The First Chunk of Fitt XXXV.

This Fitt is a long one, so I will put it up in parts.

The first 2.5 lines finish the Father's Lament,  describing the grief of a father whose son has died and who has no recourse to justice (wergild--payment in return for a death) or revenge. That feeling is then ascribed to King Hrethel of the Geats when one of his sons (Haethcyn) accidentally kills another (Herebeald). Then Hrethel dies.

Once Hrethel was gone, King Ongentheow of Sweden and his sons begin to harry the Geats. Hygelac, now the Geats' king, gave battle at Hreosnabeorh (Hreosna Hill). Haethcyn died, then a warrior named Eofor killed Ongentheow.

The family tree below, from this page, may make things clearer.

                                 Hreðel
                                    |
             ---------------------------------------------
             |              |             |              |
          Herebeald       Hæþcyn       Hygelac        daughter       Ecgþeow
                                          |              |              | 
                                          |              ----------------
                          Hygd            |                       |
                            |             |                    Beowulf 
                            --------------                   
                                   |
                            --------------
                            |             |
                         Heardred      daughter       Eofor
                                          |            |
                                          --------------

---------------------------
He goes to his chambers and chants laments,        2460
a man for a man. The manse and fields
feel all too large. So the refuge of Weders—
his heart's sorrow for Herebeald's sake
ever deeper—endured without hope
of having amends made for the killing
nor showing the hate he held for the killer
through angry acts, though all love was gone.
Then, with the sorrow he suffered under,
he left human joys for the light of God.
He willed to his heirs, as a wealthy man,        2470
land and defences when life departed.

Then crime and conflict crossed the waters
as Geat and Swede began to battle
in heartfelt hatred, when Hrethel died
and Ongentheow's offspring grew
willful and warlike, wanting no friendship
to hold over ocean. Near Hreosnabeorh
vicious and vile invasions were common.
My close kindred claimed their revenge,
murder and mayhem, as many know,        2480
though one of the pair paid with his life,
a hard bargain. Haethcyn would bear—
the Geats' own prince—the price of battle.
I heard, in the morning, his murderer fell;
a kinsman was slain by a kinsman's sword.
Eofor attacked Ongentheow there.
The war-helm split. The white-crowned Scylfing
was pale as he perished. The practiced hand,
remembering feuds, refused to spare him.

The precious gifts he placed in my hand        2490
were paid back in war, as well as I could,
with gleaming sword. He gave me land,
a portion for my home. He had no need
to look to Sweden or Spear-Danes either
or even the Gifths to gain the support
of worse warriors, won over with gold.

Adventures in Self-Publishing

As I've mentioned before, it's my hope to be selling a book with this translation sooner or later. It's useful to look ahead to that goal. With that in mind, this chapter from a series called "Adventures in Self-Publishing" seems helpful.

"We Were Talking of Dragons" by C.S. Lewis

A nice bit of Alliterative Verse, suitable to introduce the form to people who do not know it. (from the essay "The Alliterative Metre" in Selected Literary Essays by Clive Staples Lewis).

We were talking of dragons, Tolkien and I
In a Berkshire bar. The big workman
Who had sat silent and sucked his pipe
All the evening, from his empty mug
With gleaming eye glanced towards us:
"I seen 'em myself!" he said fiercely.

 I've removed the capitalizations that are meant to show the lifts in the line and the indications of the caesuras.

Eowyn's Lament (Funeral of Theodred)

In the film The Two Towers (that is, in the extended DVD edition of that film), the Lady Eowyn sings a dirge at a funeral that made my hairs stand on end. You can listen to it here.

Since the song is in Old English, I have an excuse to include it here.  Here's what I found on the 'net on this useful page: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: "Funeral of Theodred," also called "Lament for Theodred"
Music by Plan 9
Words by Philippa Boyens
Translated into Old English by David Salo
Sung by choir and Miranda Otto.  

The Lyrics are found in The Annotated Score of the Two Towers.


Old English (Rohirric)

Nú on théostrum licgeth Théodred se léofa 
hæ´letha holdost.

ne sceal hearpan sweg wigend weccean;
ne winfæ´t gylden guma sceal healdan,
ne god hafoc geond sæ´l swingan,
ne se swifta mearh burhstede beatan.
Bealocwealm hafað fréone frecan forth onsended
giedd sculon singan gléomenn sorgiende
on Meduselde thæt he ma no wære
his dryhtne dyrest and maga deorost.    

The text in green indicates the portion of the lyrics used in the film. She concludes the singing with an extra "bealo" (evil death).

In modern English.

Now dear Théodred lies in darkness,
most loyal of fighters.
The sound of the harp shall not wake the warrior;
nor shall the man hold a golden wine-cup,
nor good hawk swing through the hall,
nor the swift horse stamp in the courtyard.
An evil death has set forth the noble warrior 
A song shall sing sorrowing minstrels 
in Meduseld that he is no more,
to his lord dearest and kinsmen most beloved.

The inspiration is said to be line 2265 of Beowulf:

    Bealocwelm hafað fela feorhcynna forð onsended...
    'Baleful death has many of my living kin sent forth...'

However, the "good hawk" and "swift horse" lines are also in the same section of Beowulf, "The Lay of the Last Survivor." Here are lines 2262 ff.

                                    No harp delights
    with glad music, no good hawk now
    soars through the hall, nor swift horses
    clatter in courtyards. Cruel destruction
    has killed what little was left of my kin. 

Beowulf's Attitude to Crises, in Youth and Age

I've been thinking about whether Beowulf's attitude to danger has changed between his earlier victories over Grendel and his mother and his struggle with the dragon more than fifty years later.

In the earlier contests, he was not completely inexperienced, as he tells Hrothgar. He had bound up five giants, killed sea monsters, and "Unnumbered times/I avenged the woes that Weders suffered,/struck down the aggressors" (lines 420-425). However, as with any job interview, the applicant (Beowulf) puts the best face on his experience and skills. He tells Hrothgar that "the wisest carls" all "understand the strength I possess./They saw it themselves...." (lines 418-419). He does not mention that Hygelac's officers had little respect for him. In fact,

                                  He had borne distain;

the sons of Geats regarded him poorly.

Not much of honour on mead-benches

was allowed him by warriors' lords.

They called him lazy and lax in his ways,

no bold noble.

(lines 2183-2188). Here is the reason why Beowulf chooses "war without weapons" against Grendel. He needed to prove himself to a doubtful court. In fact, he almost admits just that to Hrothgar, saying

“I have also heard the horrid being

“in reckless fury fears no weapons.

“I too forswear them, so Hygelac,

“my high-born prince, will be proud at heart

“that I bring no sword nor a broad shield

“trimmed with yellow, but will try my grip

“when I face this fiend, fighting for life,

“foe against foe."

(lines 433-440). Fortunately, this worked, and Beowulf became celebrated at home. "Now all that changed," we are told, "for the man among men, each misery cancelled" (lines 2188-2189).

Beowulf, in the first contests, attributes victory to fate (which is personified as Wyrd) and to God, who can override fate, as much as to his strength. He admits God's role to Hrothgar: "Faith will be needed/for God’s will guides who goes with death" (lines 440-441). Also, Wyrd's: "Wyrd does as she must” (line 455). He also offers this observation: "Wyrd often saves him/whose doom has not come, if his courage lasts" (lines 572-3). The difficulty with this, of course, is that one does not know when one's doom has come. In one's last moments, it is near, but invisible. As a result, Beowulf automatically couples every statement of his intention to kill Grendel or his mother with a statement of what should be done if he dies. Before the fight with Grendel, he tells Hrothgar to "So make no provisions/for funeral offerings...But if I sink in death, send Hygelac/the wonderful armour worn over my breast..." (lines 450-454). Similarly, before he enters the water to fight Grendel's mother, he makes out an oral will: If I die, he says, look after my men, send the gifts I have won to Hygelac, and let Unferth keep my sword (lines 1479-1490).


So, how have decades of fame, rule, and aging altered Beowulf? His first thought, after the news of the dragon's depradations reaches him, is that he is to blame. He must have angered God by breaking some "ancient law." Later, he discovers the link between the dragon's anger and the theft of its cup, so his thought is focussed on revenge for the dragon's attack rather than atonement for his own sins, whatever they might be. This time, the habit of victory has made him confident that he will not disgrace himself in the fight.

                          He felt no concern,   
nor did he dread the dragon's fire,   
its power and courage because often,   
in desperate straits, he still survived
clashes of arms that came after he   
had cleansed Heorot for Hrothgar's sake   
with a killing grip for Grendel's clan,   
the loathed family line. 

(lines 2347-54)

That passage seems to state that Beowulf is confident that he will win his fight. However, it is more likely that his history of facing danger has made him confident that he will not disgrace himself with fear when he faces the dragon. If he were confident of victory, then certainly the confidence had eroded before he faces the beast. He senses his death.

The king sat on the cliffs, accustomed to war.
and welcomed his hearthmates with wishes for health,
the Geats' gold-friend, now given to sadness,
fretting and fierce, his fate beside him,
ready to greet the grey-haired man
to seize his soul's wealth, sever the link
of life and limb. No long time would
the noble's breath be bound in his flesh.

Unlike before, however, he does not directly speak of the possibility of his death. Instead, he reflects on his life and the death of lords before him: how Hrethel (now departed) had taken him in at the age of seven and treated him like one of his own sons. How one of those sons, Haethcyn, accidentally killed another, Herebeald. He then speaks an epic simile often called "The Father's Lament" (lines 2444-2462), which tells how the pain of a loved one's death is intensified if no justice can be found. He has clearly not recovered from the uncharacteristic gloomy thoughts that filled his mind when he heard of the dragon burning his home (lines 2331-2332).

Then Beowulf tells his men that they should not interfere in the fight and that it is in God's hands. In Benjamin Slade's translation of lines 2556-2557, Beowulf says it will "happen at the wall as Fate allots us,/the Creator of all men." He helps himself to his feet with the aid of his shield and calls out the dragon to fight.

Some facts indicate that Beowulf may have considered his own death was the most likely outcome in his fight against the dragon.

1. Unlike before, he does not make a formal boast that he will win.
2. Unlike before, he does not directly mention his possible death.
3. Unlike before, he speaks at length about others' deaths.
4. Unlike before, he speaks about the pain of not being able to have one's revenge.
5. Like before, he indicates that God will determine who wins.

Against this is the fact that he makes no "will" to say what should happen if he dies. Nevertheless, I believe that his main concern was not achieving victory, but maintaining his custom of personal courage, so that he will not tarnish his reputation in this, most likely his last fight.

Interpretations of Beowulf, and My Stuff on Scribd

A web page with many interpretations of Beowulf (the person) and Beowulf (the book): http://www.public.asu.edu/~atrja/beowulf.html

It's short, but full of material to think about.

While doing a little more web surfing, I found the content of this blog had been uploaded on a web site called Scribd. It's a compliment that someone wanted to put up a mirror, but annoying that he or she didn't ask me, or even leave me a comment. I've requested Scribd to take down my work.

XXXIV. Beowulf's Revenge for Heardred. The Father's Lament.

I am posting this at once, but am sure I will alter it later.

In this fitt, Beowulf takes his revenge on King Onela of the Swedes for killing Heardred.

Coming back to the present, we are told that twelve men, including Beowulf, are in the dragon-hunting party, not including the person who had stolen the dragon's cup. He, the thirteenth man, goes to guide them.

 I assume this passage is the origin of Michael Crichton's concept of "the thirteenth warrior" in the book Eaters of the Dead  (later a movie called The Thirteenth Warrior). The narrator of the book explains:

I learned that these Northmen have some notion that the year does not fit with exactitude into thirteen passages of the moon, and thus the number thirteen is not stable and fixed in their minds. The thirteenth passage is called magical and foreign, and Herger says, "Thus for the thirteenth man you were chosen as foreign."

I should mention that Eaters of the Dead is, in part, a retelling of Beowulf.

Beowulf sits on a sea cliff and feels that his death is close. He tells his companions how Hrethel had taken him in at the age of seven and treated him as a son. He also says that one of Hrethel's three natural sons, Herebeald, had accidentally killed another Haethcyn. Worse than the death, he says, is the fact that the king cannot, in these circumstances, receive proper repayment for the loss.

That situation is like, we are told, that of a man who sees his son sentenced to hang. His life feels empty, over. Nothing can be done. This famous passage is called "The Father's Lament."
------------------------------------------------

31. BEOWULF'S REVENGE FOR HEARDRED. THE FATHER'S LAMENT.

He remembered the price of a prince's death.

In days to come, he became Eagdil's

friend in misfortune. His forces went

over the ocean to Ohtere's son,

warriors and weapons. He was avenged.

He killed the old king in cold onslaughts.

So he came safely through such encounters

in every case, Ecgtheow's son

with daring deeds, till the day had come

that drove Beowulf to battle the dragon.

The Geat lord went, one out of twelve,

swollen with rage, to see the dragon.

He had then heard how the feud started,

the cursed conflict. He clutched to his breast

the costly cup come from the informant.

They took the thrall as the thirteenth man,

the one who started the strife and pain.

The miserable captive was made to come

as guide to the grave, against his will,

the hall in the earth that he alone knew

the buried barrow with billows near,

the struggling sea. Inside was filled

with worked gold and wires, watched by a beast

an aggressive guard grasping the treasures

old under earth. No easy bargain

for any man entering there.

The king sat on the cliffs, accustomed to war.

and welcomed his hearthmates with wishes for health,

the Geats' gold-friend, now given to sadness,

fretting and fierce, his fate beside him,

ready to greet the grey-haired man

to seize his soul's wealth, sever the link

of life and limb. No long time would

the noble's breath be bound in his flesh.

Beowulf said, the son of Ecgtheow,

"I often, when young, weathered blows,

in times of war. I remember them all.

I was seven winters when the wealthy lord,

the folk's lord and friend, from my father took me

to have and to hold. Hrethel, the king

gave feasts and gifts, regardful of kinship.

Throughout my life there, he thought me no less,

a man of his fortress, than his flesh and blood,

Herebald and Haethcyn and my Hygelac.

Without warning, the eldest of these

was borne to his death-bed by a brother's act,

when Haethcyn killed him with a horn-bow,

his lord and friend felled by an arrow

that missed its mark, and murdered his kinsman,

one brother the other, with a bloody shaft.

No fee made it good, a grievous wrong,

exhausting the heart, but, hard as it is,

the earl must die without requital.

It is tragic for an aged man

to suffer the sight of his son riding,

a youth on the gallows. He gives a lament

a sorrowful song that his son hangs there

to comfort a raven. He cannot give

from age or wisdom, any assistance

He still remembers, every morning

who had departed. He hopes for no other

and will not wait walled up for a child

to inherit his wealth, when the one he had

by Death's decree was cruelly treated.

He sees, in sadness, his son's dwelling,

the wine-hall wasted, a wind-swept shelter,

robbed of pleasure. The riders sleep,

heroes hidden. No harp resounds

in happy halls, as had once been.