The unearned title that exposes Anglo-Saxon gold for glory scheme (ll.1963-1976)

Posted on 2017/05/25 by NSCZach

Introduction
Synopsis
The Original Old English
My Translation
A Quick Interpretation
Closing

A scop sings his boasts, just like Beowulf does before Hrothgar.

Beowulf and his crew make their way to Hygelac.

“Gewat him ða se hearda mid his hondscole
sylf æfter sande sæwong tredan,
wide waroðas. Woruldcandel scan,
sigel suðan fus. Hi sið drugon,
elne geeodon, to ðæs ðe eorla hleo,
bonan Ongenþeoes burgum in innan,
geongne guðcyning godne gefrunon
hringas dælan. Higelace wæs
sið Beowulfes snude gecyðed,
þæt ðær on worðig wigendra hleo,
lindgestealla, lifigende cwom,
heaðolaces hal to hofe gongan.
Hraðe wæs gerymed, swa se rica bebead,
feðegestum flet innanweard.”
(Beowulf ll.1963-1976)

“Went he then, along with his retinue,
down the beachhead, treading over the sandy seashore,
over the broad beach. The world candle shone overhead,
the sun strove from the south. They had endured,
bravely gone, to where stood that hall of lords,
the place where Ongentheow’s killer ruled,
went to where they had heard that the young king
was doling out rings. Hygelac was quickly told then
of Beowulf’s journey there, in that word it was said
that Beowulf was in the burgh, that his lifelong
shield companion had come, that the stalwart
warrior walked within the hall, hale and hearty.
Space was cleared, as the king commanded,
those who had travelled far by foot came in.”
(Beowulf ll.1963-1976)

Most of this passage is just standard stuff. Beowulf and his crew of Geats are coming to the Geats’ stronghold, and they hear that Hygelac must be in since “the young king/was doling out rings” (“geongne guðcyning godne gefrunon
hringas dælan” (ll.1969-1970)). But what catches my eye is the reference to “Ongentheow’s killer” (“bonan Ongenþeoes” (l.1968)).

This wikipedia article makes the point that this epithet for Hygelac is a bit of an extrapolation. As the article points out (and as we learn later in Beowulf itself), Ongentheow had a few run-ins with the Geats, including Hygelac.

But it was not Hygelac who killed him. Eofor did, with the help of Wulf.

I guess part of being a king in the Anglo-Saxon style was sharing in your retainers’ accomplishments as much as it was sharing out your gold with them. Which is pretty interesting if you think of it as a glory for gold kind of equation. In such a situation, the king’s reputation swells with every great victory his retainers win while those retainers only see gold for the deeds they do.

In some ways, this system of glory funnelling up and gold funnelling down is a dim mirror of the sort of corporate system that’s in place now.

Today’s workers are faceless and ill-remembered by history, but are paid for their labour (mental, physical, emotional), while the glory of their accomplishments adds another page to history’s book in the name of their employer.

Kind of shines a new light on copyright and patents doesn’t it?

I only wish that there were more accounts of how warriors in early medieval Anglo-Saxon communities felt about having their physical needs met and station raised at the cost of their being remembered for their own deeds.

Though, I guess, then, as now, if someone wanted to make a place for themselves in history they would grin and bear losing the glory earned for their lord/employer while saving enough gold to start their own comitatus/business and strive for their place in history.

But if you grew up in a society where the greatest service was service to your lord, would you even consider stepping out from his shadow? Were there people who strove for their own individual goals back then? What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Next week, Hygelac asks how things went in Daneland.

You can find the next part of Beowulf here.

Good Queen Modthryth? How marriage makes women (and men) better (ll.1944-1962)

Posted on 2017/05/18 by NSCZach

Introduction
Synopsis
The Original Old English
My Translation
A Quick Interpretation
Closing

Aethelflaed, the anglo-saxon woman who wasn't queen but fought off vikings.

An image of Aethelflaed, fighter of vikings and the daughter of King Alfred the Great and Queen Ealhswith. Image from https://younghistorian7.wordpress.com/2014/03/18/a-look-at-some-anglo-saxon-queens/

The poet continues the story of Modthryth and what happened when she was married off.

“Huru þæt onhohsnode Hemminges mæg;
ealodrincende oðer sædan,
þæt hio leodbealewa læs gefremede,
inwitniða, syððan ærest wearð
gyfen goldhroden geongum cempan,
æðelum diore, syððan hio Offan flet
ofer fealone flod be fæder lare
siðe gesohte; ðær hio syððan well
in gumstole, gode, mære,
lifgesceafta lifigende breac,
hiold heahlufan wið hæleþa brego,
ealles moncynnes mine gefræge
þone selestan bi sæm tweonum,
eormencynnes. Forðam Offa wæs
geofum ond guðum, garcene man,
wide geweorðod, wisdome heold
eðel sinne; þonon Eomer woc
hæleðum to helpe, Hemminges mæg,
nefa Garmundes, niða cræftig.”
(Beowulf ll.1944-1962)

“Indeed, Hemming’s kinsman put an end to that.
The ale drinkers in the hall told another tale:
that she caused much less trouble to her people,
favoured fewer malicious acts, as soon as she was
given to the young lord while gowned in gold,
a man of noble descent, as soon as she boarded a boat
to cross the pale waters to marry Offa
according to her father’s counsel. Once there
the woman worked well on the throne, renowned for goodness,
she made the most of her destined life-span while alive;
she maintained her deep love with the prince of warriors
among all kingdoms, as I have heard,
the best between the two seas
of all mankind. As such, Offa was foremost
in gifts and in wars, a spear-bold man,
one honoured widely, who ruled his nature
and lands with wisdom. Then Eomer was born,
a help to warriors, Hemming’s kinsman,
grandson of Garmund, powerful in battle.”
(Beowulf ll.1944-1962)

The poet ends the story of bad queen Modthryth here. But it isn’t the ending I would’ve expected from such a story.

Instead of meeting her end as fated retribution for her wickedness, Modthryth is married off to another man.

It’s unclear if this is because Modthryth was more princess than queen or if her husband was killed. Unfortunately, I don’t have any information about her family tree, so I can’t really say much about why she’s suddenly eligible for marriage here.

However, it is clear that the story that the “ale drinkers in the hall” (“ealodrincende oðer sædan” (l.1945)) tell differs quite a bit from what we heard last week.

This time around Modthryth (at least, I think the poet’s still talking about Modthryth — Old English poetry can have some unclear pronouns at times) is a model queen. She changes so much in fact, that she becomes “renowned for goodness” (“gode, mære” (l.1952)). But that’s not enough. She also seems to help Offa become a better leader.

This point in particular is important to note because it illustrates the good that can come out of a good marriage. It can mellow a woman out (a chronic issue in a fair bit of medieval literature), it can help a man be better, and, in doing those two things, it can fulfil what I’ve always seen as a Christian imperative for marriage: enable the mutual and reciprocal improvement of the partners involved.

That such a lesson be included in Beowulf (even in one of the poet’s asides) definitely shows how Beowulf has been Christianized.

True, the reciprocal improvement of the members of a married couple is probably also celebrated in non-Christian contexts, too. But presenting such a terrible portrait of Modthryth before talking about how marriage redeemed her gives her an arc that’s got far too much to do with redemption for me to just write it off as the Beowulf poet sharing with us some universal lesson.

Not to mention the implication in last week’s passage that Modthryth’s earlier husband (or father?) lacked the power to control her. As a result she inflicted a dire punishment on any other man who looked at her.

But, Offa is a celebrated warrior of history and legend. As such he is powerful enough to control Modthryth, and the idea that women can only do good when controlled (or at least matched with an equal) seems like a very non-pagan idea to me. Boudica was fine on her own after her husband’s death, and women generally commanded respect in early medieval Germanic societies (for spiritual insight or otherwise). But I can’t think of a single Christian story about a woman who was generally respected or defiant to the end except for those who were in the service of god and wound up as saints.

But what do you think of this turnaround for Modthryth? Is it evidence of the Christian influence on Beowulf? Or does it say something about how the Anglo-Saxons and other Germanic groups viewed women and marriage’s potential effects on them? Feel free to discuss your thoughts in the comments!

Next week, the poet gets back to Beowulf and his meeting with Hygelac.

You can find the next part of Beowulf here.

Bad Queen Modthryth: A case in medieval microaggressions? (ll.1931b-1943)

Posted on 2017/05/11 by NSCZach

Introduction
Synopsis
The Original Old English
My Translation
A Quick Interpretation
Closing

The poet tells the story of the lovely and violent Modthryth.

“Mod þryðo wæg,
fremu folces cwen, firen ondrysne.
Nænig þæt dorste deor geneþan
swæsra gesiða, nefne sinfrea,
þæt hire an dæges eagum starede,
ac him wælbende weotode tealde
handgewriþene; hraþe seoþðan wæs
æfter mundgripe mece geþinged,
þæt hit sceadenmæl scyran moste,
cwealmbealu cyðan. Ne bið swylc cwenlic þeaw
idese to efnanne, þeah ðe hio ænlicu sy,
þætte freoðuwebbe feores onsæce
æfter ligetorne leofne mannan.”
(Beowulf ll.1931b-1943)

“Modthryth, the noble
people’s queen, committed terrible crimes.
For not anyone of that brave, dear company,
save for her husband, would venture to look upon her
during the day or even meet her eye,
lest they be bound in deadly bonds
thorny and twisted by hand, then made to wait for the mercy
of a sword held tight in their tormentor’s hand,
a blade with branching patterns that must settle their debt,
must slake its thirst for public blood. Such acts cannot compare
to the true custom of queens, even if she be peerless in beauty.
For such women are peace-weavers, and must not steal away life
from dear men for imagined insults.”
(Beowulf ll.1931b-1943)

All of a sudden we get another story. This time, we hear about bad queen Modthryth. The poet implying that Hygd, current queen of the Geats, is nothing like this woman.

It would be easy to chalk her violence up to vanity and an overheated sense of duty. Modthryth’s problem might not be just that she’s feeling the sting of “imagined insults” (“ligetorne” (l.1943)). Maybe she’s also buckling under the pressure of being a good and loyal wife to her husband. After all, she doesn’t punish him for looking at him, only other men.

Or, maybe Modthryth is such a wicked queen because she really is too eager to punish those who threaten the monogamy of her relationship with her husband.

Or, maybe this is a medieval take on the male gaze.

I’m not surprised that a medieval poem (and poet) don’t say anything about it directly. I’m also not surprised that the problem isn’t located in how the men are looking at Modthryth, but her reaction to their looking at her. It’s too bad that we’re not given more information here, actually.

Maybe Modthryth had been raped by one of her husband’s retainers in the past and she’s now defending herself against the rest using means she knows they’ll understand?

Or, maybe, if she’s anything like Hygd and Wealhtheow, she is part of a group that her husband has enslaved. If this is the case, and she was a princess or queen among her own people, then it’s understandable why she would object to being looked at like some piece of property. Though her violent and involved reaction is nonetheless a bit over the top.

Maybe Modthryth is crazy. Something in her past could have led her to develop some feelings about being looked at by men who are not her husband on which she acts violently. Or, maybe, she isn’t. As a woman that the poet points out is “peerless” (“ænlicu sy” (l.1941)), she is likely an unimaginably beautiful woman. Thus, at the very least, she’s had to live her life being stared at and lusted after. So maybe once she gained the power to do so, she could take no more idle gazes and the thoughts behind them and decided to act against them.

But we don’t get any background information. So the problem still is, at least in part, men looking at Modthryth. And unfortunately, nothing is said about it. What are the poet’s “imagined insults” are today’s microaggressions. And perhaps Modthryth just can’t take them anymore.

What do you think of Modthryth’s story? Is it an overtly sexist part the poem? Does Modthryth not get enough of a story to pass judgment on her? Is this an example of a medieval take on what we’d recognize as microaggressions today? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Next week, the poet clarifies his point a bit.

You can find the next part of Beowulf here.

Wealhtheow, Grendel’s mother, and Hygd: The women in Beowulf (ll.1920-1931a)

Posted on 2017/05/04 by NSCZach

Introduction
Synopsis
The Original Old English
My Translation
A Quick Interpretation
Closing

The poet takes a break from Beowulf here to share a few details of Hygelac’s kingdom with us.

“Het þa up beran æþelinga gestreon,
frætwe ond fætgold; næs him feor þanon
to gesecanne sinces bryttan,
Higelac Hreþling, þær æt ham wunað
selfa mid gesiðum sæwealle neah.
Bold wæs betlic, bregorof cyning,
heah in healle, Hygd swiðe geong,
wis, welþungen, þeah ðe wintra lyt
under burhlocan gebiden hæbbe,
Hæreþes dohtor; næs hio hnah swa þeah,
ne to gneað gifa Geata leodum,
maþmgestreona.”
(Beowulf ll.1920-1931a)

“Then it was commanded that the prince’s treasure be carried up,
ornaments and plated gold. It was not far from there
for him to go to the treasure bestower,
Hygelac, son of Hrethel, he who dwelled within
his own home, living near the sea-cliff with his companions.
The building there was magnificent, the king was of princely fame,
one exalted in the hall, along with Hygd, his young queen,
a woman wisely accomplished, though she had lived
within the enclosed stronghold for but a few winters,
daughter of Haereth. Yet she was not bent down by vanity,
she was not sparing in gifts to the Geatish people,
she gave a great many treasures.”
(Beowulf ll.1920-1931a)

So far there have been two major women in this poem. And they are definitely at opposite ends of the spectrum of good/bad.

First, we met Wealtheow, the queen of the Danes. She was a woman who came from a group that Hrothgar or his family must have enslaved, based on her name. Despite these origins, the poet suggests that she’s a good queen who embodies all the best qualities of courtly women: quietly powerful, dominant in the hall, and a master of social niceties.

Next, we met Grendel’s mother. She is pretty much the opposite of Wealhtheow. After all, she’s supposed to be a monster. So instead of Wealhtheow’s happily fitting into a courtly setting and really shining, Grendel’s mother runs her own hall, answering to no one, and brutally striking out at those who attack her and her kin.

Now the poet introduces us to Hygd, the wife of Hygelac. The first thing we learn about her is that, much like Wealhtheow, she’s likely from a foreign people. After all, the poet notes that Hygd fits right in with the Geats, “though she had lived/within the enclosed stronghold for but a few winters” (“þeah ðe wintra lyt/under burhlocan gebiden hæbbe” (ll.1927-1928)). So Hygd is certainly a woman who wields her courtly power well and justly. Though there is a bit of a creepy note in mentioning how young she is.

Marrying women off when they would still be considered “girls” today was common practice in earlier societies, but that fed into the very purpose of marriage back then: cementing business and political deals. Love could be a factor, but more often than not I think it was hoped that it would come about after the vows were exchanged. Hence the steady popularity of love stories like those of Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Iseult, or Lancelot and Guinevere. People were hungry for the idea of relationships built on love, even if they ran against whatever political or mercantile interests were at stake.

There’s also the issue of how Hygd fits into Hygelac’s court. She’s introduced along with the building and the talk of treasures. She’s introduced as Hygelac’s wife, sure, but there does seem to be a note of her being something Hygelac owns. Though in both Wealhtheow and Hygd’s cases there’s a sense that these women are able to create a great deal of power. And yet, there’s a hint of danger that lingers around women. In fact, the poet seems to be trying to strike a balance between good women and evil women, since the following passage describes the vanity and vice of Modthryth.

But, what do you think of the women in Beowulf? Is the poet trying to balance them out (and definitely not doing so with the men)? How does Hildeburh from the Finnsburgh section of the poem (ll.1068-1158) figure into this balance? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Next week, the poet tells us the story of the wicked queen Modthryth.

You can find the next part of Beowulf here.

A Blogger's Beowulf

An Old English enthusiast's translation of Beowulf. Plus a little bit about Beowulf's impact on modern culture.

Monthly Archives: May 2017

The unearned title that exposes Anglo-Saxon gold for glory scheme (ll.1963-1976)

Good Queen Modthryth? How marriage makes women (and men) better (ll.1944-1962)

Bad Queen Modthryth: A case in medieval microaggressions? (ll.1931b-1943)

Wealhtheow, Grendel’s mother, and Hygd: The women in Beowulf (ll.1920-1931a)