#anglo-saxon literature

[atrumvox]

Grendel is one of the most mysterious and terrifying figures in Anglo-Saxon literature, renowned for his crucial role in the epic poem "Beowulf." His story, characteristics, and narrative impact create an enduring shadow of terror and wonder that has captivated readers for centuries.

Origins and Characteristics of Grendel

Grendel is more than just a monster; he is a manifestation of pure evil, a creature cursed by his lineage. Descended from Cain, the first murderer in the Bible, Grendel is condemned to a life of exile and suffering, marked by a divine curse. This biblical origin not only condemns him to a life of isolation but also makes him a symbol of inherent sin and damnation. Grendel is described as a giant, monstrous being with superhuman strength and a deformed, terrifying appearance. His invulnerability to human weapons adds a supernatural element to his figure, making him appear invincible and even more menacing.

Imagine a dark night, the silence broken only by the sound of the wind and rustling leaves. Suddenly, from the murky marshes, Grendel emerges, driven by an unquenchable rage. Each step he takes towards Heorot, the grand mead hall of King Hrothgar, is a prelude to terror and destruction. Grendel is not just a physical monster but also a tangible representation of human fears and anxieties. His thirst for blood and hunger for human flesh make him a constant threat, a presence that cannot be ignored.

Grendel's Role in "Beowulf"

Grendel is the primary antagonist in the first part of "Beowulf," and his presence puts King Hrothgar’s kingdom to the test. Every night, the monster attacks Heorot, killing and devouring Hrothgar's warriors. This cycle of terror and death continues until Beowulf, a young Geatish hero, arrives to rid the kingdom of Grendel's curse.

The battle between Beowulf and Grendel is one of the most epic moments in the poem. Beowulf, aware of the monster’s invulnerability to weapons, decides to confront Grendel with his bare hands. It’s a raw and fierce struggle, where Beowulf's extraordinary strength clashes with Grendel's brutality. In the climax of the fight, Beowulf manages to tear off Grendel’s arm, inflicting a mortal wound. Grendel flees to his lair, where he succumbs to his injuries. This victory not only saves Hrothgar’s kingdom but also solidifies Beowulf’s reputation as a great hero.

Conclusion

Grendel is a complex and fascinating figure who embodies evil and fear in ancient Anglo-Saxon literature. His biblical origins, terrifying characteristics, and crucial role in the poem "Beowulf" make him an unforgettable character. Grendel represents the eternal struggle between good and evil, light and darkness, and the courage needed to face and overcome one's deepest fears. In this epic battle, Beowulf does not merely defeat a physical monster but also triumphs over the inner shadows that threaten the human soul.

[nicholasandriani]

Discover the Heartbreaking Tale of The Wanderer - Reviewing An Anglo-Saxon Elegiac Masterpiece That Will Leave You Breathless! Including Considerations from Japan.

Greetings, dear audience! As a comparativist of medieval comp lit and researcher of storytelling methods, I am excited to take you on a journey through one of the most poignant and moving pieces of English literature – The Wanderer. The Wanderer is an elegy, a poetic lament for the loss of a loved one or for a bygone era. It is a powerful and emotive reflection on the transience of human life…

[coopsgirl]

Beowolf is a great story. Part of my minor in college was Anglo-Saxon literature and history and there are some great stories and poems available. They were a huge influence on Tolkien as that was his jam 😄

Reading Tolkien’s annotated translation of Beowulf, and learning all kinds of things about LOTR and the Silm from it!

First:

Leave here your warlike shields [from Beowulf]

[Tolkien’s commentary; bold mine:] Note the prohibition of weapons or accoutrements of battle in the hall. To walk in with spear and shield was like walking in nowadays with your hat on. The basis of these rules was of course fear and prudence among the ever-present dangers of a heroic age, but they were made part of the ritual, of good manners. Compare the prohibition against drawing a sword in the officers’ mess. Swords of course also were dangerous; but they were evidently regarded as part of a knight’s attire, and he would not in any case be willing to lay aside his sword, a thing of great cost and often an heirloom.

This gives me some perspective around Tolkien’s probable intended tone for the moment in Meduseld in The Two Towers where Aragon strongly protests against being told to leave Andúril (a sword of very great value and ancientry, and very much an heirloom) with the door-warden. From a contemporary perspective it’s easy to read it as Aragorn being unnecessarily prideful and combative, but this passage strongly indicates that Tolkien intends it to be Théoden who is being unreasonable in that event, an indication - along with many others in the scene, prior to Gandalf dislodging Saruman’s influence - that Théoden is being discourteous and behaving in a manner unworthy of a king who is recieving heroes offering aid. (The fact of Meduseld being a ‘golden hall’ like famous Heorot in Beowulf may be deliberate to strengthen the parallel.)

Second (immediately following the above commentary):

But against this danger [from swords] very severe laws existed protecting the ‘peace’ of a king’s hall. It was death in Scandanavia to cause a brawl in the king’s hall. Among the laws of the West Saxon king Ine is found: ‘If any man fight in the king’s house, he shall forfeit all his estate, and it shall be for the king to judge whether he be put to death or not.’

This adds context to the incident in the story of Túrin in The Silmarillion where Saeros taunts Túrin in Menegroth and Túrin responds by throwing a heavy drinking-vessel at him and injuring him (it’s indicated the injury is serious, so I’d take it along the lines of him giving him a broken nose and knocking out some teeth.) It is stated in at least some versions of the story that death is the punishment for drawing weapons in the king’s hall, in line with the historical customs mentioned here. This gives a further emphasis that what actually happens - Túrin is not punished at all and Mablung strongly reprimands Saeros for provoking him - illustrates that Túrin is, Saeros’ behaviour notwithstanding, in very high favour in Menegroth. (Saeros as the king’s counsellor is also in roughly the same position as Unferth in Beowulf, who taunts the titular character - Beowulf responds heatedly but without violence. Tolkien may be setting up a deliberate contrast here.)

Third:

The word hádor is an adjective meaning ‘clear, bright’…it is almost always found in reference to the sky (or the sun or stars). But that association is in description of brightness…

This was one a lightbulb moment: oh, in the name of Hador Goldenhead (the ancestor of Húrin, Túrin, and Tuor in The Silmarillion), ‘Goldenhead’ isn’t an additional name/epessë so much as it’s a glossed translation of ‘Hador’! The guy with bright, golden hair.

Fourth: Going back to the Rohirrim - Edoras, the name of their capital city/royal court, is basically just the Old English for ‘courts’:

under was very frequently used in describing position within, or movement to within, a confined space, especially of enclosures or prisons, ‘within four walls’. Cf. in under eoderas (eoderas being the outer fences of the courts), ‘in amid the courts’….‘eoder’ means both ‘fence (protection)’ and ‘fenced enclosure, a court’.

I’m also learning a lot about Beowulf - Tolkien’s notes are clarifying a lot of tone and nuances, not to mention the political/diplomatic relationships between the different kingdoms, which were confusing me - but it’s amazing how much it reveals about ways that Tolkien’s knowledge informed his legendarium!

[inkliinng]

My weekend reading plans.

[tamburnbindery]

Getting everything ready for launch next week! Check out the preview page, give it a follow, pass it around!

[kukekakuningaskris]

i bring you my medieval recreation of the crash fic (thanks to the bayeux tapestry website thingy)

[austin-friars]

“And why do you care?” Aslaug stands to her feet, as steady as she can for a woman who has been starved. “Do you mean to convert me to worship your false god, or what, I’ll burn in the hellfire? That is what you all say, right?” She makes a feeble attempt to move forward, yet, the ropes restrain her. Still, she speaks. “How funny is it to use hellfire as a punishment, when by your god's decree, I am to meet his 'loving' embrace by being burned alive.

[knyyghts]

“A Saxon storm.”

[driftingoffthegrid]

everyone wants to talk about sex; no one wants to discuss the development of arthurian legend :/

[wizardyke]

its 5:54am bitch i have not slept a wink and i will not fucking sleep until at least 9pm tonight i have downloaded on earth we're briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong as a pdf . might buy a monster if they weren't hiked up like crazy . park that car drop that phone sleep on the floor dream about meeeeeeeeeeeeee

[amurder-ofcrows]

guess who's getting to write his british literature midterm on why mary wollstonecraft's "a vindication of the rights of women" should be on the syllabus???

[arda-marred]

Tolkien challenged existing attitudes to the poem in a 1953 paper, “Ofermod”, published with his verse drama The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’s Son in Essays and Studies. “The Battle of Maldon” tells how Beorhtnoth, an Anglo-Saxon leader, led his men in a doomed defence against a Viking attack. The Vikings were on a tidal island in the river; but crucially Beorhtnoth decided to let this marauding force across a causeway (pictured above). Battle was joined, and the English were slaughtered. The poem seems to celebrate what has been called “Northern courage”, a spirit of dogged bravery even in the face of certain defeat. But the poet also describes Beorhtnoth’s decision as the product of ofermod, the meaning of which isn’t entirely clear. Tolkien argued that the Old English word means not simply “daring” but “overmastering pride”. This could be taken to reverse the sentiment of the poem, turning it into a critique of an irresponsible act of leadership. Stuart, whose book The Keys of Middle-earth (written with Elizabeth Solopova) provides a guide to Tolkien’s medieval sources, has been looking at Tolkien’s manuscript notes on the poem, from when he was an undergraduate onwards. And it turns out that Tolkien breathed not a word of criticism of Beorhtnoth for many years – not until around the start of the Second World War. This, Stuart suggests, undermines any supposition that Tolkien’s view of “The Battle of Maldon”, as expressed in his “Ofermod” essay, indicated a “lions led by donkeys” attitude shaped by First World War experiences. I’d agree that Tolkien’s view of the Great War military leaders wasn’t as black-and-white as all that. But I’d certainly argue that his trench experiences gave him some reason to feel very ambivalent about the leaders. As I said at the end of Stuart’s talk, there is the case of one company commander in Tolkien’s battalion who led a company on a night raid that overshot its goal – so when the sun rose, they were sitting ducks for the German machine-gunners and for the British artillery (unaware of their position), and most of the men were wiped out. This fatally over-extended advance by a military leader seems echoed in quite a few incidents in Middle-earth, including the charge by Théoden at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. Tolkien’s writing displays a range of attitudes to the different incidents – implying, I think, that he felt deeply ambivalent about such acts of courage from leaders responsible for others’ lives. In a talk which also covered a number of other interesting points from the manuscripts at the Bodleian Library, Stuart cautioned against looking to Tolkien’s life or to contemporary events to explain the change in Tolkien’s views on “The Battle of Maldon”. The Second World War itself could have led to a shift in Tolkien’s view – perhaps because he saw ofermod at its worst in Hitler. And as I pointed out, his later view might have been coloured by the fact that two of his sons were in the forces, and facing mortal danger, whereas Tolkien himself had to sit on the sidelines powerlessly. However, Stuart‘s point was not about the creative writer but the rigorous scholar. As he said in a later email exchange, whatever Tolkien felt about the military leadership of 1914-18 (a debatable question), “he was entirely at liberty to overlay these views onto scenes or characters in his fiction, of course, and did so I believe; but he was too great a scholar to allow his own personal feelings and experiences in the 20th century to colour his views of the tenth.” That’s a persuasive argument.

[my-own-lilypad]

"Hers is an extraordinary case of a woman of central importance in history, whose role was deliberately omitted from the main contemporary source ..."

Michael Wood on Queen Aethelflaed

In Search of the Dark Ages

[tamburnbindery]

Coming in January 2024 Beowulf: An Illuminated Wonder Tale presents a new experience of the Anglo-Saxon epic, fully illuminated in the Insular style of the Book of Kells and Lindisfarne Gospels, featuring bilingual facing pages with modern English and original Old English (West Saxon). With reward tiers like original illumination prints, handcrafted leather-bound editions, Saxon hoard treasures, and a full companion course with Old English readings and Insular art lessons to illuminate and bind your own book, make sure you don't miss out! Sign up here for notification when the project goes live.

[catsconflictscopicsandchamomile]

Serious Post For Once. MAJOR trigger warning for some fully-mask-off discussions of (mostly my own internal) racism, generally Actually Talking Abt Real Shit For Once.

ok, so..hm

I don't have the energy to try to write this academically rn so I'm just going to word-vomit it out.

I am really having....Feelings... about the characters of Grendel and Grendel's Mother, specifically re: race and BIPOC identities.

I personally am white as the driven snow (though Jewish, whatever that counts for in 2023. still 'wtf' abt all that personally).

I have been putting my heart and soul into a story centering modern/reincarnated versions of Grendel and Grendel's Mother for about three years now. they are some form of shapeshifter, usually take animalistic/monstrous/hybrid forms, often eat humans, and are canonically descended from Cain (kinda. its complicated but basically they are). they are also both EXTREMELY white.

I'd actually made this choice with an intentional eye on race, way back when this story started outgrowing its roots as a supernatural fanfiction (please dont ask). no longer limited to spn's Genuinely Concerningly White Actor Pool, I had to really look at these characters re: race and decide what I was doing going forward. At the time, I was already looking into Maria Dahvana Headley's "The Mere Wife", and its centering of race both intrigued and really repelled me. At first, the (lbr) graphic depictions of how this story's Grendel's nonwhiteness informs the violence against him shocked me in the way I think they were "supposed" to, and made me really take a step back and reconsider the entire narrative of Beowulf (though to b clear I was already pro-Grendel's side of things at this point) in terms of how closely it matched more modern treatments of BIPOC and specifically young men.

...and then I went "wait. isn't Maria Dahvana Headley white???"

after a LOT of research failed to provide any contradicting evidence, my self-reflection and serious though turned to genuine strong disgust. It felt, and still feels, VERY weird that a white woman with (afaik) white kids wrote a lot of the sentiments in this novel. if you've read it, you know the ones that I mean.

I attempted to research racial themes re: Grendel further and ended up in a rabbit hole about Cain, Ham, Mormons & Bigfoot (seriously.) and all of this, along with some other research, eventually led to the following conclusions:

narratives placing Grendel and His Mother as victims of racialized violence/heroic or sympathetic figures in a racially- and/or socially-conscious work are both amazing and necessary

not if they're written by white people. there's probably some exceptions but honestly that's just weird and makes my hair stand up(derogatory).

I am White People. I should not try to do this.

given the association (certain modern media almost bafflingly aside) between Cain/Ham and justifications for SLAVERY, I, a white author, should not only NOT make these characters BIPOC, but should lean pretty damn hard into their whiteness- it's not "reclaiming" exactly, it's like... "reclaiming"(derogatory)(ironic)

given the current political movements around Viking Shit, and SPECIFICALLY pseudopagan, christian-based anglo-saxon warrior male social orders, the figures of Grendel & His Mother can and maybe even SHOULD serve as symbols of active and violent resistance from within the communities (White As Shit) that the current alt-right claims to represent.

given ALL of that, the best way for me to write these characters is how I'm currently writing them- very white, very monstrous, would probably state their race as "fae" if asked and "white" and/or "european" if specified for human racial terms, explicitly monstrous, symbolic of both (my own) queer/disabled/neurodivergent rage, feeling of incompatibility with most/all friend groups or communities, as well as a larger theme of a "KILL ALL VIKINGS" fantasy enabled by them being Big Scary Creature Beasts.

However... its been a few years. I've been drowing myself in Anglo-Saxon Everything but fully ignoring racial and diversity issues, a huge part of this admittedly being irl stressors in my life that, shall we say, EXTREMELY reduced my capacity for basic empathy & Current Events Awareness to a degree that I'm only starting to repair. as part of this repair, I'm really questioning this. I've read some super fascinating stuff about Grendel & race recently, and yet.

...and yet

I can't shake the feeling that

as a white author, making this a race-centric narrative isn't just not my job/not my turft, its actually kinda pretty racist

however, refusing to write these characters for that reason then involves (at least internally) saying that "this kind of archetype" is ONLY "meant" to be written by BIPOC ppl, because "they're the only ones who really Get The Experience", and HOO BOY. THAT IS RACIST. that is me doing a great big racism right there.

...so what do I do? I really love my take on these characters. I've grown really attached to them. It seems like everything is actually pretty well in order for me in terms of why I made the choices I did- I've looked at the other things I could have done with these themes and they're Extremely Problematic At Best...

but I can't shake the feeling that I'm still missing something, fucking up somehow.

I'd genuinely welcome discussion on this, I'm not going to be offended or defensive about ANYTHING, legit if you want to tear this whole post apart via critique re: art or just my own biases, please do. I'm just trying to figure this shit out.

and possibly overthinking it. that is also definitely a possiblity.

*to be clear I don't hate or dislike Headley. I just don't GET her. I'm not sure WHAT to think.

[aegentisto]

~ The Seafarer ~

In the realm of waves, a seaman of old,

His heart a tale of love untold.

Upon the sea, a lone crusade,

Forlorn, he sailed, love's light betrayed.

The ocean vast, a fathomless maze,

His vessel tossed through tempest's haze.

Yet within his chest, a beacon's glow,

A lighthouse love, lost long ago.

A distant shore, where warmth did bloom,

Beside a hearth, dispelling gloom.

In every crest, in every gale,

He sought that light, a lover's trail.

Through darkened nights and raging storm,

He'd dream of her, his heart forlorn.

A lighthouse gleam, a steadfast guide,

Yet elusive, on the oceans wide.

The salty air, a bitter kiss,

He yearned for solace, love's sweet bliss.

His ship a ghost in twilight's gleam,

Chasing shadows, love's fading dream.

Each wave that crashed, a lonely call,

As memories echoed, like seagulls' squall.

The lighthouse gleamed on distant shores,

Yet, in his heart, despair endures.

A haven lost, a haven sought,

In solitude, his love was caught.

The seaman gray, his spirit tamed,

By love's cruel game, forever named.

The lighthouse stood, a distant flame,

A beacon lost, yet still the same.

In solitude, he found release,

Catharsis bound, eluding peace.

A seaman's tale, a love untold,

Through ocean depths, his story scrolled.

The lighthouse gleams through time's embrace,

A distant love, in morrow’s space.

For Jess. Hopefully this homage is good enough.