Asatru Folk Assembly - 12⧸6⧸23 Victory Never Sleeps, Episode 74 - Beowulf and the Dragon

00:00:00.000 Thank you.

00:00:30.000 To be continued...

00:01:00.000 We'll be right back.

00:01:30.000 Thank you.

00:02:00.000 Thank you.

00:02:30.000 Thank you.

00:03:00.000 We'll be right back.

00:03:30.000 2.000 years later.

00:04:00.000 a few weeks ago so we should be squared away and doing all right tonight and we're squared

00:04:14.320 away to take donations a few weeks ago so we should be squared away and doing all right

00:04:20.720 tonight and we're squared away to take donations a few weeks ago so we should be squared away

00:04:27.280 and doing all right tonight and we're squared away to take donations so we should be squared away

00:04:34.880 and doing all right tonight and we're squared away to take donations so we should be square

00:04:57.280 so i muted to kill my echo

00:05:09.240 um apparently it killed all of my stuff anyways let's see if we can go from here and uh get

00:05:21.940 things rolling this evening so welcome everybody i was going to say that we thought we were going

00:05:26.960 have a tech problem free broadcast, but that's not the case. But hopefully it will be smooth

00:05:32.320 sailing from here on out. We also have the ability to take those cool fancy bell and

00:05:37.540 whistle donations that we used to take with the horn and the swords and the beers and

00:05:45.620 the coffee and the whatever else. So if you guys want to do that, it should be in the

00:05:50.120 program description on how to go do those things. And we really appreciate them. They

00:05:54.360 do make a big difference. We are being broadcast live on YouTube, on Twitch, on Entropy, Odyssey,

00:06:07.940 Rumble, and Twitter. I don't think I left anything. Oh, VK as well.

00:06:14.420 So tonight, Witten Callahan has joined us to finish her amazing series on Beowulf, which we've gotten amazing responses on.

00:06:29.660 It's been fantastic, and we're looking to do more shows like this, because I think people are really enjoying them.

00:06:36.800 I know that I am.

00:06:37.500 So we are starting a new month, which is got a couple of updates for you guys.

00:06:56.900 Nick, can you, I'm trying to work with our current little delay on here, and it is a few seconds.

00:07:01.620 Could you go ahead and put up the graphics for the Njordshof thermometer, please?

00:07:09.780 So as some of you guys may know, and I want to go ahead and explain it to those that don't,

00:07:14.520 our next big thing that we're trying to accomplish is to get a Hof for Lord Freyr.

00:07:21.800 In order to do that, we have a couple of key things we need to hit first. 1.00

00:07:27.900 We need to pay off Njordshof. 1.00

00:07:29.800 off. So folks may wonder, you know, why are we paying off New York's off instead of getting 0.95

00:07:37.760 Frey's off? The way it works is it is not an appealing donation to get people to ask

00:07:45.700 people to pay off New York's off with the idea of paying off New York's off, because

00:07:50.620 we already have it, it exists, but it's got to get paid off nonetheless. And what I need

00:07:56.200 folks to understand a little bit about our Hoff efforts because we have a system and it's a system 0.95

00:08:01.460 that's brought us four Hoffs so far and in relatively short order is going to bring us a

00:08:07.680 fifth. And that system is that we got to pay off any debt for the previous Hoff before we're

00:08:13.540 financially ready to get that next Hoff. So our effort, and I put this in the room stone every

00:08:20.520 months. Our effort to get Frazehoff starts with finishing out, paying off all the debt on Njortzhoff.

00:08:29.240 We've got that. We've got a certain monthly income number we have to meet. And then from there,

00:08:35.440 we're looking for property and building up any kind of initial down payment or finding a lender

00:08:42.060 or whatever we're doing at that point. So it's kind of a three plank thing. The first one

00:08:45.980 is to pay off Njordshof. You guys may not know, but Njordshof was the most expensive of our

00:08:53.060 hoffs so far. It's beautiful and an amazing piece of property in the freedom-loving American-centric

00:09:02.560 state of Florida, which has become, you know, living there has been kind of a premium in the

00:09:07.940 last few years. So it meant that real estate's a little bit more than we're used to. That said,

00:09:12.620 we had to take out two different loans from two different people in order to make it happen

00:09:16.780 paid off the first one of those many months ago now because of your guys generosity and we

00:09:22.860 appreciate that so as of this date we have we're underneath that final 100 000 mark

00:09:31.100 you'll see that we've already paid off 145 000 and we've got 99 000 to go so we've made amazing

00:09:39.900 progress. This is on a, I think it was like a 10 year loan terms and we're a year and four months

00:09:51.580 in and we've already cut it in. I don't know. I could start mathing, but I think we're getting

00:09:59.460 close to 65, between 65 and 70% paid off, which is awesome. We got a little bit more to go.

00:10:06.220 I know $99,000 is not a little bit, but it dropped below that $100,000 mark.

00:10:11.900 We can get there.

00:10:12.580 It is the home stretch on it, and I want to work really hard on that with you guys this year.

00:10:17.000 We appreciate the generosity.

00:10:18.900 If you would like to help with that, Nick has the donation link that goes directly to paying this off,

00:10:26.980 and that's what's going to move us closer to getting the Hoff for Lord Frey.

00:10:30.340 Okay. While we're running those things down, Nick, could you switch over and show folks the graphics for the Sigerheim thermometer as well, please?

00:10:48.220 cool thank you very much we appreciate that so

00:10:56.420 Sigurheim is being funded entirely separate and on a different schedule than New York's Hoff

00:11:04.560 and Frey's Hoff and our Hoff efforts in general so it's not going to affect the rate at which we

00:11:10.160 pay those off in any way it's running separate on the side but so you guys are aware we appreciate

00:11:18.200 your donations on that as well through your generosity. We've already paid $41,000

00:11:23.180 of the $250,000 that that property costs. We imagine this one's going to take us a little

00:11:29.400 bit more because again, it's being done in a separate way of funding. So we appreciate it.

00:11:38.720 Just letting you guys know kind of where we sit. And I guess where we sit going into the new year,

00:11:45.020 This will be the last real update on this before the top of the year.

00:11:48.640 So that's kind of where we stand.

00:11:50.380 And once again, thank you guys so much for your generosity.

00:11:54.540 It's all kind of different fancy ways.

00:11:57.720 And we got plans and we've got stuff.

00:11:59.560 But it doesn't work without you guys being willing to support our gods, support our church, support our faith, and support these projects that we're trying to do.

00:12:09.820 And we really appreciate it.

00:12:11.280 So, we've got all that good stuff going on, and I think that's what we have for the top of the program.

00:12:22.800 Without further ado, Brandy, are you ready to engage in part three of Beowulf?

00:12:31.920 I think so. So, this is going to be a long one, guys, so bear with us. I'm going to try to get

00:12:37.900 through it as quick as we can, try to answer as many questions as we can in the process.

00:12:43.680 Before we begin, Matt's talking about all of these amazing donations that everyone has been making

00:12:49.360 to make all of these dreams and all of these beautiful things that we have in the AFA happen.

00:12:55.140 So I want to take a second and just thank somebody in particular, Mr. Ronald Blake,

00:13:00.440 for his recent contributions to Baldershof. And I want to give him a shout out on here because

00:13:05.560 He's always here and always listening.

00:13:08.740 I hauled 13 boxes the size of myself into Baldur's Hoff.

00:13:13.440 So I appreciate everything that you've done.

00:13:16.100 The folk appreciate it.

00:13:17.120 Baldur appreciates it.

00:13:18.080 Church appreciates it.

00:13:19.160 Your generosity is tremendous.

00:13:21.940 And you're here every week with us.

00:13:24.020 So thank you, Ronald.

00:13:25.260 We appreciate you very much, sir.

00:13:27.360 Thank you very, very much.

00:13:29.180 You've been consistent.

00:13:31.340 And yeah, you've always been the first to jump on.

00:13:35.080 and give and you know whatever the project might be we really do appreciate you thank you so much

00:13:41.240 and without further ado i think we are going to start off with fit number 27 and we're going to

00:13:50.480 continue until we're done so everybody get your popcorn and your drinks and settle in with a cozy

00:13:56.820 blanket on a cold night because this might be a while all right so we left off with uh bay wolf

00:14:04.140 slaying Grendel's mother and returning to the hall.

00:14:08.600 And now Beowulf is getting ready, saying his goodbyes,

00:14:11.160 and he's getting ready to go home.

00:14:14.240 Beowulf, son of Ekthal, spoke.

00:14:16.840 Now we who cross the wide sea have to inform you 0.89

00:14:19.280 that we feel a desire to return to Helak.

00:14:22.220 Here we have been welcomed and thoroughly entertained.

00:14:24.900 You have treated us well.

00:14:26.280 If there is any favor on earth I can perform beyond deeds of arms

00:14:29.380 I have done already, anything that would merit your affections more,

00:14:32.380 I shall act, my lord, with alquerity.

00:14:36.920 If ever I hear from across the ocean

00:14:39.180 that people on your borders are threatening battle

00:14:41.200 as attackers have done from time to time,

00:14:43.820 I shall land with a thousand things at my back

00:14:45.940 to help ease your cause. 1.00

00:14:48.000 Heglak may be young to rule a nation,

00:14:50.980 but this much I know about the king of the geats.

00:14:54.420 He will come to my aid and want to support me

00:14:57.180 by word and action in your hour of need.

00:14:59.280 when our dictates and I raise the hedge of spears around you.

00:15:03.400 Then if Hrithek should think about traveling as a king's son to the court of the gates,

00:15:08.160 he will find many friends.

00:15:09.860 Foreign places yield more to one who is himself worth meeting.

00:15:13.780 Hrothgar spoke and answered him.

00:15:15.740 The Lord in his wisdom sent you those words and they came from the heart.

00:15:19.260 I have never heard so young a man make truer observations.

00:15:22.880 You are strong in body and mature in mind, impressive in speech.

00:15:26.340 if it should come to pass that Hrathal's

00:15:28.920 descendant dies beneath the spear

00:15:30.820 if deadly battle

00:15:32.260 or he sword, blade

00:15:35.100 or disease

00:15:36.200 bells the prince who guards your people

00:15:39.120 and you are still alive

00:15:40.420 then I firmly believe

00:15:41.780 the seafaring gates won't find

00:15:44.840 a man worthier of acclaims as their king

00:15:46.680 and defender than you

00:15:47.540 if only you would undertake the lordship

00:15:50.960 of your homeland, my liking for you

00:15:52.840 deepens with time, dear Beowulf

00:15:54.160 when you have what you have done to draw two peoples the gates nation and us neighboring

00:15:59.200 danes into shared peace impact of friendship in spite of hatreds we have harbored in the past

00:16:03.900 for as long as i rule this far-flung land treasures will change hands and each side

00:16:08.620 will treat the other with gifts across the gannets path over the broad sea world prowls will

00:16:14.440 bring presents and tokens i know your people are beyond reproach in every respect steadfast in the

00:16:19.860 old way with friend or foe. Then the earl's defender furnished the hero with twelve treasures

00:16:24.200 and told him to set out, sail with those gifts safely home to the people he loved, but to return

00:16:28.840 promptly. And so the good and gray-haired dame, that highborn king, kissed Beowulf and embraced

00:16:33.480 his neck and broke down in sudden tears. Two forebodings disturbed him in his wisdom, but one

00:16:38.700 was stronger. Nevermore would they meet each other face to face, and such was his affection that he

00:16:43.580 could not help being overcome. His fondness for the man was so deep-founded. It warmed his heart

00:16:48.760 and wound the heartstrings tight in his breast. The embrace ended, and Beowulf, glorious in his

00:16:53.720 gold regalia, stepped the green earth, straining at anchor and reaching for the boarding.

00:16:58.600 His boat awaited him. So they went on their journey, and Hathgar's generosity was praised

00:17:03.000 repeatedly. He was a peerless king until old age sapped his strength and did him mortal harm,

00:17:08.540 as it has done so many. So what we're seeing here is the actual relationship and the actual

00:17:14.380 bond that has been made between these two in particular. And it says in here that

00:17:22.100 the king, the king treasures the bond that he has had with Beowulf. And it is something that

00:17:28.900 you see with men who have been in battle together over and over and over again. It's something that

00:17:35.060 not everyone can understand. It is something that you have to go through a mass trial and

00:17:42.780 tribulation in order to understand the depth of that relationship. And that's something that our

00:17:48.940 poet here is trying to express, is there are things in our life that bring us so close together

00:17:54.740 that knowing you're not going to see that person again

00:18:00.180 can be heartbreaking and heart-wrenching. But sometimes you just know it's not going to happen.

00:18:07.420 But that promise of gifts and that promise of correspondence and the promise of the reciprocal relationship still stands despite the distance.

00:18:18.500 So that's one thing that I feel is pointed out in there.

00:18:22.580 Sir, do you have anything to add on that?

00:18:27.380 No, I think that's, I mean, that is what it is.

00:18:32.920 I think it's a, I don't know, I think it's kind of a poignant passage in this poem, but

00:18:39.840 I don't think there's anything, I don't know, confusing or that needs any extra explanation.

00:18:45.720 Doing good. Awesome. So from here, Beowulf's going to go home, tell a story, and then our

00:18:53.140 story's going to continue from there. So down to the waves, then dressed to the web of their

00:18:59.340 chain mail and worship young men marched in high spirits the coast guard spied them thanes setting

00:19:04.700 forth the same as before his salute this time from the top of the cliff was far from unmannerly

00:19:09.820 he galloped to meet them as they took ship in the shining gear he said how welcome they would

00:19:14.300 be in in gaitland and the broad bowl was beached on the sand to be cargoed in treasure horse and

00:19:19.900 war gear the curved crowd motioned the mast stood high above rocker's riches in the loaded bolt

00:19:25.020 loaded hold the guard who had watched the boat was given a thord with gold fittings

00:19:29.500 and in future days that present would make him respect a respected man at his place on the mead

00:19:34.460 bench then the keel plunged and shook in the sea and they hailed and they sailed from denmark

00:19:40.860 right away the mast was rigged with the seashell sail ropes were tightened timbers drummed and

00:19:44.940 stiff winds kept a wave crosser skimming ahead as she heaved forward her foamy neck was fleet and 0.90

00:19:50.540 buoyant. A lapped prow looping over currents until the geats caught sight of the coastline 0.97

00:19:58.320 and familiar cliffs. The keel geared up, wind lifting in his home to hit on the land.

00:20:04.420 The harbor guard came hurrying out to the rolling water. He had watched the offing long and hard on

00:20:10.360 the lookout for those friends. With the anchor cables, he moored their craft right where it had

00:20:15.180 beached in case in case a backwash might catch the hall and carry it away then he ordered the

00:20:20.880 princess treasure trove to be carried ashore it was a short step from there to where hatha's son

00:20:25.660 in the air hyglek the gold giver make his home on the secure cliff in the company of retainers

00:20:31.780 the building was magnificent the king majestic ensconced in his hall and although hide his queen

00:20:38.860 was young a few short years at court her mind was thoughtful and her man was sure

00:20:44.080 Paris' daughter behaved generously

00:20:45.600 and stinted nothing when she distributed

00:20:48.540 bounty to the gates. 1.00

00:20:50.200 Great Queen Modreth perpetrated terrible wrongs. 1.00

00:20:53.700 If any retainer ever made bold to look at her in the face, 1.00

00:20:56.980 if an eye not her lord stared her directly

00:20:58.880 during the daylight, the outcome was sealed.

00:21:01.000 He was kept bound in hand, tightened shackles,

00:21:04.120 wracked, tortured, until the doom was pronounced death

00:21:06.420 by the sword, slashes of blade, blood gushed,

00:21:09.220 and death qualms in an evil display. 1.00

00:21:11.220 Even a queen outstanding in beauty 1.00

00:21:12.700 must not overstep like that. 1.00

00:21:14.640 A queen should leave peace, not punish the innocent 1.00

00:21:16.640 with the loss of life and over-imagined insults.

00:21:19.880 But Hamilton's kinsmen

00:21:20.740 put a halt to her ways, and the drinkers

00:21:22.520 around the table had another tale. 1.00

00:21:25.840 She was less

00:21:26.540 other bane to people's lives, less cruel-minded 0.99

00:21:28.840 after she was married to the brave 0.98

00:21:30.780 Otha, a bride awaited in her

00:21:32.740 gold finery, given away by the caring

00:21:34.600 father, fair to her young prince

00:21:36.660 over dim seas.

00:21:38.720 In days to come, she would grace the throne

00:21:40.480 and grow famous for her good deeds and conduct of life.

00:21:43.540 Her high devotion to the hero king, who is the best king, it has been said,

00:21:47.400 between the two seas or anywhere else.

00:21:49.640 On the face of the earth, Alpha was honored far and wide in his generous ways,

00:21:53.360 his fighting spirit and his far-seen defense of his homeland.

00:21:58.440 From here there sprained Amar, Garmon's grandson, kinsman of Heming,

00:22:02.640 his warrior's mainstay and master of the field.

00:22:04.960 so one thing that we need to remember about this um when we first started talking about Beowulf

00:22:12.960 one of the biggest recommendations that I had was to start tracking the genealogy of the characters

00:22:18.780 in your story in your saga or in your epic poem you'll get a lot of names you're going to get a

00:22:24.720 lot of um this person belongs to this person and it doesn't come up until way further in the story

00:22:30.260 so from this point we are going to be getting a lot of name drops I'm not going to stop and

00:22:36.580 concentrate on those right away because there's going to be a point when we can kind of break

00:22:41.520 that down and explain all of these stories and all of these all these little intermissions in

00:22:48.520 the poem previously about things that have happened in the past and how it comes to play so

00:22:52.980 you're going to be hearing a lot of name dropping right now we're going to kind of cover all that

00:22:58.340 later. One of the things I do want to point out is the way that they distinguish between the good

00:23:05.000 queen and the bad queen, a good woman and a bad woman. It is said in this poem, and it's

00:23:12.240 hit home very, very hard, that no matter what a woman's age is, how long she's been at court,

00:23:20.680 it is her character that is important. It is her ability to bring peace. It is her ability to

00:23:27.740 weave frith and it is her ability to bring peace and good counsel versus a woman that 0.98

00:23:36.940 is very prideful or a woman who does not know what her role in her tribe is 0.88

00:23:43.980 and that she would have men killed over simple insults so that's something that i kind of want

00:23:50.540 to talk about just a little bit is the difference between a woman who knows her place in the tribe

00:23:56.060 and knows what her role and her function is and knows her own self and her own femininity to be

00:24:03.520 comfortable that she does not have to step into a realm that she doesn't know anything about

00:24:08.660 that she doesn't have to act above her station that she does not have to be so insecure with

00:24:15.960 herself that she's doing things that are overly petty to punish the people that overperceive

00:24:23.740 insults of character. So that's one of the examples for our women, that it is our job to 0.99

00:24:31.540 be that solid counsel. It is our job to provide that peace, and it is our job to build those

00:24:36.180 relationships. It is not our job to be judge, jury, and executioner over all of the men of our folk

00:24:43.340 over perceived insults or slights. So I don't know if the Oshira Godhi wants to talk on that at all.

00:24:49.520 A little bit. Before I do, Zach gave us $20 donation. Support our gods. Let's get those

00:24:56.580 numbers up. Thank you, Zach. We appreciate you. You mentioned, or Brandy mentioned that

00:25:05.900 there was a high value placed based on character,

00:25:13.940 but then she went into the fact that the value was placed on functionality i want to

00:25:21.220 make it really clear to folks because i think this is foreign to a modern audience

00:25:26.820 we are our deeds your character doesn't matter if your character does not result in action

00:25:35.240 um good intentions and internal niceness are not what is valuable

00:25:43.500 deeds and how you behave within your folk within your community within a social setting

00:25:53.420 the social setting is the context for your character it is the stage that your character

00:26:02.540 is played out upon the best intentions the best thoughts the best ideas are of very very little

00:26:09.900 value if they're not put into practice we know of a woman's character by how she behaves

00:26:20.460 and i think that's really important that we keep in mind we are our deeds it's about actions and

00:26:25.740 what you do that's what yields your value in a community that's what yields that was originally

00:26:31.900 what the term honor meant it wasn't your personal code of of whatever it was the value placed in

00:26:39.100 you by your community because they saw they were able to see exhibition of your character through

00:26:47.740 deed and that reputation would precede you um 1.00

00:26:55.260 the double-edged sword that comes with women's inherent power to 0.99

00:27:03.020 dictate social interaction is on display here and it's really important and that's one of

00:27:08.620 of the big takeaways from this poem. Women can weave frith and peace and bond families

00:27:19.540 and kingdoms together. They can squash arguments that would turn violent against warriors or 1.00

00:27:27.740 between warriors rather. They can have a tremendous calming effect on groups of people, on individual

00:27:37.340 men on society or they can be the catalyst for completely needless bloodshed and argument and

00:27:48.220 fights and pettiness and foolishness and it's not just that it's silly or that it's pointless

00:27:56.220 there's a real cost in in the poem we see the cost being loss of life

00:28:01.260 In reality, it may not get to that point. It may be loss of family members and family relationships,

00:28:08.620 loss of friends, loss of functioning community. We see that very often. Women have the power to

00:28:18.860 glue society together or to tear it apart, depending on how they use that ability.

00:28:25.900 And that's essential for us to keep in mind and one of the many reasons that I love this poem.

00:28:31.260 all right moving on to 29

00:28:39.580 heroic beewulf and his band of men crossed the white strand striding along the sandy foreshore

00:28:46.620 the sun shone the world's candle warmed them from the south as they hastened to where as they had

00:28:53.260 heard the young king on thousand killer and his people's protector was dispensing rings inside his

00:28:59.120 spawn. Beowulf's return was reported to Helag as soon as possible. News that the captain was now

00:29:05.020 in the enclosure, his battle brother back from the fray, alive and well, walking to the hall.

00:29:10.240 Room was quickly made on the king's orders, and the troops filed across the cleared floor.

00:29:17.260 After Helag offered greetings to his loyal then-in-lofty speech, he and his kinsmen,

00:29:24.360 the Hale survivors sat face to face. 0.91

00:29:27.180 Hera's daughter moved about with the knee jug in her hand,

00:29:30.340 taking care of the company, filling the cups that the warriors held out.

00:29:34.180 And Helak began to put courteous questions to his old comrade in the high hall.

00:29:38.900 He hankered down to know every tale the Seagates had to tell.

00:29:42.600 How did you fare in your foreign voyage, dear Beowulf,

00:29:44.900 when you abruptly decided to sail across the salt water and fight at Herat?

00:29:51.540 Did you help Hrafgar much in the end?

00:29:53.280 could you ease the prince of his well-known troubles your undertaking cast my spirits down

00:29:58.280 i dreaded the outcome of your expedition and pleaded with you long and hard to leave the killer

00:30:02.200 bee let the south danes settle their own blood feud with grendel so god can be thanked i am

00:30:07.680 granted the sight of you safe and sound beowulf son of ectow spoke what happened lord heiglick

00:30:13.120 is hardly a secret anymore among men in the world in the in this world myself and grendel coming to

00:30:18.700 grips on the very spot where he visited destruction on the victory shieldings and

00:30:22.680 violated life and limb. Losses I avenged, so no earthly offspring of Grendel's need ever boast 0.56

00:30:29.900 of that bout before dawn, no matter how long the last of his evil family survives. When I first

00:30:37.820 landed, I had hastened to the ring hall and salute the Kravgar. Once he discovered why I had come, 0.99

00:30:42.720 the son of Halfdane sent me immediately to sit with his own sons on the bench.

00:30:46.540 It was a happy gathering. In my whole life, I have never seen Mead enjoyed more in the hall on earth.

00:30:52.680 Sometimes the queen herself appeared, peace pledged between nations, to hearten the young ones and hand out a tort to a warrior, then take her place. Sometimes Hrothgar's daughter distributed ale to the older ranks and order on the benches.

00:31:06.420 I heard the company call her

00:31:08.740 Freywaru 0.97

00:31:10.520 as she made her rounds, presenting men

00:31:12.920 with the gem-studded bowl, young bride-to-be

00:31:15.100 to the gracious Inguild,

00:31:16.760 and her gold-trimmed attire.

00:31:18.680 The friend of the shieldings favors her betrothal.

00:31:22.180 The guardian

00:31:23.000 of the kingsman sees good in it

00:31:24.960 and hopes this woman will heal old

00:31:26.940 wounds and grievous feuds. 1.00

00:31:28.740 But generally, this fear is prompt to retaliate

00:31:30.980 when a prince is killed, no matter how

00:31:32.820 admirable the bride may be.

00:31:34.700 okay so there's some kind of cool stuff going on here so first of all um they they make news that

00:31:43.820 that beowulf has landed the hall is completely prepared and one of the first thing that happened

00:31:48.920 is um he like asked oh tell me all about your trip um how did you do did you defeat grendel

00:31:57.480 and beowulf says as if you don't know because news travels faster than light you know exactly

00:32:03.560 what happened and he talks about my heart was there was sorrow in my heart with you leaving

00:32:11.400 you know he was tempted to say let those people deal with their own problems i want to keep you

00:32:16.200 here um but remember in the beginning of the poem it was said that no one told him not to go

00:32:23.320 no one no one said Beowulf please stay behind

00:32:27.440 so even though Higlec did not want him to go he did not want him to save that battle

00:32:37.360 and he didn't know what would happen nobody was going to tell Beowulf no

00:32:41.540 but a couple interesting things happened here he talks about um Prothgar's daughter

00:32:47.880 and do you guys remember that being talked about in the story

00:32:51.100 no it was not that is a scene that was not previously stated so this is something that's

00:33:00.900 being added in that happened and this is going to go a little bit more into into what's going

00:33:05.960 to be coming up in one of these other lays the narrator is telling us about hrothgar's daughter

00:33:12.920 who did not we were not told made an appearance before and it tells us a little bit about her

00:33:18.180 Petrollo. She's going to be marrying Ingold. She is going to be a peace bride. She is there to

00:33:24.880 leave peace with this marriage between the families. She is there to heal old wounds,

00:33:32.900 but Beowulf says in this, and we'll see it happen here shortly, that no matter how wonderful the

00:33:39.380 bride is, once a prince is killed, that doesn't matter anymore. Those feuds are done. Are those,

00:33:47.720 Those oaths are done. Um, and the feud really begins. That is one thing to remember as women

00:33:56.800 is that no matter how good you are, no matter how good of a woman you are, no matter how hard you

00:34:03.980 try, there are some things that you can't fix. Okay. That's the truth. It is our job to make

00:34:14.160 sure we don't it doesn't get to that level because no matter how strong you are as a frith weaver

00:34:21.440 there are things that are unforgivable and you can't go back from that

00:34:28.960 all right i'll share anything to add on that

00:34:33.600 no i think you covered it pretty clearly but i would like to recognize a couple few things

00:34:38.900 Ryan Orion, $10.

00:34:41.520 Hail the AFA and Newhoffs.

00:34:43.340 Pray that my wallet be returned to me, please.

00:34:46.520 I did a bloat to Thor, but others' prayers would be appreciated.

00:34:51.680 I hope you find your wallet, and I appreciate your generosity.

00:34:55.040 And Barry, $20.

00:34:57.360 Zach said it in the chat.

00:34:58.920 I'll say it in the super chats.

00:35:00.220 $50 so far.

00:35:01.720 Let's see if we can get it to $100.

00:35:03.720 That would be wonderful.

00:35:04.880 Thank you.

00:35:05.260 We appreciate you guys.

00:35:07.920 Awesome. We're going to move on to Fit 30 then, guys. We're going to get right through

00:35:15.180 this. Is there any questions that we have that need to be answered before we continue,

00:35:19.300 sir?

00:35:22.180 Doesn't look like that are pertinent to the poem. All of them we can get to at the end. 0.95

00:35:26.620 Okay. All right. So we're going to talk about Beowulf's version of events. So

00:35:31.680 one thing to remember with epic poetry, they like to give you a recap. So consider that,

00:35:37.020 you know when you have the those few minutes when you're watching your your your favorite tv show

00:35:45.460 and it's like previously on whatever so these poems are long and when they're being recited

00:35:51.520 they're long so they're kind of recapping things for a couple reasons number one somebody might

00:35:55.980 have missed something but number two it helps the person that is actually telling the tale

00:36:01.960 find their place. So that is one of the things that, one of the reasons that things repeat the

00:36:07.280 way they do is so that they can keep that rhythm and remember what they're doing.

00:36:12.040 All right, so Beowulf's story of the Slains.

00:36:17.000 Think how the Hethbards would be bound to feel their lord Ingold and his loyal thanes when he 0.91

00:36:22.600 walks in with that woman to feast. Danes are at the table being entertained, honored guests in

00:36:28.520 glittering regalia, burnished ring mail that was their host's birthright, looted when the hawkbirds 0.99

00:36:33.680 were no longer wielded their weapons, and the shield clash when they went down with their

00:36:39.420 beloved comrades and forfeited their lives. Then an old spearman will speak while they are drinking,

00:36:46.500 having glimpsed some heirloom that brings alive memories of the massacre. His mood will darken

00:36:52.820 and heart-stricken in the stress of his emotion. He will begin to test a young man's temper,

00:36:57.940 and stir up trouble starting like this now my friend don't you recognize your father's sword 0.99

00:37:04.060 his favorite weapon the one he wore when he went out to war mass to face the danes on that final

00:37:09.740 day after weathergale died and his men were doomed the shieldings quickly claimed the field 0.91

00:37:14.960 and now here's a son of one or a one or other of those same killers coming through our hall

00:37:21.040 overbearing us mouthing boats and rigged in armor that by right is yours and so he keeps on

00:37:27.880 recalling and accusing working things up with bitter words until one of the ladies retainers

00:37:32.360 lies splattered in blood split open on his father's account the killer knows the lie of the

00:37:39.900 land and escapes with his life then on both sides the oath-bound lords will break their peace

00:37:45.300 a passionate hate will build up in engled and his love for his bride will falter in him

00:37:50.120 as a food as a few wrinkles i therefore suspect the good faith of the heatherbards the truth of

00:37:56.520 their friendship and the trustworthiness of their alliance with the Danes. But now, my lord, I shall

00:38:01.080 carry on with my account of Grendel, the whole story of everything that happened in the hand-to-hand

00:38:05.460 fight. After Heaven's gem had gone mildly to earth, that maddened spirit, the terror of those

00:38:11.080 twilights, came to attack us where we stood guard, still safe inside the hall. Their deadly violence 0.97

00:38:17.160 came down on Hancio, and he fell as fate ordained, the first to perish, rigged out for combat.

00:38:25.660 a comrade from our ranks, had come to grief in Grendel's maw.

00:38:32.300 He ate up the entire body.

00:38:35.060 There was blood on his teeth.

00:38:36.580 He was bloated and furious, all roused up,

00:38:38.660 yet still unready to leave the hall empty-handed.

00:38:42.240 Renowned for his might, he bashed himself against me, wildly reaching.

00:38:46.260 He had his roomy pouch, a strange recruitment,

00:38:48.800 intricately strung and hung at the ready,

00:38:50.780 a rare patchwork of devilishly fitting dragon skins.

00:38:54.020 I had done him no wrong, yet the raging demon wanted to cram me and many other into his bag,

00:38:58.680 but it was not to be once I got my feet in a blind fury.

00:39:02.760 It would take too long to tell how I repaid the terror of the land for every life he took,

00:39:07.700 and so one credit for you, my king, and for all your people.

00:39:10.940 And although he got away to enjoy life's sweetness for a while longer,

00:39:14.540 his right hand stayed behind him in Herod, 0.53

00:39:17.140 evidence of his miserable overthrown as he dived into the mark of the mere bottom.

00:39:20.580 I got lavish rewards from the Lord of the Danes for my part in the battle, beaten gold and much else.

00:39:27.100 Once morning came and we took our places to the banquet table.

00:39:31.540 There was singing and excitement.

00:39:32.920 An old reciter, a carrier of stories, recalled the early days.

00:39:36.120 At times some hero made the timber harp tremble with sweetness, or related true and tragic happenings.

00:39:41.200 At times the king gave the proper turn to some fantastic tale, or a battle-scarred veteran,

00:39:45.780 bowed with age would begin to remember the martial deeds of his youth and prime the overwhelm as the

00:39:51.000 past welled up in his wintry heart we were happy there for the whole day long and enjoyed our time 0.71

00:39:56.580 until another night descended upon us then suddenly the vehement mother had banished her

00:40:00.740 son and rick's destruction death had robbed her heath had slain grendel so his ghastly dam struck

00:40:06.180 back with bare-faced defiance laid men low thus life departed from the sage ashir and

00:40:13.640 an elder wise in council, but afterwards on the morning following the Danes could not burn the

00:40:19.300 dead body nor lay the remains of the man they loved on his funeral pyre. She had fled with

00:40:25.220 the corpse and taken refuge beneath the torrents of the mountain. It was a hard blow for Hrothgar

00:40:29.880 to bear, under the any he had undergone before, and so the heartsome king beseeched me in your

00:40:34.860 royal name to take my chances underwater to win glory and prove my worth. He promised me rewards,

00:40:40.200 hence as is well known i went to my encounter with the terror monger at the bottom of the 0.66

00:40:44.640 of the tarn for a while it was hand to hand between us the blood went curling among the

00:40:49.980 currents and i beheaded grendel's mother in the hall with a mighty sword i barely managed to

00:40:54.420 escape with my life my time had not yet come but hafting's air the shelter of those earls

00:40:59.440 again endowed me with gifts of abundance all right so we're being introduced to situations and people

00:41:08.220 those people that he's talking about, he's talking about the marriage that is supposed

00:41:15.060 to be coming up. And one of the things that I want to talk about, because it is actually a

00:41:18.680 theme of the poem, and I don't want to jump down too many rabbit holes on this one, but

00:41:22.540 we need to talk about it. When a bride went to get married, whether she was there as a

00:41:35.060 wife or as part of a treaty or whatever the reason she always brought her people with her

00:41:41.400 so in this regard if she is going over to

00:41:45.240 no matter i guess no matter where you're going you're bringing your p your men you're going to

00:41:51.400 have your own retainers and when you bring your own people with you to a land that has already

00:41:57.860 beaten you the sight of those people might cause some strife might cause some anger might have some

00:42:04.020 that PTSD going on in their head, especially when they see chain mail and armor and shields

00:42:09.380 and swords that were taken up from the battlefield or won or, you know, pillaged from that.

00:42:18.320 And one thing that is always going to be stronger than any other, as we see in this poem,

00:42:25.800 is somebody's oath to kin. They are going with as part of this deal, as part of this

00:42:33.880 bride price. They are going with her. But that oath to kin and community is still going to be 0.86

00:42:43.080 strong. And that is one of the things is that the loyalty to family and community supersedes

00:42:51.820 whatever oath that you took. And we see that a lot where people will take oaths to mutual,

00:42:58.760 or not mutual, I'm sorry, multiple different oaths to multiple different people.

00:43:04.360 there is a ranking structure to those oaths.

00:43:11.400 There are oaths that will supersede all others. For example, that is the loyalty to kin.

00:43:20.360 So I'm going to let the Elshira go the talk on that if you would like about

00:43:24.520 oaths and the order of oaths and what supersedes what and how.

00:43:28.040 sure and first i want to thank sarah for a 20 donation we appreciate you sarah um

00:43:42.280 what

00:43:45.320 in epic poetry

00:43:49.080 things are laid out in more dire terms than they are in

00:43:53.800 in in straight history because things are always written on a much grander scale so they exhibit

00:44:06.920 you know extremes of circumstance most of the time your oaths work fine

00:44:14.280 if there's a series of them but the problem is when they don't

00:44:19.400 picking what to do and which one to go with. Oaths to kin are really important, but I want to

00:44:27.420 point out, kin means something different in Beowulf's day than it does now.

00:44:35.220 We have small nuclear families now. Back then, so for example, and taking it all the way back,

00:44:44.300 nation means inherently a folk group that are united by blood united by birth it's the same

00:44:52.680 root as as um natal um from the belly button it's it's all related to a similarity of birth

00:45:03.480 so that extends it's not like oaths to your brother your sister your mom

00:45:11.880 it's oaths to your kingdom that you're part of or your tribe that you're part of that when you go

00:45:20.220 to a foreign land you may have to take oaths to get places and to allow things to happen but the

00:45:27.820 oaths that you have to your people, to your folk, where you come from, are the most important

00:45:35.340 of those. And if those come into conflict, your loyalty is to your people first and to

00:45:44.260 foreign peoples second. And I think that's important because we see it at a lot of different

00:45:50.500 times um modern people have a hard time accurately conceptualizing for example the american civil war

00:46:04.260 people will accuse the south of being traitors somehow but america looked really different in

00:46:12.420 1861 than it does now, they weren't being traitors, they were being loyal to their state.

00:46:21.460 And that was one of the biggest things that these people who were deeply honorable people had to

00:46:25.940 contend with, because a lot of them as graduates of West Point as members of the United States

00:46:31.460 military had oaths, but they also had oaths to the state of Virginia and the state of Mississippi

00:46:39.620 and the state of florida those came into conflict and you know their folk their tribe came into

00:46:48.740 conflict with an external governing force and that's when those you know very very difficult

00:46:57.860 and hard choices had to be made so i think that's worth thinking about it's not as remote as

00:47:02.900 everybody thinks. Again, you don't have to go to proto-Viking days. You can look, you know, 150

00:47:09.760 years ago. That's all I got. Thank you. All right. Next fit. We are going to talk about

00:47:21.080 several different things in one fit. Thus the king acted with due custom. I was paid in recompense

00:47:30.080 completely, given full measure and freedom

00:47:32.140 to choose from Hrothgar's treasures by Hrothgar

00:47:34.280 himself. These, King

00:47:36.100 Hylik, I am happy

00:47:37.080 to present to you

00:47:40.000 as gifts. It is still

00:47:42.040 upon your grace that all favor depends.

00:47:44.500 I have few kinsmen who are close,

00:47:46.100 my king, except for your kind self.

00:47:48.620 Then he ordered the boar frame

00:47:49.980 standard to be brought, and the battle

00:47:51.960 topping helmet, the male gray shirt,

00:47:54.460 the male shirt gray

00:47:55.880 as a horde frost, and the precious

00:47:58.140 war sword, and proceeded with the speech.

00:48:00.740 When Hrothgar presented this war gear to me, he instructed me, my lord, to give you some account of why it signifies his special favor.

00:48:10.520 He said it had belonged to his older brother, King Hrothgar, who had long kept it.

00:48:15.440 But Hrothgar had never been quested to his son, Hrothgar, their worthy scion, loyal as he was, enjoy it well.

00:48:24.800 I heard four horses were handed over next. Beowulfs bestowed four bay steeds to go with the armor, swift gallopers all alike. So ought a kinsman act, instead of plotting and planning in secret to bring his people to grief, or conspiring to arrange the deaths of comrades, the warrior king was uncle to Beowulf and honored by his nephew.

00:48:44.500 Each was concerned for the other's good.

00:48:46.820 I heard he presented Hyde with a

00:48:48.860 glorious and priceless

00:48:50.520 work that the prince's daughter

00:48:52.500 with Lau had given him, and three

00:48:54.460 horses, supple creatures, brilliantly saddled.

00:48:57.180 The bright necklace would be luminous

00:48:58.720 on Hyde's breast. This Beowulf bore 0.57

00:49:00.440 himself with valor. He was

00:49:01.900 formidable in battle, yet behaved

00:49:04.580 with honor and took no advantage.

00:49:06.540 Never cut down a comrade who was drunk,

00:49:08.440 kept his temper, and

00:49:10.480 warrior that he was, washed and controlled,

00:49:12.340 god-sent strength and his outstanding natural powers he had been poorly regarded for a long

00:49:16.920 time was taken by the gates for less than what he was worth and their lord too had never much

00:49:21.660 esteemed him in the meat hall they firmly believed that he had lacked force and that the prince was

00:49:26.540 a weakling but presently every affront to his deserving his deserving was reserved the battle

00:49:32.360 famed king bulwark of his earls ordered a gold chased heirloom of hrethels to be brought to him

00:49:38.060 it was the best example of a gem studded sword and gate treasury this he laid in beowulf's lap

00:49:44.440 and then rewarded him with land as well seven thousand hides and a hall and a throne both

00:49:50.240 owned land by birth in that country ancestral grounds but the greater right and sway were

00:49:56.660 inherited by the higher born a lot was to happen in later days and in the fury of battle he'd like

00:50:02.040 fell and shelter of herod's shields proved useless against the fierce aggression of the

00:50:06.400 scale fiends ruthless swordsmen seasoned campaigners they came against him in his

00:50:10.600 conquering nation with cruel force cut him down so that afterwards the wide kingdom reverted to

00:50:16.560 beowulf he ruled it well for 50 winners grew old and wise and as warden of the land until one began

00:50:23.680 to dominate the dark a dragon on the prowl from the steep vault of a stone roof barrel where he

00:50:28.860 guarded a horde there was a hidden passage unknown to men but someone managed to enter it enter by

00:50:34.720 and interfere with the heathen trove he had handled and removed a gem-studded goblet it

00:50:39.520 came to nothing though with a thief's wiles he had outwitted the sleeping dragon and drove him

00:50:44.660 into a rage as people of that country would soon discover okay so this is actually not that long

00:50:50.720 of a fit but there is a lot of stuff happening um in just a matter of 10 lines we go from

00:50:58.040 Beowulf just killed two monsters and came back home, gave all of his gifts over to the king.

00:51:05.080 The king is killed, and Beowulf is made king, and 50 years pass.

00:51:11.980 In 10 lines, that happens.

00:51:14.420 So, interesting rabbit hole I'm going to jump down, but not for long.

00:51:17.840 this particular fit in those lines of when Beowulf was basically ending that

00:51:28.120 Beowulf was coming back and the story was supposed to be ending there is debate over

00:51:34.080 whether or not this was actually meant to be two stories Grendel and Grendel's mother and the

00:51:39.040 dragon that is actually a pretty hotly debated topic because of this in this particular um fit

00:51:47.020 If you look at several other translations, Hall included, there's going to be a lot of lines that

00:51:53.600 are actually starred through, or it says omitted, or whatever it is, because they don't really know.

00:52:01.480 With the modern technology we have, and the way that they can look at things with different kind

00:52:05.660 of lights and things like that, you can actually see where the ink has been shaved off and smeared

00:52:11.420 off on the parchment itself, and what we have here has been written on top of it.

00:52:17.020 and so there the original theory was that this was supposed to be two separate poems

00:52:23.880 and that this little interlude that they're writing here is what is tying them together

00:52:29.540 so that's one of one of the little rabbit holes I like to go down um because you can see it in

00:52:36.540 other manuscripts and stuff as well now that we have the technology to see what was underneath

00:52:40.600 that ink you can see what was underneath it if it hasn't been overly written over but you can see

00:52:46.500 that there was something there. So that's just an interesting rabbit hole. I want to hop down on

00:52:51.060 that. Um, when we talk about the battle that Heiglit dies in. So one thing you got to remember 0.98

00:52:59.880 again, the genealogy, and this is where this is all going to come in. Um, if you've ever see that

00:53:06.380 meme with the guy standing at the whiteboard with all the pictures and the string around it,

00:53:10.140 and he looks crazy. I'm going to try not to look like that. Okay. But I just want to run through

00:53:16.780 really quick why these things are important and how we got to where we're at. So Heiglik himself

00:53:23.740 is Beowulf's nephew. Beowulf is the nephew or the son of Heiglik's sister and Ekthel. Okay.

00:53:37.040 Now, Hyglaac's son, in theory, should have taken over, but there was a battle that took place, and people were invaded, or people invaded, and the people that were invaded were the Swedes. 0.68

00:53:53.820 We hear about Half-Dane's daughter in the very beginning, who is sent over to Sweden to be the bride of Onella.

00:54:02.400 he was not actually the king at that time the king at that time was Othair and what happened

00:54:10.440 was Othair kills Othair and in theory Othair's oldest son Aemond which we are going to be hearing

00:54:20.100 about should have been king but instead he takes refuge over with the geese

00:54:27.700 that causes them problems causes wars people die next thing you know pal beowulf is now

00:54:36.720 the king okay and we're going to get more into that here as the story continues but i just

00:54:41.720 wanted to start with that so this is kind of the the secession of how beowulf became king okay

00:54:47.780 how he got that but interesting those 10 lines all these things happen king dies people die

00:54:56.500 Beowulf becomes king

00:54:58.760 50 years past, somebody steals a goblet

00:55:01.360 from a pissed off dragon

00:55:02.340 so that's where we're at

00:55:04.140 all in that little bit

00:55:05.820 anything that you want to add sir

00:55:08.700 I'm listening to

00:55:19.120 Magus of Java

00:55:21.400 story, the story of

00:55:23.260 John Chang

00:55:25.420 i know yost turner was strong in vril does the afa do occult practices to further goals

00:55:36.460 yes if i went yes sparingly and sometimes if i went into detail on it it would cease being very

00:55:45.580 a cult. But yes, on occasion. Yeah, that takes us up to that 100 people we're talking about

00:55:58.300 doing. Thank you so much, guys. We appreciate it. And then Olivia, with a $10 donation,

00:56:03.740 bought us two coffees. Hail Beowulf, Hail Victory. Hail Victory, indeed. No, Brandy, I think

00:56:09.800 that section you you broke it down pretty good uh as far as you know as clear as it's made to us

00:56:20.680 and uh yeah it brings us brings us up to where we're at are you going to talk about

00:56:32.520 dragons generally in our lore outside as an aside to this specific next portion a little bit okay

00:56:48.840 carry on all right the fire drake that's where we're at right now we're going to be introduced

00:56:56.520 these two are dragon. The intruder who broached the dragon's treasure and moved him to wrath

00:57:02.920 had never meant to. It was desperation on the part of the slave, fleeing this heavy hand of

00:57:07.680 some master, guilt-ridden and on the run. Going to the ground, but soon he began to shake with

00:57:15.160 terror in shock and wretch, panicked and ran away with the precious metalwork. There were many other

00:57:20.740 heirlooms heaped inside this earth house, because long ago with deliberate care, somebody now

00:57:26.060 forgotten had buried the riches of the high-born race in this ancient cache. Death had come and

00:57:30.960 taken them all in times gone by, and the only one left to tell their tale, the last of their line,

00:57:35.500 could look forward to nothing but the same fate for himself. He foresaw that his joy in the

00:57:40.040 treasure would be brief, a newly constructed barrow standing waiting on the wide headland

00:57:44.720 close to the waves, its entry secured into the keeper of the horde had carried all of the goods

00:57:52.420 and golden ware worth preserving.

00:57:54.340 His words were few.

00:57:55.840 Now earth hold what earls once held

00:57:57.680 and heroes can no more.

00:57:59.220 It was mine from you first by honorable men.

00:58:02.320 My own people have been ruined in war

00:58:04.200 one by one and went down to death.

00:58:07.240 Looked their last on sweet life in the hall.

00:58:10.440 I am left with nobody to bear a sword

00:58:12.220 or burnished plated goblets

00:58:14.180 but a sheen on the cup.

00:58:15.800 Those companies that have departed

00:58:17.220 the hard helmet, passed with gold,

00:58:19.480 will be stripped of its hoops

00:58:20.680 and the helmet-shiner who should polish the metal of the war-mask sleeps.

00:58:24.720 The coat of mail that came through all fights,

00:58:27.620 came through all fights through shield collapse and cut of sword,

00:58:30.580 decays with the warrior.

00:58:32.100 Nor may be webbed mail range far and wide on the warlord's back

00:58:35.700 beside his mustered troops.

00:58:37.700 No trendling heart, no tuned timber, no tumbling hawk,

00:58:42.320 swerving through the hall, no swift horse pawing the courtyard.

00:58:45.400 Pillage and slaughter have emptied the earth of entire peoples.

00:58:47.920 and so he mourned as he moved about the world deserted and alone lamenting his unhappiness

00:58:54.340 day and night until death's death's flood brimmed up in his heart then an old terror of the dark

00:59:00.540 happened to find the horde open the burning one who hunts out barrows the slick and slick

00:59:06.060 skinned dragon threatening the night with streamers of fire people on the farms are in

00:59:13.620 dread of him he is given to hunt out hordes underground to guard heathen gold through

00:59:19.060 age-long vigils though to little avail for three centuries the scourge of the people had stood

00:59:25.000 guard on the stoutly protected underground treasury until the intruder unleashed his fury

00:59:29.340 he hurried to his lord with the gold-plated cup and made his plea to be reinstated then the vault

00:59:34.880 was rifled the ring horde robbed and the wretched man had his request granted his master gazed at

00:59:40.340 the fine from the past for the first time. When the dragon awoke, trouble blared again. He ripped

00:59:46.240 down the rock, writhing in anger when he saw the footprints of the prowler who had stolen too close

00:59:50.740 to his dreaming head. So many a man not marked by fate easily escaped exile and woe from the grace

00:59:56.500 of God. The horde guardian scorched the ground as he scurred and hunted for the trespasser who had

01:00:01.180 troubled his sleep. Hot and savage, he kept the circling and circling from outside the mound.

01:00:06.000 No man appeared in the desert waste, but he worked himself up by imagining battle.

01:00:11.040 Then back in he'd go in search of the cup, only to discover signs that someone had stumbled upon the golden treasures.

01:00:16.240 So the guardian of the mound, the horde watcher, waited for the gleaming with fierce impatience.

01:00:21.920 His pent-up fury at the loss of the vessel made him long to hit back and lash out in flames.

01:00:26.740 Then to his delight the day waned and he could wait no longer behind the wall, but hurtled forth in a fiery blaze.

01:00:34.420 the first to suffer were the people on the land but before long it was their treasure giver who

01:00:38.740 would come to grief all right so if you are looking at this from a scholarly aspect this

01:00:46.680 particular part is called the lay of the lost the lay of the last survivor um what they're talking

01:00:54.400 about is basically a burial mound and it says in here you know the we first got these treasures

01:01:01.320 from you but then they you know basically return to you because they're in this mound

01:01:05.640 one of the big things that's up to debate on here is what this dragon represents

01:01:11.080 and you'll have the debates on does this dragon represent satan and all of the greed that

01:01:20.700 destroys people i'm going to say no um i'm not no great educated scholar but i do have an opinion

01:01:29.140 in my opinion is is that dragons do what dragons do it is an animal i don't think that this i think

01:01:36.820 the dragon itself showing up is something that we should pay attention to but one of the things

01:01:44.060 that dragons do is they find out and they search out these hordes and then they sit and they nest

01:01:50.240 they're like a dog that finds a comfy blanket it is their thing it's just what dragons do

01:01:58.960 And there's a lot of critics out there that will talk about how this all needs to be a complete and total biblical reference to how the dragon itself is Satan and how this represents all of the sins that men do.

01:02:15.820 I don't think so. I think dragons in our lore, in our lore, and in our poetry, and in our culture,

01:02:26.820 again, I'm going to ask the Asheragothi for his opinion. However, dragons do what dragons do.

01:02:34.220 Consequences of poking the bear are consequences of poking the bear. The dragon always represents

01:02:40.280 something that you have to beat and overcome, but often something that you poked to begin with. 0.99

01:02:49.880 So I'm going to leave it at that and let the Elshir Yargothi talk about dragons really quick

01:02:54.360 before I talk about that cup and the man who stole it.

01:02:58.300 Um, yeah, dragons don't equal Satan. That's silly and dragons predate references to Satan. 0.65

01:03:10.280 um but dragons do represent greed dragons are motivated by greed they are greed greed is what 0.82

01:03:18.880 they do just like and and some of that has to do with their nature of being dragons

01:03:24.960 but you also have the idea and the concept of not dragons becoming super greedy sitting on hordes

01:03:35.060 and becoming dragons over time.

01:03:37.740 Dragons are a function of greed.

01:03:42.820 And I think greed in stark contrast to the rune Fehu.

01:03:50.700 So wealth is in and of itself a virtue to our ancestors.

01:03:58.260 But what makes wealth work and healthy is the circulation of wealth.

01:04:05.860 through lavish entertainment through gift giving through doing cool things with it just sitting

01:04:17.620 on money and like rubbing coins together isn't a a use of wealth all the wealth goes in one spot and

01:04:26.740 metastasizes and it grows ugly like a cancer and that's what you see with the idea of hoarding

01:04:36.180 and and dragons it separates the wealth from any social function that's useful

01:04:42.420 and it has to take you know a hero or special circumstance to liberate the wealth from

01:04:49.300 from just a greedy storing of it to get it back in circulation. Dragons also are synonymous

01:05:02.300 with old, with age, with wealth of antiquity, with ancient relics of the past. Dragons are

01:05:15.700 frequently talked about in reference to how old they are so this old like generations long

01:05:23.380 centuries long sitting and coiling up around gold and around treasure um and i think that's

01:05:35.060 i think that's worthwhile but some of it is just dragon's nature dragons

01:05:39.460 hoard gold that's what they do different animals function on different primitive things

01:05:46.740 uh dragons are greedy whereas like baboons if you go to the zoo we can all you know we can all

01:05:55.540 imagine what the baboons are doing because that's what baboons do um other other things you know

01:06:02.900 fight and their nature is they're super violent dragon's nature is they're super greedy and that's 0.94

01:06:10.260 the hoarding of their wealth is is their their function and their focus and becomes that over

01:06:14.980 time so talking about that cup in particular because you know in in the poem it tells us

01:06:24.500 it does him no good and when he's talking about it does him no good it does the dragon no good to be

01:06:30.020 sitting on this mountain of gold, right? It does him no good. He can't eat it. It's not going to

01:06:37.120 keep him warm. It does nothing. It's just there. It is just his. And he loses, the dragon absolutely

01:06:45.240 comes undone over the theft of one piece of it. So I'm going to jump down a little bit of a rabbit

01:06:54.220 hole on that because I've seen this talked about in a few different ways with this one particular

01:06:58.440 or one particular thing being stolen, and then the wrath coming because of it.

01:07:06.920 Having so much and not dispensing that amongst your folk and amongst your family or amongst your heirs

01:07:17.540 and being able to say, you took this one thing from me when you are willing to give nothing

01:07:26.080 is very cold and very inhuman.

01:07:33.460 The fact that somebody,

01:07:37.260 the best way to put that,

01:07:39.780 one small thing, to give away one small thing

01:07:43.540 and being unable to do so

01:07:46.060 does not make you a good person.

01:07:49.580 It makes you inhuman.

01:07:50.740 You have to be able to support your community.

01:07:56.080 so that is one of the things that i've always talked about with the people that i've studied

01:08:00.640 they will with is having so much and making such a big deal in the raft coming from one small item

01:08:09.280 being removed from that horde one insignificant item that does the dragon no good that's what

01:08:16.320 that's what separates us from the dragon but the actually important to we can't we can't say it

01:08:24.960 enough um sure the scholars out there through their own christian lens are are on to something

01:08:35.120 the dragon represents anti-social malignancy and that's you know people talk about there's

01:08:45.600 not good and evil and also true there is we just look at it through a lens of of order and chaos

01:08:51.440 the proper order of things is to circulate wealth through the gift cycle through giving

01:08:57.040 through generosity through sharing through you know lavish gifting if you're a king and you're

01:09:04.320 sitting on piles of wealth you give that to your retainers you throw parties you do stuff

01:09:11.280 for your kingdom if you sit on it and you have the uncle scrooge money bin that you go swim in

01:09:17.360 that's not the same. When you take wealth that is sought after and virtuous and all you do is sit

01:09:27.120 and hoard it for centuries and you begrudge the unpaid for, uncompensated parting of the slightest

01:09:38.560 piece of your treasure hoard it's also a illustration of pettiness and you're willing

01:09:49.420 to sacrifice everything and to bring all to ruin because there's one thing unaccounted for

01:09:57.000 one minor thing unavenged i think that's something important to factor in with our ancestors whenever

01:10:02.440 you read things when you read things like culture of the teutons which i am a huge fan of

01:10:09.280 They paint things far too black and white when it comes to the hyper reputation and dignity culture.

01:10:21.880 The slightest offense, and we see this time and again played out in our lore, not as an instruction of how we ought to be, but as an example of how not to be.

01:10:31.420 when everything is an existential crisis because the slightest somebody called you a name or looked

01:10:39.440 at you funny, destruction and the fall of your people in your kingdom ensue because you can

01:10:47.940 never life dishes you out too many things for you to avenge every slight every strange look

01:11:00.260 every possible thing you could avenge you have to be judicious in weighing the cost benefit analysis

01:11:08.020 of the things that you do the dragon's not like hey you took one piece of my gold hoard

01:11:13.540 the whole world must burn because of it it's important to look at that too this is very

01:11:21.620 much a juxtaposition between order and the society of men and chaos which is represented by

01:11:29.060 the three different monsters of this poem in different ways

01:11:36.260 the only other thing that i kind of have a note on in regard to the dragon with the horde in

01:11:41.140 particular is it was always pointed out to me as well that always watch what you know dragons do

01:11:48.500 what dragons do but one thing that they do that is foolish and always ends with the death of the

01:11:56.980 dragon or the happy ending for the humans is they have an entire mound of gold and they leave it

01:12:05.860 they leave the horde they leave it behind to chase that one thing that they are missing

01:12:13.840 and it's always to remember don't leave behind the big picture the big picture is always more

01:12:22.280 important than the one thing the horde is more important than the one cup and in the end you'll

01:12:29.000 always lose your entire horde if you are foolish enough to chase one thing so there's that as well

01:12:37.720 i want to say thank you to someone someone donated ten dollars they bought us two coffees 0.90

01:12:45.520 and said thanks for the weekly information we appreciate you someone i uh appreciate all you

01:12:50.860 guys not being dragons and being generous we we thank you guys all right moving on to the next

01:12:58.240 fit we are going to kill us a dragon i'll think about killing us a dragon anyway the dragon began 0.75

01:13:06.340 to belch out flames and burn bright homesteads there was a hot glow that scared everyone from 0.88

01:13:11.560 the vile sky winger would leave nothing alive in his wake everywhere the havoc he wrought was an 0.80

01:13:16.160 evidence far and near the geek nation bore the brunt of his brutal assaults and virulent hate 0.98

01:13:20.860 then back to the horde he would dart before daybreak to hide in his den he had swing the

01:13:25.560 land swapping the flame and the fire and the burning and no one had felt secure in the vault

01:13:29.140 of his barrel but his trust was unavailing then beowulf was given bad news a hard truth

01:13:34.460 his own home the best of the buildings had been burnt to cinder the throne room of the geats

01:13:39.500 it threw the hero into deep anguish and darkened his mood a wise man thought he must must have

01:13:45.300 thwarted ancient ordinance of the internal lord broken his commandment his mind was in turmoil

01:13:50.340 unaccustomed anxiety and gloom confused his brain the fire dragon had had raised the coastal region

01:13:56.340 and reduced force and earthworks to dust and ashes so the war came plan and plotted his revenge

01:14:01.540 the warrior's protector prince of the hall troop ordered a marvelous iron all iron shield from his

01:14:06.820 smithy works he knew well the linden boards would let him down in timber burn after many trials he

01:14:12.740 was destined to face the end of his days in this mortal world as was the dragon for all his lease

01:14:18.180 hold on the treasure yet the prince of the rings was too proud to line up with a large army against

01:14:22.260 the sky plague he had scant regard for the dragon as a threat no dreaded all of its courage or its

01:14:28.100 strength for he had kept going often in the past through perils and ordeals of every sort

01:14:33.700 after he had purged hrothgar's hall triumphed in herod and beaten grendel he out grappled the

01:14:39.460 monster and his evil kin one of his cruelest hand-to-hand encounters had happened when 0.65

01:14:43.140 Heiglitz, King of the Geats, was killed in Friesland, and people's friend and lord Rathal's

01:14:48.300 son slaked the sword's blade thirst for blood. But Beowulf's progenous gifts as a swimmer

01:14:54.320 guaranteed his safety. He arrived at the shore, shouldering thirty battle dresses, the booty

01:15:01.200 he had won. There was little for Hethweir to be happy, about as they shielded their

01:15:06.500 faces fighting on the ground began in earnest. With Beowulf against them, few could hope to

01:15:11.640 return home. Across the White Sea, desolate and alone, the son of Ekthau swam back to his people. 0.99

01:15:17.620 Their hide offered him throne and authority as lord of the ring word. With Higlec dead, she had 0.75

01:15:23.240 no belief in her son's ability to defend their homeland against foreign invaders. Yet there was

01:15:28.540 no way the weakened nation could get Beowulf to give in and agree to be elevated over Hedred or

01:15:34.560 his lord, or to undertake the office of kingship. But he did provide support for the prince, honored

01:15:40.440 and minded him until he matured as the ruler of Gieland.

01:15:44.700 Then over sea roads, exiles arrived, sons of Othair.

01:15:47.740 They had rebelled against the best of all the sea kings in Sweden 0.97

01:15:50.440 and the one who held sway in the Shilfi nation, 0.59

01:15:53.540 their renowned prince, lord of the meat hall.

01:15:55.680 They marked the end of Heleth's son.

01:15:57.820 His hospitality was mortally rewarded with wounds from a sword.

01:16:04.240 Hedrid lay slaughtered, and Onella returned to the land of Sweden,

01:16:06.820 leaving Beowulf to ascend the throne to sit in majesty and rule over the geats. He was a good

01:16:12.740 king. All right, so that's what I was just talking about with the whiteboard, with the pictures and

01:16:18.600 the strings and looking crazy. That's what I was just describing. They basically just told us the

01:16:23.120 story of how Beowulf came to power as king. One of the things that take note of, and we see this for

01:16:31.880 the first time in this poem is Beowulf's gloom and doom and confusion. This is the first time

01:16:40.900 Beowulf has not just instantly jumped up and said, got a problem? Let's go solve it, right?

01:16:47.980 He is confused with his own dark thoughts, his own doom. He's not afraid of the dragon's might,

01:16:56.700 but he has thoughts in his head of what did i do as a king to the to deserve this and that shows

01:17:04.660 the difference um in the mentality of beowulf the warrior who is someone serving a king

01:17:11.820 and the the weight of the crown itself it's very easy to just be someone who follows the orders

01:17:24.080 and make sure that these things happen.

01:17:28.120 But when you have that crown on your head,

01:17:30.820 that is when you have to start actually weighing the consequences of your decisions.

01:17:35.860 What have I done to bring this terror upon myself and my people?

01:17:41.740 And we don't see that happen until Beowulf has a crown on his head.

01:17:46.520 Do you have anything to add on that, sir?

01:17:54.080 I could do a whole show on that.

01:18:06.460 But yeah, showing Beowulf at two different points in his life in this poem I think is

01:18:21.460 really important the if you are a king when your kingdom is winning and great things are happening

01:18:37.540 you get a disproportionate share of the glory because of it but when times are tough

01:18:45.940 you are disproportionately responsible for what did you do that brought misfortune upon your people

01:18:56.220 and that is a that is a hefty thing to weigh and uh the fact that it's mentioned here i think is

01:19:09.380 really important because it didn't have to be for the fun and the action of the story

01:19:15.940 The fact that even the greatest of heroes has to stop and ponder the responsibility that he has when, you know, his kingdom and his people are relying upon him is a really important piece of this.

01:19:36.720 And yeah, I don't think anybody, it's very easy to understand from a narrative point of view, it is much more difficult to internalize and feel the gravity of.

01:19:55.600 all right so the next couple fits are going to be some information in background

01:20:05.840 so i'm actually going to combine fits 34 and 35 which is going to be a lot of reading

01:20:14.160 but i'd like to do together daniel skinner donated ten dollars to us and said hail the gods

01:20:20.740 the AFA and the folk and ask a question. And I think it's a monetized question. So we're going

01:20:27.600 to get to it right now. Do you feel like the dragons as described in lore are redeemable

01:20:34.460 or is one lost when they turn dragon? What are your thoughts, Brandy, before I dig into that one?

01:20:45.400 um so i get yelled at sometimes for my thoughts on dragons to be honest um a dragon is not

01:20:53.260 redeemable a dragon is not a human being the only emotion that a dragon feels is wrath and anger 0.98

01:21:02.400 that's it they remind me of a big dumb dog circling around their blanket and they get 0.98

01:21:09.640 mad when you take the blanket. I don't think that they're redeemable in my opinion. I don't think 0.99

01:21:15.320 that they have characteristics that can deem them noble no matter which story that you read because

01:21:21.000 they are still a dragon. Dragons are going to do what dragons are going to do. It's in their nature

01:21:30.000 just like Grendel going to do what Grendel going to do. It's in his nature. So no, I don't

01:21:36.300 personally believe that they are redeemable, so I'll pass that one back over to you.

01:21:41.740 Yeah, you know, there's dragons as a

01:21:46.100 species of animal, and then there's the idea of

01:21:52.660 people, for lack of a better term, becoming dragons over time in a mythic sense.

01:22:00.940 the inhumanness of dragons that brandy pointed out earlier i think is the key here

01:22:09.380 it's they're reptilian they're so foreign to us they're no longer even mammals

01:22:17.380 they're cold-blooded there's something completely and totally foreign

01:22:21.760 and at that point i hate to use a silly analogy but i think i think it's

01:22:28.100 apropos it's like zombies once they get bit and they turn into a zombie and their whole existence

01:22:37.760 is must eat people they're done your friend's gone all that remains is the zombie and i think

01:22:45.280 that's what happens once one becomes a dragon that is what you do is dragon stuff there's no

01:22:52.640 there's there's no coming back from it once it's taken root to that to that degree

01:22:57.600 I concur. Once you're a dragon, you are no longer in that category of humanity anymore.

01:23:09.340 All right, so we're going to do fits 34 and 35. This is going to be a lot of information. I'm

01:23:14.980 going to read to you real quick. In the days to come, he contrived to avenge the fall of his

01:23:20.820 prince. He befriended Agles when Agles was friendless, aiding his cause with weapons and

01:23:25.500 warriors over the wide sea, sending him men. The feud was settled on comfortless campaign when

01:23:33.620 he killed Onilla, and so the son of Ektau had survived every extreme, excelling himself in

01:23:38.140 daring and in danger until the day arrived when he had come face to face with the dragon.

01:23:43.760 The lord of the geese took eleven comrades and went in a rage to recontrare, but when he had

01:23:50.160 discovered the cause of the affliction being visited upon the people, the precious cup had

01:23:54.180 come to him from the hand of the finder, and the one who had started all this strife and was now

01:23:58.440 added as a thirteenth to their number. They pressed gain and compelled this poor creature

01:24:05.040 to be their guide. Against his will, he led them to the earth vault he alone knew. An underground

01:24:11.160 barrow near the sea billows in heaving waves, heaped inside with exquisite metalwork. The one

01:24:16.500 who stood guard was dangerous and watchful, warden of that trove buried under the earth.

01:24:20.580 no easy bargain would be made in that place by any man the veteran king sat down on the clifftop

01:24:25.720 he wished good luck to the geese who had shared his heart his heart and his gold he was sad at

01:24:31.040 heart unsettled yet ready sensing his death his fate hovered near unknowable but certain it was

01:24:36.760 to claim his coffered skull part life from limb before long the prince's spirit would spin free

01:24:42.720 from his body beowulf son of ekthal spoke many a skirmish i have survived when i was young

01:24:49.440 many times of war i remember them well at seven i was fostered out by my father left in the charge

01:24:56.780 of my people's lord king ratho kept me and took care of me was open-handed behaved like a kinsman

01:25:02.400 while i was his word he treated me no worse as the wean about the place than one of his own boys

01:25:09.240 haribald and hyethan or my own hyglek for the eldest haribald an unexpected deathbed was laid

01:25:15.220 out through a brother's doing when the hyphen bent his horn-tipped bow and loosened the arrow

01:25:21.640 and destroyed his life he shot wide and buried a shaft in the flesh the blood of his own brother 0.89

01:25:26.040 that the offense was beyond redress a wrong footing of the heart's affections for who could

01:25:31.820 avenge the prince's life or pay his death price it was like the misery felt by an old man who has

01:25:37.060 lived to see his son's body swing on the gallows he begins to keen and weep for his body watching

01:25:41.960 the raven gloat where he hangs he can be of no help the wisdom of age is worthless to him

01:25:47.180 morning after morning he wakes to remember that his child is gone he has no interest in the living

01:25:52.500 until another heir is born in the hall now that his firstborn was entered death's dominion forever

01:25:57.560 he gazes sorrowfully at his son's dwelling in the banquet hall of the breath of the delight

01:26:02.360 the wind swept hearth's hearthstone the horsemen are sleeping the warriors underground

01:26:07.320 what was it no more

01:26:10.400 no tunes from the harp

01:26:11.900 no cheer raised in the yard

01:26:13.400 alone with his long time

01:26:17.680 he lies down his bed

01:26:18.880 and sings lament

01:26:20.240 everything seems too large

01:26:22.280 the studyings and the fields

01:26:24.880 such was the feeling of loss

01:26:27.040 endured by the king of the gates

01:26:28.300 after Haribald's death

01:26:29.360 he was helplessly placed

01:26:30.920 to set the rights wronged and committed

01:26:32.560 could not punish the killer

01:26:34.080 in accordance with the law

01:26:35.220 of the blood feud

01:26:35.980 though he felt no love for him heart sore wearied he turned away from life's joys chose god's light

01:26:42.000 and departed leaving buildings and lands to his sons as a man of substance will then over the

01:26:47.500 wide sea swedes and geese battled and feud and fought without quarter hostilities broke out

01:26:52.020 when hetherill died oning thou's sons were unrelenting refusing to make peace campaigning

01:26:58.320 violently from coast to coast constantly setting up terrible ambushes around hesna hesna hill my

01:27:04.140 own kith and kin avenge these evil events as everybody knows but the price was high one of

01:27:09.100 them paid with his life haithson lord of the geeths met his fate there and fell in battle

01:27:14.600 then as i have heard iglack's sword was raised in the morning against uggenthal his brother's

01:27:20.920 killer when eofor cleft the old swede's helmet halved it open he fell death pale his few calloused

01:27:27.640 hands would not stave off the fatal stroke the treasures of helix lavish the treasures that

01:27:32.540 he like lavished on me i paid for when i fought as fortune allowed me with my glittering sword

01:27:37.460 he gave me land and security land brings so he had no call to go looking for some lesser

01:27:42.500 champion some mercenary from among the gift house or the spear danes or the men of sweden

01:27:47.720 i marched ahead of him always there at the front of the line i shall fight like that for as long

01:27:52.680 as i live as long as this sword shall last which has stood me in good stead late and soon ever

01:27:59.300 since I killed Dayraven and Frank in front of the two armies. He brought back no looted breastplate

01:28:05.260 to the Phrygian king, but fell in battle. Their standard bearer, highborn and brave, no sword

01:28:11.000 blade sent him to his death. My bare hands stilled in his heartbeats and wrecked the bone house.

01:28:16.280 Now blade and hand and sword and stroke will say the horde. Beowulf spoke, made a formal boast for

01:28:22.700 the last time. I risked my life often when I was young. Now I am old, but as king of people,

01:28:28.280 I shall pursue this fight for the glory of winning, if the evil one will only abandon his

01:28:32.920 earth fort and face me in the open. Then he addressed each dear companion one final time,

01:28:38.120 those fighters in their helmets, resolute and highborn. I would rather not use a weapon if I

01:28:42.560 knew another way to grapple the dragon and make good my boast as I did against Grendel in days

01:28:46.520 gone by. But I shall be meeting molten venom in the fire he breathes, so I go forth in a male shirt

01:28:51.780 and shield. I won't shift a foot when I meet the cave guard. What occurs on the wall between the

01:28:56.440 two of us will turn out as fate overseer of men decides i am resolved i scorn further words against

01:29:02.860 the skyborne foe men at arms remain here on the barrel safe in your armor to see which one of us

01:29:08.500 is better in the end at bearing wounds in deathly fray this fight is not yours nor is it up to any

01:29:14.220 man except me to measure his strength against the monster or prove his worth i shall win the gold by

01:29:19.340 my courage or else more to combat doom of battle will bear your lord away then he drew himself up

01:29:25.060 by his shield, the fabled warrior in his

01:29:27.080 war shirt and helmet, trusting in

01:29:29.060 his own strength entirely, and went

01:29:30.980 into the crag. No coward path.

01:29:34.660 Hard by 1.00

01:29:35.060 the rock face, that hailed veteran,

01:29:36.980 a good man who had gone repeatedly

01:29:39.040 into combat in danger, and had

01:29:41.000 come through, saw a stone arch and a

01:29:42.940 gushing stream that burst from the barrel, blazing

01:29:44.940 and wafting in deadly heat.

01:29:46.800 It would be hard to survive unscathed near the horde,

01:29:49.140 to hold firm against the dragon in those

01:29:51.000 flaming depths.

01:29:53.100 Then he gave a shout, the lord of the geats

01:29:54.940 unburdened his breastplate and broke

01:29:56.540 out in a storm of anger.

01:29:58.720 Uncle Greystone, his voice challenged and resounded

01:30:00.860 it clearly. Hate was ignited.

01:30:03.160 The Horde guard recognized a human

01:30:04.940 voice. The time was over for peace and

01:30:06.720 parlaying. Pouring forth in a hot

01:30:08.940 battle fume, the breath of the monster

01:30:10.960 burst from the rock. There was a

01:30:12.860 rumble underground, down there

01:30:14.880 in the barrel. Beowulf the warrior

01:30:16.840 lifted his shield. The outlandish thing writhed

01:30:18.980 and convulsed and viciously turned on the king,

01:30:21.320 whose king-edged sword and heirloom

01:30:22.860 inherited by ancient rite was already in his hand roused to a fiery to a fury each antagonist struck

01:30:28.680 terror in the other unyielding the lord of his people loomed by his tall shield sure of his

01:30:33.320 ground while the serpent looped and unleashed itself swaddled swaddled in flames it came

01:30:38.260 gliding and flexing and racing towards the fate yet his shield defended the renowned leader's

01:30:43.100 life and limb for a shorter time than he meant it to the final day what final day was the first

01:30:48.680 time when Beowulf fought and fate denied him glory in battle. So the king of the geats raised his

01:30:54.140 hand and struck hard at the enameled scales, scarcely cutting through. The blade flashed and

01:30:59.540 slashed, yet the blow was far less powerful than the hard-pressed king had need of at that moment.

01:31:04.740 The mound keeper went into a spasm and spouted deadly flames, and when he felt the stroke,

01:31:09.840 battle fire, billowed and spewed, Beowulf was foiled of a glorious victory. The glittering

01:31:16.360 sword infallible the day before failed when he unsheathed it as it never should have for the 0.95

01:31:21.600 son of ekthau it was no easy thing to have to give ground like that to go unwillingly to inhabit

01:31:26.220 another home in a place beyond so every man must yield the leasehold of his days before long and

01:31:32.020 fierce contenders clashed again the horde guard took heart inhaled and swelled up and got a new

01:31:37.500 wind he who had once ruled was was furled in fire and had no had to face the worst no help or backing

01:31:44.740 was to be had then from his highborn comrades that handpicked troop broke ranks and ran for

01:31:50.160 their lives to the safety of the wood but within one heart sorrow welled in a man of worth that

01:31:55.520 claims kinship cannot be denied all right so we got a couple things here um

01:32:02.220 first of all we're fighting a dragon that's cool but there's a couple things that beowulf does

01:32:08.640 that build on what we just talked about previously. Beowulf handpicked his men just like he handpicked

01:32:17.340 them when he went to Grendel and these men followed him to this battle but we have two

01:32:22.080 very different outcomes. When he was young and he was sure and he was saving the day these men

01:32:31.260 followed him knowing that it might be their last battle. When he was fighting Grendel the men that

01:32:36.120 were around him at that time jumped in and tried to help him they just couldn't and he had to face

01:32:41.680 it on his own this time he brings them up there but he tells his men this is my battle to fight

01:32:48.180 and he feels a responsibility to his people because he is saying that what is it building

01:32:54.000 on what is it that i have done to bring the wrath of fire down upon my people and he tells them i

01:32:59.460 have this battle to fight i'm going to kill the dragon or i'm going to die or both but unlike

01:33:05.700 before, these handpicked men are not jumping up to fight this dragon. These men run for their

01:33:14.680 lives all but one. They turn on him and they run. And this is where we start getting into

01:33:22.360 the cowardice and the desertion of Beowulf. And before we get into that any further,

01:33:28.620 is there anything that you want to highlight specifically, sir?

01:33:35.700 because I kind of don't want to break the narrative

01:33:39.300 because this is my,

01:33:42.800 I was going to say my favorite,

01:33:47.200 and it is, I suppose,

01:33:48.840 but it's the most meaningful part

01:33:52.080 that has always stuck with me about this poem.

01:33:54.520 So I don't want to keep us from it too much.

01:33:56.960 I do want to say, I'm looking at the chat over here.

01:34:00.280 uh brenicus if you stay around till we're done with this story i really do want to address your

01:34:10.020 questions because i think you know hopefully it'll be meaningful to you but i also think

01:34:13.840 it'll be meaningful to other people who listen to the broadcast and i'd really like to break that

01:34:17.520 down um yeah that's uh that's that's what i've got please uh please carry on okay so i'm going

01:34:30.880 to be doing two fits again we are going to be doing 36 and 37 because i don't like to break

01:34:41.600 up what's actually happening too much on this one his name was wiglaf son of woston sound of

01:34:50.960 wisdoms a well-regarded shooting warrior related to alfair when he saw his war tormented by the

01:34:57.440 heat of the scalding helmet he remembered the bountiful gifts bestowed upon him how well he

01:35:02.400 lived among the wigmundins the freehold to inherit from his father before him he could not hold back

01:35:08.080 on hand brandished the yellow timbered shield.

01:35:10.460 The other drew his sword, an ancient blade

01:35:12.200 that was said to have belonged to Aemon,

01:35:13.980 the son of Othar, the one while Sten had slain

01:35:16.200 when he was in exile without friends.

01:35:18.500 He carried the arms of the victim's kinfolk,

01:35:20.500 the burnished helmet, the webbed chain mail,

01:35:22.480 and the relic of the giants.

01:35:24.460 Bonilla returned the weapons to him,

01:35:26.400 rewarded while Sten with Aemon's war gear.

01:35:29.680 He ignored the blood feud,

01:35:31.860 the fact that Aemon was his brother's son.

01:35:35.220 While Sten kept that war gear for a lifetime,

01:35:38.080 the sword in the male shirt until it had been his son's turn to follow his father and perform his

01:35:42.640 part then in old age at the end of his days among the weather heats he bequeathed wigliff

01:35:47.520 innumerable weapons and now the youth was to enter the line of battle with his lord his first time

01:35:52.720 to be tested as a fighter his spirit did not break and the ancestral blade would keep its edge as the

01:35:57.760 dragon discovered as soon as they came together in combat sat at heart addressing his companions

01:36:02.640 wigliff spoke wise and fluent words i remember that time when the mead was flowing how we

01:36:07.760 pledged loyalty to our lord in the hall promised our ring giver we would give worth our price make

01:36:14.000 good the gift of the warrior these swords and helmets as and when his need required it he picked

01:36:19.840 us out from the army deliberately honored us and judged us fit for this action made me these lavish

01:36:25.600 gifts and all because he considered us the best of his arms bearing things and now although he

01:36:30.320 wanted this challenge to be one he'd faced by himself alone the shepherd of our land a man

01:36:34.960 and unequaled in the quest for glory and a name for daring.

01:36:38.260 Now the day has come when his Lord we serve

01:36:40.880 needs sound men to give him their support.

01:36:43.460 Let us go to him, help our leader

01:36:45.020 through the hot flame and dread of fire.

01:36:47.060 As God is my witness, I would rather my body were robbed

01:36:49.720 in the same burning blaze as my gold giver's body

01:36:52.560 than to go back home bearing arms.

01:36:55.000 That is unthinkable unless we have first slain the foe

01:36:57.500 and defended the life of the prince of the Weathergeats.

01:37:00.480 I well know the things he has done for us deserve better.

01:37:03.620 should be alone should be should be a should be alone be left exposed to fall in battle

01:37:10.860 we must bond together shield and helmet male male shirt and sword then he waited the dangerous

01:37:17.860 wreck the dangerous reek and went under his arm under the arms of his lord and said go on dear

01:37:25.200 beowulf do everything you said you would when you were still young and vowed you would never let

01:37:29.600 your name and fame be dimmed while you lived. Your deeds are famous, so say resolute, my lord. Defend

01:37:34.900 your life now with the whole of your strength. I shall stand by you. After those words of wildness

01:37:40.200 rose on the dragon again and drove it to attack, heaving up fire, hunting for enemies, the humans

01:37:45.720 it loathed. Flames lapped the shield, charred it to the boss, and the body armor on the young

01:37:52.420 warrior was useless to him. But Wiglaf did well under the wide rim Beowulf shared with him once

01:37:58.640 his own had shattered in sparks and ashes. Inspired again by the thought of glory, the war

01:38:03.260 came through his whole strength behind a sword stroke and connected with the skull, and the 1.00

01:38:08.160 nagling snapped. Beowulf's ancient iron-gray sword let him down in that fight. It was never his 1.00

01:38:15.360 fortune to be helped in combat by the cutting edge of weapons made of iron. When he wielded a

01:38:20.740 sword, no matter how blooded and hard-edged the blade, his hand was too strong the stroke he

01:38:27.560 dealt. I have heard would ruin it. He could reap no advantage. Then the bane of that people,

01:38:34.380 the fire-breathing dragon, was mad to attack for the third time. When a chance came, he caught the

01:38:39.040 hero in a rush of flame and clamped sharp fangs into his neck. Beowulf's body ran wet with his

01:38:45.120 lifeblood. It came welling out. Next thing they say, the noble son of Wueston saw the king in

01:38:55.620 danger at his side, and displayed his inborn bravery and strength. He left the head alone,

01:39:01.180 but his fighting hand was burned when he came to his kinsman's aid. He lunged at the enemy lower

01:39:05.900 down so that his decorated sword sank into the belly, and the flames grew weaker. Once again,

01:39:11.280 the king gathered his strength and drew a stabbing knife he carried in his belt,

01:39:14.860 sharpened for battle. He stuck it deep into the dragon's flank. Beowulf dealt it a deadly wound.

01:39:20.960 they had killed the enemy courage quelled his life the pair of kinsmen partners with nobility

01:39:26.160 had destroyed the foe so every man should act be at hand when when needed but now for the king

01:39:32.500 this would be the last of his many labors and triumphs in the world then the wound dealt by

01:39:37.700 the ground burner earlier began to scald and swell Beowulf discovered deadly poison separating

01:39:43.600 inside of him surges of nausea and so in his wisdom the prince realized his state and struggled

01:39:48.120 toward the seat of the rampart.

01:39:50.260 He steadied his gaze on those gigantic stones,

01:39:52.600 saw how the earthwork was braced with the

01:39:54.280 arches built over the columns, and

01:39:56.200 now that the Thane unequaled for goodness with his

01:39:58.160 own hands washed his lord's wounds,

01:39:59.840 swapped the weary prince with water,

01:40:02.400 bathed him clean, unbuckled his helmet.

01:40:04.920 Bawolf spoke in spite of his

01:40:06.160 wounds, mortal wounds. He still spoke

01:40:08.260 for he knew well his days in the world had

01:40:10.140 been lived out to the end.

01:40:12.660 His allotted time was drawing to

01:40:14.140 a close. Death was very near.

01:40:18.120 Now is the time when I would have wanted to bestow this armor upon my own son.

01:40:23.080 Had it been for my fortune to have fathered an heir and lived on in his flesh.

01:40:27.840 For fifty years I ruled this nation.

01:40:30.280 No king of any neighboring clan would dare face me with troops.

01:40:35.000 None had the power to intimidate me.

01:40:37.260 I took what came, cared for, and stood by things in my keeping.

01:40:41.640 Never fermented quarrels, never swore to lie.

01:40:44.440 All this consoles me.

01:40:45.900 doomed as I am and sickening for death because of my right ways the ruler of mankind need never 0.99

01:40:52.280 blame me when the breath leaves my body for murder of kinsmen go now quickly dares Wiglev

01:40:58.300 under the gray stone where the dragon is laid out lost to his treasure great to feast your eyes on

01:41:03.900 the horde away you go I want to examine the ancient gold gaze my fill on those garnered jewels

01:41:10.280 my going will be easier for having seen the treasure as a less troubling let good as a

01:41:16.620 less troubling letting go of life and lordship i have long maintained

01:41:20.620 all right so a couple things about this one and then i'm going to hand this over to the al-shara

01:41:27.440 he was renewed when he had somebody standing by his side anybody who has ever been a leader of

01:41:38.480 sorts has faltered we have made mistakes we have been saddened and we have been at loss

01:41:46.800 but sometimes having those people that stand behind you your people can pick you up just

01:41:53.220 as much as you can inspire your people so that's one of the things here as well

01:41:57.200 he would rather Wiglock would rather die than turn his back on his king he has made an oath

01:42:09.260 to him he has been given gifts by him he has been taken care of by Beowulf for a very long time

01:42:16.380 and this is his first chance to prove his real work to Beowulf this is the first time that he's

01:42:22.960 going to be in battle and by the gods he is not going to fail that he is not going to go home

01:42:29.100 with his tail between his legs in the first battle that he's in especially in the desertion of a man

01:42:35.360 who has given him everything that he is currently wearing and currently has

01:42:39.660 that is loyalty that is what it means to follow that is what it means to set the example that is

01:42:50.120 what it means to be loyal and to stand by your oaths to kith and kin one of the things that

01:42:56.400 beowulf also says in here is i have done all of these things i want to see this gold though

01:43:02.500 i conquered this dragon i killed this dragon this dragon's going to kill me but before i go i want

01:43:08.260 to see this gold and i want to know that it's not for i want to have that peace of mind when i go

01:43:13.180 i want to put my eyes on it and he sends him away to go get it 0.93

01:43:17.800 So, I'm going to leave it at that and let the Alshiro go to add his thoughts into what's 0.78

01:43:24.040 going on here.

01:43:29.040 This…

01:43:36.140 the very first time I read Beowulf in 11th grade AP English literature class. Probably,

01:43:51.740 what, 97, 98 during that school year. This is the part that has

01:43:59.420 been the most meaningful to me about Beowulf. And this is the part that I think is one of the

01:44:11.820 most important things in our entire corpus of lore.

01:44:15.980 it is very very easy to take oaths and to talk about your bravery and talk about your loyalty

01:44:30.100 and talk about how much you're going to have somebody's back

01:44:33.500 when there's no trouble on the horizon and when you are being feasted and gifted and celebrated

01:44:44.740 but it's funny how all of those words and all of the noble chest thumping means

01:44:55.180 nothing at the first sight of real danger and real peril

01:45:00.980 and i should say means nothing to the churl it means everything to wiglaf

01:45:12.780 it's difficult

01:45:18.380 difficult to listen to this

01:45:21.120 passage

01:45:22.060 because I've

01:45:25.300 seen this amongst our people

01:45:27.240 a lot and I'm looking over in the

01:45:29.220 chat room and I see it we always do

01:45:31.300 this

01:45:31.840 people want to talk about

01:45:34.680 the big

01:45:37.280 nose little hat tribe 0.90

01:45:38.840 but the enemies

01:45:41.140 of our folk are

01:45:42.560 own people that's blood turns to water when things get real we have been more

01:45:52.580 hurt by the cowardice of our own folk and our own leaders then we have by any

01:46:01.320 external force or foreign people.

01:46:08.200 And the, just the tragedy of these nobles, of Beowulf's thanes that turned their back 0.64

01:46:25.100 and ran when they were needed the most it stands out and it uh

01:46:35.820 it is difficult uh it's difficult to read it's difficult to hear for me um but i've always

01:46:41.740 always always the hero of this poem to me is not beowulf the hero of this poem is wiglaf

01:46:50.540 Without the celebration, without the teams of liveried armored horses and buckets of

01:47:06.740 gold and kingdoms, he stood with his king.

01:47:13.920 He helped his king up.

01:47:17.160 held his king when his king was too weak to carry on the fight and he stood true with his king till

01:47:24.680 the end and that's very very rare and it's one of the things i like so much about this is that it uh

01:47:37.160 i'm sorry guys i those of you who know know in my time as i'll hear your go theme of the

01:47:48.680 austrian folk assembly i have seen a lot of betrayal um so it hits a little close to home

01:47:58.600 on some of these things.

01:48:01.800 But Wiglaf stood the test.

01:48:06.340 He was there with his king at his king's death.

01:48:10.400 He fought side by side holding up his king against the dragon.

01:48:16.480 To me, Wiglaf will always be the hero of this poem.

01:48:21.480 And it's why I wanted to do this whole series.

01:48:29.040 And yeah, I think it is.

01:48:32.780 I can't overstress how important it is.

01:48:37.340 That's all I got.

01:48:41.120 Thank you, sir.

01:48:43.980 All right.

01:48:44.740 We are going to move into FITS 38 and 39.

01:48:49.820 Hang in there, guys.

01:48:50.680 we're almost done. I promise. We've got a total of, I think, 43 fits, so we're about there.

01:48:58.120 All right. And so I have heard the son of Weston quickly obeyed the command of his languishing,

01:49:06.780 war-weary lord. He went into the chainmail under the rock-piled roof of beryl, exalting his triumph,

01:49:12.100 and saw beyond the seat a treasure trove of astonishing richness, wall hangings that were

01:49:16.360 wonders to behold glittering gold spread across the ground an old dawn-searching serpent's den

01:49:21.160 packed with the goblets and vessels from the past tarnishing and corroding rusty helmets all eaten

01:49:25.860 away armbands everywhere artfully wrought how easily treasure buried in the ground gold hidden

01:49:31.320 however skillfully can escape from any man and he saw to a standard entirely of gold

01:49:37.160 hanging high over the horde a masterpiece of filigree it glowed with a light so he could

01:49:42.220 make out and ground his feet and inspect the valuables of the dragon there were no remaining

01:49:48.540 sign the sword had dispatched him then the story goes a certain man plundered the horde in the

01:49:53.900 immemorial how build his arms with flagons and plates anything he wanted and took the standard

01:50:00.140 also most brilliant of banners already the blade of the king's old sharp killing sword had gone

01:50:06.500 had done its worst the one who had for long minded the horde and hovering over the gold unleashing

01:50:11.240 the fire, surging forth midnight after midnight, had been mowed down. Wigalov went quickly, keen to

01:50:18.300 get back, excited by the treasure. Anxiety weighed on his brave heart, and he was hoping he would find

01:50:23.000 the leader of the Gitzliab where he had left him, helpless earlier on the ground open. So he came to

01:50:29.900 the place carrying the treasure and found his lord bleeding profusely, his life at an end. Again he

01:50:35.180 began to swab his body. The beginnings of an utterance broke out from the king's breastcage.

01:50:40.080 the old lord gaze sadly at the gold to the everlasting lord of all to the king of glory

01:50:45.700 i give thanks and i behold the treasure here in front of me and i have been allowed to leave my

01:50:50.280 people so well in doubt on my day on the day i die now that i have bartered my last breath

01:50:55.960 to my to own this fortune it is up to you to look after their needs i can hold out no longer

01:51:02.220 order my troop to construct a barrel on on the headland of the coast after my my pyre has cooled

01:51:08.640 It will loom on the horizon at Ronas and be a reminder among my people so that in coming times crews under sail will call it Beowulf's Barrow as they steer ships across the wide, shrouded waters.

01:51:22.380 Then the king in his great heartedness unclasped the collar of gold from his neck and gave it to the young thing, telling him to use it in the war shirt and the gilded helmet well.

01:51:32.080 You are the last of us, the only one left of the Wagamundines. 0.88

01:51:40.740 Fate swept us away, sent my whole brave highborn clan to their final doom. 1.00

01:51:46.700 Now I must follow them.

01:51:48.280 That was the warrior's last word.

01:51:50.500 He had no more to confide.

01:51:54.680 The furious heat of the pyre would assail him.

01:51:57.020 His soul fled from his breast and his destined place among the steadfast ones.

01:52:02.080 it was hard then on the young hero having to watch the one he held so dear there on the ground

01:52:08.940 going through his death agony the dragon from underneath his nightmares destroyerly destroyed

01:52:15.400 as well utterly without life no longer would his snake folds apply themselves to safeguard hidden

01:52:20.400 gold hard edge blades hammered out and keenly fled had finished him so the skyroamer lay there rigid

01:52:27.620 brought low beside the treasure lodge never again would he glitter and glide and show himself

01:52:31.940 off in the midnight air, exulting in his riches. He fell to earth, though, through the battle

01:52:37.660 strength in Beowulf's arm. There were few, indeed, as far as I have heard, big and brave as they have

01:52:42.560 been. Few who have held out if they had had to face the outpourings of that poison breather,

01:52:49.660 or gone foraging on the ring hall floor and found the deep barrow dweller on guard and awake.

01:52:55.640 The treasure had been won, bought and paid for by Beowulf's death. Both had reached the end of

01:53:00.960 the road through the life they had led. Before long, the battle dodgers abandoned the wood,

01:53:06.280 the ones who had let down their lord earlier, the tail turners, ten of them together. When he needed

01:53:11.720 them the most, they had made off. Now they were ashamed and came behind shields in their battle

01:53:16.400 outfits to where the old man lay. They watched Wiglaf, sitting worn out, a comrade shoulder to

01:53:23.840 shoulder with his lord, trying to invade to bring him around with water. Much as he wanted to, there

01:53:29.700 was no way he could preserve his lord's life on earth or altar in the least the almighty's will

01:53:34.540 when god judged right would rule and happen to every man as does this day the stern rebuke was 0.92

01:53:40.720 bound to come from the young warrior to ones who had been cowards wig left son of wosdown spoke

01:53:46.760 disdainfully and in disappointment anyone ready to admit the truth will surely realize that the

01:53:52.400 lord of men who showered you with gifts and gave you the armor you are standing in when he would

01:53:56.980 distribute helmets and mail shirts to men on the

01:53:59.020 mead benches. A prince treating his

01:54:01.000 thanes in a hall to the best he could find.

01:54:03.340 Far or near was

01:54:04.300 throwing weapons uselessly away.

01:54:07.340 It would be sad waste when the war broke

01:54:09.100 out. Beowulf had little cause

01:54:11.080 to brag about his armed guard, yet God

01:54:12.880 who ordains who wins or loses allowed

01:54:14.940 him to strike with his own blade when

01:54:16.860 bravery was needed. There was little

01:54:18.980 I could do to protect his life in the heart of the

01:54:21.040 fray, yet I found new strength welling

01:54:23.000 up when I went to help him. Then my

01:54:25.040 sword connected in the deadly assaults and our foe grew weaker. The fire coursed less strongly

01:54:30.980 from his head. But when the worst happened, too few rallied around the prince. So it is goodbye

01:54:36.740 now to all of you and love on your home ground. The open-handedness, the giving war swords, every

01:54:41.920 one of you with freeholds of your own, our whole nation will be dispossessed. Our prince far beyond

01:54:47.600 get tidings of how you turn and fled and disgraced yourself. A warrior will sooner die than live a

01:54:53.420 life of shame. All right, so Beowulf has passed on through the veil with his loyal thane at his side,

01:55:05.280 who is, it's important to look at what he brought back for Beowulf. Beowulf said,

01:55:11.680 go get me this gold, let me look at it. He brought him a banner. That's significant.

01:55:18.080 He brought him an actual banner of gold, right? Brought in the most beautiful thing he could find.

01:55:23.420 so that also doesn't show just i went to go grab some pieces he grabbed the best

01:55:30.980 even in death he is grabbing the best for his lord

01:55:34.180 and then beowulf dying and then him addressing those who turned away you have nothing you are

01:55:45.540 nothing everything that you had was given to you by beowulf and he might as well have just thrown

01:55:50.180 it into the ocean, because that is how much it was worth. So he is letting them happen.

01:55:58.340 Before we finish up, sir, is there anything that you want to add on that?

01:56:06.100 No, I think it, I think it and Wiglaf speak for themselves on it. It's pretty,

01:56:13.600 it's extremely important, but it's critically clear.

01:56:17.840 Yeah.

01:56:20.180 All right, so the next thing that we're going to cover, um, we've got a couple left, so I'm going to read one, and then I'm going to combine the last two.

01:56:35.840 All right, so.

01:56:37.300 then he ordered the outcome of the fight to be reported to those camped on the ridge the crowd

01:56:44.060 of retainers who had sat all morning sat at heart shield bears wondering about the man they had

01:56:49.780 loved would this day be his last or would he return he told the truth and did not balk the

01:56:54.660 writer who bore news to the top to the clifftop he addressed them all now the people's pride

01:57:00.540 Beside and love, the lord of the Geaths is laid to his deathbed, brought down by the dragon's attack.

01:57:06.860 Beside him lies the bane of his life, dead from knife wounds.

01:57:12.520 There was no way Beowulf could manage to get the better of the monster with his sword.

01:57:16.620 Beowulf sits at Beowulf's side, the son of Weston, living warrior watching by the dead,

01:57:22.160 keeping weary vigil, holding awake for the loved and the loath.

01:57:25.560 Now war is looming over our nation. 0.65

01:57:27.980 Soon it will be known to Franks and Frisians

01:57:30.140 Far and wide that the king is gone 0.89

01:57:31.800 Hostility has been great among the Franks 1.00

01:57:34.120 Since Heiglik sailed forth 1.00

01:57:35.440 At the head of the war fleet into Frisland

01:57:37.840 There the headwear harried

01:57:40.180 And attacked and overwhelmed him with great odds

01:57:42.280 The leader in his war gear was laid low

01:57:44.580 Fell amongst the followers 0.67

01:57:45.760 The lord did not favor his company with soils 0.99

01:57:48.580 Merovinian kings have been an enemy to us ever since 1.00

01:57:54.120 Nor do I expect peace or pact to keep Enor 1.00

01:57:56.520 of any sort from the Swedes.

01:57:58.900 Remember, at Ravenswood, 0.68

01:58:00.880 Agendhal slaughtered Hyacinth. 1.00

01:58:03.400 Brother Hrathal's son and the Geet people 1.00

01:58:04.980 in their arrogance first attacked the fierce 1.00

01:58:06.600 Geophins. The return blow was 1.00

01:58:08.660 quickly struck by

01:58:10.680 Othair's father. Old and terrible,

01:58:12.740 he felled the sea king and saved his own aged

01:58:14.700 wife, the mother of Nella and of Othair,

01:58:17.400 bereft of her gold rings.

01:58:19.560 Then he kept hard on the heels

01:58:20.920 of the foe and drove them, leaderless, lucky

01:58:22.740 to get away, in desperate route into

01:58:24.560 Ravenswood. His army surrounded the

01:58:26.500 weary remnant, where they nursed their wounds all through the night. He howled threats at those

01:58:31.960 hurtled survivors, promised to axe their bodies open when dawn broke, dangle from the gallows to 0.62

01:58:38.200 feed the birds. But at first light, when their spirits lowered, relief arrived. They heard the

01:58:42.920 sound of Hyleth's horn. They shrunk the calling as he came to find them, the heroine pursuit at

01:58:47.800 hand with the troops. The bloody swath and the Swedes and the Geats cut through each other and 0.90

01:58:55.820 was everywhere. No one could 1.00

01:58:58.480 miss their murderous feuding. The old

01:59:00.400 man made his move, pulled back, barred his

01:59:02.380 people in. Angthals withdrew 1.00

01:59:04.480 with higher ground. Heiglet's pride and prowls as 1.00

01:59:06.400 a fighter were known to the earl.

01:59:08.900 He had no confidence that he

01:59:10.460 could hold out against the horde of the seamen,

01:59:12.500 defend his wife and the ones he loved

01:59:14.000 from the shock of the attack. He retreated

01:59:16.460 for shelter behind the earth wall. 1.00

01:59:18.420 Then Heiglet swooped onto the Swedes at bay as 0.87

01:59:20.300 banners swarmed into their refuge. 1.00

01:59:22.520 His geek forces drove forward to destroy

01:59:24.340 of the camp. There in his gray hairs,

01:59:27.000 Ognthal was cornered,

01:59:29.160 wrinked around his sores, and it

01:59:30.320 came to pass that the king's fate

01:59:31.860 was in Elfor's

01:59:34.680 hands, and in his alone.

01:59:37.200 Wolfe, a son of Wanred, 1.00

01:59:38.700 went for him in anger, split him 1.00

01:59:40.300 open so that blood came spurting from

01:59:42.280 under his hair. The old hero

01:59:44.060 still did not flinch, but parried fast.

01:59:47.160 His back

01:59:47.620 hid back with a harder stroke, and the king

01:59:50.180 turned and took him.

01:59:52.440 Then Wanred's son, the brave Wolfe,

01:59:54.340 could land no blow against the aged lord.

01:59:57.940 Ogenthal divided his helmet so that he bucked and bowed his bloody head

02:00:02.000 and dropped to the ground, but his doom held off.

02:00:05.160 Though he was cut deep, he recovered again.

02:00:07.620 With his brothers downed the undotted effort,

02:00:09.940 Heiglitz thing lifted his sword and smashed murderously at the massive helmet

02:00:13.720 past the lifted shield, and the king collapsed.

02:00:17.520 The shepherd of the people was sheared for life.

02:00:20.380 Many then hurried to help Wolf, bandaged and lifted him

02:00:22.700 now that they were left masters of the blood silk battleground one warrior stripped the other

02:00:27.340 looted on the iron male coat his heart's work held his helmet too and carried the great king

02:00:33.660 he accepted the prize promised fairly the reward would come and kept his word for their bravery

02:00:39.900 and action when they arrived home elfer and wolf were overloaded by hrethel's son i like the gate

02:00:45.500 with gifts of land and linked rings that were worth a fortune they had one glory so there is

02:00:50.620 no gain slaying his generosity and he gave ephra and his only daughter to bide a home with him and 0.99

02:00:57.140 honor and bond so this bad blood between us and the sweez this vicious feud i am convinced is 0.99

02:01:03.380 bound to revive they will cross our borders and attack the force when they find out that they 1.00

02:01:07.940 wolf is dead in days gone by when our warriors fell and and were undefended he kept our coffers

02:01:14.040 and our kingdom safe he worked for the people but as well as that he behaved like a hero

02:01:19.800 We must hurry now to take a last look at the king

02:01:22.400 and launch him, lord and lavasher of rings on the funeral road.

02:01:25.940 His royal pyre will melt no small amount of gold.

02:01:29.020 Heap there in the hoard.

02:01:30.460 It was bought at heavy cost.

02:01:32.860 And that pile of rings he paid for at the end with his own life

02:01:35.620 will go up with the flame.

02:01:37.560 He furled in fire, treasure no follower will wear in his memory. 0.77

02:01:41.320 Nor a lovely woman link and attach as a torque around his neck,

02:01:44.280 but often, repeatedly, in the path of exile, they shall walk bereft.

02:01:48.160 bowed under woe not that their leader's laugh is silenced high spirits high spirits quenched

02:01:53.260 many a spear dawn cold to touch will be taken down and waved on high the swept harp won't

02:01:59.440 waken warriors but the raven the raven winging darkly over the doomed will have news

02:02:04.400 tidings for the edge the eagle of how he hoped and ate how the wolf and he had made short work

02:02:13.240 of the dead. Such was the drift of the dire report that the gallant man delivered. He got a little

02:02:18.500 wrong in what he told and predicted. The whole troop rose in tears. They took their way to the

02:02:24.260 uncanny scene under Aranus. There on the sand where his soul had left him, they found him at

02:02:29.640 rest, their ring giver from days gone by. The great man had breathed his last. Beowulf the king

02:02:34.380 was indeed met with marvelous death, but what they first saw was far stranger. The serpent on the

02:02:41.380 ground gruesome and vile, lying facing him. The fire dragon was scarcely burnt, scorched all

02:02:48.460 colors. From head to tail, his entire length was fifty feet. He had shimmered forth in the night

02:02:54.960 air once and winged back down to the den, but death owned him now, and he would never enter

02:02:59.640 his earthly gallery again. Beside him stood pitches and piled of dishes, silent flagons,

02:03:04.740 precious swords, eaten through with rust, ranged as they had been while. They waited their thousand

02:03:09.560 winters underground the huge cash gold inherited from the ancient race was well under a spell which

02:03:16.120 meant no one was ever permitted to center the ring hall unless god himself man keep mankind's

02:03:20.580 keeper true king of triumphs allowed the same person pleasing him and his eyes worthy to open

02:03:26.020 the horde all right so what we're hearing here is be prepared because we no longer have alliances

02:03:33.580 everything is going to topple down now that our great king is dead because no matter what

02:03:39.180 oaths were taken and no matter what promises were made and things of that nature what really kept

02:03:43.400 us safe was Beowulf and now you're part of the reason why he's dead so everybody hang on to your

02:03:48.000 hats because it's about to get really rocky Beowulf is the reason that they weren't invaded

02:03:53.400 Beowulf is the reason that the people in the lands and the coffers were kept safe

02:03:58.960 and they all just failed him

02:04:01.720 anything to add on that sir

02:04:05.560 No, just

02:04:14.800 They didn't all fail him

02:04:18.500 One didn't

02:04:19.500 All but one

02:04:21.220 All but one

02:04:22.600 The idea of that

02:04:27.360 And the idea of the kin fence 0.53

02:04:28.880 The idea is

02:04:30.280 When we stand strong

02:04:34.460 We stand together

02:04:35.400 and we stand united external forces are much less likely to break in

02:04:46.840 but once the line breaks and folks turn and run

02:04:54.440 then it's just a matter of the foe writing you down as fast as it can get to you and you trying

02:05:01.160 to hide under stuff and we see that millions of times but that's you know that's why if you

02:05:11.640 in the first world war if everybody else about to go over and you decide to turn and run they

02:05:15.960 shoot you because once the running starts it doesn't stop um and that's the thing courage

02:05:25.080 Courage presents an impenetrable face if it's maintained, but the second it falters, 0.99

02:05:37.400 it's got nothing from the back.

02:05:42.940 And I think something we see today very often with people is the biggest, the loudest, the

02:05:59.220 most tell you how great of a warrior they are.

02:06:05.480 They turn and run before they even contemplate the odds.

02:06:12.520 Every time you turn and run, we all lose.

02:06:16.880 Sometimes if you stand and fight, we win.

02:06:19.760 Maybe even often.

02:06:20.760 It'd be nice to find out.

02:06:23.540 But unfortunately, we see this time and time again.

02:06:26.260 We see it, you know, obviously we saw this in Beowulf's day.

02:06:31.240 We've seen it throughout our history.

02:06:32.720 It's not new, but I think it is highly relevant.

02:06:35.940 We see it around us all the time in different forms.

02:06:41.840 is why i thought it was so important to mention with you know especially with the thing in the

02:06:46.080 chat it's very easy to look outside and blame other things other groups of people

02:06:54.880 folks that we have no ability to do anything about

02:07:00.720 but honestly if you look at times that we lose and bad things happen to us

02:07:05.920 us. It's not because of the other team. It's because our own people lack the courage,

02:07:15.600 lack the conviction, and lack the loyalty. And we can't stress it enough. It is an unfortunate

02:07:23.280 truth and it's something that we all... That's the thing. It's one of those... We have so

02:07:29.840 So many things in life to look out at and gnash our teeth and shake our fist at that

02:07:36.080 we can do nothing about.

02:07:38.500 Each one of us can work on courage.

02:07:40.940 Each one of us can work on loyalty.

02:07:43.440 Each one of us individually can make the whole better by doing these things instead of by

02:07:51.300 sitting in the basement and complaining about people across the world or across the country

02:07:55.880 that do things we don't like all right so going on into the last two we got two left and then i'm

02:08:11.560 sure we probably got a few questions we got lined up don't we oh yeah we've got a few it's not a

02:08:17.560 ton we've got we've got several and i think there's some good ones that we may want to spend a little

02:08:21.400 bit of timeline okay all right so the last two fits and then we'll get to those questions

02:08:30.520 what came about brought to nothing the hopes of the one who had wrongly hidden riches under

02:08:34.760 the rock face first the dragon slew the man among men who in turn made fierce men's and

02:08:40.440 settled the feud famous for his deeds a warrior may be but it remains a mystery where his life

02:08:45.080 will end and he may no longer dwell in the meat hall among among his own so it was with bewolf

02:08:50.920 when he faced the cruelty and the cunning of the mount guard he himself was ignorant of

02:08:55.000 how his departure from the world would happen the highborn chief who had buried the treasure

02:08:59.240 declared it until doomsday so accursed that whoever robbed it would be guilty of wrong

02:09:05.240 and grimly punishment for the transgressions past from the hell bonds in the heathen heathen shrines

02:09:10.600 yet beowulf's gaze at the gold treasure when he first saw it had not had not been selfish

02:09:15.160 Wiglaf, son of Welsden, spoke. Often when one man follows his own will, many are hurt. This happens

02:09:22.400 to us. Nothing we advised could ever convince the prince we loved, our land's guardian, not to vex

02:09:28.040 the custodian of the gold. Let him lie where he is long accustomed, lurk there under the earth until

02:09:32.780 the end of the world. He held to his high destiny. The horde is laid bare, but at a grave cost. It

02:09:38.800 was too cruel a fate that forced the king to that encounter. I have been inside and seen everything

02:09:44.340 a mass in the vault. I managed to enter, although no great welcome awaited me under the earth wall.

02:09:49.820 I quickly gathered up a huge pile of the priceless treasures handpicked from the horde and carried

02:09:53.720 them here where the king could see them. He was still himself, alive, aware, and in spite of his

02:09:58.280 weakness, he had many requests. He wanted me to greet you and ordered the building of a barrow

02:10:02.220 that would crown the site of his pyre, serve as his memorial in the commanding position,

02:10:06.680 since of all men to have lived and thrived and lorded it on earth, his worth and due as a warrior

02:10:14.120 were the greatest. Now let us again quickly, let us again go quickly and feast our eyes on the

02:10:20.180 amazing fortune heaped under the wall. I will show you the way and take you to the, you close

02:10:24.760 to the coffers packed with rings and bars of gold. Let a bear be made and got ready quickly when we

02:10:31.060 come out and then let us bring the booty of our, the body of our Lord and the man we love to where

02:10:36.780 he will lodge for a long time in the care of the almighty. When whilst and sons stalwart at the end

02:10:42.760 had orders given to owners of dwellings, many people of importance in the land,

02:10:49.620 to fetch wood from far and wide to the good man's pyre.

02:10:52.840 Now shall flame consume our leader in battle.

02:10:56.000 The blaze darkened round him who stood his ground in the steel hill.

02:11:00.380 When the arrow's storm shot from both strings, pelted the shield wall,

02:11:04.320 then shaft hit home.

02:11:06.580 Feather fledged its fine and barb in flight.

02:11:09.060 Next the wise son of Weston called him among the king's thanes, group of seven. 0.93

02:11:12.760 he selected the best and entered with them the aid of their number under the god curse roof one

02:11:17.260 raised a light torch and left the way no lots were cast for who should should loot the horde

02:11:22.700 or it was obvious to them that every bit of it lay unprotected within the vault there for the

02:11:28.400 taking it was no trouble to hurry work and haul out the priceless store they pitched the dragon

02:11:33.540 over the cliff top let tides flow and backwash take the treasure minder then coiled gold was

02:11:39.880 loaded on the cart in great abundance, and the gray-haired leader, the prince, on his

02:11:43.980 fire, born to horrendous. 1.00

02:11:50.940 The Geed people built a fire, built a pyre 1.00

02:11:54.080 for Beowulf, stacked and decked it until it stood 0.99

02:11:57.860 foursquare, hung with helmets, heavy war shields, and shining armor,

02:12:02.340 just as he had ordered. Then his warriors laid him in the middle of it,

02:12:05.960 mourning a lord far famed and beloved

02:12:08.740 on a height they kindled the hugest of all funeral pyres

02:12:12.320 fumes of wood smoke billowed darkly up

02:12:15.580 the blaze roared and drowned out their weeping

02:12:18.080 wind died down and flames wrought havoc in the hot bone house

02:12:22.620 burning into the core

02:12:23.580 they were disconsolate and wailed aloud for their lords to cease

02:12:27.740 a geek woman too sang out in grief with hair bound up

02:12:31.560 she unburdened herself of her worst fears

02:12:34.520 a wild litany of nightmare and lament her nation invaded enemies on the rampage bodies and piles

02:12:40.780 slavery in a basement heaven swallowed the smoke then the key people began to construct a mound

02:12:46.660 on the headlong headland high and imposing a marker and it's a marker that sailors could see

02:12:52.580 from far away and in 10 days they had done the work it was the hero's memorial but remained

02:12:58.180 from the fire they housed inside of it behind a wall as worthy of him as their workmanship can

02:13:05.160 make it and they buried torques in the barrel and jewels in the trove of such things as trespassing

02:13:11.000 men had once dared to drag from the horde they let the ground keep the ancestral treasure gold

02:13:16.880 under gravel gone to earth it's useless men now as it ever was then 12 warriors rode around the

02:13:24.340 tomb, chieftains, sons, champions, and battle. All of them distraught, chanting in dirges,

02:13:30.560 mourning loss as men and king. They extolled his heroic nature and exploits and gave thanks for

02:13:35.480 his greatness, which was the proper thing. For a man should praise a prince, he holds dear and

02:13:41.080 cherish his memory. When the moment comes when he has to be convoid from his bodily home. So the

02:13:48.760 ye people, his hearth companions, sorrowed for the Lord who had been laid low. They said that of

02:13:54.960 all things upon the earth, he was the man most gracious and fair-minded,

02:13:59.600 kindest to his people, and keenest to win fame. And that, my good folk, is the end of Babel. 0.94

02:14:08.460 It's pretty self-explanatory. Got some examples of funeral pyres and grave goods,

02:14:14.260 and the lamenting of women, beating of the breasts and fear for invasion and suffering and all of those things

02:14:23.020 shows the importance of not just their leader, but not just their king, but the importance of the man behind the crown.

02:14:32.300 Anything to add, sir?

02:14:39.440 Yeah, thank you so much, Randy.

02:14:41.500 thank you for doing this for us for these you know these three episodes it it's really nice

02:14:51.940 you actually reading the poem as well as breaking it down and explaining it uh we've all really

02:14:58.480 really appreciated that thank you for doing that you're welcome nobody can say that they haven't

02:15:03.520 red bay will flow um so with that let's let's get to the the question and answer portion of

02:15:16.680 our program because we do have some questions lined up um first one matt and brandy how are

02:15:29.920 you both doing tonight, and how excited are you for Yule? Brandy, how you doing, and how excited

02:15:35.780 are you for Yule on a scale of 1 to 10? On a scale of 1 to 10, I am doing outstanding, and I am on a

02:15:44.100 10 excited for Yule because Yule for Baldursock is not this weekend, but next weekend, and it's not

02:15:49.960 our big showcase event, but it's actually one of our events, and it's actually my favorite event,

02:15:54.400 so I am super stoked for Yule, and I can't wait to see everybody there. We're expecting

02:15:58.660 seen over 40 people this year. So I'm very happy about that.

02:16:05.820 I'm doing pretty good tonight. Yes, I am emotionally moved by the poem, but I love it.

02:16:16.660 It's really important, and I'm really glad that we did this. I think it's essential,

02:16:22.480 and I want all of our folk to internalize it and learn from it and get to know it. But I'm doing

02:16:27.780 pretty good. I look forward to these. It's awesome to talk with you guys. It's awesome to talk with

02:16:31.980 Brandy. I'm enjoying my Cayman Jack variety pack of little canned margaritas. That's doing all

02:16:42.760 right. I'm only three in, so it's got more work to do. But yeah, as far as Yule goes,

02:16:51.740 I'm going to attend this year because Aubrey is just old enough to where she gets it.

02:16:56.040 like she's starting to understand it's special and she can appreciate all the little fun yule

02:17:01.640 things uh you know she's three and a half and i think you know at two and a half and previous she

02:17:08.500 wasn't really you know it was whatever and i think the lights were cool but i don't think she

02:17:13.340 could get a lot more out of it i'm also super excited i'm looking around i haven't found them

02:17:18.820 yet but uh on the 23rd i'm having a bunch of people over to the house and i've been looking

02:17:26.260 up on the youtube and trying to get it all figured i'm gonna cook me some pig faces

02:17:32.820 been looking forward to the pig faces talking to spawn for years and i never can round one up

02:17:39.300 in enough time so uh i'm excited to give that a shot um youtube tells me it's delicious

02:17:46.580 spawn tells me it's delicious i will judge for myself come december 23rd

02:17:56.900 next up we've got

02:18:02.820 from sierra brandy what inspired you to do this deep dive into beowulf i've always liked beowulf um

02:18:10.820 i read it in high school as well and i really liked it then but the deep dives into beowulf

02:18:16.260 is actually the result of the bullying of um people who taught me as a true um

02:18:24.900 for those of you that joke about me being a tyrant um that person was a tyrant i had to go

02:18:31.220 through beowulf five different times for five different reasons so that initially started

02:18:37.300 because every time I went through Beowulf, I found something different. It was very much

02:18:41.780 like the lore. Every time I read the lore, I find something new. I find something about myself

02:18:50.420 that's new. I find that my understanding has changed. I find a new way to apply it morally

02:18:56.260 and ethically. And the same thing started happening when I read Beowulf, which is one

02:19:03.060 the reasons why it really is the gateway lore because it is good practice to do that you can

02:19:08.740 take Beowulf and you can divide it up into several different sections you can read it for archaeological

02:19:14.020 reasons and historical reasons you can read it for examples of women in our culture you can read it

02:19:21.380 for leadership standpoints you can read it for esoteric and magic standpoints there's and then

02:19:31.860 strictly just for the enjoyment in the poetry and the translation of it. So there's so many different

02:19:37.620 reasons and ways to read Beowulf. There's no wrong way to do it. You're always going to get

02:19:45.140 something no matter which stance you take. But the things that he was very, very...

02:19:50.260 Flag on the play. There are absolutely wrong ways to do it.

02:19:55.300 There are wrong ways to read it.

02:19:56.740 If you've seen Hollywood accomplish this numerous times, there are wrong ways to do it.

02:20:02.540 There are just a lot of different right ways to do it.

02:20:05.080 There's a lot of different right ways to do it.

02:20:07.420 But if you at any point in time have Beowulf sleeping with Grendel's mother, that is one of the wrong ways to do it.

02:20:15.420 But there's a lot of really good ways to do it.

02:20:18.420 and the ones that i focused the most heavily on were rites and rituals and beowulf

02:20:26.820 from a leadership standpoint those are the ones that i enjoyed the most

02:20:37.700 all right and then a follow-up question also from sierra what portion of beowulf

02:20:42.580 sticks out to you the most symbolically and why

02:20:48.980 this one i believe is still to you brandy and i already said mine anyway

02:20:55.220 it's really hard to pinpoint one specific thing for me um

02:21:04.020 i've always tried to be as loyal as our heroes and i i know i'll probably never be able to attain

02:21:13.460 that level of loyalty and understanding of loyalty because i'm not in the situations that

02:21:20.100 they were in but when i look at how i conduct myself in crisis and under pressure beowulf

02:21:31.860 was always an example for me and i know that's strange coming from a woman but if there is

02:21:39.220 any kind of crisis i'm always the one that's like okay let's go fix it that's i don't want to sit

02:21:47.800 in my doom and gloom i want to there's no point in being sorry for ourselves right now let's go

02:21:54.580 ahead and be sad and sorrowful and lick our wounds after we have already event fixed this

02:22:00.860 or conquered this so that's something that i took from beowulf very early and one of the reasons why

02:22:07.020 like it all right so and we we have a number of this early on and it's not really a question but

02:22:26.780 it has a question mark it's kind of a statement with a question mark okay gold is spiritual

02:22:33.100 knowledge dragon is ellipses a mage who isn't able to use it well so i saw a number of these things

02:22:43.660 in there you can there is a there is a difference between taking your stuff and retroactively

02:22:55.980 applying it to an ancient poem and taking an ancient poem and finding ways that it applies

02:23:03.660 to your life and situations no that's not at all what anybody who wrote this poem or any of the

02:23:13.660 scalds or bards that recited this poem meant if that is meaningful to you i think that's a very

02:23:22.060 reasonable correlation. I think that's a way to apply this to spiritual practice or magical

02:23:30.620 practice. I think it's completely a legitimate thing for you to take from the poem and apply

02:23:36.060 to things in your life. But no, I don't think that's intentional symbolism within the poem.

02:23:42.460 let's say you brandy i say if you can look at that and see if gold were to equal this then the

02:23:52.380 dragon would equal this if that has some kind of inspiration and understanding that that makes you

02:23:59.240 have like one of those aha moments and have a deep realization then that's what it is um

02:24:05.240 the book study for the women's the women's book study is still ongoing because we talk about

02:24:12.440 those little rabbit holes a lot. We kind of break stuff down and encourage thought of what can this

02:24:18.440 mean? What do you think about this? When you read this, what does it inspire inside of you to

02:24:23.600 understand, to research, and what kind of connection does that bring? So that personal

02:24:29.640 connection is extraordinarily important. So I'm not going to tell you what that is, but

02:24:34.600 I think you should explore that if it's something that has sparked something in your own head.

02:24:42.440 so trent asks you brandy uh okay and he leads with that brandy uh have your many

02:24:51.960 readings foe beowulf uh finally convinced you of the eternal truth that is anglo supremacy

02:24:59.920 you know what trent me perhaps you and i should should have a conversation about that i'm just

02:25:07.520 gonna i'm just gonna leave it with one folk one fight so you and i don't discuss that on the side

02:25:12.180 or with some perhaps a meme exchange. I would like to note that though this is

02:25:20.100 the earliest piece of epic English literature, it is written about Danes and events in Denmark.

02:25:32.820 And I don't know if the typos are attributed to Trent or to our producer. So I suppose that's

02:25:38.580 out there also. Okay, here's the meat and taters. Brenicus, I don't know if you are still here. I

02:25:48.340 hope that you are. I told you I'd answer the question, and I will, and I think it's really

02:25:53.000 important. And I hope I still remember the various things that I wanted to say when I first saw it.

02:26:00.720 he says, why convert to paganism in the first place? Hey, awesome. He is in the chat room.

02:26:10.500 Thank you for sticking around. So, and I saw various people in the chat express this in

02:26:20.540 different ways. But first and foremost, we're not converting to paganism. If anything, we're

02:26:32.220 reverting to Ausatru because Ausatru is our birthright and it's the native faith of our

02:26:42.220 people in the most ancient times since the beginning. The motifs and language and stories

02:26:53.320 that we have in our war are heavily centered in the early medieval period about things

02:27:02.500 that happened slightly before that, but it builds on an Arian slash Indo-European religiosity

02:27:09.860 that goes back to the very roots of our race as a people.

02:27:15.840 So that's the default setting.

02:27:18.280 In our ancestors' day, there was no such thing as, I say that,

02:27:22.560 I'm sure there were people that didn't have faith,

02:27:24.640 but in general, the default setting was faith.

02:27:29.340 And the default faith was the faith of your tribe or your people.

02:27:35.720 And for us, that's also true.

02:27:39.860 And I can say this, looking at the various comments on it and whatnot following it,

02:27:49.720 it's, and it's hard to express this right.

02:27:52.440 And I hope people understand it.

02:27:53.720 And I hope I can do it justice in the way I explain it.

02:27:59.540 It's life and your religious choices aren't a video game.

02:28:07.700 So you're not looking at two equal things as like, cool, it's time to make a choice in a little decision tree.

02:28:13.580 Do I click Ausitre or do I click Christianity?

02:28:16.780 As if they're both equally valid options with a variety of, you know, cost and benefit to them. 0.82

02:28:26.880 Played out in reality, they're both faiths and they're either real or they're not. 0.96

02:28:33.360 and they're either yours or they aren't. 0.99

02:28:39.640 They're right or they're wrong.

02:28:42.440 Those things are real and it's not just a choice of algorithm.

02:28:47.020 It's an experiential way of doing these things.

02:28:51.940 There's a lot of cool ideas and things out there.

02:28:58.280 We don't choose those as our faith.

02:29:00.820 We go back to the faith of our ancestors and we probe the depths of that faith through ritual, through the gift cycle, through reaching out to the gods and seeing what happens.

02:29:18.280 and uh it's very hard for those of us who've practiced also true for a very long time to

02:29:30.000 convince people who've never practiced also true that it's you know the right thing to do because

02:29:40.660 it's not about intellectualizing and it's not about argumentation it's just true these are

02:29:50.700 our gods and when we reach out they bless us and we've experienced those blessings in our lives

02:29:57.760 for a long way i talk on this show a lot and i don't i don't fault you if this is your first

02:30:03.020 time hearing it but something that's a recurring theme on here is talking about the coolest thing

02:30:10.180 as a go-thee is when we are able to see in the eyes of people that moment where this becomes

02:30:22.180 real to them. And many of us, many of us in the chat room likely, many Alcetruar that you've met,

02:30:31.220 you mentioned over here that you're familiar with Alcetruar and that you like it in a lot of ways.

02:30:34.960 a lot of people haven't experienced that yet but really want to everybody thinks that they believe

02:30:42.560 in the gods until their mind is blown and reality has changed for them the gods exist

02:30:53.200 and again i can't intellectualize that or make a a science argument on that because it's not a

02:31:02.200 it's not an equation it's a reality um but it's night and day between when you wanted this to be

02:31:12.120 true you hoped it would be true you were just going to believe that it's true until it is

02:31:19.320 undisputedly true and how could you have ever thought anything different and those moments

02:31:27.080 there's a lot of things i think i do good as a go thief but i can't i can't pull that rabbit

02:31:34.760 out of the hat all the time um but sometimes sometimes if i do my job really well and if the

02:31:46.840 gods decide they want to extend that i've seen quite a few times in the life where this becomes

02:31:57.080 comes tangibly real to our folk.

02:32:02.480 That's the thing.

02:32:03.440 As much as we get on here and discuss

02:32:05.420 or could come up with arguments,

02:32:07.320 at the end of the day, I know my gods are real.

02:32:09.680 They've blessed me in my life too many times

02:32:12.440 and in too many ways that I can't deny it

02:32:15.920 or unfeel that that's the truth.

02:32:18.520 So then once it's a real decision

02:32:21.920 between something that is real, tangible,

02:32:25.720 and comes from your folk and things that aren't,

02:32:30.420 the decision gets a little bit easier.

02:32:33.880 Another thing, this is ours.

02:32:38.420 Other folk relate to other gods in their own very unique way.

02:32:45.560 We relate to our gods in a very specific way

02:32:49.020 that's related to our people and who we are and where we come from.

02:32:55.720 so i so you know on uh and this is different for everybody in this room we've all got a different

02:33:04.700 story but i didn't convert from christianity to house the truth i evaluate i was a christian

02:33:16.060 I was a Jehovah's Witness. And I, through my own interaction with that faith, with that God, with that body of Scripture, found it to be wrong.

02:33:35.280 And it to be wrong and it to not be real are two separate things.

02:33:40.780 I came to the point that even if this God is everything he says he is in this book, he is bad.

02:33:52.520 the stuff that he wants us to do is bad

02:33:57.360 and is so fundamentally opposed to my very core as as a man that i can't support that so even if

02:34:09.580 this is the all-powerful one god of the universe i have to be on the other side and that was really

02:34:17.480 scary because that was the worldview that I was under when I, when I left the Jehovah's

02:34:25.800 witnesses. But after I turned on that and realized that wasn't for me and wasn't something 0.60

02:34:34.080 I could do in good faith and in good conscious conscience, I started to look into what my

02:34:40.940 people had and I'm like, okay, let's go back to the factory settings here. You know, what

02:34:47.000 did we have before? Because again, I'm a student of history. I knew that Christianity was a Middle

02:34:53.960 Eastern, you know, reformation of the Jewish faith that then moved into Europe. Well, what did

02:35:01.000 European people have before this Middle Eastern faith came into Europe? And that's when I found

02:35:08.000 also true. And I found it in a, you know, an ancient sense. And I thought, I didn't know other

02:35:12.660 people did this in you know at the time it was 20 2001 i didn't know other people did this but i was

02:35:19.700 trying to look for ways that maybe our ancestors did or just to figure it out starting fresh

02:35:26.660 when i found the afa and the afa was

02:35:33.700 it was a while ago so the afa was only officially six years old at that point

02:35:38.260 and i discovered that there were other people who did this in the real world and in today's world

02:35:48.260 that's what led me here and uh it has changed my life for the better in so many ways

02:35:58.600 it has brought me my family my wife my daughter my friends everything that i have that's of value

02:36:07.440 I owe to the relationship that I've worked very hard to build with my gods and with my folk

02:36:15.380 through the context of Ausatru. Through ritual and through interaction, I couldn't possibly

02:36:23.740 entertain the thought that my gods weren't real and weren't interacting with me when I tried to

02:36:30.900 interact with them. I know that they are with every fiber of my being. And given enough time,

02:36:38.480 and again, this is never going to occur to someone if they're intellectualizing by themselves

02:36:43.640 in isolation. Because faith isn't about fear. I say faith, it's not even that.

02:36:51.540 religion isn't about isolated speculations. It's about relationships. Relationships can't happen

02:37:02.160 without interaction. So if you don't make the attempt to interact with the gods and with your

02:37:09.740 religious community, you can't experience what it means to be out. And so people are stuck

02:37:19.360 debating ideas and theories instead of dealing with experience and relationship. And it's a very,

02:37:25.880 very different kind of equation. Brandy, what do you have to add or where would you take that

02:37:32.160 question? One of the first things that I always tell people are like, are you trying to convert

02:37:38.120 people? No, I don't have to convert you because the gods and the ancestors will do that on their

02:37:43.880 own. What I am here to do is to be that guidepost that's shining really, really bright when you

02:37:49.480 finally find your way and finally find your way home. So I'm the one that's going to lead you

02:37:53.420 home to the rest of the folk. But as far as that conversion, it's something that you have to hear

02:37:57.920 in your own head and you have to see it with your own eyes and you have to feel it in your own soul.

02:38:03.780 Nobody is going to tell you that worshiping the gods is the right thing to do. We can tell you

02:38:11.220 all day long, but until you actually experience it and know it in your heart, what we say isn't

02:38:18.400 going to matter. What we're doing here is we are making sure that there is a home for you to go to,

02:38:23.720 that there are folk with you to gather, and that there are

02:38:27.180 hoffs for you to worship your gods in. That's what we're doing. We're doing our best to serve

02:38:33.120 the gods and serve the folk, and we're serving the folk by being those guidelines that are

02:38:37.620 bring them home. That's all I have to say about that, sir.

02:38:42.820 All right. Next on our questions here. Which would you recommend moving close to,

02:38:56.880 your local Hoth or prioritizing Sigerheim? I think that is a

02:39:04.900 so i and we've this is absolutely something that's come up and been thought about um and i think it's

02:39:17.700 a it's a false dichotomy because we are dealing with scale the answer between those questions

02:39:28.900 is going to be based heavily on the individual circumstance so we have a lot of people that are

02:39:38.340 very tied to where they are that have a different career path a different you know idea of what they

02:39:44.820 want hopefully and eventually we'll have a hof in each of those places for the time being

02:39:52.660 there are folk that their family connections, their career, their lives center them in certain

02:40:03.560 locations or make certain locations more palatable than others. And so I think that the choice is

02:40:09.680 all of those depending on your circumstance. What I want is for our folk to pick up where

02:40:18.460 they are and move closer to one another the best that they can i want that to happen in

02:40:25.100 jackson county tennessee at sigerheim absolutely because that's what i'm doing but i also want that

02:40:33.260 to happen in murdoch minnesota i want that to happen in brownsville california i want it to

02:40:39.740 happen in white springs florida and i want it to happen in lyndon north carolina and i want to

02:40:45.900 happen want it to happen in wherever ohio or pennsylvania that phrasehoff lands and i want it

02:40:55.020 in wherever we end up putting braggies off when it's that time all of those things are a great

02:41:04.300 positive thing for us to rally behind and i don't really think it's a this or that choice 0.89

02:41:11.660 keep them all in the mix and figure out what so assuming that you're asking because you're looking

02:41:18.380 for stuff to do with your life figure out which of those places that we currently have

02:41:25.740 best suits the needs of you your family your career the things that you have going that you

02:41:31.580 value and go there any of those options is better than not going to those places

02:41:38.620 and that's what i've got on what what are your thoughts on that brandy i think you should go

02:41:43.740 wherever the folk are right so we've had actually several people that have moved to be closer to

02:41:50.380 hops we have several people who are going to be moving to segerheim go where your folk are so

02:41:58.380 go where you're comfortable go with what's going to suit you and your family but

02:42:02.380 we need people at all of those locations the temple is to the god but it needs to be tended

02:42:09.660 by the folk so wherever your heart calls you i suggest you go there all right

02:42:20.540 so super honky asks do you guys have an afa calendar yes absolutely they posted the link

02:42:37.340 nick can post a link again of the official afa calendar

02:42:42.300 get yours today so you get it in time for the new year

02:42:45.580 that being said i don't really know the depth of the question i'm not sure the secret identity

02:42:53.340 of the super honky nor what his powers are that he gets with the title i'm curious about that um

02:43:03.740 that said each so nick just put up the um the different websites for each of our hoffs

02:43:12.780 there is a calendar on the front the home page of each of those sites as well as a more detailed

02:43:20.220 calendar in the links that tells you stuff going on in those different hoff districts

02:43:27.780 so check those out if the reason you're asking is because you're looking for events

02:43:33.740 near you because we absolutely have those calendars as well and they're maintained on

02:43:38.040 each of those sites that Nick has up there. Yeah, so we've got, depending on what you're

02:43:48.400 looking for, we've got physical calendars on sale now, and we also have calendars that

02:43:52.520 populate your local events on each of our websites.

02:43:55.620 oh and shout out uh dale just bought a calendar and matthew bought two so i appreciate that

02:44:12.420 dale and matthew thank you uh next question from human manipulation nation it really gets me

02:44:22.660 thinking so what happens if you let the king die so to speak and see the air in your ways as a young

02:44:30.500 warrior so here is the unfortunate reality that we exist in um oh another call back to uh to uh

02:44:49.140 brenicus he mentioned that it's like christianity and also true have similar principles one's just

02:44:59.780 more fleshed out than the other it's not true and this is one of the ways that um that it's not true

02:45:05.620 so christianity is basing it is anti this life with the idea of storing up treasures in heaven

02:45:20.260 for the next life in that way it's more similar to buddhism or some forms of hinduism where you're

02:45:28.580 trying to escape this world to something better somewhere else whereas also true is life embracing

02:45:33.620 And the other thing is, Alistair is very embracing of natural law, and it doesn't violate it in the way that Christianity does, which brings me to this.

02:45:43.600 You can't undo stuff.

02:45:48.180 If you were one of the king's retainers and you turn and ran when your king needed you, you can try to hide from it and hope nobody knows.

02:45:58.660 You can travel to far off lands and change your name and hope for the best.

02:46:06.060 But if people discover who you are in your hometown or in your area, they're going to know of that great infamy that you've done for yourself.

02:46:18.120 so the best you can do and this comes with any transgression or dishonorable behavior

02:46:30.160 you can take responsibility for it you can own up to it you can attempt to compensate someone for

02:46:39.380 the loss i don't know how you would compensate the king or his family for abandoning him

02:46:47.320 in his hour of need i don't know what you would be able to do that would somehow even those scales

02:46:55.080 over the course of your life you can devote your life to noble behavior and noble deeds

02:47:02.600 and hope that if you try hard enough and you try hard enough for long enough

02:47:08.280 enough that you can outweigh the negatives with the positives. But if that's the case,

02:47:17.140 you better start now and you better start running off the line because that's a pretty high degree

02:47:24.220 of shameful behavior. But that's the only answer. And I think that this is accessible to all of us.

02:47:31.760 I don't think many of us are going to abandon a literal king in the face of a literal dragon.

02:47:38.280 But the best you can do is take responsibility, attempt to make right what you've done, and spend the rest of your existence trying to balance it and outweigh it with good deeds and with noble conduct, and hope that the scales work out in your favor when your saga is done.

02:48:04.600 What say you, Brandy?

02:48:05.840 so i look at it like a well right if you if you dump poison in your well you have to continually

02:48:15.200 add fresh water to it to get rid of it it will never actually go away it will just be

02:48:23.680 less deadly and less bitter but the poison will always be in the water the only thing you can do

02:48:31.200 is lessen the effect of it so when something like that happens you have to continually add to that

02:48:37.520 well it adds that well and adds that well as you should anyway with good deeds and honorable things

02:48:45.360 but it's it's still going to be better it's still going to make you sick it's just

02:48:51.520 not to the extent so can you come back from it yes but will your well always be bitter yes

02:48:58.480 that's my opinion and of course all of that scales up we all are imperfect and put less

02:49:10.720 than great stuff in our wells but hopefully the idea is to fill it with enough great things that

02:49:21.280 it overpowers the uh not great things that we put in it and to try as best as we can to put as few

02:49:32.000 crappy things in there as we can um another question uh from brenicus what is a dragon

02:49:42.960 i suppose oh actually before i do that sorry i will get to the question one second

02:49:47.680 hoff anon donated 20 bucks to us we appreciate that late to the the late to the show just wanted

02:49:55.840 to donate so chat knows odin's hoff is the best off the horn doesn't lie come on everyone go hey

02:50:04.640 thank you appreciate it come on baldersoft where you at

02:50:12.720 so i'm saying i mean odin's hoff is the best off that's just gonna have to stand for right now

02:50:17.680 I'll update you accordingly. So what is a dragon? That is a interesting question because in what

02:50:27.500 context? What is a dragon is a really interesting thing because in, okay, so what is a dragon in

02:50:38.660 literature? I think we've talked about that a lot, at least how it's explained very often

02:50:43.720 in Northern European literature.

02:50:47.480 It is a malignant, cancerous manifestation of greed

02:50:53.680 and the hoarding and not distributing of things.

02:50:59.260 Something else I think is a really important theme.

02:51:03.980 Motion or the lack thereof.

02:51:07.180 In all of our lore and all of our belief,

02:51:11.960 everything is about motion the sun and the moon have to stay in constant motion because

02:51:20.020 they're chased by two wolves that will overtake them and eat them if they don't

02:51:24.840 everything in our nature in our cosmos in our cosmology is about constant movement

02:51:35.140 because chaos is very closely related to entropy when we stop moving forward we trend towards

02:51:46.580 destruction and chaos the only thing that keeps us from that is constant motion forward doing things

02:51:52.920 it is part of the overall theme of why this program is called victory never sleeps if you

02:51:58.400 want to keep winning you got to keep doing when you rest that's when rot takes in

02:52:04.700 So that's a big, big part of it. Dragons are the manifestation of that chaos of hoarding and stopping with your mound of gold. Instead of investing it, circulating it, making use of it.

02:52:20.000 um what are dragons otherwise it's a fascinating question because there's dragons

02:52:28.020 in so very very many different ancient people's conceptions of things the theme of dragons

02:52:39.580 is so widespread and so worldwide that it's it raises a lot of really interesting questions on

02:52:47.700 And what the genesis, forgive me for using a biblical term, what the origin of dragons truly are in the experience of mankind in ancient times.

02:53:07.840 And I think it's really, really interesting, and you can go down interesting rabbit holes on that, and the subject is very fascinating.

02:53:13.840 But that's something interesting is just how pervasive in the existence of sentient earth fauna that dragons are.

02:53:26.240 What are your thoughts, Brandy? 0.97

02:53:30.120 As far as what dragons are, this is actually kind of fun because our people have never been stupid.

02:53:41.440 we have always been innovative we have always been smart we could always figure things out

02:53:46.840 and there is a really good possibility so i'm gonna go off on a rabbit hole you guys can judge

02:53:55.280 me in the chat if he wants you that's fine we cannot possibly have been the first people ever

02:54:00.920 to find dinosaur bones right i'm talking about what are dragons in real um we can't be the first

02:54:08.080 people ever to find the first generation to find dinosaur bones like our people were smart

02:54:12.400 there was drawings and oral tales and then we we find skeletons of giants and then we have these

02:54:18.580 great big huge things i mean dragons are real just dinosaurs but what they represent we kind

02:54:26.060 of covered that a little bit in in beowulf but also look at how you relate to that dragon and

02:54:32.040 how you can apply that to things that you need to change or things that you need to fight and

02:54:37.220 can apply it that way as well you know what was awesome was cadillacs and dinosaurs that was a

02:54:43.940 cool cartoon and uh it brings me back to good times um that said uh gothi stam would like to

02:54:58.340 to know if there were any Krampus beatings this year. Not for me. I'm all right. Krampus didn't

02:55:08.240 come a calling, so I must be doing something okay. And Chocolate Pete did not take my bike

02:55:15.600 or other belongings, so I'm doing all right. What about you, Brandy? Nobody got beat in my

02:55:21.800 house. Everybody got gold coins in their shoes rather than coal and nobody got hit with a switch

02:55:30.020 and nobody got the bag put on their heads. So it was a good night over here. Excellent.

02:55:37.980 Barry says, I've gotten into carving stone. I'm just starting to get practice in it.

02:55:44.640 Love it. I'm already planning on it as a career now. How pie in the sky is it to want to one day

02:55:51.420 make idols for hoffs when i build the necessary skills of course um

02:56:00.460 not at all just stick with it i mean we have

02:56:07.740 countless examples of much less technologically sophisticated folks than ourselves doing

02:56:15.180 beautiful stone work back into antiquity um i would i would love to have a beautiful stone carving

02:56:25.700 at the hof at any of the hofs of any of our gods or any of our heroes for that matter i think that

02:56:32.240 would be amazing i hope that you do it and uh please let me know when you get close in your

02:56:38.040 level of skill to making that happen because that would be that would be a truly amazing thing

02:56:43.900 What are your thoughts, Brandy?

02:56:46.400 I would never turn down a statue or artwork or anything at a Hoff.

02:56:53.380 If you paint me, and I'm just going to say it, if you paint me a picture for my Hoff or for your Hoff, I will personally go out there and hang it up.

02:57:02.980 If you send me something that is artwork for the Hoff, I will put it up.

02:57:07.860 If you send me something for an ancestor altar, I will go take it out there.

02:57:11.520 If you send me something for the Elsie Christensen altar, I will go out there and take it out there for you.

02:57:17.940 I will never turn away the gifts of the folk, especially when they're done out of love and worship of the Aesir or in remembrance of the ancestors or in honor of our heroes.

02:57:30.680 So if you have things that want to go out to the Hoff, send them to me.

02:57:33.860 I'll get them out there.

02:57:36.120 I appreciate that.

02:57:37.480 If they are shockingly hideous, I will not let them take up space in our glorious hoffs.

02:57:44.720 But I think that, you know what?

02:57:47.580 I say that.

02:57:48.400 If you're a grown man and they're shockingly hideous, probably not.

02:57:51.440 If you are a child, then the thought is what counts.

02:57:56.360 Realistically, though, yeah, everything you guys do, if you look at some of the archaeological examples we have in Northern Europe of our stuff, it's very simple.

02:58:07.060 it's very rustic um that's part of the point in the artistry but the the intent

02:58:18.840 carries it so far beyond that um that said stone is such an interesting medium because if you know

02:58:28.920 how to do it right we have some of the most beautiful stone work in the renaissance with

02:58:36.040 you know much less technology than we have today with some of the most intricate folds and fabrics

02:58:41.640 and indication of veins and people's musculature and just ridiculous stuff that they're able to do

02:58:48.440 with with marble or or other things so there's so much you can do in the medium of stone

02:58:54.520 and be it simple or be it complex i think it would be great to honor our gods with that

02:58:59.000 All right. So, uh-oh, uh-oh. This just in. Hope, new member, $20. Baldershof is the best

02:59:19.240 Hoff. Thanks, Hope. Appreciate it. I just want to point out that it does not make it the best

02:59:29.900 Hoff. It makes it as good as Odin's Hoff. I need one more from Baldur's Hoff, guys. Where are we at?

02:59:36.180 So that makes Baldur as good as Odin's Hoff. Thor's Hoff and Yort's Hoff, you guys are slacking.

02:59:43.580 um that said brandy thank you so much for for doing these i appreciate you our folk appreciate

02:59:53.900 you we've gotten so much good feedback on this series um thank you very much thanks for having

03:00:01.980 me all right guys well i look forward to talking to you guys next week um if for some reason you're

03:00:09.500 You're busy with it, hopefully for a great reason.

03:00:12.200 If you're with family and friends this month and you miss the next couple, keep in mind, they come out on Friday as a podcast, but on Spotify.

03:00:20.920 But also, you can listen to this anytime.

03:00:24.260 You can send friends and family.

03:00:25.560 This is an amazing thing to listen to during the holidays with friends and family.

03:00:30.740 But either way, I hope you guys have a great Yule, and I'm looking forward to talking to you guys next week.

03:00:36.140 Until then, hail the gods, hail the folk, hail the AFA, and remember that victory never sleeps.

03:01:06.140 We'll be right back.

03:01:36.140 Thank you.

03:02:06.140 Thank you.

03:02:36.140 Thank you.

03:03:06.140 We'll be right back.

03:03:36.140 Thank you.

Asatru Folk Assembly - December 07, 2023

12⧸6⧸23 Victory Never Sleeps, Episode 74 - Beowulf and the Dragon

Episode Stats

Summary

Transcript