Runes and Magic in Beowulf and The Saga of the Volsungs
In the Old English poem Beowulf and in the Icelandic The Saga of the Volsungs, a saga representing oral traditions dating back to the fourth and fifth centuries, we see the mention of runes, which were used with connotations of magic or charms.
An unknown author wrote the The Saga of the Volsungs in the thirteenth century, basing his story on far older Norse poetry. Iceland was settled by the Vikings about 870-930, who took there the famous lay of Sigurd and the Volsungs. Native Icelandic poets loved the story of Sigurd and the Huns, Goths, Burgundians, with whom he interacted. 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’. . . .” (286). The “combat myth” is what this saga is. When Sigurd was born, he was the grandson of King Eylimi; when Beowulf was born, he was the grandson of King Hrethel. The king said of Sigurd that “none would be his like or equal” (55), and this proved true; Beowulf as a young man was so strong that “he was the strongest of all living men” (196). The similarities between Sigurd and Beowulf continue through both works.
The Icelandic skald is the equivalent of the Anglo-Saxon scop. He was a storyteller. Icelandic material builds on a long oral tradition just like Anglo-saxon, going back in their stories to the fourth and fifth centuries (Byock 2). Skalds stayed in the royal courts of Scandinavia like their counterparts to the south.
Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon narrative poem whose oral traditions date back to the sixth century. We see the first mention of runes in this poem in connection with the magic sword. When the hero is in deadly combat with Grendel’s mother in the mere, he is at the point of being killed by the monster when suddenly God shows to him the presence of a special sword nearby on the wall.
Beowulf is among the earliest surviving works of literature. It was written in Old English and dates back sometime before the tenth century A.D. The poem is set in Scandinavia, and tells the story of the heroic warrior, Beowulf. Beowulf was the perfect hero. He fought for his people and defeated evil with his ability to bring on justice. Three of Beowulf’s traits that serve as evidence of this were his remarkable physical strength, his ability to put the well-being of others before his own well-being, and his courage.
Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. “Stowe, Harriet Beecher”. Date of Last Revision Unknown. 6 Jan 2002. <http://www.encyclopedia.com/printablenew/12373.html>.
The Iceland saga, The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki, written in the 1300’s, represents about 1000 years of oral traditions. The remarkable similarities between this saga’s main character and Beowulf’s main character are just too astounding to dismiss as mere coincidences.
In his translation of The Saga of the Volsungs: the Norse Epic of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer, Jesse L. Byock compiles many versions of this famous Norse epic and creates a very important scholarly work. Of special importance is the introduction, which provides a central working background to base readings upon. There are several themes echoed throughout the translation that reflect accurately on this portion of history. Byock does a superb job of illustrating these important aspects in his work. While the tale Byock tells is a fairy-tale handed down by generations of families, within the reader can find tell-tale signs of important aspects of Norse culture. For instance, important aspects of family life and the role of men and women surface. Likewise, the importance of wealth and material possessions on the power and prestige of a king is also evident.
She shows the common “average” person a new light. She gives hope to the underprivileged and deserving, introducing opportunity to other women wishing to stand up in what she believes in, without punishment for doing so. Through her writing, Stowe is able to reveal what happens behind closed doors. She is able to unveil the truth that no one wanted to acknowledge, and through this she got legislatives and citizens thinking about what changes should happen to our country. If it were not for Stowe’s novelty leadership, who knows how long slavery would have existed in the form it once
Stowe and her siblings were involved in various reform movements and even “...reformed Puritanism itself by challenging some of its harshest creeds” (Reynolds, 2011, p.6). Stowe was uninterested in the political issue created by slavery, she wanted to bring light upon the emotional and religious problems caused by it. Stowe was able to receive testimony from former slaves because of the close interaction she had with them. One of her housekeepers, Eliza Buck, was a fugitive slave and was able to tell her story. Eliza Buck, along with Stowe’s mother’s sister, were able to influence Stowe in her creation of the characters for Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The immense cultural importance produced by Uncle Tom’s Cabin is created through its emotional appeal. Stowe’s book aid “...rectify
Tom’s death wasn’t for granted. Through his death and his lifetime, many people were converted to Christianity, others started thinking that maybe by glorifying God, and following his footsteps, their life will be better and without cruelty. He opened eyes of the Mr. Shelby to the nature of slavery. He realized that in the eyes of the God slavery is wrong, unhuman and immortal. “"Witness, eternal God!" said George, kneeling on the grave of his poor friend; "oh, witness, that, from this hour, I will do what one man can to drive out this curse of slavery from my land!" (Stowe, 519) Mr. Shelby decided to work toward abolition of slavery with the help of God, because that is what God really wants. This is the main message that Stowe tried to pass to the readers. She wants that everyone to open their eyes, as Mr. Shelby did.
...r the South being justified in seeing the book as “an attack on white Southerners or Southern society as the root cause of the evils of slavery,” it seems that they were not justified. Overall, Stowe was attacking the institution of slavery and not the South per se. It is no surprise that the South would feel like Stowe was attacking them, though. The South is where the harshest slave conditions were. Their whole agricultural set up depended on slavery for survival. But Stowe was not attacking Southerners, only the slavery that they were permitting.
... faced, nor the terrible people he becomes involved with to change him as a true Christian, keeping his faith in religion and believening God to make all things better for him through time. His death could be seen as Toms salvation, allowing for him to finally come to peace and live freely. Lastly, Stowe shows the importance of women in a time when nobody was truly giving womens rights and abilitities much thought, instead in a way suppressing them much like they did the slaves. In a time when slavery was the main issue, Stowe was able to lay the framework for womens rights, though we would not see much progress for years to come. All of the important issues Stowe saw in her life were put forth in this book, allowing Stowe to speak freely and help shed light on these issues so others could see the true problems and what was truly going on, in these horrid times.
Beowulf's Physical Journeys The physical journeys that Beowulf goes through in this poem are more than a mere change in location. They represent a change that Beowulf is going to go through. After each journey, since they were followed with a fight, or battle, Beowulf changes. He changed in more ways than just young to old; he changed into a heroic warrior and eventually a king.
In the year 1852, nine short years before the civil war began in 1861, Harriet Stowe published arguably the most influential, groundbreaking, and controversial books in American history, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The novel drew widespread criticism for the depiction of African Americans and slaves in a time when the United States of America was teetering on civil unrest due to the strength of the opposing views between the North and the South. The rapid expansion and growth the United States throughout the 19th century had led to an increase in labor demands, and slavery was not only viable but also essential to the economic prosperity of the southern states. The argument over slavery was wrestled with for the entire history of the young nation, and the late mid-1800’s brought the country to a crossroads. The publishing of Uncle Tom’s Cabin stirred the emotions of the country over whether or not African Americans are equal, if they should be free, and what should be done about slavery.
Beowulf is an epic poem telling the story of Beowulf, a legendary Geatish hero who later becomes king in the aforementioned epic poem. While the story in and of itself is quite interesting, for the purpose of this paper it is important to look at the character more so then his deeds, or rather why he did what he did.
Beowulf looked over on the wall next to them and saw a magnificent sword hanging on the wall adorned with beautiful carvings, it was blessed with magic. No normal man could ever have lifted that sword, but Beowulf was no normal being. He waited for the right moment to go and retrieve the sword, and when he found the perfect opportunity and he ran straight towards the wall. He pulled the sword down with great force and began running towards Grendel’s mother. Beowulf took in a deep breath as he leaned back and heaved the sword forward. Beowulf had sliced straight through Grendel’s mother’s scaly neck, blood began to pour everywhere and he heard her bones cracking as the sword passed through her.
Stowe was inspired by the literary period of realism, which was comprised of stories that depicted the harsher scenes of life (Campbell). Portraying the hardships of living in the 1850s, Stowe’s writings reflect realism. With brutal and gruesome details, she paints the picture of slavery in order to convince the readers of its evils. In Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Stowe writes, “[He] struck him across the face with his riding-whip, and, seizing one of his arms, forced him on to his knees, and beat him until he was out of breath” (Stowe 225). Similar scenes fill the novel, creating a realistic account of slavery in the South. Stowe’s works are realistic representations due to the literary period’s influence.
Yagmin, James. “Book Rags”. Cabin Book Nootes Summary. 2006: 1. Uncle Tom’s Cabin. LVA. UNA. 6 May 2008 .Piace