ritual and tradition  These are our bulwarks against attacks from the terrifying darkness  The ways we treat our dead  The ways we treat one another  The way we feast collectively  The distribution of treasure  The way we worship God  The way we tell our stories  The way we value family heritage

16. The Battle Between Good and Evil  In the first half of the poem, this battle is fairly obvious (and therefore not as compelling)  Beowulf = Good  Monsters = Bad  This theme returns in a more subtle fashion during the second half of the poem, when Hrothgar delivers a speech about the dangers of power and an exhausted Beowulf must defend his homeland against a marauding dragon

17. The Motivation for Evil  It’s worth noting that Grendel initially attacks the hall because he can’t tolerate the sounds of happiness or celebration  It’s also worth noting – as I did in the latest blog-post – that Grendma doesn’t attack until Beowulf dismembers her son  The motives for killing in the poem vary; some are supposedly “noble” (i.e., Beowulf killing Grendel), and some are decidedly less so (Finn pays for his truce with the Danes with his life)  It’s interesting that killing always begets killing for specific reasons – defending tradition, seeking a way home, wreaking havoc in the name of vengeance

18. Some Exceptions  Ecgtheow’s murder of Heatholaf doesn’t seem to have been motivated by any greater, noble cause  However, all things considered, it didn’t work out too badly; if Ecgtheow had never killed the man, Hrothgar wouldn’t have salvaged the situation, and Beowulf may never have sailed to Denmark  As it stands, Beowulf goes seeking glory, but also to honor his lineage

19. Family Trees  I’ve mentioned lineage earlier, and I want to stress its importance to this poem  I mainly want to make the ritualistic nature of honoring one’s heritage clearer  Sons are always mentioned in the context of their fathers  Family heirlooms are significant – especially considering the value these cultures place on objects and treasures  Everything returns to protection and maintenance – continue the line, preserve the kingdom, etc. – by any means necessary (marriage, war, gifts, and so on)

20. Presents!  Good kings collect treasure in war and tribute from their subjects – then redistribute that wealth instead of hoarding it  Not to say the kings bought loyalty, but…they did, in a way  These gifts provided individuals with a way to establish concrete ties with others (the torque Wealhtheow presents to Beowulf, for example)

21. That Does It For Today!  Enjoy your weekend!  Finish the poem so I can talk about the rest of it without dancing around the ending!!!