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Grendel and Grep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 December 2020

Kemp Malone
Kemp Malone*
Affiliation:
The Johns Hopkins University
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Extract

The Gesta Danorum of the twelfth-century Danish historian, Saxo Grammaticus, might fairly be expected to include stories corresponding, more or less, to those episodes of Beowulf the scene of which was the Danish court; in point of fact the Ingeld episode, at least, was known to Saxo, who gives us two versions of it, differing widely, it is true, from each other and from the English version, but demonstrably the same story in origin nevertheless. When however we turn to the chief adventure of Beowulf at the Danish court, the fight with Grendel (and that with Grendel's dam), the Saxonian parallel usually pointed out strikes one as extraordinarily far-fetched. I refer to Biarco's fight with the bear, an episode which Saxo disposes of in the following words:

Talibus operum meritis exsultanti novam de se silvestris fera victoriam prsebuit. Ursum quippe eximiae magnitudinis obvium sibi inter dumeta factum iaculo confecit comitemque suum Hialtonem, quo viribus maior evaderet, applicato ore egestum beluse cruorem haurire iussit. Creditum namque erat hoc potionis genere corporei roboris incrementa præstari.

Type
Research Article
Information
PMLA , Volume 57 , Issue 1 , March 1942 , pp. 1 - 14
Copyright
Copyright © Modern Language Association of America, 1942

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References

Note 1 in page 1 See my papers in the Germanic Review xiv (1939), 235–257 and JEGP, xxxix (1940), 76–92, with the references there given, and cf. E. Schneider, Germ. Heldensage, ii, i, (1933), 73–75 (with bibliography, p. 94).

Note 2 in page 1 ii, vi, 11; ed. Olrik & Ræder (1931), p. 51.

Note 3 in page 2 A thorough discussion of the tale would involve much more than this, of course, but would require a greater amount of space than I have at my disposal here.

Note 4 in page 2 v, i, 3, ed. cit., pp. 104 f.

Note 5 in page 2 v, i, 11, ed. cit., p. 107.

Note 6 in page 3 Phonetically speaking, this name answers either to the ON tribal name Gautar (OE Geatas) or to the personal name Gautarr (OE Gēathere). Saxo treats it as a personal name, of course.

Note 7 in page 5 So first A. Olrik, Kilderne til Sakses Oldhistorie i (1892), 87, n. The English form goes back to a primitive *Hróþilaz; the presumed Icelandic form goes back to a primitive *Hróþlaz (with nil-grade of the suffixal vowel) or to *Hróþalaz or *Hróþulaz (with other grades of the suffixal vowel). The medial þ would early become o, of course, and in Old Norse ol would become ll; see A. Noreen, Altisländische Grammatik, 4th ed. (1923), p. 196.

Note 8 in page 5 In the English poem, Beowulf the Dane is the grandfather of Hroogar, but in Scandinavian tradition the grandfather's name is Fróoi (Frotho). Moreover, students of Scandinavian story are agreed that Saxo's Frotho I (second book) and Frotho III (fifth book) are identical in origin. Thus, P. Herrmann, Die Heldensagen des Saxo Grammaticus (1922), p. 318, says: “Frodi der Friedsame [Frotho III] ist also eigentlich ein und dieselbe Gestalt wie Friedens-Frodi [Frotho I].”

Note 9 in page 6 The number 15 is a so-called typical number; cf. Beowulf 207.

Note 10 in page 7 Alternatively we may surmise that Grep and Gunwara were father and daughter originally, but that Gunwara, through a likeness of name, became identified with Freawaru and in this way lost her true father and was turned into a Danish princess. This reconstruction has its attractions, but on the whole it seems to me less plausible than the reconstruction presented above.

Note 11 in page 7 More precisely, Eric was Roller's half-brother.

Note 12 in page 7 From Beowulf 2428ff we learn that Hygelac and Beowulf had been brought up together as if they were brothers. They were foster-brothers.

Note 13 in page 10 This announcement he had already made in his flyting with Grep (v, iii, 2), in reply to Grep's direct question, and what he said agrees with Roller's purpose as explained by Saxo (v, ii, 5), although Eric characteristically put the matter in very evasive (not to say riddling) terms: he came in search of wisdom.

Note 14 in page 12 It is worthy of note that Westmar and Gøtwara, father and aunt of Grep, are not told to leave the hall.

Note 15 in page 14 This paper was written for the projected volume in honor of Professor R. W. Chambers, of University College, London, but the outbreak of war in Europe made the editors of the volume give up their project. At their request, and in accordance with my own wishes, I publish the paper separately and dedicate it to Professor Chambers.