The Different Feuds within the Poem Beowulf - Research Paper Example

Beowulf Introduction Beowulf, whose full title is Beowulf the wolf, is a heroic epic poem whose setting is in Scandinavia. The poem consists of three thousand, one hundred and eighty two lines, which are written using Old English. The author of the poem is presently unknown but it is believed to have been written between the 8th and 11th century. Among the main characters in the poem are Beowolf, Grendel, Hygelac, Hrothgar, Hrothulf, Grendel’s mother, Hildeburh Eschere, Wealhtheow and Wiglaf as described by (Anonymous). The poet tells of a tale of the adventures experienced by the main character Beowulf from his younger days to his old age as he fought monsters and demons to safeguard his people, fight off against evil and sought revenge for any harm that could have been done. As depicted in the poem, allegiances and loyalty among family and tribes was the basis of one’s identity since it determined where one belonged. In Beowulf, characters are addressed as son to, wife or daughter of a certain man or as members of certain tribes (Day, 2001, p.1). Those that did not have social groupings from which they belonged to, they were deemed lonely, bitter and unhappy people such as the demon Grendel. Failure to belong to a particular social grouping made men feel and be incomplete. Any actions such as giving of gifts and exercising loyalty were meant to enhance the sense of unity and strengthen community bonds and relations among the family or tribe. The significant position community was given to the Beowulf culture generated into numerous inter-tribal feuds among varied tribes, where members of a family or tribe fought zealously to safeguard, defend and preserve the family in an environment considered hostile or against outsiders (Ahrl, 1972, p.189). The need to protect the family and tribe and to avenge wrongs done to any member within the family or tribe developed a culture of vengeance among people and feuds between tribes. This report seeks to discuss the nature of feud in Beowulf and analyze the different feuds within the poem. The report will in addition, give greater emphasis in analyzing one feud of the many feuds within the poem. The nature of feud in Beowulf In the poem Beowulf, feuds are constantly emerging among individuals and among tribes and the poet uses fæhð to refer to them and describe unending vicious inter-tribal and intra social disconnect and disagreement between different individuals, demons and monsters within Beowulf as highlighted by (Ahrl, 1972, p. 189). In the poem, peace and order in the society is determined by the ability to resolve feuds and restore honour. Feuding tendencies within the play dictate particular behavioural choices of the characters. As illustrated in the poem, feuds are used to advance the plot of the story since the poem is built on developing feuds and resolving them. For example, the feud between King Hrothgar, the king of the Danes with the demon Grendel helps progress the story by introducing Beowulf, a young warrior who helps the King to destroy the demon. By resolving this particular feud, that is, between King Hrothgar and the demon Grendel, Beowult enters into a new feud with Grendel’s mother who seeks to avenge the death of his son (Anonymous). Feuds within the poem function as a stabilizing variable to generate peace where a tribe or a family may fear developing a feud with another tribe since the feud might put the tribe that has started the feud at a disadvantage as depicted by (Day, 2001, p.1). In the poem Beowulf, the Swedes are reluctant to invade and fight the Geats when Beowulf was ruling as a King owing to his reputation as a warrior and the fact that rising against them would mean tribes friendlier to the Geats would become enemies to Swedes and worse help the Geats in counter attacking Swedes. The urge to start a feud was further reduced within the poem as feuding tribes and groups with potential to develop feuds forged close bonds as witnessed in the marriage of Hrothgar’s daughter Freawaru to Froda’s son Ingled (Day, 2001, p.2). Other instances are the acts of arbitration where King Hrothgar mediate in a feud between Echtheow and Wylfings that forms the basis of Beowulf lending him a hand in fighting of the demon Grendel. (Day, 1999, p.2) notes that the fear of feuds and essentially the purpose of feuds as depicted by the poet are to permit the use of other ways of resolving conflicts, which includes arbitration. Often at times among feuding groups in ancient times, there were laws guiding feuds that outlined how retaliation could be advanced, when it could be executed, who may execute the vengeance and who it could be executed to. As depicted by the poet, feuds have ways that are culturally acceptable of resolving conflicts and hostilities both short term and long term (Ahrl, 1972, p.190). Majority of the feuds wrote about by the poet are blood feuds and they often ended tragically. Among problems generated by the blood feuds include the destruction of Heorot, the deaths of people or creatures that could not have occurred were it not for the feud they had such as Grendel’s mother. The aspect of feuds develops into hatred, which hinders forgiveness. In lines 2443 and 2444 the poet describe feud as a basis for avenging. The lines states ‘…for who could avenge / the prince’s life or pay his death-price? ..." following the death of King Beowulf after getting mortal wounds from fighting with the dragon, discussions among tribes men shifts to all the feuds that had remained unsettled as highlighted in line 2999 " So this bad blood between us and the Swedes …". Based on how the poet uses the term fæhð, he does not use it loosely but instead he uses it to define those disputes that are incessant and those that have a retaliatory element, which established the relationship of people and tribes over time and place in Beowulf. According to Day, (2001, p.3), the feuds highlighted in Beowulf have three distinct attributes which includes first, the feuds established by reciprocity, which defines a continuous relationship of retaliating violence among two parties/ groups. In the poem, the ongoing attacks of the demon Grendel on the people of Danes and the incessant conflict is described as a feud as noted in line 134 to line 137 ‘Nor was it simply once, but the next night after he performed, more murder-bale, and did not mourn for it, that feud and evil deed; he was too fast in that.’ It is apparent that feuds occur after a continuous conflict among groups. In line 2472 to line 2480, Beowulf recalls how the feud between the Geats and the Swedes began which solidify the aspect of reciprocity in feuds. The lines states ‘Then there was hostility and strife among Swedes and Geats, over the wide water, mutual hatred, hard hostility, after Hrethel died, and towards them Ongentheow's men, were bold and warlike, wished no friendship, over the sea to have, but about Hreosnabeorh, terrible slaughter occurred. That my kinsman avenged, Feud and evil deed . . .’ Secondly, there are those feuds in Beowulf that establish the correlation of the groups involved in the feud as an ideology to define the state of affairs among groups, establishing the correlations and how they relate to each other (Day, 2001, p.6). In lines 153, the poet describes the attacks made by the demon Grendel as feud while Beowulf explains Grendel’s mother motivation to revenge in lines 2117. Notable in this lines is the dignity with which attacks made by the demons are given, the attacks are not merely acts of demonic brutality but as acts guided by rules of relationship. In addition, feuds can be as well used to advance political opportunism as illustrated by Swedes using feuds for political advantage where Ongentheow decides to delay retaliation and prosecute it at a time that is politically beneficial for Swedes and disadvantageous for the Geats as highlighted in lines 2472 to 2489. The poet writes ‘Then there was hostility and strife among Swedes and Geats, over the wide water, mutual hatred, hard hostility, after Hrethel died, and towards him Ongentheow's men, were bold and warlike, wished no friendship, over the sea to have, but about Hreosnabeorh, terrible slaughter occurred. That my friend and kinsman avenged, the feud and the evil deed, as it is well known, though for this his elder brother paid, a hard bargain; to Hæthcyn was, to the lord of Geats, the battle fatal. Then I have heard in the morning one kinsman, with the sword's edge avenged the other on the slayer, there of Ongentheow Eofor's attacks, split the battlehelm, the ancient Scylfing, fell battle-pale; the hand remembered, feuds enough, did not withhold the death blow.’ Another instance when feuds are used to advance political intentions and are prosecuted at opportune moments are evident when the messenger foresee the Swedes and the Merovingians among others settling past feuds with the Geats upon the demise of Beowulf. In lines 2910 to lines 2921, the messenger foretells ‘Now will come to our people, a time of war, once the king's death is widely known, among Franks and Frisians. That strife arose, hard with the Hugas, after Hygelac came, with a sea-army into the Frisian land; there the Hetwaras in battle assailed him, brought a quick decision with overwhelming strength, that the mailed warrior should fall, among the company; gave then no treasure, the lord to his troop. To us always afterwards, the Merovingians' friendship has been denied.’ Finally, there are feuds acting as a trope, revealing to the association of the character’s misfortunes and incongruity. In this attribute of feud, feuds are depicted as force for evil (Day, 1999, p.12). The Different feuds in Beowulf As earlier indicated, the poem is built on development of feuds and retaliation among feuding people, creatures and groups. The numbers of feuds in Beowulf are many but there are those that are significant to the plot of the epic poem. The poem starts with an ongoing feud, which has been longstanding between Danes and Heath bards. According to the poet, Ingled’s father, Froda murdered Halfdane who had three sons namely Hrothgar, Heorogar and Halga who decides to avenge the death of their father by invading the lands belonging to Heathobard and thereby, slewing Froda (Anonymous). To resolve the feud and bring peace between the Geats and the Heathobards, Beowulf decides that Freawaru, Hrothgar’s daughter will be married off to Fropa’s son Ingeld. Beowulf foretells the destruction of Heorot, which will be because of revenging a feud where a warrior from Heathobard will be used to avenge the death of his father against the son of the man who murdered his father. Although this happens later on since Heorot is destroyed, Heathobards loses to Danes. The Danes have had a longstanding feud with the Geats as depicted in lines 1855 where Hrothgar compliments Beowulf for bringing peace between the Danes and Geats who have had years of hatred. There is feuds between Grendel‘s mother and the killer of his son Beowulf and the King, Hrothgar, who accepts help to destroy Grendel. Grendel’s mother is bitter and is motivated to avenge his son’s death but she is destroyed in the process as Beowulf slews her throat in her hideout cave (Anonymous). Beowulf‘s attack on her is fuelled by the fact that Grendel’s mother kills Hondscio who is Beowulf’s men. The other feud in the poem is one highlighted in the Finnsburgh episode between Danes and Frisians. In this feud, it happens that Finn’s wife Hildeburgh invites her brother Hnaef together with his men to visit her at Finn’s fortress only for Fin’s men to assault the men, killing Hildeburh’s son and Hnaef in the process. In renewing the feud, Hengest attack Finn and his men following initiation by Guthlaf and together with Finn’s wife Hildeburh, they move back to Danes territory. There was a feud between Wylfings and the Geats following the killing of Heathoaf who was a warrior from Wylfing by Ecgtheow. Following the attack, Ecgtheow was forcefully chased from Geats territory and to resolve the feud, Hrothgar gave wergild to Wylfing while Ectheow swore loyalty to him. The other feud is between a father and his son where Haethycn kills his brother Herebeald and since he could not bear the loss, Haethcyn’s father Hrethel dies of grief (Anonymous). A feud develops when Ohthere and Onela attack Haethcyn’s territory and they are victorious while another develops when Haethcyn detains the wife to Ongentheow and in retaliation, Ongentheow kills Haethcyn. Following the death of Haethcyn, his brother Hygelac avenges by using his men to kill Ongentheow at Ravenswood. The slaying of Hygelac by Dayraven generated a feud, which saw Beowulf killing Dayraven to avenge Hygelac’s death. When Onera took the throne by ensuring his brother Ohthere was dead, Eadgils, Ohthere’s son is assisted by Beowulf to avenge the death by killing his uncle Onera. Hygelac’s son Heardred gives refuge to Othere’s sons Eanmund and Eadgils after their uncle Onera send them away. This act generates a feud between him and Onera who attacks Heardred’s territory and kills him giving Beowulf an opportunity to reign as depicted in line 2389. Since Weohstan had killed Eanmund who was the brother to Eadgils, Eadgils retaliates by prosecuting revenge on Wiglaf who is the son of Weohstan. There was a feud between God and Cain which was developed after Cain slew Abel, his brother as depicted in line 1261 to line 1266 ‘the cold streams, after Cain became, a sword-bane to his only brother, his paternal kinsman; he was outlawed, marked with the murder fled man's joys, inhabited the wastes. Thence awoke many kinds of spirits; one of them was Grendel’ The feud between King Hrothgar and the demon Grendel The feud between the King, Hrothgar and the demon Grendel follows consistent attacks by Grendel on Heorot without any cause, where Danish warriors are maimed and killed and at worse, they are eaten. Owing to old age, King Hrothgar is frail and not as powerful as he used to be in his younger days and therefore, he is unable to protect the Danes from the destruction caused by Grendel. Since he cannot overpower the demon alone, he accepts help from Beowulf, who owes him a favour for helping out his father in a previous feud. Grendel is overpowered in a hand combat where Beowulf dislodges his arm, which forces the demon to run into the wilderness and die (Anonymous). The King has an obligation to protect the welfare and the interests of his people and therefore he feuds with Grendel and resolves the feud by killing the enemy. This feud generates into another feud where Grendel’s mother motivated by revenge, seek to attack Heorot Hall but is eventually slew by Beowulf. Lines 1276 to 1278 state ‘the enemy of men. And his mother yet, greedy and gloomy wished to enter upon, a grievous venture, to avenge the death of her son.’ Conclusion As highlighted in the report, the poem Beowulf is based on development of feuds and resolving them. The theme of feuds outplay in majority of the incidences within the epic poem. The use of feuds to depict the tragic nature of the poem not only illustrate the retaliatory nature of the group and characters in the poem but also, illustrate political opportunism where groups reserve avenging and settling feuds to a time that is advantageous for them. Feuds within the poem demonstrate that evil begets evil and good begets good. Works Cited Ahrl, S.J. Feuds in Beowulf: A tragic necessity? Modern philology, 69.3 1972. Anonymous. Beowulf. London: United Holdings Group. Day, D. Defining the feud in Beowulf. Philological Quarterly, 78:77-95, 1999. Accessible from ftp://tigger.uic.edu/pub/library/scua/Heroic%20Age/2001.05.06.HA.pdf Read More