The Beowulf Discussion: Section VI

[Michael]

This discussion was originally posted to the Endor mailing list. It used the Project Gutenberg eText based on Frances Barton Gummere's translation of the poem. The source can be found here:
http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext97/bwulf11.txt

It is necessary to use a public domain translation, so while more modern translations may be better or preferable, we cannot legally cite their texts here.

Eventually, I switched over to using this source text:
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16328/16328-8.txt

The section numbers differ by 1. I had to post a "null" section for Section XVI to make the transition between translations. Some of my comments address the translator's choices, and they are not relevant to other translations.

VI


HROTHGAR answered, helmet of Scyldings: --
"I knew him of yore in his youthful days;
his aged father was Ecgtheow named,
to whom, at home, gave Hrethel the Geat
his only daughter. Their offspring bold
fares hither to seek the steadfast friend.
And seamen, too, have said me this, --
who carried my gifts to the Geatish court,
thither for thanks, -- he has thirty men's
heft of grasp in the gripe of his hand,
the bold-in-battle. Blessed God
out of his mercy this man hath sent
to Danes of the West, as I ween indeed,
against horror of Grendel. I hope to give
the good youth gold for his gallant thought.
Be thou in haste, and bid them hither,
clan of kinsmen, to come before me;
and add this word, -- they are welcome guests
to folk of the Danes."
[To the door of the hall
Wulfgar went] and the word declared: --
"To you this message my master sends,
East-Danes' king, that your kin he knows,
hardy heroes, and hails you all
welcome hither o'er waves of the sea!
Ye may wend your way in war-attire,
and under helmets Hrothgar greet;
but let here the battle-shields bide your parley,
and wooden war-shafts wait its end."
Uprose the mighty one, ringed with his men,
brave band of thanes: some bode without,
battle-gear guarding, as bade the chief.
Then hied that troop where the herald led them,
under Heorot's roof: [the hero strode,]
hardy 'neath helm, till the hearth he neared.
Beowulf spake, -- his breastplate gleamed,
war-net woven by wit of the smith: --
"Thou Hrothgar, hail! Hygelac's I,
kinsman and follower. Fame a plenty
have I gained in youth! These Grendel-deeds
I heard in my home-land heralded clear.
Seafarers say how stands this hall,
of buildings best, for your band of thanes
empty and idle, when evening sun
in the harbor of heaven is hidden away.
So my vassals advised me well, --
brave and wise, the best of men, --
O sovran Hrothgar, to seek thee here,
for my nerve and my might they knew full well.
Themselves had seen me from slaughter come
blood-flecked from foes, where five I bound,
and that wild brood worsted. I' the waves I slew
nicors {6a} by night, in need and peril
avenging the Weders, {6b} whose woe they sought, --
crushing the grim ones. Grendel now,
monster cruel, be mine to quell
in single battle! So, from thee,
thou sovran of the Shining-Danes,
Scyldings'-bulwark, a boon I seek, --
and, Friend-of-the-folk, refuse it not,
O Warriors'-shield, now I've wandered far, --
that I alone with my liegemen here,
this hardy band, may Heorot purge!
More I hear, that the monster dire,
in his wanton mood, of weapons recks not;
hence shall I scorn -- so Hygelac stay,
king of my kindred, kind to me! --
brand or buckler to bear in the fight,
gold-colored targe: but with gripe alone
must I front the fiend and fight for life,
foe against foe. Then faith be his
in the doom of the Lord whom death shall take.
Fain, I ween, if the fight he win,
in this hall of gold my Geatish band
will he fearless eat, -- as oft before, --
my noblest thanes. Nor need'st thou then
to hide my head; {6c} for his shall I be,
dyed in gore, if death must take me;
and my blood-covered body he'll bear as prey,
ruthless devour it, the roamer-lonely,
with my life-blood redden his lair in the fen:
no further for me need'st food prepare!
To Hygelac send, if Hild {6d} should take me,
best of war-weeds, warding my breast,
armor excellent, heirloom of Hrethel
and work of Wayland. {6e} Fares Wyrd {6f} as she must."


INITIAL COMMENTARY:
This section begins with the first of the great boasts about Beowulf's exceptional abilities. Boasting of one's natural prowess was so important among the ancient Germanic peoples that Tacitus felt obliged to ridicule the practice in the 1st Century CE. Centuries later, the "Beowulf" poet indicates that boasting remained an important part of Germanic heritage. It has fallen somewhat out of practice in the English-speaking world since then, unless you read advertising copy.

Another interesting passage is Hrothgar's remark about how God has sent Beowulf to "Danes of the West". Who are the Danes of the East? Or is the expression more figurative? I wish I had the time to look up the section in other translations of the poem. However, further on, Wulfgar refers to Beowulf's father as "East-Danes' King", so the Geats are perceived as the "Danes of the East".

In fact, the language of Denmark, the Vox Danica, was for about 200 years recognized as the primary language of the northern world. So in this instance, the poet (or translator) is using "Danes" more as Tolkien used "Northmen" to describe all the tribes of the northern world.

The reference to Hild is explained in the footnotes as "personification of battle". The reference to Weyland is described as "Germanic Vulcan (Hephaestus)". Weyland seems to have influenced Tolkien's Aule to a certain degree.

"Hild" was a name Tolkien chose for Theoden's daughter, but she did not survive into the canonical texts. So far as I know, Theoden is only supposed to have had a single child, his son Theodred. However, in an early text, the first time the reader is introduced to Eowyn, she and Hild stand on either side of Theoden, sort of like Valkyries.

[Martin Read]

The Danes were, until early modern times, to be found in what is now southern Sweden (Scania, Halland and Blekinge), at the time of the setting of Beowulf the Danes were probably in possession of all the Danish Baltic islands and at least parts of Jutland as well. To reach the easternmost Danes a Geat from a little further north in what is modern Sweden would not have had to cross the sea. To reach the more western Danes he would have had to take to a ship.