The raven, wolf, and eagle are the
regular epic accompaniments of battle and carnage.
regular epic accompaniments of battle and carnage.
Beowulf
H.
, Gr.
, and Ettmüller understand idese to refer to the queen.
l. 1651. Cf. _Anglia_, iii. 74, _Beit. _ xi. 167, for coincidences with the
Grettir Saga (13th cent. ).
l. 1664. B. proposes eotenise . . . èste for ēacen . . . oftost, omitting
brackets (_Zackers Zeitschr. _ iv. 206). G. translates _mighty . . . often_.
l. 1675. ondrǣdan. "In late texts the final n of the preposition on is
frequently lost when it occurs in a compound word or stereotyped phrase,
and the prefix then appears as a: abútan, amang, aweg, aright,
adr'ǣdan. "--Cook's Sievers' Gram. , p. 98.
ll. 1680-1682. Giants and their work are also referred to at ll. 113, 455,
1563, 1691, etc.
l. 1680. Cf. ceastra . . . orðanc enta geweorc, _Gnomic Verses_, l. 2;
Sweet's Reader, p. 186.
ll. 1687-1697. "In this description of the writing on the sword, we see the
process of transition from heathen magic to the notions of Christian times
. . . . The history of the flood and of the giants . . . were substitutes for
names of heathen gods, and magic spells for victory. "--E. Cf. Mohammedan
usage.
ll. 1703, 1704. þæt þē eorl nǣre geboren betera (B. , _Tidskr. _ 8, 52).
l. 1715. āna hwearf = _he died solitary and alone_ (B. , _Beit. _ xii. 38); =
_lonely_ (Ha. ); = _alone_ (G. ).
l. 1723. lēod-bealo longsum = _eternal hell-torment_ (B. , _Beit. _ xii. 38,
who compares _Ps. Cott. _ 57, līf longsum).
l. 1729. E. translates on lufan, _towards possession_; Ha. , _to
possessions_.
l. 1730. mōdgeþonc, like lig, sǣ, segn, niht, etc. , is of double gender
(m. , n. in the case of mōdgeþ. ).
l. 1741. The doctrine of nemesis following close on ὓβρις, or overweening
pride, is here very clearly enunciated. The only protector against the
things that "assault and hurt" the soul is the "Bishop and Shepherd of our
souls" (l. 1743).
l. 1745 appears dimly to fore-shadow the office of the evil archer Loki,
who in the Scandinavian mythology shoots Balder with a mistletoe twig. The
language closely resembles that of Psalm 64.
l. 1748. Kl. regards wom = wō(u)m; cf. wōh-bogen, l. 2828. See Gloss. , p.
295, under wam. Contrast the construction of bebeorgan a few lines below
(l. 1759), where the dat. and acc. are associated.
l. 1748. See Cook's Sievers' Gram. , p. 167, for declension of wōh, _wrong_
= gen. wōs or wōges, dat. wō(u)m, etc. ; pl. gen. wōra, dat. wō(u)m, etc. ;
and cf. declension of hēah, hrēoh, rūh, etc.
l. 1748. wergan gāstes; cf. _Blickl. Hom. _ vii. ; _Andreas_, l. 1171. "_Auld
Wearie_ is used in Scotland, or was used a few years ago, . . . to mean the
devil. "--E. Bede's _Eccles. Hist. _ contains (naturally) many examples of
the expression = devil.
l. 1750. on gyld = _in reward_ (B. _Beit. _ xii. 95); Ha. translates
_boastfully_; G. , _for boasting_; Gr. , _to incite to boastfulness_. Cf.
_Christ_, l. 818.
l. 1767. E. thinks this an allusion to the widespread superstition of the
evil eye (_mal occhio, mauvais ǣil_). Cf. Vergil, _Ecl. _ iii. 103. He
remarks that Pius IX. , Gambetta, and President Carnot were charged by their
enemies with possessing this weapon.
l. 1784. wigge geweorðad (MS. wigge weorðad) is C. 's conjecture; cf.
_Elene_, l. 150. So G. , _honored in war_.
l. 1785. The future generally implied in the present of bēon is plainly
seen in this line; cf. ll. 1826, 661, 1830, 1763, etc.
l. 1794. Some impers. vbs. take acc. (as here, Geat) of the person
affected; others (as þyncan) take the dat. of the person, as at ll. 688,
1749, etc. Cf. verbs of dreaming, being ashamed, desiring, etc. --March,
A. -S. Gram. , p. 145.
l. 1802. E. remarks that the blaca hrefn here is a bird of good omen, as
opposed to se wonna hrefn of l. 3025.
The raven, wolf, and eagle are the
regular epic accompaniments of battle and carnage. Cf. ll. 3025-3028;
_Maldon_, 106; _Judith_, 205-210, etc.
l. 1803. S. emends to read: "then came the light, going bright after
darkness: the warriors," etc. Cf. Ho. , p. 41, l. 23. G. puts period before
"the warriors. " For ōnettan, cf. Sw. 's Gloss, and Bright's Read. , Gloss.
ll. 1808-1810. Müllenh. and Grundt. refer se hearda to Beowulf, correct
sunu (MS. ) to suna Ecglāfes (i. e. Unferth); [_he_] (Beo. ) _thanked him_
(Un. ) _for the loan_. Cf. ll. 344, 581, 1915.
ll. 1823-1840. "Beowulf departing pledges his services to Hroðgar, to be
what afterwards in the mature language of chivalry was called his 'true
knight'"--E.
l. 1832. Kl. corrects to dryhtne, in appos. with Higelāce.
l. 1835 gār-holt more properly means _spear-shaft_; cf. æsc-holt.
l. 1855. sēl = _better_ (Grundt. ; B. , _Beit. _ xii. 96), instead of MS. wēl.
ll. 1855-1866. "An ideal picture of international amity according to the
experience and doctrine of the eighth century. "--E.
l. 1858. S. and Kl. correct to gemǣne, agreeing with sib. --_Beit. _ ix. 140,
190.
l. 1862. "The gannet is a great diver, plunging down into the sea from a
considerable height, such as forty feet. "--E.
l. 1863. Kl. suggests heafu, = _seas_.
l. 1865. B. proposes geþōhte, = _with firm thought_, for geworhte; cf. l.
611.
l. 1876. gesēon = _see again_ (Kl. , _Beit. _ ix. 190). S. and B. insert nā
to modify gesēon and explain Hrōðgār's tears. Ha. and G. follow Heyne's
text. Cf. l. 567.
l. 1881. Is beorn here = bearn (be-arn? ) of l. 67? or more likely = born,
barn, = _burned? _--S. , Th.
l. 1887. orleahtre is a ἃπαξ λεγόμενον. E. compares Tennyson's "blameless"
king. Cf. also ll. 2015, 2145; and the gōd cyning of l. 11.
l. 1896. scaðan = _warriors_ (cf. l. 1804) has been proposed by C. ; but cf.
l. 253.
l. 1897. The boat had been left, at ll. 294-302, in the keeping of
Hrōðgār's men; at l. 1901 the bāt-weard is specially honored by Beowulf
with a sword and becomes a "sworded squire. "--E. This circumstance appears
to weld the poem together. Cf. also the speed of the journey home with ymb
ān-tīd ōþres dōgores of l. 219, and the similarity of language in both
passages (fāmig-heals, clifu, næssas, sǣlde, brim, etc. ). --The nautical
terms in Beowulf would form an interesting study.
l. 1904. R. proposes, gewāt him on naca, = _the vessel set out_, on
alliterating as at l. 2524 (_Zachers Zeitschr. _ iii. 402). B. reads on
nacan, but inserts irrelevant matter (_Beit. _ xii. 97).
l. 1913. Cf. the same use of cēol, = _ship_, in the _A. -S. Chron. _, ed.
Earle-Plummer; _Gnomic Verses_, etc.
l. 1914. S. inserts þæt hē before on lande.
l. 1916. B. makes lēofra manna depend on wlātode, = _looked for the dear
men ready at the coast_ (_Beit. _ xii. 97).
l. 1924. Gr. , W. , and Ho. propose wunade, = _remained;_ but cf. l. 1929. S.
conceives ll. 1924, 1925 as "direct speech" (_Beit. _ ix. 141).
l. 1927 _seq. _ "The women of Beowulf are of the fine northern type; trusted
and loved by their husbands and by the nobles and people; generous, gentle,
and holding their place with dignity. "--Br. , p. 67. Thrytho is the
exception, l. 1932 _seq. _
l. 1933. C. suggests frēcnu, = _dangerous, bold_, for Thrytho could not be
called "excellent. " G. writes "Modthrytho" as her name. The womanly Hygd
seems purposely here contrasted with the terrible Thrytho, just as, at l.
902 _seq. _, Sigemund and Heremōd are contrasted. For Thrytho, etc. , cf.
Gr. , _Jahrb. für rom. u. eng. Lit. _ iv. 279; Müllenhoff, _Haupts Zeitschr. _
xiv. 216; Matthew Paris; Suchier, _Beit. _ iv.
l. 1651. Cf. _Anglia_, iii. 74, _Beit. _ xi. 167, for coincidences with the
Grettir Saga (13th cent. ).
l. 1664. B. proposes eotenise . . . èste for ēacen . . . oftost, omitting
brackets (_Zackers Zeitschr. _ iv. 206). G. translates _mighty . . . often_.
l. 1675. ondrǣdan. "In late texts the final n of the preposition on is
frequently lost when it occurs in a compound word or stereotyped phrase,
and the prefix then appears as a: abútan, amang, aweg, aright,
adr'ǣdan. "--Cook's Sievers' Gram. , p. 98.
ll. 1680-1682. Giants and their work are also referred to at ll. 113, 455,
1563, 1691, etc.
l. 1680. Cf. ceastra . . . orðanc enta geweorc, _Gnomic Verses_, l. 2;
Sweet's Reader, p. 186.
ll. 1687-1697. "In this description of the writing on the sword, we see the
process of transition from heathen magic to the notions of Christian times
. . . . The history of the flood and of the giants . . . were substitutes for
names of heathen gods, and magic spells for victory. "--E. Cf. Mohammedan
usage.
ll. 1703, 1704. þæt þē eorl nǣre geboren betera (B. , _Tidskr. _ 8, 52).
l. 1715. āna hwearf = _he died solitary and alone_ (B. , _Beit. _ xii. 38); =
_lonely_ (Ha. ); = _alone_ (G. ).
l. 1723. lēod-bealo longsum = _eternal hell-torment_ (B. , _Beit. _ xii. 38,
who compares _Ps. Cott. _ 57, līf longsum).
l. 1729. E. translates on lufan, _towards possession_; Ha. , _to
possessions_.
l. 1730. mōdgeþonc, like lig, sǣ, segn, niht, etc. , is of double gender
(m. , n. in the case of mōdgeþ. ).
l. 1741. The doctrine of nemesis following close on ὓβρις, or overweening
pride, is here very clearly enunciated. The only protector against the
things that "assault and hurt" the soul is the "Bishop and Shepherd of our
souls" (l. 1743).
l. 1745 appears dimly to fore-shadow the office of the evil archer Loki,
who in the Scandinavian mythology shoots Balder with a mistletoe twig. The
language closely resembles that of Psalm 64.
l. 1748. Kl. regards wom = wō(u)m; cf. wōh-bogen, l. 2828. See Gloss. , p.
295, under wam. Contrast the construction of bebeorgan a few lines below
(l. 1759), where the dat. and acc. are associated.
l. 1748. See Cook's Sievers' Gram. , p. 167, for declension of wōh, _wrong_
= gen. wōs or wōges, dat. wō(u)m, etc. ; pl. gen. wōra, dat. wō(u)m, etc. ;
and cf. declension of hēah, hrēoh, rūh, etc.
l. 1748. wergan gāstes; cf. _Blickl. Hom. _ vii. ; _Andreas_, l. 1171. "_Auld
Wearie_ is used in Scotland, or was used a few years ago, . . . to mean the
devil. "--E. Bede's _Eccles. Hist. _ contains (naturally) many examples of
the expression = devil.
l. 1750. on gyld = _in reward_ (B. _Beit. _ xii. 95); Ha. translates
_boastfully_; G. , _for boasting_; Gr. , _to incite to boastfulness_. Cf.
_Christ_, l. 818.
l. 1767. E. thinks this an allusion to the widespread superstition of the
evil eye (_mal occhio, mauvais ǣil_). Cf. Vergil, _Ecl. _ iii. 103. He
remarks that Pius IX. , Gambetta, and President Carnot were charged by their
enemies with possessing this weapon.
l. 1784. wigge geweorðad (MS. wigge weorðad) is C. 's conjecture; cf.
_Elene_, l. 150. So G. , _honored in war_.
l. 1785. The future generally implied in the present of bēon is plainly
seen in this line; cf. ll. 1826, 661, 1830, 1763, etc.
l. 1794. Some impers. vbs. take acc. (as here, Geat) of the person
affected; others (as þyncan) take the dat. of the person, as at ll. 688,
1749, etc. Cf. verbs of dreaming, being ashamed, desiring, etc. --March,
A. -S. Gram. , p. 145.
l. 1802. E. remarks that the blaca hrefn here is a bird of good omen, as
opposed to se wonna hrefn of l. 3025.
The raven, wolf, and eagle are the
regular epic accompaniments of battle and carnage. Cf. ll. 3025-3028;
_Maldon_, 106; _Judith_, 205-210, etc.
l. 1803. S. emends to read: "then came the light, going bright after
darkness: the warriors," etc. Cf. Ho. , p. 41, l. 23. G. puts period before
"the warriors. " For ōnettan, cf. Sw. 's Gloss, and Bright's Read. , Gloss.
ll. 1808-1810. Müllenh. and Grundt. refer se hearda to Beowulf, correct
sunu (MS. ) to suna Ecglāfes (i. e. Unferth); [_he_] (Beo. ) _thanked him_
(Un. ) _for the loan_. Cf. ll. 344, 581, 1915.
ll. 1823-1840. "Beowulf departing pledges his services to Hroðgar, to be
what afterwards in the mature language of chivalry was called his 'true
knight'"--E.
l. 1832. Kl. corrects to dryhtne, in appos. with Higelāce.
l. 1835 gār-holt more properly means _spear-shaft_; cf. æsc-holt.
l. 1855. sēl = _better_ (Grundt. ; B. , _Beit. _ xii. 96), instead of MS. wēl.
ll. 1855-1866. "An ideal picture of international amity according to the
experience and doctrine of the eighth century. "--E.
l. 1858. S. and Kl. correct to gemǣne, agreeing with sib. --_Beit. _ ix. 140,
190.
l. 1862. "The gannet is a great diver, plunging down into the sea from a
considerable height, such as forty feet. "--E.
l. 1863. Kl. suggests heafu, = _seas_.
l. 1865. B. proposes geþōhte, = _with firm thought_, for geworhte; cf. l.
611.
l. 1876. gesēon = _see again_ (Kl. , _Beit. _ ix. 190). S. and B. insert nā
to modify gesēon and explain Hrōðgār's tears. Ha. and G. follow Heyne's
text. Cf. l. 567.
l. 1881. Is beorn here = bearn (be-arn? ) of l. 67? or more likely = born,
barn, = _burned? _--S. , Th.
l. 1887. orleahtre is a ἃπαξ λεγόμενον. E. compares Tennyson's "blameless"
king. Cf. also ll. 2015, 2145; and the gōd cyning of l. 11.
l. 1896. scaðan = _warriors_ (cf. l. 1804) has been proposed by C. ; but cf.
l. 253.
l. 1897. The boat had been left, at ll. 294-302, in the keeping of
Hrōðgār's men; at l. 1901 the bāt-weard is specially honored by Beowulf
with a sword and becomes a "sworded squire. "--E. This circumstance appears
to weld the poem together. Cf. also the speed of the journey home with ymb
ān-tīd ōþres dōgores of l. 219, and the similarity of language in both
passages (fāmig-heals, clifu, næssas, sǣlde, brim, etc. ). --The nautical
terms in Beowulf would form an interesting study.
l. 1904. R. proposes, gewāt him on naca, = _the vessel set out_, on
alliterating as at l. 2524 (_Zachers Zeitschr. _ iii. 402). B. reads on
nacan, but inserts irrelevant matter (_Beit. _ xii. 97).
l. 1913. Cf. the same use of cēol, = _ship_, in the _A. -S. Chron. _, ed.
Earle-Plummer; _Gnomic Verses_, etc.
l. 1914. S. inserts þæt hē before on lande.
l. 1916. B. makes lēofra manna depend on wlātode, = _looked for the dear
men ready at the coast_ (_Beit. _ xii. 97).
l. 1924. Gr. , W. , and Ho. propose wunade, = _remained;_ but cf. l. 1929. S.
conceives ll. 1924, 1925 as "direct speech" (_Beit. _ ix. 141).
l. 1927 _seq. _ "The women of Beowulf are of the fine northern type; trusted
and loved by their husbands and by the nobles and people; generous, gentle,
and holding their place with dignity. "--Br. , p. 67. Thrytho is the
exception, l. 1932 _seq. _
l. 1933. C. suggests frēcnu, = _dangerous, bold_, for Thrytho could not be
called "excellent. " G. writes "Modthrytho" as her name. The womanly Hygd
seems purposely here contrasted with the terrible Thrytho, just as, at l.
902 _seq. _, Sigemund and Heremōd are contrasted. For Thrytho, etc. , cf.
Gr. , _Jahrb. für rom. u. eng. Lit. _ iv. 279; Müllenhoff, _Haupts Zeitschr. _
xiv. 216; Matthew Paris; Suchier, _Beit. _ iv.
