Cf. Description of the hall in The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien

The guards now lifted the heavy bars of the doors and swung them slowly inwards grumbling on their great hinges. The travellers entered. Inside it seemed dark and warm after the clear air upon the hill. The hall was long and wide and filled with shadows and half lights; mighty pillars upheld its lofty roof. But here and there bright sunbeams fell in glimmering shafts from the eastern windows, high under the deep eaves. Through the louver in the roof, above the thin wisps of issuing smoke, the sky showed pale and blue. As their eyes changed, the travellers perceived that the floor was paved with stones of many hues; branching runes and strange devices intertwined beneath their feet. They saw now that the pillars were richly carved, gleaming dully with gold and half-seen colours. Many woven cloths were hung upon the walls, and over their wide spaces marched figures of ancient legend, some dim with years, some darkling in the shade...

...Now the four companions went forward, past the clear wood-fire burning upon the long hearth in the midst of the hall. Then they halted. At the far end of the house, beyond the hearth and facing north towards the doors, was a dais with three steps; and in the middle of the dais was a great gilded chair. Upon it sat a man so bent with age that he seemed almost a dwarf; but his white hair was long and thick and fell in great braids from beneath a thin golden circlet set upon his brow...

Q uestions

1. How do you read the following passage (lines 43-46):

43 They gave him great ornaments, gifts

44 No less magnificent than those men had given him

45 Who long before had sent him alone,

46 Child as he was, across the stretch of the seas.

This passage provides a description of Scyld’s burial; we see that his companions did their best to make Scyld’s leaving as splendid and grand as his appearance was. He came there by sea left alone and is going to leave the same way.

2. How do you account for the following passage (lines 50-52):

50 Mighty men

51 Beneath the heavens, rulers in the hall,

52 Cannot say who received that cargo.

We see that all the mighty men actually do not know where will their Lord arrive and who will meet him there. Despite all their power, the rulers are nothing but people before the heavens and the wyrd.

( c) Comment please on the following passage:

Hrothgar won honour in war,

Glory in battle, and so ensured

His followers’ support – young men

Whose number multiplied into a mighty troop.

And he resolved to build a hall <…>

Since Hrothgar became a powerful leader supported by many, he decided to build a place for him and his companions, so they will keep on winning and celebrating their victories there.4

(d) Why do you think Beowulf calls Unferth “my friend” though the latter addresses him rudely:

‘Are you the Beowulf who competed with Breca,

vied with him as swimming in the open sea

when, swollen with vanity, you both braved

the waves, risked your lives on deep waters

because of a foolish boast? <..>?

I believe that it’s about Beowulf not being offended or hurt by such an accusation – he is sure that he’s a hero and no one can accuse him of physical weakness or any other fault. On the contrary, Unferth is unfair and no feats of him were ever noticed, so Beowulf mocks him a beat with a usage of such a friendly address.

(e) Basing yourself on the below description in extract 2, please, speculate on the type of a hero Beowulf seems to make:

<…> the mighty sea-beast

Was slain by my blow in the storm of battle.

In this manner, and many times, loathsome monsters

Harassed me fiercely; with my fine sword

I served them fittingly.

<…> But the next morning they lay in the sand

Along the shore, wounded by sword strokes,

Slain by battle-blades, and from that day on

They could not hinder seafarers from sailing

Over deep waters.

This extract reveals only the best Beowulf’s qualities that a warrior may have – he’s fearless and brave, he uses his ”fine sword” “fittingly” to “serve” the hateful sea-beasts and he is able to defeat them alone, with no help of his companions. He also saves the seafarers – sea-beasts could no longer harass them during their voyages.

1 Please correct the typos in extract 1 (line 6 – mead-benches; lines 44-45: than those men had given him

/Who long before had sent him alone)