Write a note on Old English heroic poetry, with special reference to Beowulf

Old English heroic poetry, with special reference to Beowulf

The literary tradition of a full-length epic poem was very new in sixth or seventh century England. However, several Old English poems dealt with themes from traditional CGermanic heroic legends. Traces of the Germanic heroic spirit and an epic genre, says. Wren in his book A Study of Old English Literature could be found in such Anglo-Saxon poems as Waldere, Widsith, The Finn Fragment, and three later poems written towards the end of the Anglo-Saxon period, Judith, The Battle of Brunanburh, and The Battle of Maldon. The greatest of the old English epic poems, is, however, Beowulf.
Beowulf is unique in its genre. The influence of classical epics like Virgil's Aeneid in it cannot be doubted, since the heroic lays brought from the Continent could not have offered a sufficient model for it. Beowulf is a poem of 3182 lines. The subject matter has been taken from many and varied sources. But the structural unity of the poem is provided by the life story of the hero. The narrative has four principal divisions:

i)The account of Scyld Surfing and his immediate descendants down to King Hrothgar of Denmark, lines 1-85,

i) Beowulf's arrival from Scotland, his defense of the Danes and their mead-hall Herorot against the attacks of the monster Grendel and his mother, who are killed by Beowulf in successive battles, lines 86-1887;

i) Beowulf's return to his own people, lines 1888-2199;

iv) Beowulf's glorious reign, his fight with a fire-breathing dragon that attacked his people, his death, and his burial, lines 2200-3182.

The exact date of its composition is not known: it ranges from the middle of the seventh century to the beginning of the tenth. Certain episodes are historical, but much of the material is legendary. A strong thread of Christian commentary runs through the poem. It suggests that it was composed for a Christian audience. It is remarkable for its sustained grandeur of tone and for the brilliance of its style.

Some remarkable features of its style are the use of compound words and kennings which took on the form of compressed vivid images like 'bone house' or 'fleshly cloth ing' for the body: whale's path' for the sea; the use of repetition with a variation like 'illustrious prince and "beloved lord' for Beowulf in successive lines to remove monotony. The verse is based on a full line, two in each of the halí lines. It is also alliterative, there being two alliterative syllables in the first half-line and two or one in the second, as

step stanlitho stage near 

(Steep stone slopes, paths narrow)

Beowulf describes an ancient heroic society of Danes and Seats in Scandinavia. The picture of social life in Beowulf is vivid. The people loved to fight valiantly, to eat and drink well, to be soothed by music after the day's labor, and then to sleep. The men described are brave and loyal. They usually followed a heroic code. Honour and glory were extremely valued; shame and disgrace led to exile. Death was preferable to detect or disgrace or surrender and enslavement. 1his heroic code was a social institution.

Great emphasis is laid on the splendor of court life and for this reason, tts historical value as à picture of aristocratic society in Saxon times has been noted by critics. The scenic background is well-suited for such men. It is bleak and cold. The rough and rugged land is Swept by storms. Nature is always in its fiercest mood. but although somber, there is an austere grandeur about the poem and a stoical resignation. Tne scenes ana people are Scandinavian. But the great, vital figure of Beowulf is often regarded as the early English deal to virile courage and nobility. What Achilles is to the Greek, Komulus to the Roman, Charlemagne to the French, Beowulf is to the Englishmen.

Among other noteworthy old English poems dealing with heroic materials, Waldere consists of two fragments, some 63 lines in all. It tells some of the exploits of Walter of Aquitaine. The Fin Fragment is a fragment of 48 lines with a beautifully told description of the fight at Finsbury. 1he Battle of Brunanburh is an enthusiastic description of the battle which took place in 937 AD.

But the greatest among these later groups of poems is The Battle of Maldon, a fragment of 325 lines. It is a detailed epic narrative that describes the historical battle that took place in 9 AD, According to Emile Legouis, it is like some embryonic Song of Rolland. As in the French epic, there is a glorious defeat and heroic death. In it, the English force led by Byrhtnoth of Essex taught with the Vikings. Byrhtnoth was killed. Some of his soldiers ran away showing cowardice completely unacceptable within the heroic code. But the other warriors fought valiantly. They chose glory and revenge for their lord's killing over the saving to their own lines. Thus the poem celebrates the courage and commitment of the English warriors in adversity. 1he Battle of Maldon is therefore regarded as one of the finest expressions of the ideal, heroic ethos. Since it tells the story of a national defeat, Legouis caus it 'the only extant fragment of a national epic of the Anglo-Saxon'. Moreover, in the tace of the national turmoil during the tenth century, the poem became a battle-cry against the Danes, propaganda to unite the people àgainst the enemy.

The function of a heroic poem was to celebrate and so perpetuate heroic conduct beowilts conduct throughout his life is honorable in the highest degree. So is that it Byrtnoth and his loyal warriors. That is why poems like Beowulf and The Battle of Maldon are truly representative works of Old English heroic poetry.