Beowulf: I’m Like a Paper Bag, But the Bottom’s Wet

1. Beowulf: I’m Like a Paper Bag, But the Bottom’s Wet Feraco Search for Human Potential 11 January 2013

2. Characters • Aeschere • Hrothgar’s most trusted and valuable advisor • Beheaded by Grendma (no one is safe); avenged by Beowulf • Beow • Son of Shield Sheafson • Takes over after Shield dies; foreshadows Beowulf’s reluctant inheritance of the Geatish throne (best-case scenario) • Beowulf • Main character; son of Ecgtheow • Slays Grendel, Grendma, and dragon • Courage, divine will, and honor…but everything is never enough • Breca • Competed against Beowulf in a swimming contest • Used by Unferth to question Beowulf’s capabilities

3. Characters • The Dragon • An ancient evil who guards a lost race’s cursed treasure hoard • Disturbed by a slave’s recklessness; destroys Hygelac’s Great Building; defeated by Beowulf • Eadgils • Son of Ohthere and Onela’s nephew • Oddly, befriends Beowulf while in exile • Eanmund • Son of Oethere; killed by Weohstan, who is awarded his gear by Onela • Ecgtheow • Beowulf’s father; kills Heatholaf, the Wulfing prince, and cannot pay the death-price • Exiled by the Geats, Ecgtheow is rescued by Hrothgar, who pays for Heatholaf and averts war (indebting Ecgtheow in the process)

4. Characters • Eofor • Hygelac’s thane; he avenges his king’s death by killing Ongentheow • He gets to marry Hygelac’s daughter as a reward; they produce no children • Finn • Long-ago Frisian king; Hildeburh’s husband • Betrayed and killed after reaching a truce with the invading Danes that prevents them from going home (betrayal foreshadow’s Beowulf’s thanes running away) • Freawaru • Hrothgar’s and Wealhtheow’s only daughter; betrothed to Ingeld, the Heathobard prince • Beowulf worries their marriage is doomed, with the ensuing conflict dragging the Shieldings into a war they cannot afford

5. Characters • Grendel • A descendent of Cain’s clan, and the poem’s main villain; lives with his mother in the burning, haunted mere • Cursed by genetics, not by action; wages “lonely war” on Heorot for twelve years • Impervious to human weapons; Beowulf fights him hand-to-hand and tears him apart • “Grendma” • Along with Grendel, the last in Cain’s cursed line; slain by Beowulf with a giant’s weapon • Attacks Heorot and kills Aeschere after her son’s death • Haethcyn • Hrethel’s second son, and Hygelac’s older brother/predecessor as king • Never meant to be king, but accidentally kills Herebeald with an arrow; thrust into power too soon and is quickly kills, destabilizing Geatland • Halfdane • Beow’s only son and Hrothgar’s father • A good and wise king who has many children before dying

6. Characters • Halga • Hrothgar’s younger brother; provides him with an heir, Hrothulf, outside the typical line of succession (middle-case scenario re: foreshadowing Beowulf’s ascension) • Heardred • Hygelac’s only son; forced into power when Beowulf rejects the throne after Hygelac’s death • Tutored by Beowulf, but quickly killed by the Swedes (avenging Ongentheow), leaving the former as king (worst-case scenario) • Heatholaf • The Wulfing prince; killed by Ecgtheow • War between the Wulfings and Geats is averted when Hrothgar pays the death-price • Hengest • In olden times, a young Dane who assumes a battlefield kingship once Hnaef is killed in the fight against Finn’s forces • His forces rise up against Finn after a year in exile and head home

7. Characters • Heorogar • Hrothgar’s older brother; precedes him on the throne following Halfdane’s death, but dies fairly quickly • His war-gear and sword are given to Beowulf rather than to Heoroweard, his son; according to Wikipedia, Heoroweard (who doesn’t merit anything more than a single line as a “loyal” person here) kills Hrothulf in later works because he feels he has a greater claim on the throne • Herebeald • Hrethel’s eldest son and intended heir to the throne • Accidentally killed by Haethcyn before he can take power; the loss eventually kills Hrethel as well • Heremod • An olden Danish king, the opposite of Beowulf and Shield Sheafson • Started fine, but corrupted by power; threw away lives needlessly and hoarded treasure until his subjects betrayed and exiled him • Shield’s arrival and ascension, as well as Beow’s birth, undoes the damage he caused

8. Characters • Hildeburh • The olden Frisian queen, and a Dane by birth • In the war between the Frisians and Danes, she loses her brother (Hnaef, the Danish king), her son (unnamed, a Frisian prince), and her husband (Finn, the Frisian king); the Danes kidnap her and drag her back to Denmark after murdering her husband (parallels Hygd’s devastating losses) • Hnaef • The olden Danish king; Hildeburh’s brother • Dies while leading an invasion against Finn and the Frisians • Hrethel • A great Geatish king who sits at the head of the poem’s version of the Geat family tree • He had three sons, but Haethcyn kills Herebeald, and Hrethel died of grief soon thereafter • Hrethric • Hrothgar’s eldest son; not ready for the throne • Wealhtheow suggests protecting him and his younger brother by naming Hrothulf as a temporary successor

9. Characters • Hrothgar • Danish king who assumes the throne at a young age • Wise, kind, and generous; saves the Geats in the Ecgtheow incident (inadvertently tying Beowulf to him) • Provides for his kingdom (two sons and a daughter; distributes treasure; builds Heorot), but relentlessly attacked by Grendel; only saved by divine protection on the throne • Hrothmund • Hrothgar’s youngest son; not ready for the throne • Hrothulf • Halga’s son; Wealhtheow asks Hrothgar to use him as a temporary heir, a scaffold until Hrethric or Hrothmund proves ready for the throne • In other works, apparently killed by Heoroweard • Hygd • Hygelac’s wife, a beautiful, wise, and extremely young Geatish queen (Queen Modthryth’s opposite) • Loses everything; her husband dies, and Beowulf’s refusal to listen to her costs her Heardred as well

10. Characters • Hygelac • The Geatish king, taking over at a young age following Hrethel’s and Haethcyn’s deaths (shades of Hrothgar’s ascension, and Beowulf’s) • Dies in a war with the Swedes and others • Ingeld • The prince of the Heathobards, an old Danish foe • Set to marry Freawaru, the Danish princess • Modthryth • Hygd’s and Wealhtheow’s opposite; in some ways, Heremod’s parallel • Arbitrary and cruel ruler; mollified by marriage • Ohthere • Son of Ongentheow; father of Eanmund and Eadgils • Poem’s history differs from other portrayals where Ohthere takes the throne for a while

11. Characters • Onela • Son of Ongentheow; takes over the throne following his father’s death • “Ignores the blood-feud” when Weohstan presents Eanmund’s armor to him • Eventually slain by Beowulf, ending the Swede/Geat wars (for now) • Ongentheow • Swedish (Shylfing) king; killed by Eofor • Shield Sheafson • An orphan from overseas, Shield essentially reunites and restores Denmark, kicking off the Shielding royal line • His funeral parallels Beowulf’s, providing one half of the poem’s bracketed structure • He dies young, still in the prime of his life – but provided for his people with Beow • Sigemund • A figure mentioned in song by the scop; a legendary dragonslayer • Fights the dragon alone and triumphs; foreshadows Beowulf’s future battles

12. Characters • Unferth • A member of Hrothgar’s circle (not family) who is wise and somewhat respected, but “under a cloud for killing his brothers” • He mocks and challenges Beowulf when he arrives at Heorot out of jealousy, but Beowulf refutes his story and puts him in his place • Unferth isn’t brave enough to fight, but he does gain some small measure of redemption by giving Beowulf his ceremonial sword, Hrunting (which Beowulf eventually returns) • Wealhtheow • Hrothgar’s wife, the Danish queen • Wise and generous, she presents gifts and distributes treasure; serves as an extension of rule • Weohstan • Wiglaf’s father, he killed Eanmund • Tried returning his armor to Onela, who was so impressed that he allowed Weohstan to return with the war-gear • Wiglaf • The last of the Waegmundings, and Beowulf’s only loyal thane • He turns back and goes to fight by Beowulf’s side against the dragon • Avoids the curse on the treasure hoard because his intentions are pure (wants to reassure Beowulf before he dies) • Wulfgar • A Danish retainer who greets Beowulf ritualistically, then introduces him formally to Hrothgar

13. Settings and Symbols • Boasting • Reputation/Tradition • Opportunity • Burial / Funeral Pyres • The end of things • Burning and Passion • The Coast and the Whale-Road • Borders (keep in, keep out) • Permanence vs. Impermanence • The Dragon / The Hoard • Sin/Wickedness/Recklessness • Inevitability

14. Settings and Symbols • Grendel’s Mere • Cursed by God (burning water) • The Underworld/Fear • Heorot Hall / Denmark • The things we build • Defending what we love • Ritual and tradition • Hygelac’s Great Building • Burned to the Ground • The Iron Age • Swords (Hrunting/Naegling) • Ritual and Tradition • The Past’s Failure, the Uncertain Future

15. Concepts and Themes • Courage and Wisdom • Beowulf / Wiglaf / Shield / Weohstan / Wealhtheow • Grendel / Unferth / Modthryth / Haethcyn • Danger • The Danger You Bring Upon Yourself • The Dangers You Cannot Avoid • Degeneration and Death • Everything Ends; Everything Fades • The Great Building; The Old King; The Dragon’s Barrow • Divine Will and Faith • The Throne • The Warrior • The Son • Courage

16. Concepts and Themes • Fleeing and Exile • Grendel / Grendma / Cain • Heremod • Ecgtheow / Eadgils / Finn and the Danes • Good vs. Evil • Beowulf vs. Grendel/Grendma/Dragon • The Changing Face of Everything • Grief vs. Hope • The Hopeless Shieldings • Salvation from the Sea • The Wailing Geat • Hate and Revenge • Finn / Ongentheow / Ingeld / Beowulf / Aeschere / Grendma • A Thousand Years of War • Geatland Gone

17. Concepts and Themes • Heirlooms and Marriage • National Ties + Family Ties • Averting Catastrophe, Preserving the Past, Ensuring the Future • Heroism, Honor, and Sacrifice • Beowulf as a Youth vs. Beowulf as a King • Why Would Anybody Want to Be King? • The Thanes, Grendel, and the Olden Danes • The Motivations: Glory, Family, and Everything In Between • Identity and Reputation • How Much Can One Control? • Opportunity Knocks… • Inevitability • Fighting the Dragon • Someone Starts Fighting Again

18. Concepts and Themes • Lineage and Heritage • Without Family, We Are Nothing • Without a Past, We Have No Future • Cementing Identity • Loyalty and Friendship • Beowulf and Wiglaf / Hrothgar and Aeschere • National Ties • Love is the Source of Hate • Names, Family, and Community • The Only Things One Can Count On • Families Torn Apart

19. Concepts and Themes • Power • That Which We Seek • That Which Kills Us • Royalty and Subjects • Ring-Givers vs. Hoarders • Hrothgar and Hygelac vs. Heremod and Modthryth • Vulnerability • Beowulf/Sigemund; Beowulf/Grendel/Grendma • The Death of New Kings

20. History and Translation • One copy, partly toasted • Used as “Rosetta Stone” • People used to ignore the “mythical” elements in favor of its history • J.R.R. Tolkien changed our reading of the poem • “The Monsters and the Critics” • Saw it less as linguistic touchstone and amalgamation of historical references and more as a vibrant legend in its own right • Believe it or not, that used to be all we used this beautiful poem for: history and scansion • Thanks, Tolkien!

21. Beowulf’s Last Words “Fate swept us away , / sent my whole brave high-born clan / to their final doom. Now I must follow them.” That was the warrior’s last word. / He had no more to confide. (2814-18)