Beowulf isn't Brave?

Okay, first things first I won't lie about my confusion. Coming into this class a little late definitely threw me off , but while I'm confused, I'm super intrigued by everything.

Where to even begin? I'm not going to be shy about the fact that every few hundred lines, I'd have to stop and think "wait, what just happened?". So, this blog is going to beg the question: is Beowulf courageous? I think not, and I'll tell you why.

Socrates had an idea of what courage looked like. He also had an idea of what could be perceived as courage, but wasn't really hitting the mark.

In a philosophy class I took freshman year, we talked about what constituted courage based onLaches and other old Greek guys ideas that are still considered. The example we used was bull-fighting. Bear with me here. If someone enters a bullfight, why are they doing it? Is it for fame? Rewards? Pride? If they are entering the bullfight for selfish reasons, that's not courage, because courage (as we defined it in class) is risking your own life without any promise of reward, for someone who didn't do anything FOR you.

I may be rambling a little, but long story short, Beowulf doesn't fall into that definition of courage, he's doing it for a reward. Not that that even matters, because who cares if Beowulf is courageous? Is that even relevant to the story? Probably not.

But even when you think about whether or not he is brave, I say no again. I made a grave error and didn't mark the page, but in the book there is a comment about Beowulf that he is "indifferent to death". Then to me, by default he's not brave. Bravery suggests some kind of courage in risking your life to save others, and if Beowulf isn't really scared of dying, is he a brave man? 

Alright, well that concludes my ramblings about Beowulf's courage/bravery/lack thereof. I hope it made sense/was a somewhat interesting take! 

You Probably Went to High School With Beowulf

Beowulf is a classic tale highlighting the ambiguities that exist between good and evil. What place in our culture weaves a better narrative of heroes and villains than the American high school? Some may argue that it’s too rudimentary to boil such complex characters down to such trite teenage tropes, and to them I say, “You’re probably right.” But just as Beowulf blazed bravely into battle against Grendel, I too will face my own foe: high school social structure.

Beowulf as The Popular Guy You Didn’t Like But Could Never Really Pinpoint Why

           

http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/troy-bolton/images/2142394/title/troy-photo

Maybe he was a standout athlete, or the star child of the arts department.  Or, if he was truly a 16-year-old Renaissance man sent to walk among the masses, both. No matter his forte, this kid was loved by your teachers, your classmates, and probably even some of your friends. You, on the other hand, could detect some underlying disingenuousness. You really didn’t have concrete evidence as to why you thought this guy was secretly a jerk, so you certainly didn’t try to rock the boat and expose him for the person you suspected he was. There was just something about the way he walked around performing deeds of manly courage and name-dropping his dad that rubbed you the wrong way. But, you decided to just go with it because everyone else seemed to like him. Everyone else but one…

Unferth as  The Perpetually Angry Kid  

http://meangirls.wikia.com/wiki/Gretchen_Wieners

The Perpetually Angry Kid was not-so-secretly jealous of the popular kids and made it their mission to defame them all.  Perhaps the student was born that bitter. Perhaps they were popular until The Popular Guy came to your town from Nebraska and took all the glory. Perhaps The Perpetually Angry Kid killed their brother and has just been really sour about everything since then. No matter the tragic backstory, this kid made it their mission to let everyone know that they were truly deserving of admiration and everyone else wasn’t good enough. How did we learn to cope with such insufferable creatures? It can certainly be credited to one of the most valuable of all high school treasures…

Hrothgar as The Teacher Friend

http://buffy.wikia.com/wiki/Rupert_Giles

 Just as Hrothgar plays an important role in Beowulf’s journey to heroism, The Teacher Friend played an important role in your journey to graduation. While it’s likely that your Teacher Friend didn’t give you the OK to slay beasts on behalf of their classroom, they probably did let you make photocopies sometimes. And although your Teacher Friend (hopefully) never gave you a ring, they certainly did give you sage advice that you may or may not have implemented.  One mentor’s warning against extreme tenacity and pride is another mentor’s warning against college application procrastination.

 After this brief jaunt through the halls of your high school memories, I hope that you, too, can see how nearly every character has a classmate counterpart from your past. While some stories are naturally more difficult to teen-ify, it’s certainly still easier than trying to figure out where to sit in the high school cafeteria.

Anti-Hero

            The winters are cold, harsh and hard. The once green grass is covered in a thick layer of snow. There are sharp thick long icicles that have been frozen from the last melt of the sun. The snow layer is thicker than the snow Frederick County experienced in the last couple of years. It is deeper than during the East Coast Snowmageddon where we had more than ten feet of snow. The ponds are covered with thick layers of sheet ice. The layers of ice thicken as the winter carries on through the months of November, December, January, February, and March. The ice is thick enough to walk on, and the water below is cold enough to freeze the fish. Beowulf has carried his people through fifty winters of increasing peace and community without hunger. Beowulf aspires to prove himself to his people. He wants to make amends for his shortcomings as the King. Beowulf talks about the men he has known over the years and how they were taken from this world by circumstance, debauchery, and battle. This particular winter, Beowulf must defend his people against a dragon that attacked his village and castle.

            It is debatable whether this text or any mythology from the Norse regions that consisted of Germanic people including Scandinavia, France, German, Belgium, and Great Britain, demonstrated any desire to glamorize, glorify, or worship the ground on which villains stood. It can be said that Beowulf surely isn’t an antihero. He is not a villain, so it isn’t possible to suggest that these people have an obsession with evil. They merely desire their villains to be powerful and awe inspiring.

            The dragon is a wise, brilliant, creature that was stirred into a rage because a thief, along with his consorts, wandered into his cave to steel his precious hoard of gold and gems. The thieves looted everything from the dragon’s cave. The dragon follows the thieves’ footprints into the village which he then attacks in retaliation. The narrator in the text treats this dragon foe as a strong, intelligent, adversary who just wanted his money back. Today, the thieves would be considered trespassers and arrested on suspicion of burglary. The dragon would probably have been able to retrieve his treasure.

            In battle, the scales of the dragon gleam, and the fire from his mouth blazes. The audience is supposed to sympathize with the dragon enough that Beowulf has to rile the dragon to force himself to fight the dragon. Beowulf has to draw on his internal rage to draw the dragon out and inflame the hatred between them. This creature isn’t a super villain. He does not want world domination. The dragon hates like a wounded animal locked in a cage deprived of food and water. Hate is something human that has to be learned otherwise hate comes from fear.

            Let me exaggerate. What other evil, black, terrible villain of this story does the narrator, or the audience, or even Beowulf and his men show sympathy for in the book? Beowulf and his men show little if any sympathy for Grendel’s mother. Yet, the audience can muster sympathy for a woman whose only son has been murdered. He was the only person who lived with her in their cave. She has no one left. She has every right to be upset, but in the end it was Beowulf that made the jump on Grendel’s mother. These villains aren’t antiheros. The dragon does not wake up one day and decide that he is going to give his gold away. Grendel’s mother does not admit that she made a mistake in raising her son to be a blood thirsty beast. Grendel does not go to therapy for the habits he can’t kick such as eating human flesh.

            We are mostly sympathetic to Grendel because of the way Grendel is introduced as friendless, isolated and living in a solemn and hermit-like existence with his mother. Grendel seems to have made a lot of mistakes in his life. It would have made a better read if in some twisted way Beowulf was some mass murdering hulk. I mean he is, but I’m talking about the evil kind that ignores the rules of engagement. The evil kind that has to thrive off murdering women and children, or defenseless animals. If the old men of the Norse period sat around and talked about their past heroes that committed mass genocide, what kind of world would we live in? The Germanic people certainly weren’t Nazis-like.

"Coat of Arms of Germany." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 06 Sept. 2016.

"St. George (Raphael, Louvre)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 07 Sept. 2016.

"Winter Posters and Prints." CoolAntarctica. CoolAntarctica, 2001. Web. 06 Sept. 2016.

I affirm that I “have neither given nor received any unauthorized aid on this paper”

Alex Cooper

Alexander Stephen Cooper                                                                             7th September 2016

Dragons are Cool.. So Beowulf Wins..Then Dies?

     So first off even though the dragon is another foe for Beowulf I still think it’s pretty cool. Dragons are interesting creatures to be the bad guy in a story. When the narrator was talking about the dragon setting the town on fire I could help but imagine the dragon that Harry had to fight in the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. As well as Dragon from Shrek and how they were both protecting something like the dragon in the story, one was protecting a golden egg and the other was protecting the castle and Princess Fiona.

      Out of the foes that Beowulf had I really liked the dragon. Maybe it was because when you think about a dragon you kind of get this cool, bad-ass vibe. Plus all the dragon wanted to do was protect his things and when he set the town on fire he became a problem that Beowulf couldn’t help but fight. Kind of like Grendel’s Mom who just wanted to avenge her little boy.

       Beowulf’s soldiers suck! I get that they don’t want to be a dragon’s lunch but they kind of signed up for the job when they became soldiers. Especially if Beowulf needs you to be there even if you’re just bait so he can regain his strength you have to do your job. You may not have signed up for that particular job, but it’s your job.

      Beowulf should have listed to Hrothgar when he was talking about Beowulf not getting a big head and being humble. Maybe if he did he would still be alive. It was portrayed well when the narrator stated, “…he did not dread that attack, nor did he worry much about the dragon’s warfare, his strength or valor, because he had survived many battles…” (Lines 2347-2350). Maybe if he wasn’t so full of himself he would have been more careful. Although he did win his battle which is also kinda cool and has the legacy of defeating a dragon before he died. He died a great hero.

Beowulf: Guiding New Christians?

Before we started reading Beowulf, I thought the story would be more or less a Nordic/Anglo-Saxon version of a Greek epic poem, like the Odyssey. It would center on Beowulf, an epic hero who fights a monster named Grendel and probably does other things. There might be mythical creatures other than Grendel (and his mother, whom I heard shows up at some point later). There might be polytheistic gods. Would they be Norse? Celtic? Otherwise?

Very otherwise. Pagan gods get a few mentions—not by name, but as if gesturing vaguely to a category—but the god Beowulf worships is one god. The Christian god, who hereafter will be capitalized for clarity’s sake.

If God is to be involved in this epic poem, will He take the role that other gods have in other epics, or that He has in Bible stories? Yes and no. Let’s examine two passages. The first is in lines 175-181, at the end of chapter II:

“At times they offered honor to idols

at pagan temples, prayed aloud

that the soul-slayer might offer assistance

in the country’s distress. Such was their custom,

the hope of heathens—they remembered hell

in their minds, they did not know the Maker,

the Judge of deeds, they did not know the Lord God” (175-181).

If this were a tale in the Old Testament, this would be the part when God would pick one human to tell all the other humans that God is furious at them for worshipping other gods, that they are a bunch of idolatrous whores, that He refuses to hear them, and that He is abandoning them forever . . . for real this time! (He would then be back by the next book, if not the very next chapter. He always comes back.)

In Beowulf, however, God does not take the role of intervening deity. What follows this passage and concludes the chapter is a sermon on the importance of seeking the Lord. Uh, okay. Was this small dose of evangelism to remind the original audiences of their new Christian faith? Perhaps.

The second passage concerns specifically the faith of the story’s hero. Beowulf chooses to fight Grendel—a giant, human-eating fiend of a monster—barehanded because Grendel “does not care for weapons” (434). Also, Beowulf says of his upcoming fight, “Let him put his faith / in the Lord’s judgment, whom death takes” (440-441). Among our hero’s qualities, then, is his faith. His own mortal strength can take him only so far; God takes him farther. This indirect divine influence reminded me of a specific Bible story: David and Goliath. Goliath, like Grendel, is a giant who attacks a human community until a hero defeats him. David and Beowulf are noticeably different: David is “little more than a boy” ( 1 Sam 17:42), has no previous combat experience, and overall looks neither formidable nor intimidating. Beowulf, on the other hand, is recognizably an adult. He is a seafarer, a warrior, and a leader. He already has a reputation in the surrounding communities. What’s the connection, then? The heroes’ faith. “David said to [Goliath], ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty. . . . This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands’” (1 Sam 17:45-46).  Both David and Beowulf, regardless of their natural abilities and resources, ensure victory by their faith in God. Since Beowulf’s original audiences would have held the hero in high esteem, his faith would be a model for them to follow.

Given the hero's Christian faith and a brief sermon within the text, perhaps the poem functioned in part as a reminder to a community new to the religion.

I pledge that I have neither given nor received any unauthorized aid on this assignment.

Beowulf: the "prince charming" of Anglo-Saxons

So, kicking things off with Beowulf didn't exactly make me excited to read... I was first introduced to this epic poem in sophomore year of high school and was not exactly thrilled by the story (difficult old English translations and such)... but as I remembered the jest of the story I figured it could possibly be more fun to read now that I have all these reading skills under my belt. And indeed it is, I actually find the poem to be entertaining to read! However, the background covered on Hrothgar is a tad confusing, considering that his father's predecessor was named Beowulf,

but doesn't appear to have any relation whatsoever to Beowulf, the "monster-slaying hero of the title" (55).

But it doesn't seem to matter in the grand scheme of this epicness.

Anyways..

I see the purpose in the long Scylding history lesson as giving the poet a chance to develop the horrible distress of the Danes. They are proud and lively people that like to celebrate their success and riches of war with giant feasts in Heorot, like Kings and Queens celebrating with all their people. But in the middle of all the happiness, Grendel has to come and crash the party!

And I know that it may seem a little far fetched, but I draw a slight parallel to the (Disney version) story of Sleeping beauty...allow me to explain: The king and queen have a lovely daughter, Aurora (aka Briar Rose) and so they celebrate the birth of their daughter. Similarly, the Danes are greatly successful and celebrate their power by building a grand mead-house. In Sleeping Beauty, a witch comes along and she's evil of course, so she curses Aurora (sleeping for 100 years when she pricks her finger at age 15). And obviously the bad guy in Beowulfs story is Grendel the "fiend from hell" (line 101)...he comes along and eats 30 guys which is kind of horrible. Both the curse on Aurora and Grendels relentless killing continue on and on until along comes the knight in shining amour!! Which is where Prince Phillip and Beowulf come along to save the distressed princess/Danes. So, basically, I'm comparing and old English epic poem to a cutesy princess tale. But either way, Beowulf is essentially prince charming.

Holy Hashem, Batman! There's an awful lot of Christianity in this ancient epic!

For what is, according to the introduction, an ancient story about Germanic people in a pre-Christian society (Liuzza12), the Christian God sure has a lot of heft in this epic poem.

And I do mean Christian. The imagery and ethics we've seen in Beowulf aren't remotely Jewish. A lot of people like to throw around the word "Judeo-Christian" when they're talking about totally Christian things. This is one of my pet peeves. The term definitely has its use in the right time and place, but it's wildly overused. To illustrate my point, here is a brief list of Christian things people try to rope us Jews into:

• Sin.
• Damnation.
• Salvation.
• Hell.

None of these things exist in Judaism, and a lot of the religious rhetoric in what we've read of Beowulf is based on these key concepts. This story is peddling a Christian narrative, not a Jewish one. Please believe me when I say I could go on indefinitely about Christianity being thrust into Judaism. Suffice it to say that a lot of goyim (translation: gentiles) don't know a thing about Jewish religion and culture and push Christian concepts and values onto Jewish ones. Goyim gonna goy.

In any case, the two scribes that penned our single remaining original Beowulf manuscript certainly pushed their religious views onto this story (Liuzza 11). Grendel isn't just a monster; he's "God's adversary" (786) and a "captive of Hell" (787), and God has "condemned him among Cain's race" (106-107). Likewise, Beowulf isn't just a prince or a war hero; he's a warrior that "[God's] grace has guided" (382) to the Danes in order to save them from their "demon foe" (706), plus Beowulf has the added bonus of being blessed with "the Maker's favor" (670). I don't know about you, but I'm sensing a general theme. It's not particularly subtle.

Heroic stories follow a series of archetypal themes that broadly apply to most myths, legends, and folktales around the world, but stories from different cultures have different nuances that reflect the individual societal identities and values of their places and people of origin. I'm curious to know how much the story of Beowulf changed as Christian imagery was retroactively added to it.

I would also love to learn how applying Christian influence to a fairly localized ethnic myth affected the story's original audience. I know that a lot Christian myth, ritual, and iconography were influenced by religions that predated or existed around it and about how that generally popularized conversion to Christianity. I can't help but wonder if Beowulf was used as a tool to convert the heathen masses.

Although God is rather awkwardly shoved into the story, Beowulf is still an interesting and engaging read. We're actually getting pretty close to my favorite part! I've read two other translations before, but I'm looking forward reading this version for the first time!

Beowulf: Why Say It In One Word When You Can Say It In Twenty?

I'll be honest. I've never read Beowulf before, and I never had a desire to do so. All I ever heard about was how boring it was and how it took forever to read. I was not exactly looking forward to tackling this piece of literature. When I sat down to read, I imagined it would be like hiking up a mountain. In the rain. With a backpack full of bricks. But I digress.

I found instead the writing style made the poem much more fun to read aloud. Please note that I wrote read aloud. I knew that the only way I would be able to focus on this poem and keep my brain involved was if I engaged my ears as well. Sure enough, it worked. I could visualize the action going on around me. I began to have fun with the poem. I changed my voice, tone, and facial expressions to match the characters and scenes that I was reading. Suddenly, I wasn't just reading the poem. I was in it.

One of my favorite parts of this poem so far is when Beowulf and his troop march up to the hall and are met by a soldier who says, "'From whence do you carry those covered shields,/gray coats of mail and grim helmets,/this troop of spears? I am herald and servant/to Hrothgar; never have I seen/ so many foreign men so fearless and bold./ For pride, I expect, and not for exile,/and for greatness of heart you have sought for Hrothgar'" (333-339).

It would have taken him a lot less time to say, "Who the heck are you?"

Of course, if everybody got straight to the point in this poem, it would be a lot shorter. It would be way easier. However, I don't think that's the point of this poem, because it's not meant to be read quietly to yourself. It's meant to be performed. The audience or reader is supposed to be actively participating in the poem. Reading it is just plain boring.

Some of the action sequences or dialogue of this story remind me of a kid telling me a story. They tell it in such a way that makes me want to scream, "Get to the point!" They make sure I get every detail whether I want it or not. The action sequences feel like a slow motion movie shot where I see every single miniscule detail.

The person reading this poem only has their voice to help the audience visualize exactly what happens in every single scene. These sequences are described in a way that makes sure you know what happens at every precise second. This can't have been easy to pull off.

In the last few lines of our assigned portion of Beowulf, Grendel is supposedly defeated. I highly doubt this. There's a lot more of the poem we get to read. Maybe I'll tire of the slow motion stories. For right now, I'll enjoy my hike up the mountain.