It left Beowulf to do the seeking out". [5] Moreover, the dragon is vanquished through Wiglaf's actions: although Beowulf dies fighting the dragon, the dragon dies at the hand of the companion. The next night, Grendels mother angered by the attack on her son turns up to wreak vengeance, and once again Beowulf finds himself having to roll up his sleeves and engage in fierce combat, which this time takes place in the underwater lair of the monster deep beneath the surface of a lake. The Arthurian story was passed down for generations, but Beowulf and his bravery forgotten. So, the warriors end up building Beowulf his funeral pyre and burying the dragon's hoard with his ashes. When the monster appears, Beowulf and his men attack the troll-like monster with their swords. The cave itself represents a world alien to Heorot. Under the heroic code, grief is something to be purged through vengeance, but vengeance here would mean the death of another sonan excruciating and unsatisfying prospect. Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Tolkien also argues that Beowulfs death following his combat with the dragon represents a fitting and more elemental end for the hero, who had successfully vanquished the monster Grendel and Grendels mother (who, although not human, were nevertheless closer to man than a dragon). WebSomeone accidentally took his treasure Beowulf worries that which of the following is the reason for the dragon's attacks: He offended God How does Beowulf feel as he In Heorot, Hrothgar celebrates his victories and rewards his thanes (warriors) with various treasures. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. Some interesting thoughts here on a classic, with references to J.R.R. Talking of Tolkien, it was his influential 1936 essay, Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics, which was really responsible for a shift in the way that people read Beowulf. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. This is a matter of some conjecture, with guesses ranging anywhere between the eighth century and the first half of the eleventh century. for a group? He tells of the accidental killing of one of Hrethels sons by another and attempts to characterize the kings great grief. [22], Beowulf's eventual death from the dragon presages "warfare, death, and darkness" for his Geats. The dragon was cut in two by Beowulf before he died. When Beowulf hears of the dragon's night raids, the king initially wonders if he could have angered God in some way, bringing this trouble to his people. The defeat of his people had left the treasures to deteriorate. The hero takes it upon himself to save the kingdom at immense personal risk to himself. At line 3028, it is written that the messenger's predictions eventually came true. The building is like a palace. Is he driven by vanity? Since translation is a form of interpretation, I believe Heaneys translation is particularly biased in thinking about Beowulf in the ancient Ango-Saxon tale and makes Beowulf a more complex character than the original tale describes, torn by his glorious role as epic hero and his duty to his people within a carefully constructed social structure. Everyone is dead. He takes what he can back with him to Beowulf, making haste lest Beowulf should die before he sees what he has won. Symbolically, Heorot represents the achievements of the Scyldings, specifically Hrothgar, and their level of civilization. As useless to mortals as in foregoing eras. Beowulf When Grendel's mother is able to fight Beowulf in the cave, she has a distinct advantage; his victory is all the more significant. Raiding at night, the dragon reminds the reader of Grendel, the monster who haunted Hrothgar in his old age and changed the Scylding king's fortunes. Despite the odds being stacked against him, he manages to overcome the monster, to borrow Christopher Bookers phrase for this type of narrative. Grendel flees, eventually dying of his wound. Under Beowulfs reign, the feuding with Sweden eventually ceased when Beowulf avenged Hygelacs death. And anyone whos a Tolkien fan should read his essay. I never thought of Jabberwocky like that but now that its pointed out I can definitely see it, Pingback: 10 Short Medieval Poems Everyone Should Read | Interesting Literature. Beowulf only succeeds in vanquishing the monster when he grabs a magic sword from the pile of treasure lying in the monsters lair, and is able to behead the monster with the weapon. Beowulf hears that Grendel is killing Hrothgars men at Heorot and so our hero departs from home to go and help rid Heorot of this monster. 20% The ancient treasures in the hoard once belonged to a regional tribe of warriors who were killed in battle some 300 years previously. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. No, it turns out that the first part of Beowulfs name is more probably related to a pre-Christian god named Beow. They took the metals from the earth, and the Keeper now returns the treasures to it. WebThe fight with the dragon symbolizes Beowulf's stand against evil and destruction, and, as the hero, he knows that failure will bring destruction to his people after many years of Although the Beowulf dragon exhibits many existing motifs common to Germanic tradition, the Beowulf poet was the first to combine features and present a distinctive fire-breathing dragon. Perhaps someone will (or has) written a history of the treasure and the barrow - it could make a very adventurous tale, in which Beowulf's battle with the dragon, and the reinternment of the treasure in his funeral mound (the gold having gone back into the earth for the third time) might be merely one short chapter. The creature attacks the neighboring towns in revenge. His son Heardred rules after Hygelac, but he is also soon killed in battle. Meanwhile, his kinsman Wiglaf scolds the other members of the troop for not going in to help, before coming to Beowulf's aid. I must make amends! They are 'inmates of hell', 'adversaries of God', 'offspring of Cain', 'enemies of mankind'.And so Beowulf, for all that he moves in the world of the primitive Heroic Age of the Germans, nevertheless is almost a Christian knight". [24] Before he faces the dragon, Beowulf thinks of his past: his childhood and wars the Geats endured during that period, foreshadowing the future. Can he still save the day, when everything he tries seems to be of no avail? The scene includes extended flashbacks to the Geatish-Swedish wars, a detailed description of the dragon and the dragon-hoard, and ends with intricate funerary imagery. In Beowulf's two earlier battles, Grendel and Grendel's mother are characterized as descendants of Cain: "[Grendel] had long lived in the land of monsters / since the creator cast them out / as the kindred of Cain"[15] and seem to be humanoid: in the poet's rendition they can be seen as giants, trolls, or monsters. The parallel in the story lies with the similarity to Beowulf's hero Sigemund and his companion: Wiglaf is a younger companion to Beowulf and, in his courage, shows himself to be Beowulf's successor. creating and saving your own notes as you read. In Beowulf, some of the most important symbols are Hrothgar's mead-hall, Grendel's cave, Grendel's arm and head, and the dragon's treasure-trove. Many critics and teachers believe that Beowulf contains themes that are relevant to modern life. Also, Beowulf is most commonly described as an epic poem; the label makes its main character, Beowulf, an epic-hero. I would argue that Grendels mother (who is interestingly only ever referred to as the mother) commits her acts of revenge out of grief, as well as anger. The dragon fight ends Beowulf, while Tolkien uses the dragon motif (and the dragon's love for treasure) to trigger a chain of events in The Hobbit. Instant PDF downloads. The claw is hung high beneath Heorot's roof (most likely on the outside beneath the gables) as a symbol of Beowulf's victory. The emphasis on the treasure itself in this section rehashes the moral ambiguity of materialism caused by the overlaying of a Christian value system on a pagan story. To a greater or lesser extent, it can be seen in much modern fantasy fiction such as that by Tolkien. [9], The Beowulf dragon is the earliest example in literature of the typical European dragon and first incidence of a fire-breathing dragon. Only when Hygelacs son met his end in a skirmish against the Swedes did Beowulf ascend the throne. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Teachers and parents! LitCharts Teacher Editions. $24.99 Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Beowulf feels that death will be easier to bear if he can look at the treasure with his own eyes. Beowulf: The Dragon (Lines 22002323) Summary CliffsNotes The survivor seems to realize that the treasure is meaningless without a community in which to circulate. Filled with grief and rage, she retrieves the arm from Heorot and kills another Scylding in the process. The problem starts when a fugitive, apparently a runaway slave, stumbles across the The dragon, like Grendel, only Although it is celebrated nowadays as an important work of Anglo-Saxon indeed, English literature, Beowulf was virtually unknown and forgotten about, amazingly, for nearly a thousand years. When Beowulf sees the treasure, he thanks God for it and proclaims that he has sold his life well for the treasure. But this action has consequences, and is in fact merely the prologue to a bigger conflict that must take place: that between Beowulf and Grendels mother. Pay particular attention to his treatment of the Dragon which is all the more horrifying for not being a giant lizard. We're sorry, SparkNotes Plus isn't available in your country. And funnily enough, listening to a Mozart piano concerto, the same pattern was in the phrases, with the third line, the variation, leading of course to a musical resolution /transformation which enables the lead on the the complete next stage so, in this, there is Beowulf triumphs, Beowulf triumphs again, Beowulf triumphs but in this third phrase his phrase resolves with transformation/death. He is the protector of his people and almost immediately begins preparations to fight the dragon. Beowulfs name, by the way, was long thought to mean bee-wolf, as in the two animals. The final act of the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf includes Beowulf's fight with a dragon, the third monster he encounters in the epic. As poetry, one of the most moving passages in the epic is the Keeper's invocation as he leaves the gold and other items in the barrow (2247-2266). After Beowulf, with Wiglaf's aid, destroys the dragon, Beowulf is mortally wounded, but as he looks around at the treasure hoard, he says. Frisia Hygelac was killed in an apparently ill-conceived battle with the western Frisians (allies of the Franks), not by King Finn's people of the Finnsburh episode. I cannot however find any strong evidence to support Frederick Rebsamen's assertion that "the old curse will probably punish the Geats since they left much of the treasure undestroyed in the burial mound.". eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. As descendants of Cain, they are associated with sorcery, black magic, demons, ancient runes, and hell itself. I wanted to share it with you all. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! [2] Nonetheless, comparative contemporary narratives did not have the complexity and distinctive elements written into Beowulf's dragon scene. Hidden beneath a treacherous mere in the middle of a dark, forbidding swamp, the cave allows them a degree of safety and privacy in a world that they view as hostile. Beowulf declined, however, not wanting to disturb the order of succession. Now an old king, Beowulf grieves and wonders what he might have done to deserve such punishment from God. What does a hero's death mean to Beowulf's people? This suggests that different cultures, in these old days of oral storytelling, utilised the same methods in very different works of literature, without having direct knowledge of each other. What happens to the dragon's treasure in Beowulf? - Study.com Thus the characters role is split and this binary role is portrayed in different ways depending on the translation of Beowulf. After the dragon is killed, Beowulf tells Wiglaf to look for the dragon's treasure and to bring it to him. He speaks of the mutability of time and the loss of the good men, heroes, and princes, who no longer have any use for the treasure. Battle-Scylfings Swedes. Here are all of the passages which tell us about the treasure, the barrow, and the two peoples who held the treasure over the past 1,000 years (which could be an indeterminate, "poetical" sort of 1,000 years), before it was discovered by the slave in the Beowulf story (the translation is from Chickering): The following notes on the dragon's treasure are from Frederick Rebsamen, page 70: Now, however, I think that the evidence for two peoples is clearly indicated in lines 2247-2252 and 3047-3057. Beowulf and his men spend the night at Heorot and wait for Grendel to turn up. Subscribe now. The legend of the dragon-slayer already existed in Norse sagas such as the tale of Sigurd and Fafnir, and the Beowulf poet incorporates motifs and themes common to dragon-lore in the poem. on 50-99 accounts. Summary and Analysis If you consider everything we are told about the treasure, the people who originally hid it, the curse put on it, the people who uncovered and used it and eventually buried it again, and about the barrow itself, and the dragon, which, for some reason, decided to guard it (although I know that there are many legends in which dragons guard treasures), there is enough material to inspire a very interesting story. Beowulf also takes pains to protect his fame even in death through the creation of his barrow. Pingback: What Happens in Beowulf? The odds continue to be stacked against our hero, the difficulties multiplying, the tension raised to an almost unbearable pitch. Major Themes in Beowulf. [2] Beowulf is the earliest surviving piece of Anglo-Saxon literature to feature a dragon, and it is possible that the poet had access to similar stories from Germanic legend. Three funerals are described in Beowulf. WebAnalysis. After his battles against Grendel's mother and Grendel, Beowulf returns home and becomes king of the Geats. Much of this section is retrospective and nostalgic, as Beowulf, sensing that his end is near, feels compelled to rehearse the story of his distinguished life. But the anecdote of the Last Survivor, which tells how the gold came to be buried in the barrow, demonstrates a different ethos. In lines 2892-2897a, Wiglaf commands a messenger to go back to town, and give a report to the citizens who had not seen the battle with the dragon. When Grendel invades the hall, he knows that he strikes at the very heart of the Scyldings. Removing #book# The hall is also symbolic in that it is the setting of Beowulf's first great battle, the defeat of Grendel. A Summary and Analysis of Beowulf Interesting Literature What this tells us, I think, is how deep-rooted is the human need for the idea of the stranger who rides (all right, comes by boat) into town, deals with the monster/fear/rich landowner/evil bandit who is terrorising the townfolk and rides out again. "[8] Furthermore, Tolkien believes the Beowulf poet emphasizes the monsters Beowulf fights in the poem and claims the dragon is as much of a plot device as anything. [41], The poet Seamus Heaney, author of a major translation of Beowulf, suggests that Beowulf's attitude towards fighting the dragon reflects his "chthonic wisdom refined in the crucible of experience", that is there is already a "beyond-the-grave aspect" to his resoluteness. Interesting Literature is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.co.uk. Dont have an account? Queen Hygd offered Beowulf the throne after her husband (Hygelac) died, thinking that her young son (Heardred) was unable to protect the kingdom; Beowulf refused but served the young king faithfully. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Whose funerals are they? (If youre looking for the Heaney translation, it can be found here: Beowulf: A New Translation; the Tolkien translation is Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary, together with Sellic Spell.) Indeed, during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries many scholars endeavoured to show that the author of Beowulf had been influenced by these classical works, but, in summary, the truth appears to be far more interesting. It is set in Denmark, has a Swedish hero, and when read in the original Anglo-Saxon seems almost more German than English. [17][18], Beowulf's fight with the dragon has been described variously as an act of either altruism[19] or recklessness. In this anecdote, the Beowulf poet seems to have given the pagan ethos a fairly sympathetic and even-handed treatment. ", Peter Gainsford noted in the article "The Deaths of Beowulf and Odysseus: Narrative Time and Mythological Tale Types" that "In the twenty-first century Beowulf does not lack for commentators to defend the literary merit of the dragon episode". [40] Tolkien is here quoting a passage from R. W. Chambers's essay "Beowulf and the 'Heroic Age' in England. Ongentheow Scylfings' (Swedes') king killed by Hygelac's warriors Wulf and Eofor. Sometimes God and wyrd are virtually interchangeable in the poem, possibly the result of Christian substitution. The Beowulf dragon was adapted for Middle-earth in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit (1937), one of the forerunners of modern high fantasy. The title of the poem is probably the most famous thing about it that, and the fact that a monster named Grendel features at some point. Why does Grendels mother take back Grendels arm? If you enjoyed this brief summary of, and introduction to,Beowulf, then you can learn more about the poem hereat the British Library website. Lines 2200-2400. Thank you! For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more! Most people know that the poem documents the struggle of the title character in vanquishing a monster named Grendel. A great post on one of my favorite works. Beowulf gives his life defeating the dragon and gaining this impressive treasure for his people, but they won't benefit from it either. The contrast drawn between Hrothgar, who earlier calls on the young Beowulf to eradicate Grendel, and the now old Beowulf, who enlists no such help against the dragon, accentuates Beowulfs valor and instills in us a confidence that Beowulf is still mighty enough to eradicate a menacing foe. Onela killed Geat King Heardred. Fantastic article, it was education and entertaining all at once. They discover the thief who stole the dragons goblet and press him to take them to the barrow. When the angry dragon mercilessly burns the Geats' homes and lands, Beowulf decides to fight and kill the monster personally. CliffsNotes study guides are written by real teachers and professors, so no matter what you're studying, CliffsNotes can ease your homework headaches and help you score high on exams. When Beowulf tracks her to the mere and ends up in her underwater cave, he has no more interest in the claw. The poets explicit comparison between Hygelac, who died, and Beowulf, who lived, in the combat in Friesland similarly builds our expectations that Beowulf will succeed in his quest. Already a member? In lines 3156-3168, it is reported that the treasure was buried (not burned, as the messenger had recommended) in Beowulf's funeral mound, along with his ashes (after he was burned), and that the treasure that was buried included the things that Wiglaf and the others had taken from the dragon's cave after Beowulf's death. LitCharts Teacher Editions. The poem actually begins with Scyld Sheffings funeral, and it ends with Beowulfs. Beowulf is a classic overcoming the monster story. He also put up quite a fight when Hygelac died in Frisia; Beowulf escaped by defeating many of the enemy in close combat, carrying off the war gear of 30 men. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? . Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. Only one survivor, who is called the "keeper of the rings" (2244), lived to hide the treasures in the barrow. The dragon's barrow holds wealth in abundance, yet the wealth is of no use to anyone. | Interesting Literature, Pingback: Five Fascinating Facts about Jabberwocky | Interesting Literature, Pingback: Five Fascinating Facts about Geoffrey Chaucer | Interesting Literature, Reblogged this on beocorgi and commented: In a parallel that cannot be missed, the dragon does the same, in a slightly different way, to Beowulf. The problem starts when a fugitive, apparently a runaway slave, stumbles across the dragon's treasure-trove. You'll be billed after your free trial ends. Interestingly, Beowulf's initial reaction is a feeling of guilt. WebAlthough his sword, Hrunting, loaned to him by Unferth, fails to penetrate the mother's hide, Beowulf discovers a giant magic sword in the cave and is able to kill the mother with it. The dragon is the final test for Beowulf, a test of his wisdom as well as his courage. Reblogged this on F.T. Hygelac is killed in battle. By declining the throne and taking on the guardianship of the young heir until the heir comes of age, Beowulf shows that his attitude toward power is neither ambitious nor mercenary. [23] The dragon's hoard symbolizes the vestige of an older society, now lost to wars and famine, left behind by a survivor of that period. They wish each other luck in the fight that will follow, and Beowulf has a premonition of his own death. The lengthy passages of recapitulation and reminiscence fill in the details of Beowulfs political biography. from your Reading List will also remove any [29], Wiglaf remains loyal to his king and stays to confront the dragon. Waking up to find Pingback: Happy Tolkien Reading Day! In ending with the tale of a dragon attempting to defend a mound of treasure, the poem prefigures not only the works of J. R. R. Tolkien (who, as well as being the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, was also an influential Anglo-Saxon scholar who translated Beowulfandwrote an important article on it of which more below) but also, more surprisingly, other poems like Lewis Carrolls nonsense masterpiece, Jabberwocky. The messenger describes the death scene to the citizens, and then, at line 2912, tells them that their enemies will soon find out that Beowulf is dead, and come after them, taking advantage of their new weakness. Reblogged this on cjheries and commented: Are you sure you want to remove #bookConfirmation# Grendel and his mother, then, are similarly outcasts, something that has been rejected by mainstream society and whose violence must be overcome. Why does Beowulf want to see the treasure? (including. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Beowulf: Sections 8-10 Flashcards | Quizlet At line 2999, he says that these past battles are the reason why he is expecting trouble to rain down on the Geats, and so, at line 3010, he says that the treasure should be burned in its entirety in Beowulf's funeral pyre. He then makes his final boast: he vows to fight the dragon, if only it will abandon its barrow and face him on open ground. A lone Geat fugitive, apparently a servant or slave escaping a cruel master, has stolen a single flagon from the hoard, outraging the dragon and inciting him to vengeance. [6] Beowulf preserves existing medieval dragon-lore, most notably in the extended digression recounting the Sigurd/Fafnir tale. Beowulf is from a different kingdom the nearby Geatland, in modern-day Sweden so we have one of the classic tropes of adventure narratives, that of the hero leaving home to go and vanquish some foe in a foreign land. This depiction indicates the growing importance and stabilization of the modern concept of the dragon within European mythology. It opens with an account of a Danish king named Hrothgar, who was the one responsible for building a great hall (named Heorot), a hall which is now being terrorised by the monstrous Grendel. This fight results in one last victory for our great hero, followed by his own death from the mortal would inflicted by the poisoned horn of the beast (though presumably Beowulf was rather advanced in years by this point anyway). The dragon fight is foreshadowed with earlier events: Scyld Shefing's funeral and Sigmund's death by dragon, as recounted by a bard in Hrothgar's hall. 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The hall is a home for the warriors who sleep there and functions as a seat of government. I certainly realize that it is not perfectly clear whether the treasure was owned by one people or two. Waking up to find the goblet stolen, the dragon bursts forth from the barrow to hunt the thief, scorching the earth as it travels. His son, Heardred, inherits the throne, with Beowulf's support, but is also slain. Wiglaf excoriates them for their cowardice in leaving their king to fight the dragon by himself. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. [35] Conversely, Kemp Malone writes in "The Kenning in Beowulf" that Beowulf's fight with the dragon receives much critical attention, but that commentators fail to note that "the dragon was no fighter. Now I have given my old life/for this treasure hoard; fulfill henceforth/the people's needs; I may stay here no longer. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. It is worth noting, though, that in many of the translations I have read (particularly the ones from the 19th century) the translators refer to the treasure as having been owned by only a single people: the people who died out and left the man who put it into the cave which eventually was guarded by the dragon. At this point, we assume that the gold hoard will be taken out of the dragon's barrow and put to use. "Cain's monstrous progeny in Beowulf: part I, Noachic tradition", "The Dragon-Lore of Middle-earth: Tolkien and Old English and Old Norse Tradition", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_dragon_(Beowulf)&oldid=1136193441, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 29 January 2023, at 05:14. It towers high and is compared to a cliff. In the previous section, the reader learns only that Beowulf came to the throne after Hygelacs death and ruled for fifty years. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." [34], In 1918, William Witherle Lawrence argued in his article "The Dragon and His Lair in Beowulf" that the fight between Beowulf and the dragon tends to receive less critical attention than other portions of the poem, commenting that "Grendel and his dam have, as it were, become more beloved of the commentators". Hygelac fell while Beowulf survived thanks to his great strength and swimming ability. The poem continues to enjoy popularity, thanks to a bestselling translation by Seamus Heaney and a translation by J. R. R. Tolkien, which was only published in 2014. "[13], A study of German and Norse texts reveals three typical narratives for the dragonslayer: a fight for the treasure, a battle to save the slayer's people, or a fight to free a woman. | PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. The Geats have a long feud with the Scylfings. [46] Aia Hussein of the National Endowment for the Humanities has written that the fight between Harry Potter and the Hungarian Horntail in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000) by J. K. Rowling was influenced by the confrontation between the dragon and the title character in Beowulf.[47]. Refine any search. He tells us that the stewards sleep who once burnished battle-masks. The dragon, therefore, is a stark contrast to the other two antagonists. What happens in Beowulf, the jewel in the crown of Anglo-Saxon poetry? For example, in line 2311, he tells us, in the understatement of litotes, that the termination of the dragon raids will be "hard for their [the Geats'] ring-giving lord." It will be moved to my TBR pile. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. WebShare Cite. By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University). Beowulf is a hero who previously killed two monsters. [11] Also, the Beowulf poet created a dragon with specific traits: a nocturnal, treasure-hoarding, inquisitive, vengeful, fire-breathing creature. Hrothgar's great mead-hall, The poet recounts the death of King Hygelac in combat in Friesland. But this next conflict will prove even more difficult: as well as swords being useless, the strong sword (Hrunting) given to Beowulf by Unferth will also be powerless against Grendels mother.