REPRESSION IN BEOWULF

 

EARL, JAMES W. "The Forbidden Beowulf: Haunted by Incest." JSTOR. Modern Language

Association, Mar. 2010. Web. 02 Oct. 2014.

 

      Beowulf cannot be fully understood without paying attention to the backstory. However, the poem does not provide a direct backstory, it’s backstory is one that is in between the lines. The backstory of Beowulf is rampant with incest, and other macabre themes. Beowulf is one of many stories that form a cycle; each story is united by a common theme that is unconsciously portrayed through writing. This source allowed us to analyze the elements in Beowulf that were not directly expressed. The theme of incest was unconsciously prevalent in different areas of literature. This source was mainly factual and it provided evidence and strong support for the presence of incest in Beowulf. The source provided us with the idea that themes that were present in a time period may be unconsciously present in the literature of that surrounding time period. This article led us towards our focus, and provided us with background knowledge on Beowulf and history along the way. Our group, initially, focused on the theme of incest in the poem, from there, we decided to look at the sexualization of women through history and literature.

 

Heaney, Seamus, trans. Beowulf. New York: W. W. Norton, 2000. Print.

 

        This epic poem recalls the heroics of the protagonist Beowulf. The story of Beowulf is set in the sixth century, however it was recorded by monks in the eighth century. Beowulf begins his heroism by offering to defeat Grendel, the monster plaguing the Kingdom of the Danes. After King Hrothgar accepts his offer, Beowulf fights and defeats Grendel, ripping his arm off in the process. After Grendel was defeated, Grendel’s Mother tries to avenge the death of her son by attacking the Danes, and she successfully kills one of the king’s advisors. Beowulf plunges into the depths of the swamp to fight Grendel’s Mother; after a ten hour battle, Beowulf kills her with a sword and decapitates her head. Now a beloved hero, Beowulf leaves the Kingdom of the Danes to assume his new role as the king of Geatland. After many years of peaceful ruling, Beowulf’s kingdom was disturbed by a dragon. Beowulf is aided by Wiglaf, and together they successfully kill the dragon, but in the process Beowulf dies. The poem ends with Beowulf being burned in a funeral pyre and buried on the edge of the sea. This source provided us with a main source, and from there, we narrowed our focus onto the historical aspects and literary aspects of the poem and its time period. Historically, Beowulf offers insight on the role of women and the culture surrounding them. Oppression of women whether indirect or direct is expressed in different themes throughout literature. This poem was recorded by monks, which allowed the oppression of women to be incorporated. Powerful women in Germanic culture and literature were present, however little remains of the literature from that time period. This source was extremely helpful for us, because it helped us dissect the culture surrounding women in early literature.

 

 

Melentinskii, E. M. "The Incest Archetype in the Folklore Tradition (Especially in the Heroic

      Myth)." Anthropology & Archaeology of Eurasia 26 (1987): 21-29. Print.

 

 

      Throughout history, the oral tradition has been used for a vast array of purposes. The stories passed on through the spoken word created one of the earliest forms of history. While the stories may be separated linguistically and geographically, they may carry common themes. Seen as a “transfer of power,” incest was a common theme in folklore. More typically, the incestuous relationship would involve a mother and her son. An Oedipus complex manifested itself into a theme in folklore. This source presented the archetype of incest as a unifying factor in folklore from different cultures. This article comes from a scholarly journal that focuses on the history and culture in Eurasia. The author analyzed folklore tales from different cultures and different periods of time in Eurasia, as well as the commonality of incest in those tales. The comparisons to Oedipus portrayed the woman as the one who “transfers power” to her son. Our group questioned whether a woman needed to their sexuality to be powerful, and how that answer may have changed in different time periods and cultures.

 

 

Nitzsche, Jane C. "The Structural Unity of Beowulf: The Problem of Grendel’s Mother."                JSTOR. University of Texas Press, 1980. Web. 02 Oct. 2014.

 

 

       The article presents the idea that Grendel’s Mother is not a strong character. Germanic poetry and literature offers a strong female character, and Grendel’s Mother does not represent that. From there, we analyzed Grendel’s Mother and her actions within the poem. This source was useful because we believe that Grendel’s Mother had a larger role in the events that occurred, however we also believe that her role was minimized by the recording by the monks. The monks offered a Christian bias; that Christian bias downplayed the role and actions of Grendel’s Mother. This information is reliable because it provides a scholarly analysis of historical, literary, and biblical aspects of Beowulf as a whole and the role of Grendel’s Mother. This source provided us with ideas on the oppression of women through Biblical routes. However we analyzed the cultural and historical oppression of women as a whole, and the role of women in power.

 

 

Rooney, Kathleen. "The Mothering Blackness." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d.

       Web. 02 Oct. 2014.

       This poem surrounds a girl runs away in the night. She’s returns home to the “mothering blackness.” The girl returns to the “mothering blackness” because the darkness comforts her. Her mother does not blame her for leaving, she only welcomes her back when she returns. Written by Maya Angelou, this poem offers bias because it was written by a female author. The viewpoint in this poem is strictly female from the side of the mother and the side of the daughter. This source provides a solid connection from Beowulf to another poem from a different time period. By providing this connection, it helps to prove that the themes present in Beowulf persist through time.  This poem reflects on the role of Grendel’s Mother in the epic poem, and how the swamp in the poem is Grendel’s “mothering blackness.” This poem helped us analyze the role of women as nurturers and as people in power.