Winter Duldrums

It's been a week since the last post; I've been pondering which classic to read for February.  Am I feeling the vibe for Victor Hugo or Leo Tolstoy?  At this particular moment, I'm feeling the need for sun and sand, margaritas and long walks on a beach.  Man, I really don't like winter...it's not that I don't like the peace brought about by the brisk mornings.  I just don't like my outdoor activity hampered.  Having said that, this week I did take a jog at the local nature park, running the trails in the chilly weather on the wet grass and mud.  I can only do that when its not sleeting, snowing, misting, raining or generally miserable due to the inconsistent, ever-shifting Indiana weather.  Not to mention that due to this change of barometric pressure, my skin is holding on to moisture for dear life.  One day its 50 with sun, the next day, 19 with a 0 degree wind chill.  OK, enough "poor me" pity language.  Tune in next week to see which novel made the cut for February.

The sun just peeked it's glorious face through the clouds for about a minute--only the second time I've seen a glimpse of sunlight in a week.  Iprefer this kind of sunny day...

Courage in Death

I've finished reading Beowulf; initial impressions when the last page turned:

1.  It wasn't as bad as I anticipated
2.  I actually thought it was poetic (fancy that since it's a poem)
3.  It consisted of way more than superficial monsters, swords, helmets and characters with too many consonants in their names. Like an onion, it had many thematic layers.
4.  I would re-read it to better understand the underlying themes.
5.  If I did re-read it, I may consider reading aloud to better understand what it would have been like for this story to be told as it would have been throughout its early history.

We learn in Chapter 32 that the serf who stole the gem-studded cup from the dragon stole it due to need as he was a slave, recently beaten by his master and on the run.  However, this fact didn't matter to the dragon.  The dragon, peeved at having been disturbed and his treasure disrupted, wrecked a small village, "vomiting smoke and fire, burning down their homes."  The Geats plead to Beowulf to help slay the dragon; he agrees and then a couple chapters re-visit family history of his lineage, etc.  I noticed the dragon did not have a name as did Grendel.  I wonder why?

The action continues with Beowulf, now older and more feeble, feeling the effects of age, despite his unflinching courage.  Beowulf makes a final oratory, speaking to his people and soldiers prepared to fight the dragon should duty call:  "I've never known fear; as a youth I fought in endless battles.  I am old, now, but I will fight again, seek fame still, if the dragon hiding in this tower dares to face me."  Talk about "fake it till you make it"...I have to give him credit for his headstrong, if ultimately death-inducing bravery.

So Beowulf and the dragon duke it out; sadly, only one of Beowulf's soldiers--Wiglaf--braves the fiery battle with him when he needs it most.  Alas, however, he is too late and Beowulf suffer a fatal jugular wound.  They kill the dragon, however, in the end, slicing him in two.   Beowulf dies bravely, lying in a puddle of dragon blood on the edge of a cliff near the sea.  Wiglaf fufills Beowulf's last wish to gather the dragon-protected treasure for his people and build a huge tower at the very spot of his death so all men may see it and know it as Beowulf's tower to remember his bravery. 

Wiglaf reems the soldiers who chickend out and didn't come to their Lord's aid, "death would have been better for you all than the life you'll lead, branded with disgrace!" Our poem ends with a funeral scence on the coast of the Geats, "moaning their sorrows, lamenting their Lord...and so Beowulf's followers rode, mourning their beloved leader, crying that no better king had ever lived, no prince so mild, no man so open to his people, so deserving of praise."

Hell Hath No Fury Like A Mother Scorned...or a Grumpy Dragon

I took a couple days rest from reading Beowulf for the simple fact that I was having incredibly imaginative dreams...a few days rest and I've strengthened my resolve and so far, no more dreams.  Let's catch up on the action...

Chapters 16-31 of Beowulf take us from the halls of Herot through the depths of a stinking swamp of slithering sea monsters to the land of the Geats.  Time passes quickly as we move from the present to a distant future with Beowulf as King of the Geats.  My last post detailed the monstrous (pun intended) coup of Beowulf over Grendel, saving the Danes from imminent death as Grendel's sushi dinner.  As expected, King Hrothgar throws a lavish feast in Beowulf's honor, complete with Grendel's bloody appendage hanging from the rafters of Herot. 

Herot hall lay silent that night, party-goers under the lull of an excess of wine--that is--until a second monster, Grendel's mother, decides to enact revenge upon Herot: "she brooded on her loss, misery had brewed in her heart...a mother's sad heart, and her greed, drove her on a dangerous pathway of revenge."  The she-wolf terrorizes the drunken, peaceful Danes and takes a single victim, the closest friend of King Hrothgar back to her lair in a stinking lake of festering blood and guts.

As you might expect, Hrothgar is stricken with immense sadness that his close friend has now become Momma Monster's sushi.  Beowulf then declares (essentially he tells the king not to cry over spilled milk): "Let your sorrow end!  It is better for us all to avenge our friends, not mourn them forever.  He who can earn it should fight for the glory of his name; fame after death is the noblest of goals."  Beowulf agrees to fight her as well, on her territory.  He uses his new Hrothgar-given gifts of a chain mail shirt, sword and helmet to prepare for battle with her. 

Beowulf delivers a beautiful speech before he jumps into the lake "its waters bloody and bubbling, crawling with snakes."  I love how he doesn't drown in this lake as it takes hours to reach the muddy bottom; perhaps he was also born with gills to go with the courage!  After a bloody battle, fraught with clawing, ripping, tearing, bleeding and finally, decapitation of the she-wolf, he returns with the head of Grendel as a talisman against future terrors.  Hrothgar praises his strength, courage and God-given protection; he heaps booty upon Beowulf, filling his ship with gold, armor, horses and jewels.

Beowulf again makes a great speech on the shores of Denmark, as he prepares to embark on his journey homeward. Unferth (remember him?  the jealous Dane?) gifts Beowulf a great Danish sword as a token of his esteem and then the Geats sail home.  Awaiting in the homeland is Higlac, the King of the Geats; he is so grateful to the Lord God that Beowulf returned from his journey that once again, a feast was thrown in Beowulf's honor, complete with mead wine, meat and storytelling.  Higlac was proud of Beowulf and listened intently to the gory details of the trials and triumphs against the monsters of Denmark. 

Our story fast-forwards from this feast and we end chapter 31 fifty years into the future, with Beowulf as King of the Geats, Higlac having long since passed away.  What's better than a slimy sea monster to fight?  A dragon, of course...and an angry dragon who has been awakened by some errant man who "stumbled upon the dragon's entrance...discovered the ancient treasure and stole a gem-studded cup." 

I tried to find an image of Grendel's mother to spice up my posts (because everyone likes pictures).  For some reason I feel the first image  is a better representation of her than the second (no offense to Angie Jolie, but she's there to sell tickets to the movie).
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Fate Plays A Part

In re-reading my posts to ensure I'm making sense, I realized that Fate plays a big part in Beowulf.  Fate has already been mentioned twice in the text:

"Fate will unwind as it must!" and "Fate saves the living when they drive away death by themselves!"

Interestingly enough, Beowulf is credited with both these statements; it becomes clear after this last reading that perhaps Fate did assign qualities to Beowulf alone to defeat Grendel--for that is exactly what happens.

We enter the action, Hrothgar having left Herot in the hands of Beowulf for the evening.  As we have learned, Grendel strikes at night, unleashing his horrors and flesh-feasting when the moon is high.  Beowulf declares, standing by his bedside and in the presence of his men, that he will fight Grendel not with sword or shield, but with his bare hands.  HIS BARE HANDS.  And here we see Beowulf's faith:  "Let God in His wisdom extend His hand where He wills, reward whom He chooses."

A still, anticipatory silence befalls the Geats and Beowulf as they await the arrival of this devil and perhaps their death.  On cue, Grendel re-enters the story, "out of the marsh, bearing God's hatred" slithering his way to Herot to feast upon man-flesh.  Grendel snickers at the sight of so many men sleeping, feebly guarding the great hall.  He attacks with vengeance the first Geat he lays claw upon, ripping his flesh apart and spilling his innards (yum).  He moves to the next slumbering Geat only to be shocked that this man is able to bend back his advancing claws, striking not only surprise but fear into his ghoulish heart.

A weaponless battle ensues and Grendel knows, "that nowhere on earth had he met a man's whose hands were harder...and his mind flooded with fear.  He wanted nothing but retreat and escape...but he was trapped."  Go team Beowulf! Grendel attempts to free himself, but to no avail, Beowulf's grip is vise-like and unflinching.  Finally, our poet states, "Grendel discovered what it meant to feud with Almighty God."  Grendel is finally able to escape the halls of Herot but lighter on his feet, for Beowulf ripped off his arm!  It is intimated in the text that Grendel wearily returns to his swampish lair, life diminishing from loss of blood and utter powerlessness.

As you can imagine, the Danes are elated that this evil has been destroyed and Grendel's appendage is put on display for all to see.  The Danes praise Beowulf's courage and strength, recanting songs of old and creating new songs of Beowulf, who is "well-loved, followed in friendship and not fear."  Morning passes quickly and by high noon, King Hrothgar and his wife Welthow visit the hall to see the prize.

The Green-Eyed Monster

What happens when boastful confident men, alcohol and a desperate desire for justice intersect?  Fights ensue; in this case, it was a verbal war between Beowulf and a new character, Unferth.  (I don't like that name, Unferth...sounds too close to uncouth).  Anyway, Beowulf is welcomed into Herot and a feast is thrown in his honor to toast his victories and speak of the future.

Apparently Unferth imbibes a bit too much and speaks "harshly and sharp, vexed by Beowulf's adventure, courage and acquired glory and fame greater than his own."  Essentially, Unferth sticks his foot in his mouth and makes Beowulf shine even brighter (if that is at all possible at this point of the story).  Unferth calls him a "boastful fool, daring, young and proud, risking his life for no reason but danger" (looks like someone else thinks Beowulf may be bordering on extreme confidence). 

Beowulf takes this insult in stride, allowing Unferth to bury himself in his mead-influenced verbiage and then defends himself, "your face is hot with ale and your tongue has tried...but the truth is simple..."  What simple truth is this?  Only that Beowulf is the only man who can slay multiple sea-monsters with little resources and stay alive.  Yes, by Beowulf's own admittance, he is the only man that "can swim in the sea as I can, no strength is a match for mine." 

Beowulf states to Unferth and all feasting that he is not boasting, he is simply telling the truth.  He unnerves Unferth all the more by stating that he's never heard any impressive stories about him and that no man can match him.  We then learn that Unferth is probably a sore loser since he's apparently murdered his own brothers.  Beowulf lands a final pride-deafening blow by suggesting that the horror Grendel has inflicted upon Herot is due to a lack of action and strength from Unferth and other "quiet Danes."  Burn.

Hrothgar must approve because he offers wine to all present at the feast and his wife, Welthow, passes the goblet round and personally offers Beowulf a drink.  King Hrothgar announces that he is glad the Geats have come to save the day and turns over Herot to the visitors (which he's never done).   Beowulf, as expected, announces that he knew his purpose "was this:  to win the good will of your people or die in battle.  Let me live in greatness and courage, or here in this hall welcome my death!" 

Hrothgar ends the feasting with these words: "Purge Herot (of Grendel) and your ship will sail home with its treasure-holds full." 

Confidence or Arrogance?

I'm not sure if Beowulf is meant to be portrayed as confident or arrogant; perhaps the poet meant to portray both characteristics.  I remember an English class I took during graduate school where we discussed vices and virtues.  Many times, unfortunately more often than not, what we see as virtues--if given unchecked latitude--can become vices.  I've seen it all too often where confidence is misinterpreted for arrogance...and vice versa--but they are not the same.  Let's examine the definitions of both words (according to Dictionary.com) and see what we find:

Confidence: (N) 

1. full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing:

2. belief in oneself and one's powers or abilities; self-confidence; self-reliance; assurance:

3. certitude; assurance:

Synonyms: 

1. Faith, reliance, dependence.

2. Confidence, assurance--both imply a faith in oneself.

3. Confidence  may imply trust in oneself or arrogant self-conceit.

4. Assurance  implies even more sureness of oneself; this may be shown as undisturbed calm or as offensive boastfulness.

Arrogance:  (N)

1.  Offensive display of superiority or self-importance; overbearing pride.

Synonyms:  haughtiness, insolence, disdain.

Hmmm...lots to absorb and examine here.  It seems to me that one can be confident and lack arrogance.  I would venture to say that an overly arrogant person likely lacks confidence since one of the hallmarks of confidence is self-assurance and trust in one's self. So, is Beowulf overly confident to the point of arrogance or simply confident through and through? 

Let's take up where we left off:  Beowulf, the " mighty warrior, powerful and wise" is accepted by the Danish watchman and shown to King Herot, likely due to his confidence and assurance that he is able to defeat Grendel and bring peace to the court once again.  Beowulf explains this to the watchman:

"Perhaps Hrothgar can hunt, here in my heart for some way to drive this devil (Grendel) out--If anything will ever end the evils afflicting your wise and famous lord.  Here (Beowulf's confidence) he can cool his burning sorrow.  Or else he may see his suffering go on forever, for as long as Herot towers high on your hills."

Those are confident words...but is it foreshadowing an inevitable defeat?  Will Beowulf be able to slay Grendel and save Herot?  Beowulf and his compatriots certainly look like they can defeat anything.  There is a great description of the armor worn by he and his men: 

"They arrived with their mail shirts glittering, silver-shining links clanking an iron song as then came...gold-carved shields, silvery shirts and helmets..."

Beowulf debriefs King Hrothgar on his accomplishments:  "(my men) have watched me rise from the darkness of war, dripping with my enemies' blood.  I drove five great giants into chains and swam in the blackness of night hunting monsters out of the ocean." Beowulf assures that the king that he, along with his men, will "purge all evil from this hall."  Even more confidently he decides that he will fight Grendel with no weapons except his bare hands.  Talk about confidence bordering on arrogance...Beowulf wraps up his soliloquy boldly declaring that, "God must decide who will be given to death's cold grip...and fate will unwind as it must!"

Living Sorrow

Chapters two and three of Beowulf quickly crumble into what I expected:  blood, guts, death and sorrow.  Grendel won't harm Hrothgar, but essentially kills and mames just about everyone else at Herot.  Grendel was "so set on murder that no crime could ever be enough." 

The king lived as a hermit in Herot for twenty years, living in fear of Grendel; word spread across the known world that Herot was a desert of half-alive forlorn nobles suffering from Grendel's ruthless pillaging. Hrothgar was "in living sorrow, simmered, bitter and fresh and no wisdom or strength could break it:  that agony hung on king and people alike, harsh and unending, violent and cruel and evil." 

Luckily for Hrothgar, Beowulf, a Geat, heard of this suffering and vowed to fight the spawn of Cain.  It's a good thing Beowulf responded, as he was "stronger than anyone anywhere in this world."  Beowulf, unrestrained from leaving his homeland by belief in his strength and positive omens, lands on the shores of the Danes and is questioned by the guard as to his reasons for coming..."Speak, say exaclty who you are, and from where, and why."

Crumbling Assumptions

Having never read Beowulf, I harbored some assumptions:

1.  It was a pagan tale of blood and guts.
2.  It was prose, not poetry.

You know what they say when you assume something, don't you?  To assume makes an "ass" out of you and me.  Thankfully I'm not too upset about this assumption.  I've read the complete introduction, prologue and first chapter of the epic poem. 

It's actually musical to read, despite its opening stanza of how "Shild made slaves of soldiers from every land...he'd beaten into terror."  And, as I learned reading the introduction, it is a Christian tale, albeit an early Christian tale.  This is surprising news to my ignorant assumption.  I do, however, like the picture painted by the poem's first lines:

"Shild's strong son was the glory of Denmark;
His father's warriors were wound round his heart
With golden rings, bound to their prince
By his father's treasures."

Shild had a son, Beo, who became king then had four children, the eldest of them on the throne, Hrothgar.  He built a huge castle called Herot (akin to the tower of Babble) that "reached higher toward Heaven than anything."  We're then introduced to some foreshadowing and an explanation of the hideous monster, Grindel, who was "spawned in slime of two monsters born of Cain."  Now that's a nasty parentage.

A Song of Wars and Kings

So far I've read the back cover and part of the introduction...did you know that we're not completely sure when, by whom or why Beowulf was composed?  A single manuscript survived the destructive force that was Henry the VIII during his rampage of terror through English monasteries.  Impressive. 

"Beowulf is the earliest extant poem in a modern European language.  It was composed in England four centuries before the Norman Conquest.  As a social document this great epic poem is invaluable--reflecting a feudal, newly Christian world of heroes and monsters, blood and victory and death.  As of work of art it is quite unique; Beowulf rings with a beauty, power, and artistry that have kept it alive for more than twelve centuries."--Robert P. Creed

The Inaugural Post

What should I say that sounds important, exciting and educational in this first post of my now second blog?  Well...I'm not sure I have something that meets all three criteria.  However, my reasons for this blog spring from similar reasons as my first blog :52 Ways to Make a Difference in 2011.  What are these reasons, you may be mentally asking?  Well, I find blogging is an avenue of accountability for me.  It's organized, it allows me to practice my writing skills, and it's a nice way to hear feedback from people (not that I have even a dozen followers for my last blog, but that doesn't matter).  Besides, if people follow the blog then ask me how it's going it keeps me on my toes to make sure it's updated.


I have an innate desire not to let people down, especially if I've been vocal about it. I also have a tendency to have several projects going at one time.  Maintaining a blog is a way for me to set a realistic goal and achieve it.  My first blog's goal was to complete 52 tasks in 52 weeks that made a difference in either my life or the life of someone else. I finished it, and that was a good feeling.  It wasn't a "fireworks" feeling of awe and excitement...it was more like a "refreshing babbling brook" feeling--makes you feel better inside just knowing that life keeps going even when you've set a goal and reached it.  Now it's time to set a new goal and pursue it.


Ok, enough about my goal setting.  The inaugural classic of literature for January is Beowulf.  Yes, that's right, Beowulf.  I reasoned that if I'm going to read classics of literature, I should start with one of the oldest and most important text in the English language.  I hear there was a movie made in 2007; I'll have to check that out as well after I read the text. Below is an image of Beowulf; this should be interesting...