A Comparison of Beowulf and Icelandic Sagas

New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1907–21; New York: Bartleby.com, 2000

“The Hero and the Theme.” In A Beowulf Handbook, edited by Robert Bjork and John D. Niles. Lincoln, Nebraska: Uiversity of Nebraska Press, 1997. The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki, translated by Jesse L. Byock. New York: Penguin Books, 1998. Ward & Trent, et al.

This prose story is based on traditional Norse verse called Eddic poetry, a form of mythic or heroic lay which developed before 1000 in the oral folk culture of Old Scandinavia. In The Saga of the Volsungs the hero Sigurd is the one who corresponds best with the hero Beowulf in the Anglo-Saxon tradition. George Clark in “The Hero and the Theme” mentions: “The form of Beowulf taken as a whole suggests both the ‘Bear’s Son’ folktale type (especially as we find it in Scandinavia) and the ‘combat myth’. . .

Beowulf, being Tolkien’s biggest inspiration in The Lord of The Rings, is the prime example of Anglo-Saxon Literature. Written anonymously, it is the oldest surviving epic poem in history. The Anglo-Saxon time period thrived on the heroic codes of Honor, Strength, and Bravery. The warrior, Beowulf himself, exemplified this heroic code... ... middle of paper ... ... and his own Lord of The Rings Trilogy. The theme of good versus evil is found in both Beowulf and The Lord of The Rings and main characters are used to represent good and evil, showing how much power good or evil can have.

San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1966. The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki, translated by Jesse L. Byock. New York: Penguin Books, 1998. Ward & Trent, et al. The Cambridge History of English and American Literature.

Kennings are derived from the Norse word “kenna”. They are compound expressions in Old English that have a metaphorical meaning (i.e. Blood: battle-sweat); A modified noun followed by a possessive noun is usually what a kenning consists of. Furthermore consider the comma, a punctuation mark that indicates the pausing between parts ... ... middle of paper ... ...ay’s literature but withal they’ve gleaned modern day poetic devices. Its history of kings, kinship, and culture, language, names, religion, and events is the reason this poem is still read today.

Beowulf takes place in 6th century Denmark and Sweden. The Geats (Beowulf's tribe) inhabited the southern part of Sweden) and Hrothgar and his glorious mead-hall Heorot were from the Danish island, Sjaelland. Some historical digressions in the epic poem take place in other parts of Sweden, but also Denmark, Germany, Poland and "the Low Countries." The first part of Beowulf takes place in Heorot, King Hrothgar's glorious mead hall. At the time this poem took place, research proves that the Danes held their throne on Sjaelland Island at Lejre.

The epic poem Beowulf, is a work of fiction and was composed sometime between the middle of the seventh and the end of the tenth century of the first millennium, in the language today called Anglo- Saxon or Old English. This story is a heroic narrative, more than three thousand lines long, concerning the deeds of the Scandinavian prince, also called Beowulf, and it stands as one of the foundation works of poetry in English. Beowulf is obviously a creation of the poet, through partial comparisons have been made between him and somewhat similar characters in folklore and Icelandic sagas. As related to other characters in the poem, he would probably have been shortly before 500 and died as a very old man. That Beowulf's origin is obscure, that he apparently never married and/or produced any children, that he returned alone from the battle that took the life of his king instead of dying by his side in the best Germanic-heroic tradition, that he was almost entirely inactive in the Geat-Swede conflicts, that he seems at times superhuman and at other times merely a remarkable ma, that he is such a curious blend of pagan and Christian, that he never appears anywhere else in all literature of the North- these things are not bothersome o difficult to understand when we realize that a major poet was trying something big and new, and that he created for his work and original character to bring together all of its complex features.

Stories told in Beowulf introduce new heroes, such as the titular character himself, and their accomplishments, which in turn become history. Comparatively, storytelling is one of the few means of historical and cultural preservation in Anglo-Saxon society. After Grendel’s defeat, Beowulf and his troops gather in the mead hall where “the king’s poet performed his part with the saga of Finn and his sons” (Heaney 71).The poet tells an ancient tale of a dispute between the Danes and Frisians that depicts cultural aspects such as the notion of wyrd, honor, and vengeance. The story incorporates historical and cultural values that are spread by traditional oral recitations. Oral-storytelling is an important part of Anglo-Saxon culture.

I see mythology as an attempt by a people to explain the powerful forces which affect and shape it, that are beyond its control, such as weather, the elements,... ... middle of paper ... ...christ (translator), The Prose Edda, by Snorri Sturluson, American-Scandanavain Foundation, London, England, 1923 Hodge, Jessica, Who's Who in Classical Mythology, Bison Books Ltd. London, England, 1995 Osborne, Mary Pope, Favorite Norse Myths, Scholastic Inc. New York, New York, 1996 Picard, Barbara Leonie, Tales of the Norse Gods and Heroes, Oxford Univeristy Press, Oxford, England, 1953. WEB PAGES -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://grimnir.wiwi.hu-berlin.de/~kroehn/sysnames/myth/nrw_myth.html http://webcom.com/shownet/medea/bulfinch/bullnote.html http://www.intergate.net/uhtml//.jhunt/greek_myth/gvrIntro.html http://www.m3cnet.com/Nic/M/m2a.htm http://www.netusa.net/~jmr/kg/trgods.html http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/mythlinks.html/ http://www.siprelle.com/spirit/norse.html