The "Best of All" Intellectual Risk-Takers!
College application forms typically ask teachers, “Is this student academically curious?” This question is an important one to me because I know I can never cover all of the material I want to share with students in a single school year, and I value the intellectual risk-taking some students pursue beyond my required assignments.
As we say farewell to Beowulf this semester, I’m feeling bereft of time to share with you so much more about this classic epic poem. But I’m hoping I’ve sparked some passion toward stories of archetypal heroes, connections to modern heroes, and an authentic definition of heroism.
So ignite your sense of wonder! Continue your quest to discover more about Beowulf and related topics. Share your discoveries with links to sites, pictures, articles or any other information related to Beowulf that enhances your appreciation of this timeless story and a clearer understanding of your own epic journey. Finally, be sure to explain the value of the connections you share so you become the "best of all" intellectual risk-takers!
As we say farewell to Beowulf this semester, I’m feeling bereft of time to share with you so much more about this classic epic poem. But I’m hoping I’ve sparked some passion toward stories of archetypal heroes, connections to modern heroes, and an authentic definition of heroism.
So ignite your sense of wonder! Continue your quest to discover more about Beowulf and related topics. Share your discoveries with links to sites, pictures, articles or any other information related to Beowulf that enhances your appreciation of this timeless story and a clearer understanding of your own epic journey. Finally, be sure to explain the value of the connections you share so you become the "best of all" intellectual risk-takers!
posted by mferrill | 12:50 PM
38 Comments:
http://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/pickover/good.html
Here is an article detailing on man's definition of Good and Evil, and representations of each on a scale of 1-10. I posted this because Beowulf is basically a Good v. Evil tale, though I do not consider it to be one, as it does not show what drives the "Evil" characters to be so. The Evil beings on the list do have interesting backgrounds that show, upon research, what drove them to corrupt their souls and resign their humanity.
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http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=352184103657478293&q=good+vs+evil&total=1937&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0
This is a weird commercial, but it is in line with Michael’s post. The difference between good and evil is clear in this ad, and you are forced, based on appearance to know who is evil. This is the predicament Grendel was put in and unlike the add, it was never wondered “maybe he’s friendly”. The marketers know humanity’s natural reaction. The heroes of Beowulf fight without real reason, and as prompted at the end of the add their attitude is to “just do it”. They are more concerned with ego more then thought. The ad is similar to the novel because the struggle rather then the determination of the good and evil is the central focus.
I do enjoy my weekends but I think it's funny that moses was one of the top five most "good" people of all time because he thought of resting on the seventh day.
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http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/eliot/722/
This is an interesting website that has research on the manuscript of Beowulf and a historic timeline of events that occurred during the same time that Beowulf takes place. The timeline is interesting to compare to the events of Beowulf, seeing the truth of the story line and some of the exaggeration of characters and events. The other resources it provides are awesome in looking deeper into the tale of Beowulf, such as a synopsis of the monsters and heros and an outline to the tale of this epic poem.
Let's see if the link to this Beowulf website works.
http://www.heorot.dk/beowulf-on-steorarume_front-page.html
Oh my goodness! This site is wonderful! It has everything one could want to discover concerning the history, culture, and significance of Beowulf. This site includes tools such as genealogies. These are very useful because they show the importance of royal lineages of the cultures present in the time of Beowulf's recording. Also, with the sometimes confusing language in Beowulf, this site gives a glossary of various subjects such as nautical/geographical terms, weapons, treasure, etc. In addition, this marvelous site includes images that takes one’s imagination from the blank pages of the epic poem to the mead hall, burial pyres, and even the strong looking armor most likely worn by the great hero, Beowulf, himself. For instance, on the right hand side of the webpage there is a painting of Beowulf quarrelling with Grendel. This image of Beowulf greatly reminds me of the ideal beauty that was so sacred to the Greek culture of the 5th century B.C. Beowulf is fighting in the nude and is painted as cool, calm, relaxed, confident, strong, muscular, slender, and overall…perfect. I love this interpretation of the hero, Beowulf. The artist, Lynd Ward, most likely made connections to the Greek culture’s artistic pleasure in ideal beauty because the Greek culture existed not long after those of the time when Beowulf was written. It probably seemed like an accurate depiction of Beowulf because he was seen as a god figure to his people as were the male athletes and beautiful men in Greek culture. Lastly, this site has the Old English and modern-day English translations of Beowulf that can be helpful on a personal need base. This site should not be overlooked since it is packed full with opportunities to understand Beowulf in a deeper, meaningful, and fascinating way.
Check this one out-- it's the heroic journey in board game style! The Hero's Journey
I thought it was pretty funny and so very true. It also outlined a few exceptional examples of different heroic journeys throughout the ages, and it was interesting to see how Beowulf fit in to everything. One thing that stood out to me was the presence of a father figure in this comic map of a hero's journey, while Beowulf's father wasn't mentioned that often. I wonder if Hrothgar serves as such a father figure. Also, I found it interesting that, while we tend to expect the hero to "get the girl" at the end of his journey, the concept of romance or a female counterpart isn't really that prevalent in the board game. That element of a lack of females surprised me about Beowulf, and it was interesting to see another example of the heroic quest without a love interest.
Something to think about: if Beowulf really did define the parameters of heroes and their journeys, how have we digressed today from the original perception of heroes/heroism-- in film, and in real life? What causes the changes in the expectations we place on our heroes?
Enjoy!
Beowulf in his powerful form
Beowulf in his man form
On the first website, there is a picture of Beowulf as a super-human mighty and strong man. On the second, he is not incredibly strong because he is in simple man form. The epic poem does not describe Beowulf enough to grasp which form he was, but depending on which he was, could he have been able to defeat Grendel? If he was as strong as the first one, then perhaps he could conquer the monsters with ease. If he was a man, then was he more of a hero?
http://www.flanaganhighschool.com/~falconlit/webquest/beowulf/
This site is one that I found and has some very interesting aspects to it. It has some nice assets such as perspectives from both sides of good and evil and similatities that the book shares with other cultures. It also has some activities you can do and many other liks that furhter explain different points that it makes which could come in handy. Furthermore, this site has many deep questions and gives you different points of view to look at concerning those questions. Overall this site is a pretty cool one and I advise giving it a quick lookover just to see what it has to offer.
Beowulf and Grendel's Fight
I found an amazing, graphic, painting of Beowulf ripping off Grendel's arm. The piece of art is by a college student who described that she wanted to change the setting for the scene, as she did in the painting, to depict a "ravaged country side that Grendel had plagued."
The picture shows Grendel as a very alien-like creature in my eyes and I believe the artist did this to symbolize the fact Beowulf paints Grendel as an evil monster with no human motives or emotions. Though the epic poem describes his pain, the text is ambiguous to Grendel's drive or thoughts. The fact he is portrayed much like an in-human form is to show how we do not connect to him as anything but a stranger, an evil.
Beowulf is depicted as a buff hero but he looks human and not too exaggerated. His expression shows the artist believes that although he did not use his sword and instead tore Grendel's arm with his bare hands, it was difficult, nothing too simple. The artist must be one to have imagined Beowulf as a great hero, but a man as well.
I love this illustration of the first fight scene as it shows an interpretation of each character and paints a gruesome fight as Beowulf comes forth victorious.
Kid Beowulf
I thought this was pretty amusing. The classic, epic poem Beowulf was transformed into a modern comic. Beowulf is no longer depicted as a strong, invincible hero but as a small child. The other characters as well are comedic and goonish. This comic puts the sometimes cofusing story into a modern text that can be easily read by all ages. I think it is helpful because it will introduce Beowulf to people who would normally not be interested in reading such a poem and inspire them to learn more. I also think it is quite funny and satirical reducing timeless epic heroes and villians to colorfull cartoon children. It definately lightens the mood of the poem when it's put in comic book form.
I found this interesting article discussing the Christian elements and heroes in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Part of the article compares Beowulf to The Lord of the Rings, especially the settings of the two literary works. Both are set in a pagan world, but contain Christian ideas. The article also discusses the heroes of The Lord of the Rings, stating that they are unconventional in image and purpose. Beowulf is strong, imposing, a striking character, renowned for his strength and bravery. Frodo and Sam (the two protagonists of The Lord of the Rings), however, are small, fragile, renowned for their modest aims in life and their kindness. They seem the most unlikely candidates for heroes, but it is proved that it is precisely because they have no use for power to prove their strength that they can triumph over the evil Sauron, power-hungry and merciless. I found this to be a fascinating article, very useful for further understanding of heroes in Beowulf and other works with Christian elements.
This site I discovered is called The Illustrated Beowulf, and I like it because it tells the story using humorous pictures of celebrities and movie characters to tell the Beowulf story. It’s very comedic, but it also makes the Beowulf story more applicable to today’s society. It uses real life characters from our society and relates them to the ancient story. Also, it certainly makes it memorable. I especially like the portrayal of Grendel as Cookie Monster and the last frame of Beowulf’s burial place, the Sears Tower. The Illustrated Beowulf
I have a feeling that this is the parady with Bill Clinton that Mrs. Ferrill mentioned, and I thought that this was definitely something to check out and enjoy. It's interesting that "Jake" (the creator of this parody) also had the idea to make Grendel's mother more of a seductress than a monster. Beowulf is made out to be an egotistical fool, and his "thanes" aren't saved from being mocked either. This satire is a delightfully absurd parody that provides a summary of Beowulf while using modern, well-known people as the main characters.
http://www.library.rochester.edu/camelot/BeowulfBooklet.htm
This is a very interesting site, and I think it will bring to light how Beowulf effects the world. This site lists all of the MODERN adaptations of Beowulf, I think you will find most of them very interesting. It shows how far Beowulf travels and how important it is to modern culture, so many things relate to the epic story that even music has been written about it, take a look!
http://www.beowulfandgrendel.com/
The link to the official site of the movie Beowulf and Grendel only begins to portray the significance of this fantastic movie. Although very different from the epic poem, the contrast between good and evil is fairly dramatic, obviously highlighted. The movie only includes the fight with Grendel as the plot for the movie, however including many more twists to incorporate truths of human nature. It highlights the natural instincts of compassion, as well as revenge. From this comparison appears a fantastic relationship between good and evil. Including family blood lines that appear to have a side of good and evil, the concept of “evil” is questioned. I was amazed by this movie and its connections to Beowulf, I highly recommend watching it.
I would also like to point out that I have been reading the book Grendel and it shows a mind blowing contrast between our thoughts of a hero and that of Grendels point of view. Its Intriguing!
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I was looking for information on Beowulf and I couldn’t decide what link I wanted to post! I found one link that holds a lot of educational and historical information in relation to Beowulf. It went into detail about Beowulf’s historical implications, such as its archeology, authorship, the culture in which it was written, and information on its Christian coloring. The poem, both in old English and modern English, was found on the site in its entirety conveniently divided into chapters. There was also a search engine for the site, and genealogies of the Danes, the Geats, and the Swedes. Although this site was fascinating, I felt that I wanted to find a way to look at Beowulf in a modern and entertaining way. That’s when I found this quiz to determine which Beowulf character I was. It seemed like a perfectly appropriate way to apply the epic poem to my own life. I hope you enjoy!
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This was an interesting article written about the influence of magical powers and faith on the archetypal hero. I thought it was interesting since it was written by a person who seems to be skeptical about the presence of a higher power and the power of faith. Some form of magic usually seems to assist the traditional hero in his adventure, yet the writer argues that real-life people are only made heroes by chance. I felt it related well to “The Man in the Water,” as well as to the Beowulf relevance essay we wrote recently because it discussed the differences between mythical heroes, such as Beowulf, and ordinary people who become heroes, such as the man in the water.
image
I found this image that seems to be a student edition for something, possibly a text, but it has the B made up of images of the characters in Beowulf. It is interesting how it is set up because it slightly contradicts what we know of Beowulf.
The person confronting the monster face to face looks to be King Hrothgar, who, to our knowledge, was not the one to risk his life fighting the monster. However, the apparent Beowulf underneath him is the one actually causing harm to the serpent-like creature, but the eye is not particularly drawn into his area of the picture. In addition to that, the monster does not resemble anything like a dragon or deformed human-like creature; instead it looks like a giant snake. I’m pretty sure Beowulf did not fight a snake.
Anyways, this is any interesting image to ponder over, so take a look and see what you perceive of it.
While perusing through a variety of Beowulf links, I came across these YouTube synopses from the movie Beowulf and Grendel. (Part One and Part Two). I particularly enjoyed the lack of dialogue in the movies, because the images and movies seemed all the more poignant. The movie’s portrayal of Grendel was very interesting, especially in the beginning, when Grendel’s father is murdered, and we are able to see the reason behind Grendel’s rampages. (In connection to the hero’s journey, it is interesting to think that maybe Grendel’s lack of a father figure sets him up as a sort of “anti-hero.”) I also enjoyed seeing a more human Beowulf, one who sees beyond a black-and-white distinction between good and evil, and who places more importance on his emotions. I thought that one of the best portrayals of Beowulf’s humanity was when Beowulf builds a cairn in remembrance of Grendel, in direct correlation to Beowulf’s own memorial in the poem.
Wagner’s music, taken from The Ring cycle, really added a special touch. The plotline of The Ring cycle has a lot of similarities to Beowulf, both in background and in characters, and I enjoyed the fusion of the two!
PS: Here is a plot summary of Beowulf and Grendel in case you would like some background information.
I found this really intriguing picture of Beowulf and Grendel's fight. I thought it was so interesting because it made both of them look real and human rather than extraordinary and impressive. The picture showed both of them straining to win and suffering rather than how I pictured an easy win for Beowulf. To have it painted out that a monster and a hero are struggling was a twist on what I had originally pictured and so drew me into it further. Also, descriptions of the character’s appearances were never thorough in the epic poem, so I wonder if they looked as they were depicted here or if instead they were bold and fierce.
I recently viewed “Beowulf and Grendel” and I found it very interesting. I think the main ideas on religion and how it showed itself was intriguing. Beowulf begins talking about destroying Grendel or reaching Valhalla in the attempt. Valhalla is almost the Norse version of Heaven. So we see the movie’s underlying goal was to show that Beowulf as a pagan and not a devote Christian. We see conflict later on in the film when a priest comes to baptize Hrothgar’s people. Here’s a quote from the movie showing the differing beliefs on Christianity.
“Brendan the Celt: Wise king, you must know of the name of Clovis.
King Hrothgar: The Frank?
Brendan the Celt: The Frank. Yes, yes, the Frank. The Christian sword of a land ten times what the Danes hold dear.
Beowulf: He's dead.
Brendan the Celt: Yes, ten years now. But not before he saw God's grace. The Visigoths of Aquitaine, the Romans under Syagrius, the Burgundians, and Alamannians all fell before him and all because he had God's ear.
King Hrothgar: As I recall, he also had a thousand swords, neighbors soft on wine and pork, and no ice on his rivers...
Beowulf: And no f-ing trolls.”
It’s very humorous that Hrothgar and Beowulf find Clovis’ troubles not so much as theirs. They mention that he had a thousand swords or men and his neighbors were soft. The battling religious beliefs in the film give some closure on the fact of Beowulf’s faith and were it lies. I was very glad that the film decided to show the truth on religious beliefs during Beowulf’s lifetime. Considering that he would not have been a Christian as the poem suggests.
“A Hero’s Journey,” which discusses the heroism in Spiderman alters what is considered the classical definition. According to the dictionary heroism is “the qualities of a hero or heroine; exceptional or heroic courage when facing danger.” On the contrary, the article seems to define heroism as someone who defeats inner turmoil such as hubris and greed. It uses the example of Spiderman, who is forced to fight the darkness inside of him. The article also defines heroism as knowing sacrifices must be made, and being willing to make them. The article makes heroism a trait that any “average” human can have, not a trait strictly for Beowulfs. Everyone is capable of resisting hubris and greed, and making sacrifices. The article has a different definition than classical heroism. It changes it from something people read and watch movies about to something anyone can attain.
http://greenbooks.theonering.net/guest/files/080102_02.html
This website is about J.R.R. Tolkien’s book Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics and Lord of the Rings. It presents ways in which they are related directly to Beowulf and to events worldwide. It is basically proving that Beowulf is still relevant today in our society based on the trilogies today. Tolkien was inspired by Beowulf’s journey and uses many aspects of it in her writing, of which examples are pointed out in this article. You might be able to come up with a reason of why Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and relate or compare that to why the monk wrote down the story of Beowulf.
Hello everyone! I would first like to say that I visited the site that Bri recommended, http://www.heorot.dk/beowulf-on-steorarume_front-page.html and I agree that it is not only a very interesting site but very useful! I especially like the maps and genealogies becuase they offered a great visual on the historical background of Beowulf. I also found another really fun site that is the official movie website for Beowulf. I especially enjoyed the tour of the Mead Hall becuase you are able to click on different places and listen to music as you explore. The upcoming movie appears to be interesting! This site shows you trailers that give you a great preview of what you can expect from it! The address for this site is http://www.beowulfmovie.com/.
I meant to find at least two articles relating to Beowulf for a good range of topics, but this article consumed all of my attention. This brain-skewering article argues the significance of Grendel's mother in the context of psychology, time period, and author, using two other works as springboards for his arguments. The author discusses a plethora of fascinating psychological devices and conditions throughout the poem. He also uses the Old English text to support his points, displaying knowledge critical to the understanding of Beowulf.
On another note, he does make frequent references to Freud, some of which explained how the producer(s) of the new Beowulf movie got the idea to make Grendel's mother a temptress. Before reading this I strongly urge the reader to find a good online dictionary for psychological terms and brace him or herself for an intriguing, yet slightly disturbing read.
I have some unanswered questions about Women in Beowulf and Women in Early Anglo Saxton Culture I've found two sites/ essays that talk about the three types of women in Beowulf. The hostess, the peaceweaver, and the monster. The second article states that the monster is the only female figure that has power. The peaceweavers are women that marry into an opposing nation to promote peace, but Beowulf exemplifies failure here and ultimately powerless women. This leads me to a string of questions: If the culture was so centered on war and the glory of war, why do they try to use women to bring peace? What is the second essay suggesting when it states that only the monster figure has power? If the original oral tradition used Grendel's mother as a temptress what does this suggest about the sensual woman and power? What is Hollywood suggesting?
I would like to discuss one of the initial questions of Beowulf
for my Intellectual-Risk taker assignment. What would the stories of villains be like if they were told today, as if they were real people and familiar things, though different, and is Grendal totally evil?
I think that Grendal can very easily be seen as your average, misunderstood villain. He was born of murder. The first recorded murder in history to be exact, when Cane, jealous of his brother’s favor with God, murdered Abel. So isn’t it natural for him to act in kind? Many horrible things that happen in history and even in our everyday lives can be traced back to jealousy. A jealous ex-husband kills the wife’s fiancé, jealousy of another competitor could be the cause of sabotage, one nation could have great tension with another nation because of jealousy, and then the slightest spark could erupt a war. That is what Grendal is born into. He himself is jealous of all the people having a wonderful time in Herot. He wishes he could be happy, but knowing what a cursed creature he is, he contents himself to ruin their happiness. Anyone in Grendal’s position could be capable of doing the same thing. I think that Grendal could be anyone. The kid down the street who’s parents don’t have time for him. The man raised with an abusive child hood. Someone trying to survive at all costs, but knowing that that is the best they can have. Not all these thing are definite causes, but some could be the makings of our own present day Grendal. Either, none of us are really Beowulf, and none are really Grendal, or Beowulf is not really pure goodness, and Grendal is not really pure evil.
While surfing online, I stumbled onto a site that I found really interesting. What makes it so cool is it covers a wide variety of aspects of Beowulf from the manuscripts of the original text, to the images and significance of the dragon. The artwork displayed on the site is amazing! There are many depictions of Beowulf as a mighty warrior defeating all the demon-like characters and of course the dragon! Beyond the pictures the content of the site is really interesting as well. When talking about Beowulf and the dragon it says, “Dragons were seen as the antithesis of a good king…Christians thought of dragons as a symbol of sin and they are often represented as crushed under the feet of saints and martyrs, symbolizing the triumph of Christianity over paganism." (Feldman) The image of Godly men conquering demons and dragons is very strongly displayed in medieval cathedrals all over Europe, including a famous depiction of St. George and the Dragon. This is a great explanation of how the Christian monk influenced the epic poem in trying to get his points of good conquering evil. Here is the first site relating to Beowulf. Make sure to also take a look at the site about St. George! Both sites are really fun to check out!
I thought this site was really interesting because I find Old English beguiling to look at. I had been trying to find reliable sites about Old English and I found this site through a link from the University of Michigan. This site has the Old English alphabet, pronunciations (try to sound these out, I guarantee you’ll be laughing) and the prologue from Beowulf. The site also has some external links relating to Old English, and other languages such as Latin and Icelandic. I hope you enjoy the site! http://www.omniglot.com/writing/oldenglish.htm
Comparison
This website compares Beowulf to Wiglaf. It discusses courage which pertains to both characters as well as a strong belief in loyalty for both of them. I believe Wiglaf is percieved in a similar manner as Beowulf due to the fact that he is the only remaining kin. This demonstrates power amongst the family as well as the idea that Wiglaf will take Beowulfs place. Also, on this page, the picture of the dragon grabs my attention. The dragon is red in this picture, vomiting flames of orange. Red typically is associated with evil and i think this picture of the dragon is a very interesting and accurate one.
When we began this semester I, William Crichton, looked forward to learning a little of the "old English" that appeared on the left side of my Seamus Heaney translation. Unfortunately, we did not go into the language in depth. I have yet to find a site or business that teaches this free of charge, however, I did find this link to (of course) the British Library, that shows an image of only known manuscript of Beowulf.
Link: http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/themes/englishlit/beowulf.html
This intrigued my interest and I continue to search for a way to learn how to read the manuscript alone.
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