The Grendel intro is fascinating
[Line 99]
Swa ða driht-guman dreamum lifdon eadiglice, oððæt an ongan fyrene fremman feond on helle
Rendering
So noblemen dreamt of life's happiness, till one began to fashion fiendish crimes of hell.
and the following
[Line 104]
Wæs se grimma gæst Grendel haten, mære mearc-stapa, se þe moras heold, fen ond fæsten; fifel-cynnes eard wonsæli wer weardode hwile, siþðan him scyppend forscrifen hæfde in Caines cynne þone cwealm gewræc ece Drihten, þæs þe he Abel slog; ne gefeah he þære fæhðe, ac he hine feor forwræc, metod for þy mane, man-cynne fram.
Rendering
Was as grim spirit Grendel called, or infamous out-stalker, as he held the moor, fen and fast; homeland of monster-kind this ill-favored man dwelt, ever after here the Lord Creator sentenced Cain's kin, for Abel's death; nor did they rejoice in feud, as for this crime, God drove them far, from human-kind.
Hrothgar's Way With Words
[Line 456]
Hroðgar maþelode, helm Scyldinga: for gewyrhtum þu, wine min Beowulf, ond for arstafum usic sohtest. Gesloh þin fæder fæhðe mæste, wearþ he Heaþolafe to hand-bonan mid Wilfingum; ða hine Wedera cyn for herebrogan habban ne mihte. Þanon he gesohte Suð-dena folc ofer yða gewealc, Ar-scyldinga ða ic furþum weold folce Deniga, ond on geogoðe heold ginne-rice, hord-burh hæleþa; ða wæs Heregar dead, min yldra mæg unlifigende, bearn Healf-denes; se wæs betera ðonne ic.
Rendering
Hrothgar, helmet of Scyld's people, spoke: To fight in our defense, my friend Beowulf, has in his favor searched us out. Once his father sparked a great blood feud, when by hand he slew Heatholafe while among the Wilfing, his warden folk for fear of war kept him not. From there this honour-Scyid, over the surge of waves sought the South Danes, that’s when I first ruled a Danish folk, and in youth held a widespread realm, and a heroes treasure-town; as then was Heregar dead, my elder brother, and half-Dane's son drew not his breath, for in truth he was a better man than I.
little bits of this and that
Wulfgār ēode, word inne ābēad: Eow hēt secgan sig-drhten mīn, aldor Ēast-Dena, Þǽs hē ēower ǽÞelu can:
Rendering
Wulfgar went, inside to announce: This victorious lord, bids me say to you, The rulers of the East-Danes, Who are your kin know this man:
[Line 356]
Hwearf þā hrædlīce þǽr Hrōðgar sæt eald ond anhār mid his eorla gedriht; eode ellen-rof, þæt he for eaxlum gestod Deniga frean; cuþe he duguðe þeaw.
Rendering
Quickly now here Hrōthgar sat old and grayed with his earls roundabout; raising in courage-fame, till he at shoulder stood with the Danish lord; good courtier as was he.
Was Wealhtheow's victory gift to Beowulf a poison apple?
Poison Indeed
One of the oldest tricks in the book is give a gift thats something just too good to resist. In Modern English Wealhtheow means foreign-, non-Nordic, or more likely Walsh/Briton hostage-bride. While it’s claimed Weal is the OE/AS term used for all non-Nordic populations, its usage was restricted to only Latin/Celt/Balt speaking people. Most likely lady Wealhtheow was British. Regardless, she was a native princess and her husband Hrothgar was married to her because he and some unnamed native ruler required a close personal/hostage/family relationship.
At the time the hostage-marriage was a common Late Roman custom. A fine literary example of such behavior can be found in Gildas Sapiens De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae and the later Beda Venerabilis Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum. Here they provide accounts of how Vortigern /Gwrtheyn Uurtigernus/Uuertigernus or superbo tyranno (high King) entered into a foedus treaty with the barbarian prince Hengest. The land-for-arms deal was sealed with Vortigern’s marriage to one of Hengest’s daughters. Thus Wealhtheow’s husband, Hrothgar was the real foreigner and his stronghold and the great hall of Heorot the outright symbols of his power and might over the natives.
Now let’s set the stage for this Wealhtheow character. First she’s a noble-lady, most likely a princess, also likely a Christian, somewhat educated, somewhat refined, and living amongst a pack of blood-trusty war-driven uncouth nordic-speaking barbarians. If she was a Briton, she believes her marriage to a pagan assured her a special place in hell. In other words she would never be welcome among her own people again. Now, her husband Hrothgar is very old and has just escaped a horrible death at the hands of a hideous monster. She has two under-age sons that are heirs to Heorot, and both are under the dubious protection of Hrothu, Hrothgar’s live-in nephew. And…..yes Hrothu would shortly try to usurp Hrothgar and yes everyone in the hall when Wealhtheow gave Beowulf the victory gift knew he was just waiting for the right moment to strike. Not a very cum-ba-ya situation thus far?
Right, here comes this Beowulf fellow, which she may have secretly wished the monster would have got, rather the other way round. Yet here the monster-slayer stands unscathed. Seeing the weakness of Hrothgar and Heorot does she think he’ll leave to return with more men, as did the historic Hengest (the stallion) to kill her husband and two young sons, loot and burn the hall and stronghold and in effect end her good fortune? This is the reason she has the Fight at Finnsburg story told. Now to top it all off, Norse tradition demanded she give Beowulf a highly-prized victory gift for gratitude.
So what did the high-born Wealhtheow give him. Of coarse she could have only given him the Dark Age-man’s equivalent to a computer virus, a poison apple, in other words something she knew he was powerless to resist but in the end would kill him. She gave him a very special family artifact possibly a heirloom; yes a gold Torc. This didn’t make much sense until I remembered the account of the Battle of Telemon:
Polybius, Histories: chapter 129, book 2
My translation
[line 7] Shocking were the gestures and gyrations of unclad warriors in the front ranks, upon whom were expressed chiseled features, and foremost among these men were sowed those wearing only golden torcs and armlets. The Romans who witnessed this were unnerved by the commotion, yet doubly spurred on to action by expectations of the plunder due.
This ancient gift would have been highly prized, one Beowulf would have wanted to wear to show his favor and renown, and one that would have made him the target of every wannabe hero on the battle field. In fact Beowulf unwittingly gives the Torc to his overlord, Hygelac/Chlochilaicus who wears it into Frisia, battle, and history (AD 516) as he was killed by the Franks, and its at this point the Dark Age world of Beowulf slowly began to unravel.
