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The ‘Hero on the Beach’ in the Old Saxon Heliand?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2008

David A. Krooks
David A. Krooks
Affiliation:
Department of GermanUniversity of California, Berkeley
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Abstract

This article demonstrates that at least one reflex of the oral-formulaic compositional device called ‘the theme of the Hero on the Beach’ is to be found in the Heliand. It is suggested that its presence can enhance the interpretation of another incident in that poem. Further, the author considers the implications of its use in this text for our understanding of the nature of indigenous Germanic poetry prior to the conversion to Christianity.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Germanic Linguistics , Volume 3 , Issue 2 , July 1991 , pp. 161 - 174
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Germanic Linguistics 1991

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References

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