The Podcast of the Lotus Eaters - June 14, 2025


FREEMIUM： Chronicles #1 ｜ Beowulf


Episode Stats

Length

54 minutes

Words per Minute

134.92816

Word Count

7,400

Sentence Count

678

Misogynist Sentences

5

Hate Speech Sentences

26


Summary

In the first episode of Chronicles, I discuss the epic poem Beowulf, and how it came to be known as one of the most important works of literature from Anglo-Saxon England, and the tragic fate of the original manuscript containing it.


Transcript

00:00:00.000 Hello and welcome to the first ever episode of Chronicles.
00:00:19.400 I'm tremendously excited to bring you the start of this series.
00:00:23.400 It's one that I'm incredibly excited about because during this series we're going to go through plays,
00:00:29.600 we're going to talk about novels, we're going to talk about epic poems, as we'll be starting with today,
00:00:36.300 and I'm going to attempt to explore a whole range of different forms and themes from across the Western canon, really.
00:00:45.600 We're going to look at ancient Greek tragedies, ancient Greek comedies, we're going to look at Renaissance theatre,
00:00:51.800 we're going to look at Charles Dickens' novels, Shakespeare, or, as I chose for this particular episode,
00:00:59.500 Beowulf, and, of course, mine is the Tolkien translation. What else did you expect?
00:01:06.200 And the reason that I chose Beowulf is because it's one of the most precious inheritances of the English people.
00:01:14.200 There are very few works of literature from the Anglo-Saxon period of English history that have really survived and managed to be passed down to us,
00:01:25.200 and Beowulf is one of those few exceptions. And, in fact, Beowulf itself very nearly suffered a similar fate to many others that we probably don't know about and never can know,
00:01:37.400 that have just simply been lost to time. The Beowulf story in its original form was in the alliterative style of Old English,
00:01:47.900 early Germanic poetry, which meant that each line was split into two halves that had similar phonetic weight.
00:01:57.600 And Tolkien very cleverly once described this style as more masonry than music,
00:02:04.600 although I suspect that a particular reason for why it had this alliterative style was because during the pagan years of the early Germanic and Nordic
00:02:17.900 cultures, of course, all of their stories were transferred orally through storytelling and through the spoken word.
00:02:23.900 And in having words with that phonetic punch and with that particular structure, it was probably easier to, you know, cast them to memory.
00:02:33.900 The tale was found originally in the Know All Codex, which was a compendium of about five stories.
00:02:40.900 And the Beowulf legend in particular is generally accepted to have been written in its form in the Know All Codex from around 1000 AD,
00:02:50.900 though undoubtedly the story itself is much older.
00:02:55.900 It would have been most likely that the original Beowulf legend was written in the Codex by a monk,
00:03:02.900 because, of course, during that time it was the monks of the Anglo-Saxon monasteries that were by far the most literate and educated members of society.
00:03:13.900 Though nothing conclusively can be decided.
00:03:17.900 So the author of the poem is known in academic circles today simply as the Beowulf poet.
00:03:23.900 Down the centuries, this codex of stories came to be in the possession of a gentleman called Lawrence Knowall,
00:03:32.900 which is where the Knowall Codex gets its names from.
00:03:35.900 And his signature can be found on the first page of it.
00:03:39.900 Knowall was a scholar during the period of Tudor England,
00:03:44.900 and he accrued a great deal of antiquarian scriptures and parchments and old legends from ages past.
00:03:53.900 Eventually, this codex managed to find its way into the hands of a Sir Robert Cotton,
00:04:00.900 who was an MP at the start of the 1600s and, like Knowall before him, a collector of antiquarian texts, tomes and other such items.
00:04:12.900 Sir Robert placed the codex containing Beowulf into his library at Ashburnham Place.
00:04:18.900 And around a century later, the house decided to just live up to its name by catching fire.
00:04:25.900 And in the frenzy of those flames, the original Battle of Maldon was reduced to ash, lost for all time.
00:04:36.900 But fortunately, a copy had already been made of that, so we still have it to this day.
00:04:41.900 But if Beowulf went up in cinders right there and then, we would not have it today.
00:04:47.900 As far as we know, that was the only copy that anyone in England actually possessed at that time.
00:04:53.900 Some Georgian hero threw the manuscript containing Beowulf from the window and with the fall putting out the flames as it fell.
00:05:05.900 And you can see, if you have photos of it today, how nearly we lost it.
00:05:11.900 And it was just remarkable relief that we actually had it saved.
00:05:16.900 You know, can you imagine a world in which we didn't have Beowulf?
00:05:19.900 That's not really one that I particularly want to contemplate.
00:05:24.900 So, fortunately, I don't have to.
00:05:27.900 And after surviving the fire, Beowulf was eventually copied, thankfully,
00:05:33.900 and then finally translated into English, modern English, that is, published properly at the beginning of the Victorian era in 1837.
00:05:43.900 Upon its publication, it naturally attracted a lot of attention amongst academic circles and, you know, from Victorian scholars.
00:05:52.900 And from then, Beowulf offered up a tantalising look into pagan Norse societies and also how Christian Anglo-Saxon England was reconciling with that part of its history, with that part of its past.
00:06:12.900 They were able to cross-reference it with a lot of other historical accounts, such as there is one particular chronicle from a Frankish historian called Geoffrey of Tors.
00:06:24.900 And in his Historia Francorum, which gives an account of a skirmish between some Northmen and the Frisians in the early sixth century.
00:06:35.900 And a similar battle is described towards the end of Beowulf between King Hygelac of the Gaetz and his Frisian foes.
00:06:44.900 And so, though we, again, can't know for certain, all of a sudden, a bit like with Herodotus, all of these things that doubt was cast on whether or not they actually happened.
00:06:56.900 Well, now we had another historical document by which to cross-reference some of these things with.
00:07:02.900 It also gave some generous insights into what may or may not have happened during the civil wars of the sixth century in Sweden between the Gaetz and the Swedes,
00:07:14.900 with, of course, the Swedes naturally emerging victorious because they were the ones who eventually went on to name the country.
00:07:22.900 But aside from its historical worth, generally the story wasn't held in particularly high regard.
00:07:29.900 It was thought of as quite basic, poorly structured.
00:07:33.900 Really, its value was purely in its existence as an historical artifact rather than based on any merit to its actual literature.
00:07:44.900 That was until 1936 when a very esteemed scholar and professor who went by the name of J.R.R. Tolkien gave a seminal lecture called Beowulf, the Monsters and the Critics.
00:07:59.900 And he put the emphasis on battling against the Monsters and how vital that was to our understanding of the lives of these people who lived over a millennia ago.
00:08:13.900 Because the thing was that the Monsters were very disappointing to the Victorian historians and academics,
00:08:21.900 and it was really Tolkien's scholarship that shifted academic opinion around to appreciating it as an actual piece of literature.
00:08:30.900 Though, as is the case in bursting any long-held academic consensus, this didn't happen overnight.
00:08:37.900 But it is largely due to Tolkien's love and fascination with this old poem, that has battled against all odds to even still be around over a millennia after it was penned,
00:08:49.900 that we treat Beowulf with the serious literary weight that it actually deserved.
00:08:55.900 So, without further ado, let us begin exploring Beowulf and considering how special it actually was.
00:09:08.900 So that we're all on the same page though, it makes sense to first give a brief outline of the actual plot,
00:09:14.900 and this is where I've chosen a few extracts from the text to read.
00:09:19.900 The poem begins not with its protagonist, but instead with a warrior known as S.H.I.E.L.D.,
00:09:27.900 who was the founder of the great House of the S.H.I.E.L.D.ings, that is, the descendants of S.H.I.E.L.D.
00:09:33.900 His progeny go on to become one of the great tribes of Denmark, and this is what the story says of him.
00:09:40.900 Lo, the glory of the kings of the people of the S.H.I.E.L.D.
00:09:44.900 In days of old we have heard tell How those princes did deeds of valour.
00:09:50.900 Oft S.H.I.E.L.D.
00:09:52.900 Robbed the hosts of foemen, Many peoples of the Gaetz,
00:09:56.900 Many peoples of the seats where they drank their mead,
00:10:00.900 Lead fear upon men.
00:10:02.900 He who first was found forlorn, Comfort for that he lived to know,
00:10:08.900 Until all that dwelt nigh about.
00:10:12.900 Over the sea where the whale rides, Most hearken to him,
00:10:16.900 And yield him tribute.
00:10:18.900 A good king was he.
00:10:20.900 It goes on to tell of how S.H.I.E.L.D. had a son named Baal,
00:10:25.900 And that,
00:10:26.900 Thus doth a young man bring it to pass, With good deed and gallant gifts,
00:10:31.900 While he dwells in his father's bosom.
00:10:34.900 But after in his age there cleave to him Loyal knights of his table,
00:10:39.900 And the people stand by him when war comes.
00:10:42.900 By worthy deeds in every folk is a man ennobled.
00:10:47.900 Eventually, four generations hence from S.H.I.E.L.D. comes Hrothgar,
00:10:52.900 King of the Shieldings, Who, like his forefathers, rules ably and well.
00:10:57.900 But this land is not at peace.
00:11:00.900 One day, a creature named Grendel, A descendant of the biblical Cain,
00:11:05.900 Comes with malevolent evil to haunt the mead hall of Heorot.
00:11:10.900 In the unrest of knights unknown murdering, disemboweling,
00:11:15.900 And even cannibalizing the victimized Shieldings.
00:11:19.900 Rumors of this terror are carried across the sea on the ships of traders,
00:11:23.900 Until these tidings reach the ears of Beowulf, son of Ecthial.
00:11:29.900 Beowulf is a member of the Royal House of the Gaets,
00:11:33.900 And upon hearing of Grendel's terror,
00:11:36.900 He and a small host of warriors cross the Sound in their ships,
00:11:40.900 Until they arrive at Hrothgar's land.
00:11:43.900 Beowulf seeks an audience with the king,
00:11:46.900 And Hrothgar, in his wisdom,
00:11:48.900 Is not too proud to rebuff Beowulf's offer of help.
00:11:52.900 If the young man succeeds in vanquishing Grendel,
00:11:55.900 Then renown, glory and wealth will be his.
00:11:58.900 Beowulf's arrival brings hope to the Shieldings,
00:12:02.900 And it is written that,
00:12:04.900 Ever and anon the menstrel sang clear in Heorot,
00:12:07.900 There was mirth of mighty men,
00:12:09.900 No little assembly of the tried valour of Danes and Vederas.
00:12:13.900 It's here that a jealous and somewhat drunken warrior of the hall,
00:12:19.900 The hall, Unferth, son of Eclath,
00:12:22.900 Speaks as the one solitary voice of discord in the hall,
00:12:26.900 Not wishing for the outsiders' help.
00:12:29.900 He questions Beowulf's competence,
00:12:31.900 Given that he had once heard that this alleged mighty warrior
00:12:35.900 Had in fact lost a swimming race several years ago.
00:12:39.900 But Beowulf, in control of himself and confident in his own prowess,
00:12:44.900 Explains that it was true that he lost the race,
00:12:47.900 But only because he had had to engage himself in the battle with the savage sea monster,
00:12:54.900 Which he naturally eventually defeated.
00:12:57.900 And eventually, after much revelry and music,
00:13:00.900 Night descends, the music dies, and Grendel comes.
00:13:05.900 He enters the mead hole, brutalising and then devouring a soldier.
00:13:10.900 He then approaches the bed of Beowulf,
00:13:13.900 Who, feigning sleep, grabs him by the arm,
00:13:16.900 With such tenacity that even Grendel,
00:13:19.900 With his inhuman and hellish strength, cannot break free.
00:13:23.900 The folk of Heorot jump to arms,
00:13:26.900 And Grendel is smited and slammed by the flurry of their swords.
00:13:30.900 But their blades cannot damage him.
00:13:33.900 All the while, Beowulf continues to tear at his arm,
00:13:37.900 A grievous hurt of body,
00:13:39.900 That fear, slayer and die are now endured.
00:13:42.900 A mighty wound was seen upon his shoulder,
00:13:45.900 The sinews sprang apart,
00:13:47.900 The joints of his bones burst,
00:13:49.900 And Grendel's limb is torn asunder from his body.
00:13:53.900 Mortally wounded, he skulks off back to his lair in the fens,
00:13:57.900 And evil is driven from Hrothgar's hole.
00:14:01.900 Beowulf presents the arm to the shielding's king,
00:14:04.900 And after much gift-giving and honouring,
00:14:07.900 The hall erupts into revelry.
00:14:09.900 Everything seems resolved,
00:14:11.900 But then Grendel's mother comes in vengeance.
00:14:14.900 Though, alas, Beowulf is not there to face her,
00:14:18.900 Having been quartered elsewhere that night.
00:14:21.900 In the morning, the king once more beseeches Beowulf to destroy the mother,
00:14:26.900 Telling him,
00:14:27.900 Now, once more doth hope of help depend on thee alone.
00:14:32.900 Beowulf is told of where her den may be,
00:14:35.900 And Unferth, more soberly than before,
00:14:38.900 Gives him a sword, in deference to Beowulf's proven might,
00:14:42.900 And renounces his own chance for valour.
00:14:45.900 So, Beowulf tracks her to her cave,
00:14:48.900 And does battle with this feral she-wolf.
00:14:52.900 Her blade nearly claims his life,
00:14:54.900 But eventually he grabs an old mighty sword,
00:14:58.900 Cleaving off her head,
00:15:00.900 And then takes the head of Grendel's corpse as a trophy.
00:15:04.900 He returns to Heorot in triumph,
00:15:07.900 To the jubilation of all.
00:15:09.900 Hrothgar bestows many gifts upon him,
00:15:12.900 Including eight horses, many marvellous riches,
00:15:15.900 And even adopts Beowulf as his son.
00:15:18.900 But with peace restored and glory won,
00:15:21.900 It is now time for the gaitish prince to return to his people.
00:15:25.900 And so he sails back to Sweden,
00:15:28.900 And recounts a tale of his adventures to Higgalak, his king.
00:15:32.900 The story then leaps forwards about fifty years,
00:15:36.900 And we now found Beowulf not standing before the king,
00:15:40.900 But the king himself.
00:15:42.900 Old and wise,
00:15:44.900 But still with that same spirit and strength that possessed him in his youth.
00:15:48.900 He's ruled long and he's ruled well,
00:15:51.900 But now, in the twilight of his life,
00:15:54.900 He must face a menace more terrible than any he had previously reckoned with.
00:15:59.900 A dragon.
00:16:01.900 It slumbers atop of its hoarded wealth,
00:16:03.900 In unchallenged pride.
00:16:05.900 But then, a thief finds a secret passage into his dominion,
00:16:11.900 And steals a jeweled cup.
00:16:13.900 In its tantrum, the dragon soars about the gaitish lands,
00:16:18.900 Immolating its hall and eviscerating its homes.
00:16:21.900 Beowulf gathers a small host of warriors to confront the winged beast,
00:16:27.900 But in that crucible of fate, Beowulf's age hinders him,
00:16:31.900 And the men he chose to support him cower in terror.
00:16:35.900 Only Wiglath, the youngest of their company,
00:16:39.900 Intercedes on his behalf,
00:16:41.900 And together they vanquish the dragon.
00:16:43.900 Yet, for Beowulf, the old king,
00:16:47.900 The hardened warrior,
00:16:49.900 It's too late.
00:16:51.900 The dragon's venom has mingled in his blood,
00:16:53.900 And his wounds are grave.
00:16:55.900 He beseeches Wiglath to show him a small sum of the treasure,
00:17:00.900 That he may know what wealth he has won for his people,
00:17:03.900 And may depart from life in peace.
00:17:06.900 Upon seeing a portion,
00:17:08.900 The aged warrior in anguish says,
00:17:11.900 Now that I have for the hoard of precious things
00:17:14.900 Bartered the span of old life,
00:17:16.900 Do ye henceforth furnish the people's needs?
00:17:20.900 No longer may I remain.
00:17:22.900 Bid ye, man renowned in war,
00:17:26.900 To make a mound for me plain,
00:17:28.900 To see when the pyre is done,
00:17:31.900 Upon the headland out to sea.
00:17:33.900 He says that it shall ever be known as Beowulf's Barrow,
00:17:37.900 And naming Wiglath king,
00:17:40.900 The tale ends,
00:17:41.900 With Wiglath angrily scorning the other men
00:17:44.900 For their weakness and faithlessness,
00:17:47.900 Before ordering that Beowulf's Barrow be made,
00:17:50.900 And a sense of foreboding doom clings to a story's end,
00:17:54.900 As without their aged king,
00:17:56.900 The Gaeots will no longer have the strength
00:17:58.900 To defend themselves against the Swedes,
00:18:01.900 And other clans that wish to exploit their recent sorrows.
00:18:04.900 In this way, the poem is more of an elegy than an epic,
00:18:08.900 Looking back in lamentation at one of the proudest warriors of its people.
00:18:13.900 It has been said of Beowulf itself,
00:18:16.900 That its weakness lies in placing the unimportant things at the centre,
00:18:21.900 And the important things on the outer edges.
00:18:24.900 So Tolkien commented regarding the discourse around Beowulf,
00:18:28.900 When he decided to change the discourse back in 1936.
00:18:33.900 What he means by this,
00:18:35.900 Is that the three bouts of action within the story,
00:18:38.900 First against Grendel,
00:18:40.900 And then his mother,
00:18:41.900 And lastly the dragon,
00:18:42.900 At the foreground,
00:18:43.900 And overwhelm the moments in the mead hall,
00:18:46.900 Where more cultured curiosities,
00:18:49.900 Such as mentions of Siegmund,
00:18:51.900 And speculative details regarding the civil wars of Scandinavian peoples lay.
00:18:56.900 However, my personal opinion is that it's these calms and revelries within the mead hall,
00:19:04.900 That balance out the action perfectly.
00:19:07.900 As it's in those calms that you discover why Beowulf,
00:19:11.900 And indeed all men,
00:19:13.900 Fight in the first place,
00:19:15.900 To preserve what they believe to be the good.
00:19:18.900 Heorot,
00:19:19.900 That remarkable mead hall of King Hrothgar,
00:19:22.900 Is order,
00:19:24.900 Culture,
00:19:25.900 Community,
00:19:26.900 And safety.
00:19:27.900 Tolkien compares it to Camelot,
00:19:29.900 Because of its both historical and mystical components combined into one.
00:19:35.900 And it's remarkable as well,
00:19:37.900 That only very recently,
00:19:39.900 Back in 2013,
00:19:40.900 A team of archaeologists,
00:19:42.900 Led by a chap called Thomas Christensen,
00:19:46.900 Directed an investigation at Laia in Denmark,
00:19:49.900 Excavate and date this late 5th,
00:19:53.900 Early 6th century building,
00:19:55.900 Which was most likely the first royal hall.
00:19:58.900 And it seems to be the very hall that was attributed to Beowulf,
00:20:04.900 The legend,
00:20:05.900 The heorot from Beowulf's tale.
00:20:08.900 And you can just imagine this place in those dark ages,
00:20:12.900 Brimming with life and culture and vitality.
00:20:15.900 And juxtaposing that with the outside,
00:20:19.900 With its untamed,
00:20:21.900 Unknown regions of the wild,
00:20:23.900 It's easy to understand why those people might have thought that demonic forces,
00:20:28.900 Were actively seeking to threaten that peace.
00:20:31.900 But in that battle for order against chaos,
00:20:35.900 Beowulf establishes himself as a very archetypical example,
00:20:40.900 Of the warrior from the pedigree of Germanic heroic legend.
00:20:45.900 Beowulf's ambitions for glory and honour are inextricably linked with his goodness.
00:20:51.900 You cannot have honour without loyalty,
00:20:54.900 And you cannot claim glory without heroism.
00:20:57.900 And fortunately for Beowulf,
00:21:00.900 His enemies are not characters of any moral complexity.
00:21:04.900 Even though he does fight other mortal men,
00:21:08.900 In more traditional warfare during his life in Frisia and Sweden,
00:21:13.900 This is not the focus of the story.
00:21:16.900 Therefore the poem avoids the moral grey of human conflict,
00:21:20.900 As found in other texts such as the much more ancient Iliad.
00:21:26.900 In a further comparison to the ancient Greek tradition,
00:21:30.900 The American writer, R.W. Chambers,
00:21:33.900 Observed in his Beowulf and the Heroic Age,
00:21:36.900 Comparing Beowulfian monsters to those of ancient Greek legend,
00:21:41.900 Odysseus is struggling with the monstrous and wicked foe,
00:21:44.900 But he is not exactly thought of as struggling with the powers of darkness.
00:21:49.900 Polyphemus, by devouring his guests,
00:21:52.900 Acts in the way which is hateful to Zeus and the other gods.
00:21:57.900 Yet the Cyclops is himself God-begotten,
00:22:00.900 And under divine protection.
00:22:02.900 The fact that Odysseus has maimed him,
00:22:04.900 Is a wrong which Poseidon is slow to forgive,
00:22:08.900 Whereas the gigantic monstrous foes whom Beowulf has to meet,
00:22:12.900 Are identified with the foes of God himself.
00:22:15.900 And this is integral to understanding the nature of Beowulf,
00:22:19.900 Given that it was most likely a story that was first majoritively,
00:22:25.900 If not entirely pagan in its conception.
00:22:29.900 Because the Scandinavian and Germanic heathens,
00:22:34.900 Not only had no quarrel with the existence of various mythological creatures,
00:22:39.900 Such as giants, ogres, elves, dwarves, and other such creatures,
00:22:45.900 That we now commonly associate with fairy tales,
00:22:48.900 But their entire world view hinged upon their existence,
00:22:52.900 With creatures such as Fenrir, the wolf, and Jormigander, the world serpent,
00:22:58.900 Playing integral roles in the fate of Midgard.
00:23:02.900 With the Saxon conquest of England,
00:23:06.900 Many of these beliefs in giants and elves,
00:23:09.900 Took root on our island.
00:23:11.900 And it was a task of the Christian missionaries,
00:23:14.900 To suffocate these superstitions.
00:23:17.900 But it's clear that these folkloric creatures,
00:23:21.900 Continued to persist in the minds of the common folk.
00:23:24.900 And so in setting Beowulf to parchment,
00:23:28.900 It becomes necessary for the Beowulf poet,
00:23:30.900 To create some reconciliation on two particular points.
00:23:36.900 Firstly,
00:23:37.900 Where can the monsters in Beowulf come from,
00:23:40.900 From a Christian perspective?
00:23:42.900 And secondly,
00:23:43.900 Should paganism be wholly condemned,
00:23:46.900 And by extension the deeds and bravery,
00:23:48.900 Of the Anglo-Saxon's Germanic forefathers be disowned?
00:23:52.900 The first point,
00:23:54.900 We've already established from the text,
00:23:56.900 That the poet devised a theological explanation,
00:24:00.900 Out of the sins of Cain,
00:24:02.900 For why such monsters exist in the world of Beowulf.
00:24:06.900 Not only is the writing for the battles,
00:24:09.900 Brimming with vitality and vividness,
00:24:12.900 But they represent absolute good,
00:24:14.900 Conquering absolute evil.
00:24:16.900 Whilst simultaneously staying within the Germanic heroic tradition,
00:24:22.900 Grendel is a monster,
00:24:24.900 A descendant of the biblical Cain,
00:24:26.900 Who slew his brother Abel,
00:24:28.900 And became the first murderer.
00:24:30.900 He is a damned and deformed creature.
00:24:32.900 Not only is he cursed to bear the sin of his ancestral sinner,
00:24:38.900 But he also commits sin himself.
00:24:40.900 And Grendel's defeat brings on the wrath of his mother.
00:24:46.900 Now Grendel's mother is a very interesting character,
00:24:49.900 Because she squarely fits into the chaotic feminine archetype.
00:24:54.900 She lives out in the fens, in the wilds,
00:24:58.900 And is in many ways a typical example of that den mother.
00:25:04.900 There is no morality built around her,
00:25:07.900 There is only mere survival.
00:25:09.900 And she represents an existential threat,
00:25:14.900 Because of her ability to give birth to more monsters,
00:25:19.900 To brood more spawns from the descendants of Cain.
00:25:23.900 And therefore with new life that she brings into the world,
00:25:27.900 She will continue to bring more terrors,
00:25:30.900 And more evil along with her.
00:25:32.900 She's described numerous times,
00:25:34.900 Depending on your translation,
00:25:35.900 As monstrous and she-wolf.
00:25:38.900 And it's clear that every aspect of her character,
00:25:41.900 Could only really be described as feral.
00:25:43.900 But then comparatively,
00:25:45.900 If you were to juxtapose her with the other,
00:25:48.900 Most significant female character within the story,
00:25:51.900 Which is Welfia,
00:25:53.900 Who is the wife of King Hrothgar,
00:25:55.900 Of the Shieldings.
00:25:56.900 And she brings that more positive feminine quality.
00:26:02.900 She brings healing and reconciliation.
00:26:06.900 And this is seen by the fact of when she passes the Mead Cup,
00:26:11.900 Around the hall and between different people,
00:26:14.900 Which is obviously a very old tradition in Germanic societies,
00:26:18.900 For creating bonds of social harmony and friendship,
00:26:21.900 When two men drink from the same cup.
00:26:24.900 And so against the destructive vengeance of Grendel's mother,
00:26:28.900 Wealthy Owl manages to bring some nurturing order,
00:26:32.900 That is wonderfully compatible with the social order that the men also reinforce in society.
00:26:40.900 And then I suppose it actually just makes sense,
00:26:43.900 Now having spoken about Grendel and also his mother,
00:26:47.900 To speak about the third monster that Beowulf actually has to grapple with in the story,
00:26:53.900 Which is of course a dragon.
00:26:55.900 And what's interesting about the dragon,
00:26:57.900 Is it's actually one of the monsters in the story,
00:27:00.900 That does actually have some basis in biblical scripture.
00:27:04.900 Because according to Book of Revelation 12 through 9,
00:27:09.900 It states that,
00:27:11.900 So whether or not Satan turns into a literal dragon or a metaphorical one,
00:27:29.900 This goes a long way in biblical history,
00:27:32.900 For why we in the west have a conception of dragons,
00:27:37.900 As tyrannical, bloodthirsty and merciless creatures.
00:27:42.900 Which is in total contradiction to the more eastern cultural perceptions,
00:27:48.900 As dragons as omens of wisdom and good fortune and wealth and prosperity.
00:27:54.900 And so if a dragon is by its very nature satanic,
00:27:58.900 Then that naturally also means that it is an inversion of Christian morality itself.
00:28:05.900 And so the dragon represents the heroic but bent towards evil.
00:28:10.900 Both Beowulf and the dragon are strong, proud and have great wealth.
00:28:14.900 But with the dragon these corrupted into negative qualities,
00:28:19.900 Such as greed and malice and destruction.
00:28:23.900 It's one of the very interesting facts of the text of Beowulf,
00:28:28.900 That the theme of gift giving is given such prominence within the text.
00:28:33.900 Beowulf gives gifts and is given gifts by Hrothgar and by Higalak.
00:28:38.900 Even Unferth, the man who originally scorns Beowulf,
00:28:43.900 And mocks him and is suspicious of him.
00:28:47.900 When Beowulf goes to fight Grendel's mother,
00:28:50.900 Unferth gives him a sword, which is her thing.
00:28:53.900 And though this sword is not actually effective against Grendel's mother,
00:28:59.900 It is symbolic between Beowulf and Unferth of a token of goodwill.
00:29:04.900 That Unferth actually wants Beowulf to go in safety and protection.
00:29:10.900 Whereas when you look at the juxtaposition of this sharing of riches,
00:29:17.900 This sharing of wealth, this sharing of gifts,
00:29:20.900 That happens in the civilized world of Hroth's Hall.
00:29:25.900 Compare that with the dragon's plunder,
00:29:28.900 Where the loss of but a single jeweled cup,
00:29:32.900 Results in the dragon breaking out into wrathful vengeance.
00:29:36.900 Because what it's actually threatened by is the fact that one single person
00:29:42.900 Decided to challenge its supremacy and its dominion.
00:29:49.900 And also what's more, unlike Grendel and Grendel's mother,
00:29:54.900 The dragon represents a more existential and timeless elemental threat.
00:30:03.900 Because the wealth on which it sits, the very horde of the dragon,
00:30:08.900 Is the accruement of generations and generations of wealth,
00:30:12.900 By a race of people who no longer exist.
00:30:17.900 There's a wonderful part before Beowulf's confrontation with the dragon,
00:30:22.900 Where it's explained to the reader how this wealth came to exist in the first place.
00:30:27.900 And it's essentially, as I say, the accumulation of centuries of wealth from a forgotten people.
00:30:34.900 To go back to the point about the inversion of morality between Beowulf and the dragon,
00:30:40.900 Where Beowulf uses his strength in order to achieve valour and honour,
00:30:46.900 Which, as I said previously, only comes from righteous action that is used to defend the innocent.
00:30:54.900 And it's very interesting, actually, in Tolkien's particular translation of it,
00:30:59.900 He often uses the word knight,
00:31:01.900 Which, even though, of course, is anachronistic,
00:31:04.900 And there weren't knights in pagan Norse society,
00:31:07.900 Because the idea of being a knight is obviously fundamentally a Christian concept.
00:31:12.900 That's Tolkien just making a stylistic choice.
00:31:15.900 But fundamentally, he is driving at a commonality between those two virtues.
00:31:22.900 That what Beowulf is doing is protecting the innocent,
00:31:25.900 Protecting those who cannot defend themselves,
00:31:28.900 And doing it to restore peace and order.
00:31:30.900 Whereas a dragon only uses its violence and its might for intimidation,
00:31:35.900 And towards the domination of others and terror.
00:31:39.900 But fundamentally, Beowulf's battle with the dragon is during his old age.
00:31:44.900 It's during the final years of his life.
00:31:47.900 And even though the poem isn't symmetrically weighted,
00:31:51.900 It's really a story of a warrior's rise and fall.
00:31:55.900 And in Beowulf's struggle with the dragon,
00:31:58.900 What he's actually symbolically doing is fighting against his own mortality.
00:32:03.900 And in the end, it requires Wiglath, the youngest of his company,
00:32:09.900 To help him vanquish the dragon.
00:32:12.900 Because Wiglath embodies that vitality and spirit and capability
00:32:17.900 That Beowulf himself once exhibited during his earlier years
00:32:22.900 When he was able to vanquish Grendel.
00:32:24.900 It's also worth mentioning as well, actually,
00:32:26.900 As regards to how the dragon comes to destroy Beowulf's kingdom
00:32:31.900 Through the firestorm.
00:32:33.900 That it was all started by this particular thief.
00:32:37.900 And the thief is a single mysterious character in this tale.
00:32:43.900 It also reinforces the original point that has first been made by Grendel
00:32:49.900 And his mother and the dragon itself.
00:32:51.900 Which is the thief clearly exists as someone apart from society.
00:32:56.900 And how someone with a sense of greed and carelessness can unleash a chaos.
00:33:03.900 And this is perfectly balanced out by the general structure of the poem itself.
00:33:09.900 How there is peace and there is a battle.
00:33:11.900 And then there is another peace and then there is a battle.
00:33:14.900 And then this way you can see the pagan Christian understanding
00:33:17.900 Of that cyclical view of history.
00:33:19.900 That peace is never permanent.
00:33:21.900 And that fundamentally life is one big battle.
00:33:26.900 You might achieve as Beowulf achieved countless victories in your life.
00:33:31.900 But eventually time waits for no one.
00:33:34.900 And it will conquer all.
00:33:36.900 Whether it be in the deathbed.
00:33:38.900 Or whether it be on the battlefield.
00:33:40.900 And it will be up to the next generation to come into their own.
00:33:44.900 And preserve that good that the elder generation once fought for.
00:33:49.900 And there is another aspect to memory with the character of Wiglath.
00:33:53.900 Who saves, well, doesn't save Beowulf.
00:33:56.900 But certainly is able to help him defeat the dragon.
00:34:00.900 So that Beowulf is able to at least have some final words.
00:34:04.900 And to be able to die his conscience in relative peace.
00:34:08.900 That his people are going to continue.
00:34:10.900 Which is the fact that with Wiglath.
00:34:13.900 Wiglath remembers all of the gifts and honors that Beowulf has bestowed upon him through the years.
00:34:22.900 And his scorn is rightly put on these other warriors who didn't come to Beowulf's aid.
00:34:29.900 Because he says to them.
00:34:31.900 All of those gifts.
00:34:32.900 All of those rewards.
00:34:33.900 All of that land.
00:34:34.900 All of that, you know.
00:34:36.900 You were happy to take it when you lived in comfort.
00:34:39.900 But when it actually came to doing what needed to be done to preserve the good.
00:34:44.900 You failed.
00:34:45.900 You failed in your duty.
00:34:46.900 You abnegated your responsibility as men to uphold that.
00:34:51.900 And so Beowulf fundamentally shouldn't have had to have fought that fight.
00:34:56.900 Because it was the duty of the young to carry on what he had managed to achieve originally.
00:35:03.900 You can certainly see in Beowulf's death the Christian author at work on the pagan work.
00:35:11.900 Actually, to be fair, I think Beowulf does a very good job of the author being able to have his cake and eat it too.
00:35:18.900 When it comes to this particular story.
00:35:21.900 Because he's able to show the Germanic heroism of Beowulf in his fights against Grendel and his mother.
00:35:28.900 To be mighty.
00:35:29.900 To vanquish evil.
00:35:30.900 To fight against foes.
00:35:32.900 And to achieve renown and glory and wealth.
00:35:35.900 But he's also able to end Beowulf's story on a very Christian theme of selflessness and sacrifice.
00:35:42.900 Because Beowulf is never going to actually be able to enjoy this wealth that he himself has won.
00:35:48.900 But he knows that it gets to continue on so that other people might enjoy what he cannot have.
00:35:54.900 And obviously the matter of keeping them safe from the dragon's fury.
00:36:00.900 Which he ultimately does.
00:36:01.900 And at this point it feels like an appropriate time to speak about another particularly prescient theme in the work of Beowulf.
00:36:11.900 Which is what you could characterize as doom or fate.
00:36:17.900 Or as the Anglo-Saxon term would put it.
00:36:21.900 Weird.
00:36:22.900 Which is not weird as in.
00:36:24.900 You know.
00:36:25.900 The mustache is a bit weird.
00:36:27.900 It's weird as in W Y R D.
00:36:30.900 And this is a very Anglo-Saxon view of the world.
00:36:35.900 But you can see it constantly at work with that throughout the text of Beowulf.
00:36:40.900 Where Beowulf fights against Grendel's mother.
00:36:44.900 And Grendel's mother has a few occasions where she's able to slash at Beowulf with a sword.
00:36:51.900 And fortunately his armor protects him.
00:36:53.900 Or he's brought to the ground and he's able to stand and rise once more.
00:36:57.900 And is ultimately able to finally vanquish yet another foe.
00:37:01.900 And live to fight another day.
00:37:03.900 And so weird.
00:37:05.900 This philosophy of active fate.
00:37:07.900 And it comes from the Anglo-Saxon verb weirthan.
00:37:11.900 Which is to become.
00:37:13.900 And weird is the course of events.
00:37:16.900 And the idea that with enough courage one can fight to continue living.
00:37:20.900 But if doom is pronounced.
00:37:23.900 And fate is decided.
00:37:25.900 That there's nothing really that can stand against it.
00:37:29.900 However, it's crucial to point out that weird is not necessarily entirely pre-destination.
00:37:37.900 Or a predetermined life.
00:37:39.900 Because the fact of the matter is that Beowulf was not destined to die fighting the dragon.
00:37:45.900 From the moment that he was born.
00:37:47.900 Rather he made a choice.
00:37:49.900 An obvious one though it may seem.
00:37:51.900 To defend his people.
00:37:53.900 But one in keeping with his character.
00:37:55.900 All Beowulf was doing was doing what he'd done for his entire life.
00:37:59.900 The only thing he knew what to do.
00:38:01.900 Perhaps it could be construed as a criticism of Beowulf's character.
00:38:05.900 That he put everything upon himself.
00:38:09.900 And always fought the fight.
00:38:11.900 And the fact that Wiglath out of an entire company of men.
00:38:15.900 Was the only one who ever actually was able to come to Beowulf's aid in the end.
00:38:21.900 Represents the fact that because Beowulf was such an effective king.
00:38:25.900 And his strength was able to create so many years of peace.
00:38:31.900 That in that peace his warriors forgot their primary duty.
00:38:37.900 And what they had to do.
00:38:39.900 And Beowulf never thought to remind them of what might be necessary one day.
00:38:43.900 Fortunately he was able to inspire just enough wisdom in Wiglath.
00:38:49.900 So that the Gatish people might triumph.
00:38:51.900 But ultimately it leaves on this very foreboding note.
00:38:57.900 That actually now that Beowulf is no longer around.
00:39:02.900 The antagonistic rival Swedes.
00:39:06.900 Will come in and destroy everything.
00:39:09.900 And ultimately the gold is kind of worthless.
00:39:12.900 Without the strength of men to defend it.
00:39:14.900 And the honour of men to actually challenge forces that rival their strength.
00:39:20.900 But whatever comes in the future after Beowulf's departure from life.
00:39:25.900 As I've taken from the Exeter book.
00:39:27.900 Which was a chronicle written from about 950 to 1000 AD.
00:39:33.900 It is still the best thing.
00:39:35.900 Since a man may not himself avert his destiny.
00:39:39.900 That he should therefore suffer it well.
00:39:41.900 And by every metric I would say that that's exactly what Beowulf does.
00:39:46.900 He manages to conquer a beast that by rights should have been able to kill him.
00:39:55.900 Especially in his old age.
00:39:57.900 And Beowulf's fate fighting the dragon is fundamentally intertwined with a concept that Tolkien described as Northern courage.
00:40:07.900 Which he describes as a creed of unyielding will.
00:40:11.900 And is something that is a characteristic of Northern European cultures and societies.
00:40:17.900 Mostly of course Germanic and Scandinavian.
00:40:20.900 But also English as well.
00:40:22.900 By the nature of its incorporation of those peoples and ideas across the centuries of the Anglo-Saxon invasions.
00:40:29.900 And the Norse invasions as well.
00:40:31.900 And you can understand why this philosophy would have.
00:40:36.900 Although they wouldn't have articulated it quite in that way.
00:40:39.900 It would have not been necessarily a philosophical idea.
00:40:43.900 So much as it would have been a subconscious understanding of the reality of life.
00:40:49.900 That the Northmen's struggle is to relentlessly fight against hope.
00:40:57.900 But the glory and the heroism is to fight all the same.
00:41:01.900 And this on the mythological level is very much connected to the Norse idea of Ragnarok.
00:41:08.900 Ragnarok is a final battle. An apocalyptic end to the entire world.
00:41:15.900 That will eventually lead to the ruin of all.
00:41:18.900 And even if a Viking warrior might die on the field of battle.
00:41:22.900 It might seem to be glorious and eternally happy.
00:41:27.900 For him to arrive in the halls of Valhalla.
00:41:30.900 So that he can drink and battle forever more.
00:41:33.900 But ultimately he's only waiting there for Ragnarok.
00:41:37.900 For the ultimate doom that will destroy all.
00:41:40.900 And so ultimately the Norse northern conception of life was all flowing in the direction of an eventual doom.
00:41:51.900 And in that sense I couldn't help but be reminded of course of that famous passage from the German polymath Oswald Spengler.
00:42:00.900 Who had that the famous passage from Man and Techniques.
00:42:04.900 Which is we are born into this time and must bravely follow the path to the destined end.
00:42:10.900 There is no other way.
00:42:11.900 Our duty is to hold on to the lost position without hope, without rescue.
00:42:16.900 Like that Roman soldier whose bones were found in front of a door in Pompeii.
00:42:21.900 Who during the eruption of Vesuvius died at his post because they forget to relieve him.
00:42:27.900 That is greatness.
00:42:29.900 That is what it means to be thoroughbred.
00:42:31.900 The honourable end is the only thing that cannot be taken from a man.
00:42:36.900 And that is exactly the fate of Beowulf.
00:42:41.900 That he is against hope and against any hopes of his own personal survival or longevity.
00:42:48.900 And in the face of his own mortality.
00:42:51.900 He obviously does ironically achieve immortality.
00:42:55.900 Because of his deeds and heroism.
00:42:57.900 And he will be remembered forever more.
00:43:00.900 And you can certainly see, though I don't want to dwell on it too long.
00:43:04.900 Because fundamentally this is about Beowulf and not the Lord of the Rings.
00:43:08.900 But you can certainly see how Tolkien took this idea of Northern courage against fighting even without hope.
00:43:14.900 Because of the sheer goodness of fighting against evil.
00:43:19.900 Of fighting for survival.
00:43:21.900 And the nobility of such an act.
00:43:23.900 And you can see that being a very prevalent theme within the Lord of the Rings itself.
00:43:27.900 Even if Tolkien has his own criticisms of it.
00:43:31.900 And doesn't quite agree.
00:43:32.900 Because of his Catholic metaphysics.
00:43:35.900 And his general view of the divinely ordained trajectory of the universe.
00:43:41.900 And whilst I'm speaking about it, of course.
00:43:43.900 It does also make sense just to dwell on a few other obvious parallels.
00:43:48.900 Between Beowulf and Tolkien's other works.
00:43:51.900 Which is, of course, that the way that the dragon is unleashed in Beowulf.
00:43:56.900 With the thief sneaking into his halls to steal a jeweled cup.
00:44:01.900 And the dragon waking up in fury.
00:44:03.900 And going out and setting ablaze Beowulf's town.
00:44:06.900 Is almost beat for beat.
00:44:09.900 A copy of exactly what, of course, happens in The Hobbit.
00:44:13.900 With Bilbo Baggins sneaking into Erebor.
00:44:16.900 The Lonely Mountain.
00:44:17.900 And stealing a jeweled cup from the dragon Smaug.
00:44:20.900 Who then goes on to set fire to Laketown.
00:44:24.900 And also there is another very, very faithful piece of imagery.
00:44:29.900 From Beowulf's funeral.
00:44:31.900 Towards the end of the story.
00:44:33.900 Where within Beowulf's barrow.
00:44:35.900 Within his mound.
00:44:36.900 There is a circle of horses that ride around it.
00:44:40.900 In procession.
00:44:41.900 And this very, very clearly mirrors the funeral of Theoden.
00:44:46.900 King of Rohan.
00:44:47.900 Towards the end of the Lord of the Rings as well.
00:44:49.900 Another interesting parallel between the two works.
00:44:53.900 Not as a particular event.
00:44:55.900 But just more as a commonality of action.
00:44:59.900 Is that there is a lack of religious ritual.
00:45:03.900 In both of the texts.
00:45:04.900 Now obviously in Beowulf.
00:45:06.900 That obviously can be ascribed to the fact.
00:45:09.900 That the Christian author.
00:45:10.900 Doesn't want to illustrate lots and lots of.
00:45:14.900 Pagan rituals.
00:45:15.900 Because what he's trying to do.
00:45:16.900 Is trying to find Christian virtue.
00:45:18.900 In ancestors whose religion.
00:45:21.900 He fundamentally disagrees with.
00:45:23.900 And so really.
00:45:24.900 The Beowulf poet.
00:45:26.900 Is looking specifically.
00:45:28.900 For virtue.
00:45:29.900 In moral action.
00:45:31.900 And of course.
00:45:32.900 There can be no virtue.
00:45:34.900 In the action.
00:45:35.900 Of other gods and deities.
00:45:37.900 And it's quite interesting actually.
00:45:39.900 How the Beowulf poet.
00:45:41.900 Is able to reconcile.
00:45:43.900 The pagan past.
00:45:44.900 With the Christian presence.
00:45:46.900 Because actually.
00:45:47.900 When you look at it.
00:45:48.900 You see that he has a lot.
00:45:50.900 Of fondness.
00:45:51.900 And praise.
00:45:52.900 For that pagan past.
00:45:54.900 It's in.
00:45:55.900 It's in the same vein.
00:45:56.900 That Dante.
00:45:57.900 In his.
00:45:58.900 Inferno.
00:45:59.900 That you have.
00:46:00.900 All of those.
00:46:01.900 Pagan.
00:46:02.900 Characters.
00:46:03.900 And historical figures.
00:46:04.900 Such as Aristotle.
00:46:05.900 And Plato.
00:46:06.900 And Socrates.
00:46:07.900 Who.
00:46:08.900 Were born.
00:46:09.900 Before the revelation.
00:46:10.900 Or could not know.
00:46:11.900 The revelation of Christ.
00:46:12.900 And therefore.
00:46:13.900 Cannot gain access.
00:46:14.900 Into heaven.
00:46:15.900 But.
00:46:16.900 All the same.
00:46:17.900 Were.
00:46:18.900 Regarded.
00:46:19.900 By Dante.
00:46:20.900 And most people.
00:46:21.900 As virtuous.
00:46:22.900 And good.
00:46:23.900 Men.
00:46:24.900 Who's.
00:46:25.900 Dedicated.
00:46:26.900 Their lives.
00:46:27.900 To moral instruction.
00:46:28.900 And ethics.
00:46:29.900 And.
00:46:30.900 The.
00:46:31.900 And.
00:46:32.900 Pontificated.
00:46:33.900 Upon questions.
00:46:34.900 Of how to build.
00:46:35.900 A good society.
00:46:36.900 And.
00:46:37.900 Maintain.
00:46:38.900 Good governance.
00:46:39.900 Which is exactly.
00:46:40.900 The same themes.
00:46:41.900 That the text.
00:46:42.900 Of Beowulf.
00:46:43.900 Really.
00:46:44.900 Explores.
00:46:45.900 Just another.
00:46:46.900 Thought actually.
00:46:47.900 On the.
00:46:48.900 More monstrous.
00:46:49.900 Aspects.
00:46:50.900 Of Beowulf.
00:46:51.900 Is that.
00:46:52.900 In the original.
00:46:53.900 Old English.
00:46:54.900 Of the text.
00:46:55.900 Where.
00:46:56.900 It speaks about.
00:46:57.900 How.
00:46:58.900 All of these.
00:46:59.900 Monsters.
00:47:00.900 Came into the world.
00:47:01.900 Through.
00:47:02.900 Their descent.
00:47:03.900 From.
00:47:04.900 Cain.
00:47:05.900 The.
00:47:06.900 The poet.
00:47:07.900 Uses.
00:47:08.900 The.
00:47:09.900 Old English.
00:47:10.900 Old English.
00:47:11.900 Which is.
00:47:12.900 Two words.
00:47:13.900 Compounded.
00:47:14.900 Together.
00:47:15.900 To create.
00:47:16.900 Some.
00:47:17.900 Metaphorical.
00:47:18.900 Expression.
00:47:19.900 And.
00:47:20.900 So.
00:47:21.900 Orc.
00:47:22.900 Neus.
00:47:23.900 As a.
00:47:24.900 Rough.
00:47:25.900 Translation.
00:47:26.900 One.
00:47:27.900 To obviously.
00:47:28.900 Inspire.
00:47:29.900 Tolkien.
00:47:30.900 To adopt.
00:47:31.900 The word.
00:47:32.900 Orc.
00:47:33.900 For his.
00:47:34.900 Later.
00:47:35.900 Very.
00:47:36.900 Monstrous.
00:47:37.900 Creatures.
00:47:38.900 Of his own.
00:47:39.900 In Middle Earth.
00:47:40.900 And.
00:47:41.900 Although.
00:47:42.900 We've.
00:47:43.900 Actually.
00:47:44.900 Had.
00:47:45.900 A.
00:47:46.900 Very.
00:47:47.900 Faithful.
00:47:48.900 Good.
00:47:49.900 Adaptation.
00:47:50.900 Of.
00:47:51.900 Beowulf.
00:47:52.900 That wasn't.
00:47:53.900 Either.
00:47:54.900 Made.
00:47:55.900 Darnished.
00:47:56.900 By.
00:47:57.900 Some.
00:47:58.900 Very.
00:47:59.900 Questionable.
00:48:00.900 Writing.
00:48:01.900 Decisions.
00:48:02.900 Such.
00:48:03.900 As they.
00:48:04.900 Made.
00:48:05.900 In.
00:48:06.900 The.
00:48:07.900 Animated.
00:48:08.900 Film.
00:48:09.900 Of.
00:48:10.900 2007.
00:48:11.900 In.
00:48:12.900 Which.
00:48:13.900 It seems.
00:48:14.900 To be.
00:48:15.900 Quite.
00:48:16.900 The.
00:48:17.900 Diversion.
00:48:18.900 From.
00:48:19.900 The.
00:48:20.900 Original.
00:48:21.900 Text.
00:48:22.900 That.
00:48:23.900 From.
00:48:24.900 Ultimately.
00:48:25.900 As regards.
00:48:26.900 To the.
00:48:27.900 Original.
00:48:28.900 Much.
00:48:29.900 Like.
00:48:30.900 The.
00:48:31.900 The.
00:48:32.900 Themes.
00:48:33.900 And.
00:48:34.900 The.
00:48:35.900 Characters.
00:48:36.900 From.
00:48:37.900 The.
00:48:38.900 Poem.
00:48:39.900 To.
00:48:40.900 To.
00:48:41.900 That.
00:48:42.900 The.
00:48:43.900 The.
00:48:44.900 The.
00:48:45.900 The.
00:48:46.900 The.
00:48:47.900 The.
00:48:48.900 Wrote.
00:48:49.900 As.
00:48:50.900 The.
00:48:51.900 The.
00:48:53.900 A.
00:48:54.900 The.
00:48:55.900 The.
00:48:56.900 Walking.
00:48:57.900 A.
00:48:58.900 A.
00:48:59.900 A.
00:49:00.900 A.
00:49:01.900 The.
00:49:02.900 Three.
00:49:03.900 The.
00:49:04.900 buildings, to his descendant Hrothgar, and then across the sea as well, across the sound,
00:49:12.000 to Sweden with characters like Higalak and then Beowulf, that they all exhibit similar
00:49:19.000 qualities of strength that lead to a good society.
00:49:24.300 They all show great unwavering moral conviction in what is good and what is evil, and what
00:49:31.580 must be done in order to keep evil at bay, which is ultimately to fight it.
00:49:37.640 And as I said earlier on, it's definitely a point of strength to Hrothgar's character
00:49:44.700 that he's willing to entertain the idea of this outsider coming to help him to vanquish
00:49:53.700 this evil.
00:49:54.860 You can see in that sense as well how it also further connects to the Lord of the Rings,
00:50:00.500 because, of course, that is about a collaborative effort between different races of people
00:50:06.160 working together to vanquish things that could be considered absolute evil.
00:50:11.000 Of course, as always, Tolkien puts it best.
00:50:13.420 And if I were to read just one passage from his actual lecture, The Monster and the Critic,
00:50:20.000 it would be this one, which is,
00:50:22.560 The Beowulf author is still concerned primarily with man on earth, re-handling in a new perspective
00:50:29.220 an ancient theme, that man, each man, and all men, and all their works shall die, a theme
00:50:36.300 no Christian need despise.
00:50:38.560 Yet this theme plainly would not be so treated, but by the nearness of a pagan time, the shadow
00:50:45.560 of its despair, if only as a mood, as an intense emotion of regret, is still there.
00:50:52.060 The worth of defeated valour in this world is deeply felt.
00:50:56.920 As the poet looks back into the past, surveying the history of kings and warriors in the old
00:51:01.900 traditions, he sees that all glory, or, as we might say, culture or civilisation, ends
00:51:09.400 in night.
00:51:10.820 The solution of that tragedy is not treated.
00:51:13.700 It does not arise out of the material.
00:51:16.420 We get in fact a poem from a pregnant moment of poise, looking back into the pit, by a man
00:51:23.420 learned in old tales who was struggling, as it were, to get a general view of them all,
00:51:29.280 perceiving their common tragedy of inevitable ruin, and yet feeling this more poetically,
00:51:36.580 of course he was himself removed from the direct pressure of its despair.
00:51:40.860 And I certainly agree with that.
00:51:42.340 I think that there is a romanticism of former glory that works its way throughout the words
00:51:50.760 of Beowulf.
00:51:51.760 That actually, in being removed from it, and from the Beowulf poet looking back, he's
00:51:56.900 able to romanticise these people, romanticise this culture that fundamentally perhaps gave
00:52:04.140 this author his own origin story, in a way his ancestors might have come from those lands.
00:52:11.180 And ultimately, it's the wisdom of the Beowulf poet that he comes away from it knowing that,
00:52:20.100 yes, ultimately, those civilisations, that society, are doomed.
00:52:25.740 And indeed, he actually is entirely exonerated in this view, because ultimately the pagan world
00:52:34.060 of Northern Europe does fall.
00:52:37.100 Those tribes such as Beowulf, such as the Gaats, do collapse and are conquered by the Swedes,
00:52:42.900 and the pagan Swedes in turn are converted to Christianity.
00:52:47.200 And so, so much of that world and who they were and that window into that moment in time disappears
00:52:53.920 into darkness and defeat, and out of it is born something new.
00:52:58.560 Just as Anglo-Saxon England brought something new out of their conquest, and so the Normans
00:53:06.640 did in turn against Godwinson after 1066.
00:53:11.120 And so, I just think that Beowulf is a really, really important story, and a magnificent window
00:53:18.560 into a particular period of history and an area of the world that is very much unlit in those dark ages.
00:53:28.400 And I would very much, for those of you who haven't actually read it, I'd thoroughly recommend it.
00:53:34.480 Tolkien's translation is very, very good.
00:53:38.240 But nonetheless, I felt like it was an appropriate place to begin.
00:53:42.080 And so, I hope that you've managed to find some worth in this first episode of Chronicles.
00:53:49.200 I've really enjoyed presenting it, and I shall work very, very hard on honing my craft in presenting it to you.
00:53:57.680 Because it's quite a new format, actually.
00:53:59.440 I've never really just spoken to the camera like this before, so hello.
00:54:03.680 And so, that's where we'll round off discussion on Beowulf.
00:54:07.840 I hope that it's been informative.
00:54:09.600 I hope that it's been interesting and engaging.
00:54:13.120 And I shall work very, very hard as I settle into this role as host of this show,
00:54:18.720 to certainly work on myself as well as a presenter as I communicate it with you and in future episodes.
00:54:28.240 But yeah, I love Beowulf.
00:54:30.400 I think it's a fantastic story, and I hope to see you in the next one.
00:54:34.960 Thank you very much.