Collaberative Beowulf Questions

These questions were collaborated on by (Hayden Robel, Paplo Nicasio, and Torre Reddick)

[Prologue: The Rise of the Danish Nation] (lines 1-85, pp. 33-34)

1. Shield became ruler as a common, actually orphaned at birth, man. Eventually shield surpassed his limitations to become one of the most powerful and magnanimous rulers of the lands, his reign ending as it began, departed out to sea on top of a venerated shield. Hrothgar is the son of Shield’s son’s (Beow) Halfdane. Familial order follows: Sheafson-then Beow-then Halfdane-ending with Hrothgar.

[Heorot is Attacked] (lines 86-188, pp. 34-36)

1.  The magnificent mead hall titled “Heorot” was Hrothgar’s monument/tribute to his kingdom. For a time peace was enjoyed until the demon-monster Grendel attacked the hall (for “12 winters”=12 years) the Danes ultimately failing to subdue the monster even after deploying the greatest of their men.

[The Hero Comes to Heorot] (lines 189-490, pp. 36-42)

1. Beowulf the legendary warrior hears of Hrothgar’s monster dilemma and sets out for the embattled land.

2. The watchmen of Dane’s coast wish to evaluate whether Beowulf (armed with weapons and burnished breast plates) is a potential threat, the two exchange in a quick explanation of Beowulf’s business in the region and the hero is eventually permitted to enter, even whilst the watchmen vigilantly scrutinize Beowulf’s vessel as he walks off.

3. Herald Wulfgar instantaneously demands the meaning of their presence to which Beowulf asks a meeting with Hrothgar. Wowed by their armor, Wulfgar informs Hrothgar to which Hrothgar illuminates he is aware of Beowulf’s past feats. It’s surprising to hear the king remembers Beowulf as a boy, the son of Ecgtheow.

4. Pledging to fight unarmed/unclothed….Beowulf essentially connotes not only his confidence but duty for Hrothgar’s assistance to Beowulf’s father. Hrothgar sent tidings to a warring clan (Wulfings) of Beowulf’s father, to which the hero’s father pledged loyalty to the Dane king.

[Feast at Heorot] (lines 491-661, pp. 42-46)

1. Teasing Beowulf for allegedly losing to a past swimming match, Unferth claims that he could/will easily defeat Beowulf in the same challenge. Beowulf, first making light of Unfeth’s obvious contremp inebriation, of course accepts the challenge to prove his worth/name. Beowulf remarks the relevancy of this episode as he honestly expresses he was no match for such a challenge in monster infested waters beforehand, dually pointing out that Unferth couldn’t even hope to survive if he couldn’t defeat a monster like Grendel.

2. Carrying a celebratory gauntlet/chalice, the queen Wealhtheow offered drink to the table’s men, thanking the gods for their sending of Beowulf.

[The Fight with Grendel] (lines 662-835, pp. 46-49)

1. Beowulf, rather then prepping with say the traditional means of sword practice or proper rest, chooses silent and sleepless meditation-esque waiting, awaiting the coming fight.

2. Grendel was to eager eating a Geat as he burst thru Heorot’s threshold. Grendel then begins to fight with Beowulf, meeting the unimaginable, truly inhuman strength of the Geat, the legendary hero wrestling with the beast until ripping off one of the demon’s arm’s, a trophy of victory as the cowardly Grendel flees the mead hall.

[Celebration at Heorot] (lines 836-1250, pp. 49-60)

1. Like Sigmund, Beowulf has slain many a monster, Sigmund vanquishing even a dragon singlehandedly. Beowulf is unlike Sigmund’s acting king Heremod who was unable to defend his sovereign land.

2. Unlike Unferth’s lack of confidence in Beowulf’s abilities (Unferth reluctantly apologizing/embarrassed), Hrothgar is not only pleased by the news of the Geat’s victory, offering him riches and rewards of the like, but actually considers him an honorary son.

3. Hildeburh was given, or taken as tribute to the Dane’s enemy leader Finn. Conspiring as Finn’s wife, Hildeburh eventually gets her wish to return to Dane after Finn is killed by an uprising. The tale is common of the medieval practice for tribes to give women to enemy tribes in order to foster a literal merge of bloodlines in the potential offspring’s of the two tribes.

4. Tried reading the passage (XVII) over and over again of the modern text but couldn’t find any direct speech between the queen and her husband.

5. Offering Beowulf a broad neckalace/armor, Wealhtheow requests her wishes for Beowulf to watch over if not protect her sons’ inevitable rise to the throne.

6. Grendel’s mother is marked in the poem to be lurking outside the hall, no doubt a foreshadow to what havoc she will wreak on the sleeping soldiers.

[Another Attack] (lines 1251-1382, pp. 60-62)

1. Grendel’s mother attacks Heorot in a fit of rage, of vengeance for what they have done to her son, unlike the lust for carnage that Grendel had sought before her.

2. Once again promising riches, Hrothgar requests Beowulf to slay Grendel’s mother. Beowulf accepts this challenge, promising to kill the monster whom had killed Hrothgar’s advisor “Aeschere”.

3. The mere is a noxious but mystical swampland where the abyssal depths have never been seen, and the local fauna seem to flee.

[Beowulf Fights Grendel's Mother] (lines 1383-1650, pp. 63-68)

1. Beowulf asks Hrothgar to remain resilient and strong, confident that the Geat hero shall rid the Dane king of his monster’s mother.

2. With a sharp shot, Beowulf slays a monster within the mere pool, not before finding Aeschere’s decapitated head.

3. Equipped in armor and Unferth’s “infallible” sword “Hrunting”, Beowulf apathetically waits as in his preference preparation.

4. Living near the bottom of the mere, Beowulf has dived down for nearly a day before being attacked at Grendel’s lair threshold being dragged into a hall waterless and without other monsters.

5. Hrunting cant even pierce Grendel’s mother’s hide and is subsequently a useless tool abandoned by Beowulf.

6. The armor of Whealhtheow protects Beowulf from Grendel’s mother’s attempted kill of the hero. This a surprise to Beowulf allowing him to grab a sword, slash her, then escape.

7. Using a massive sword he quickly finishes off Grendel’s mother with a decapitating slash, later doing the same as his sword gleams in crimson victory. Spying the corpse of Grendel Beowulf ironically slashes the demon son’s head, leaving with it as a trophy.

8. The Danes, seeing blood babble on and up upon the surface of the mere, believe Beowulf to be dead, but the Geats remain their, adamant in their confidence for their hero leader, unsurprised but exuberant when he emerges.

[Further Celebration at Heorot] (lines 1651-1798, pp. 68-71)

1. Beowulf gives the head of Grendel as an issue of insurance that Hrothgar’s realms are free of the monster’s terror.

2. Banished from his lands to eventual death by a subject’s hands, Heremod choose materials instead of his fellow man unlike Beowulf according to Hrothgar’s fawning speech of the Geat. This is the lesson imparted unto Beowulf (as he is surely to be a Geat king) always be true to your fellow man before selfish wants.

3. Beowulf returns the ultimately useless Hrunting to Unferth, almost a slight to the Dane character as it most likely represents the persistent lack of confidence Unferth had to Beowulf. 

[Beowulf Returns Home] (lines 1799-2199, pp. 71-79)

1. Hrothgar predicts Beowulf will be a wise and magnanimous ruler of his homelands.

2. Queen Hygd, of Hygelac’s kingdom, differs from the parable Queen Modthryth in that Modthryth was cruel and even torturous to her subjects whilst Hygd was kind/empathetic to the people of her rule.

3. Prophesying in-fighting with the resurgence of bad blood, Beowulf (imo depicts a more calculating, wise aspect of his character) informs Hygelac that the potential marriage of Hrothgar’s child to the once adversarial “Heathobroads” will only end with more conflict between the Danes/ Heathobroads. A misguided attempt at fostering peace by marriage/bloodline merging as illustrated in the Finn fable.

4. Aside from embelshing the power of Grendel (though Grendel was indeed monstrous) Beowulf retells hi story relatively accurate, again embellishments aside.

5. Beowulf happily accepted his kings gifts including vast sums of riches and “hides assigned him seven thousand,with house and high-seat” (in other words land?)

[The Dragon Wakes] (lines 2200-2509, pp. 79-86)

1. In the fifty years or so that has passed, king Hygelac has departed, Beowulf has been entrusted with the crown reigning over his Geatland province, yet a monster has emerged much more horrifying then Grendel, a dragon now terrorizes the hero’s homeland.

2. Enraged by the theft of a jewel adorned goblet, one placed centuries ago by a lone survivor of a forgotten race, the dragon did not care about the thief’s motivations (a slave forced by his master to steal) and subsequently wrought fire, relentlessy reduced the Geat kingdom to smoldering grey ash.

3. Not even Beowulf’s throne hall was safe from the dragon’s fiery wrath, the flying beast burning the place, it to being reduced to ash.

4. Beowulf aged and tired is not aware of the reasons why the dragon attacks. He ponders what he must have done to enrage the gods, to deserve such calamities. Even in his age, Beowulf commissions a shield to fight the dragon, the hero still believing he could defeat a monster without assistance, just like he had slain Grendel half a century ago.  I’m speculating that Beowulf’s battle with the dragon will be his last…

5. Dying in battle, king Hygelac was honored by Beowulf’s loyalty even in death as the Geat hero refused Hygd’s offer of the throne, Beowulf not wanting to disrupt the order of succession already established by bloodline.

6. Securing vengeance for Hygelac’s son’s death, Beowulf decimated the Swedes who had robbed the boy of his life.

7. Accompanied by twelve men, Beowulf set out for the dragon’s barrow.

8. Herebeald was “accidentally” killed by his brother Haethkyn, their father king Herethel could only descend, mire and wallow within a void of grief, especially when Haethkyn is sent to the gallows for his brother’s death. Beowulf laments his own grief before slaughtering Swedes in a fit of vengeance.

[Beowulf Attacks the Dragon] (lines 2510-2820, pp. 86-92)

1. Dubbing it a shame if he was to fall alone, Beowulf, claiming it to be an honorable end, orders his men to fight (and undoubtedly die) if he too falls to the dragon’s might.

2. Beowulf struggling against the dragon’s flames (his strength sapped by age), Wiglaf calls upon the help of his fellow comrades to help aid their Geat king, calling them cowardly as the soldiers forgo their honor/oath in a flight of unabashed terror.

3. Trading fatal blows, the dragon (with venom-tipped fangs) bites Beowulf’s neck, Beowulf returning a blow plunging a dagger deep into the dragon’s vulnerable underbelly.

4. Wanting to see the gold he has freed for his kindom’s men, Wiglaf obeys Beowulf’s dying words, retrieving it for the dying Geat. Asking Wiglaf to remain strong, to fufill the void, the vacuum that will be left by his death, Beowulf gives Wiglaf his gold collar, breastplate, a token that will make Wiglaf a king. Desiring Burial in “Beowulf’s Barrow” the legendary hero passes on, ready to meet his fellow, fallen, ancestors.

[Beowulf's Funeral] (lines 2821-3182, pp. 92-99)

1. Wiglaf predicts inevitable invasion, doom for his Geatland knowing the cowardly companions will not be able to protect the kingdom as Beowulf the fallen had.

2. The messenger messages of impending invasion by a bevy of hordes, one of which being the rival Swedes. Ongentheow (after killing Haethkyn apparently, im confused I thought Haethkyn was hung for accidentally killing his brother?) futilely retreated but was eventually hunted down and killed, his armor given to the once king Hygelac. The messenger essentially says it would be dishonorable/useless to keep the gold and advises the riches to be put upon Beowulf’s funeral pyre.

3. Wiglaf demanded the people to view the gold, the literal costs of Beowulf’s death a second time, recounting the leaders dying words/wishes.

4. The dragon is disposed of, cast of into the watery deeps.

5. Disposing of the gold not melted by Beowulf’s funeral (byway of burying), the commemoration/memorial of Geat was exercised by ten day services (atop a seaside ridge), countless horseman riding in grief, the actual funeral ironically concluded by the cowardly companions circling the funeral pyre, fearing what will lye in their inevitable deaths after such dishonorable deeds.

6. The people titled Beowulf as such “…of men he was mildest and most beloved, to his kin the kindest, keenest for praise.” Quite different from the romanticized, stoic ideal of an infallible, larger-then-life military hero archetype, Beowulf is a testament to, a landmark of a dynamic character/hero, a true “human” hero…though with the strength of thirty men.