Robert Presley
USA USA
Plot
The film is set in 6th century Denmark [ ] , where King Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins) decides to celebrate the completion of his mead hall, Heorot. But the sounds of music and fun awaken and anger the monster Grendel (Crispin Glover), who attacks the celebrants, killing many of them. But when Hrothgar challenges him to battle, the monster returns to its mother, the water demon (Angelina Jolie). The king closes his hall and offers half of his gold to whoever kills Grendel.
Beowulf (Ray Winstone) and his group of Goth warriors arrive by ship in the lands of Hrothgar, agreeing to destroy the beast. But they are not trusted by the adviser to the king, Unferth (John Malkovich), with whom Beowulf has a conflict. At night, the geth arrange a feast in the hall, which attracts Grendel. Beowulf fights him naked, because then both will not have weapons, and it will be fair. As a result, he manages to tear off the left paw of the monster, after which he runs into the cave to his mother, where he later dies. But several geth were killed, so Beowulf burns their bodies, and with his squad spends the night in the hall, sending Wiglaf (Brendan Gleeson) to guard the ships.
Grendel's mother comes to Beowulf at night under the guise of Hrothgar's wife, Queen Walchteov (Robin Wright-Penn), asking him to give her a son. Beowulf suspects something is wrong, and discovers that the people who spent the night with him have been killed. The hero decides to kill Grendel's mother, who, according to Hrothgar, is the last of her kind. Grendel's father, according to him, is not dangerous to humans.
Beowulf and Wiglaf go to the cave where Grendel's mother lives, but only Beowulf goes inside, armed with the sword Hrunting (received as a gift from Unferth) and a golden goblet in the shape of a dragon (a gift from Hrothgar). Grendel's mother, in the form of a naked woman drenched in gold, seduces Beowulf, who gives her a son, in return for which she promises that his name will become a legend. Pledge own glory, Beowulf gives her the golden horn, and she undertakes not to attack people. The hero comes back with Grendel's head and a story about killing monsters. In private, Hrothgar questions Beowulf in more detail, and discovering the lie in his words, admits that Grendel is his son. Thus the curse passed from the king to Beowulf. After that, Hrothgar announces that after his death, Beowulf will become king, bequeaths to the hero his kingdom, wealth and young wife. Then he jumps from the window of the hall to the seashore, where he dies.
Years later, Beowulf, weakened and depressed by his deceit, which soured his relationship with the Walchteans. Because of this, he shares his bed with a young maid, Ursula (Alison Lohman). Suddenly, Unferth's servant finds a golden goblet in the swamp, which Beowulf gave to Grendel's mother. The hero understands that the pledge has been returned, which means that the contract with the water demon is no longer valid. The next night the dragon burns neighboring village, leaving Unferth alive so that he would convey the message to Beowulf about the "sins of the fathers." Realizing that the dragon is his son, the hero decides to kill him along with his mother. The dragon tries to kill Ursula and the queen, but Beowulf rips out his heart. Together they fall to the sandy shore. The body of the dragon turns into a golden, physically developed young man, which resembles Beowulf in his youth. Before dying, the hero tries to tell Wiglaf the truth that Grendel's mother is still alive. But a friend tells him that his people need a hero no matter what.
Beowulf is buried according to the custom of the Vikings in a burning ship. Wiglaf, now king, watches alone as he leaves. He sees that Grendel's mother has entered the burning ship, taking Beowulf's body into the depths of the sea. After that, she emerges, looking at Wiglaf and calling him to her. He calmly looks at her, but the viewer is not shown what decision Wiglaf made.
Comparison of the plot nodes of the poem and the film
Let's try to compare the key episodes of the poem and this film adaptation:
| Poem | Movie |
|---|---|
| Feast in Heorot | Feast in Heorot |
| Arrival to the Danes of Beowulf with his retinue of 14 people | |
| Beowulf fighting Grendel in the castle | |
| Hero battle with monster mother outside Heorot, death of dragoness | The seduction of the hero by the mother of the monster outside Heorot as a prerequisite for the appearance of the dragon, their son |
| Return of Beowulf to the land of the Gauts, rule of the Gauts after the death of Hygelak | Promise of Beowulf, suicide of Hrodgor |
| Fighting a dragon, defeating a dragon with Wiglaf, death of Beowulf | Beowulf's battle with the dragon (his son), the victory over the dragon with the help of Wiglaf, the death of Beowulf and the triumph of the dragoness, hoping to seduce Wiglaf. |
However, the distortion of the plot and realities of the ancient German heroic epic this film has already been repeatedly criticized,. If outwardly the plot of the film is somewhat similar to the plot of the original poem, then the inner essence epic heroes heavily distorted. So, the two largest heroes of the poem, Hrothgar and Beowulf, despite their original role as fighters for the well-being of their tribe (more broadly - of all mankind), being seduced by the dragoness, become the root cause of his misfortunes. In the first case, Hrodgar becomes the father of Grendel (and therefore the culprit of the disasters that befell the Danes), and in the second, Beowulf becomes the father of the dragon and, one way or another, the culprit of subsequent disasters caused by the dragon. Hrodgar and Beowulf, sometimes reduced to the role of banal erotomaniacs (and Hrodgar even to the role of a drunkard who has forgotten his duties to the Danes), become internally broken, contradictory heroes who have lost their original integrity, which was fundamental in the original poem.
Cast
| Actor | Role | Russian dubbing |
|---|---|---|
| Ray Winston | Beowulf Beowulf | Oleg Kutsenko |
| Crispin Glover | Grendel Grendel | Petr Ivashchenko |
| Angelina Jolie | Grendel's mother | Olga Zubkova |
| John Malkovich | Unfert Unfert | Konstantin Karasik |
| Anthony Hopkins | Hrothgar King Hrothgar | Vladimir Eremin |
| Robin Wright-Penn | Walchteow Queen Walchteow | Elena Solovyova |
| Brendan Gleeson | Wiglaf Wiglaf | Andrey Yaroslavtsev |
| Alison Loman | Ursula Ursula | |
| Sebastian Roche | Wulfgar Wulfgar | |
| Costas Mandylor | hondshaw hondshaw |
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Notes
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An excerpt characterizing Beowulf (film, 2007)
- Merci, monsieur, [Thank you, sir.] - the drummer answered in a trembling, almost childish voice and began to wipe his dirty feet on the threshold. Petya wanted to say a lot to the drummer, but he did not dare. He, shifting, stood beside him in the passage. Then, in the darkness, he took his hand and shook it.“Entrez, entrez,” he repeated only in a gentle whisper.
“Oh, what should I do to him!” Petya said to himself and, opening the door, let the boy pass him by.
When the drummer entered the hut, Petya sat further away from him, considering it humiliating for himself to pay attention to him. He only felt the money in his pocket and was in doubt whether he would not be ashamed to give it to the drummer.
From the drummer, who, on the orders of Denisov, was given vodka, mutton, and whom Denisov ordered to dress in a Russian caftan, so that, without sending him away with the prisoners, to leave him at the party, Petya's attention was diverted by the arrival of Dolokhov. Petya in the army heard many stories about the extraordinary courage and cruelty of Dolokhov with the French, and therefore, since Dolokhov entered the hut, Petya, without taking his eyes off, looked at him and cheered more and more, twitching his raised head so as not to be unworthy even of such a society as Dolokhov.
Dolokhov's appearance struck Petya strangely with its simplicity.
Denisov dressed in a chekmen, wore a beard and on his chest the image of Nicholas the Wonderworker, and in his manner of speaking, in all methods, he showed the peculiarity of his position. Dolokhov, on the other hand, who had previously worn a Persian suit in Moscow, now looked like the most prim guards officer. His face was clean-shaven, he was dressed in a Guards padded frock coat with Georgy in his buttonhole and in a plain cap put on directly. He took off his wet cloak in the corner and, going up to Denisov, without greeting anyone, immediately began to question him about the matter. Denisov told him about the plans that large detachments had for their transport, and about sending Petya, and about how he answered both generals. Then Denisov told everything he knew about the position of the French detachment.
“That’s true, but you need to know what and how many troops,” Dolokhov said, “it will be necessary to go. Without knowing exactly how many there are, one cannot go into business. I like to do things carefully. Here, if any of the gentlemen wants to go with me to their camp. I have my uniforms with me.
- I, I ... I will go with you! Petya screamed.
“You don’t need to go at all,” Denisov said, turning to Dolokhov, “and I won’t let him go for anything.”
- That's great! Petya cried out, “why shouldn’t I go? ..
- Yes, because there is no need.
"Well, you'll have to excuse me, because... because... I'll go, that's all." Will you take me? he turned to Dolokhov.
- Why ... - Dolokhov answered absently, peering into the face of the French drummer.
- How long have you had this young man? he asked Denisov.
- Today they took it, but they don’t know anything. I left it pg "and myself.
Well, where are you going with the rest? Dolokhov said.
- How to where? I’m sending you under Mr. Aspis! - Denisov suddenly turned red, exclaimed. - And I can boldly say that there is not a single person on my conscience. than magic, I pg, I’ll say, the honor of a soldier.
“It’s decent for a young count at sixteen to say these courtesies,” Dolokhov said with a cold smile, “but it’s time for you to leave it.
“Well, I’m not saying anything, I’m only saying that I will certainly go with you,” Petya said timidly.
“But it’s time for you and me, brother, to give up these courtesies,” Dolokhov continued, as if he found particular pleasure in talking about this subject that irritated Denisov. “Well, why did you take this with you?” he said, shaking his head. "Then why do you feel sorry for him?" After all, we know these receipts of yours. You send a hundred of them, and thirty will come. They will die of hunger or be beaten. So isn't it all the same to not take them?
Esaul, narrowing his bright eyes, nodded his head approvingly.
- It's all g "Absolutely, there's nothing to argue about. I don't want to take it on my soul. You talk" ish - help "ut". Just not from me.
Dolokhov laughed.
“Who didn’t tell them to catch me twenty times?” But they will catch me and you, with your chivalry, all the same on an aspen. He paused. “However, the work must be done. Send my Cossack with a pack! I have two French uniforms. Well, are you coming with me? he asked Petya.
- I? Yes, yes, certainly, - Petya, blushing almost to tears, cried out, looking at Denisov.
Again, while Dolokhov was arguing with Denisov about what should be done with the prisoners, Petya felt awkward and hasty; but again he did not have time to understand well what they were talking about. “If big, well-known think like that, then it’s necessary, so it’s good,” he thought. - And most importantly, it is necessary that Denisov does not dare to think that I will obey him, that he can command me. I will certainly go with Dolokhov to the French camp. He can, and I can."
To all Denisov's persuasion not to travel, Petya replied that he, too, was accustomed to doing everything carefully, and not Lazarus at random, and that he never thought of danger to himself.
“Because,” you yourself will agree, “if you don’t know exactly how many there are, life depends on it, maybe hundreds, and here we are alone, and then I really want this, and I will certainly, certainly go, you won’t stop me.” “It will only get worse,” he said.
Dressed in French overcoats and shakos, Petya and Dolokhov went to the clearing from which Denisov looked at the camp, and, leaving the forest in complete darkness, went down into the hollow. Having moved down, Dolokhov ordered the Cossacks accompanying him to wait here and rode at a large trot along the road to the bridge. Petya, trembling with excitement, rode beside him.
“If we get caught, I won’t give myself up alive, I have a gun,” Petya whispered.
“Don’t speak Russian,” Dolokhov said in a quick whisper, and at the same moment a hail was heard in the darkness: “Qui vive?” [Who's coming?] and the sound of a gun.
Blood rushed into Petya's face, and he grabbed the pistol.
- Lanciers du sixieme, [Lancers of the sixth regiment.] - Dolokhov said, without shortening or adding speed to the horse. The black figure of a sentry stood on the bridge.
- Mot d "ordre? [Review?] - Dolokhov held his horse back and rode at a pace.
– Dites donc, le colonel Gerard est ici? [Tell me, is Colonel Gerard here?] he said.
- Mot d "ordre! - Without answering, the sentry said, blocking the road.
- Quand un officier fait sa ronde, les sentinelles ne demandent pas le mot d "ordre ... - Dolokhov shouted, suddenly flushing, running over the sentry with his horse. - Je vous demande si le colonel est ici? [When an officer goes around the chain, sentries do not ask recall… I ask if the Colonel is here?]
And, without waiting for an answer from the guard who stood aside, Dolokhov rode uphill at a pace.
Noticing the black shadow of a man crossing the road, Dolokhov stopped this man and asked where the commander and officers were? This man, with a bag on his shoulder, a soldier, stopped, went close to Dolokhov's horse, touching it with his hand, and simply and friendly told that the commander and officers were higher on the mountain, with right side, in the farm yard (as he called the master's estate).
Having passed along the road, on both sides of which the French dialect sounded from the fires, Dolokhov turned into the courtyard master's house. Having passed through the gate, he got off his horse and went up to a large blazing fire, around which several people were sitting talking loudly. Something was brewing in a cauldron on the edge, and a soldier in a cap and a blue overcoat, kneeling, brightly lit by fire, interfered with it with a ramrod.
- Oh, c "est un dur a cuire, [You can't cope with this devil.] - said one of the officers sitting in the shade on the opposite side of the fire.
“Il les fera marcher les lapins… [He will go through them…],” another said with a laugh. Both fell silent, peering into the darkness at the sound of the steps of Dolokhov and Petya, approaching the fire with their horses.
Bonjour, messieurs! [Hello, gentlemen!] - Dolokhov said loudly, clearly.
The officers stirred in the shadow of the fire, and one, a tall officer with a long neck, bypassing the fire, approached Dolokhov.
- C "est vous, Clement? - he said. - D" ou, diable ... [Is that you, Clement? Where the hell...] - but he did not finish, having learned his mistake, and, frowning slightly, as if he were a stranger, greeted Dolokhov, asking him what he could serve. Dolokhov said that he and his comrade were catching up with his regiment, and asked, addressing everyone in general, if the officers knew anything about the sixth regiment. Nobody knew anything; and it seemed to Petya that the officers began to examine him and Dolokhov with hostility and suspicion. For a few seconds everyone was silent.
The only existing manuscript of Beowulf dates from around 1000. But the epic itself belongs, according to most experts, to the end of the 7th or the first third of the 8th century. At that time, the Anglo-Saxons were already experiencing the beginning process of the emergence of feudal ties. The poem, however, is characterized by epic archaization. In addition, she draws reality from a specific point of view: the world of "Beowulf" is the world of kings and vigilantes, the world of feasts, battles and fights.
The only existing manuscript of Beowulf dates from around 1000. But the epic itself belongs, according to most experts, to the end of the 7th or the first third of the 8th century. At that time, the Anglo-Saxons were already experiencing the beginning process of the emergence of feudal ties. The poem, however, is characterized by epic archaization. In addition, she draws reality from a specific point of view: the world of "Beowulf" is the world of kings and vigilantes, the world of feasts, battles and fights. other tribes are mentioned, the kings who once really ruled them are named. But this does not apply to the protagonist of the poem: Beowulf himself, apparently, did not have historical prototype. Since then everyone unconditionally believed in the existence of giants and dragons, the combination of such stories with the story of wars between peoples and kings was quite natural.
It is curious that the Anglo-Saxon epic ignores England (this gave rise, by the way, to the now rejected theory of its Scandinavian origin). But perhaps this feature of Beowulf will not seem so striking, if we keep in mind that in other works of Anglo-Saxon poetry we meet the most various peoples Europe and that we will face the same fact in the songs " Elder Edda", and partly in the "Nibelungenlied".
Some interpreters of Beowulf have argued that the poem arose from the combination of various songs; it was customary to cut it into four parts: a duel with Grendel, a duel with his mother, Beowulf's return to his homeland, a duel with a dragon. The point of view was expressed that the originally purely pagan poem was partially revised in the Christian spirit, as a result of which an interweaving of two worldviews arose in it. Then most researchers began to believe that the transition from oral songs to the "book epic" was not limited to their simple fixation; these scholars viewed "Beowulf" as single work, whose "editor" in his own way combined and reworked the material at his disposal, setting out the traditional plots more extensively. However, it must be admitted that nothing is known about the process of becoming Beowulf.
There are many in the epic folklore motifs. At the very beginning, Skild Skevang - "foundling" is mentioned. The boat with the baby Skild washed up on the shores of Denmark, whose people were at that time defenseless due to the absence of the king; subsequently Skild became the ruler of Denmark and founded a dynasty. After the death of Skild, they put him back on the ship and, together with the treasures, sent him back to where he came from - purely fairy story. The giants that Beowulf fights are akin to the giants of Scandinavian mythology, and combat with the dragon is a common theme in fairy tales and myths, including northern ones. In his youth, Beowulf, who, having grown up, acquired the strength of thirty people, was lazy and not distinguished by valor, is this not reminiscent of the youth of other heroes folk tales, for example, Ilya Muromets? The arrival of the hero on his own initiative to help those in distress, his quarrel with his opponent (exchange of speeches between Beowulf and Unferth), the test of the hero’s prowess (the story of the swimming contest between Beowulf and Breka), handing him a magic weapon (Hrunting sword), violation of the ban by the hero ( Beowulf takes away the treasure in a duel with the dragon, not knowing that a spell gravitates over the treasure), an assistant in the hero’s single combat with the enemy (Wiglaf, who came to the rescue of Beowulf at a time when he was close to death), three battles that the hero gives, moreover each subsequent one turns out to be more difficult (the battles of Beowulf with Grendel, with his mother and with the dragon) - all these are elements fairy tale. The epic retains many traces of its prehistory rooted in folk art. But tragic ending- the death of Beowulf, as well as the historical background against which his fantastic exploits unfold, distinguish the poem from the fairy tale - these are signs of a heroic epic.
Representatives of the "mythological school" in the literary criticism of the last century tried to decipher this epic in this way: monsters personify storms North Sea; Beowulf - a good deity, curbing the elements; his peaceful reign is a blessed summer, and his death is the onset of winter. Thus, the epic symbolically depicts the contrasts of nature, growth and decay, rise and fall, youth and old age. Other scholars understood these contrasts in ethical terms and saw in Beowulf the theme of the struggle between good and evil. The symbolic and allegorical interpretation of the poem is not alien to those researchers who generally deny its epic character and consider it to be the work of a cleric or monk who knew and used early Christian literature. These interpretations largely rest on the question of whether the "spirit of Christianity" is expressed in "Beowulf" or before us - a monument of pagan consciousness. Proponents of understanding it as folk epic, in which the beliefs of the heroic era of the Great Migration are alive, naturally, they found Germanic paganism in it and minimized the significance of church influence. On the contrary, those modern scholars who classify the poem as written literature, shift the center of gravity to Christian motives; in paganism, "Beowulf" is seen as nothing more than an antique pastiche. IN the latest criticism there is a noticeable tendency to shift attention from the analysis of the content of the poem to the study of its texture and style. In the middle of our century, the denial of the connection of "Beowulf" with the epic folklore tradition. Meanwhile for last years a number of experts are inclined to consider the prevalence of stereotypical expressions and formulas in the text of the poem as evidence of its origin from oral creativity.
The author and his characters often commemorate the Lord God; in the epic there are hints of biblical stories, apparently understandable to the "public" of that time; paganism is clearly condemned. At the same time, "Beowulf" is replete with references to Fate, which either acts as an instrument of the creator and is identical to divine Providence, or appears as an independent force. But belief in Destiny was central to the pre-Christian ideology of the Germanic peoples. generic blood feud, which the church condemned, although it was often forced to endure, is glorified in the poem and considered an obligatory duty, and the impossibility of revenge is regarded as the greatest misfortune. In short, the ideological situation depicted in Beowulf is rather contradictory. The Anglo-Saxons of the 7th-8th centuries were Christians, but christian religion at that time, it not so much overcame the pagan worldview, but pushed it out of the official sphere into the background public consciousness. The Church managed to destroy the old temples and the worship of pagan gods, sacrifices to them, as for the forms of human behavior, here the situation was much more complicated. The motives that drive the actions of the characters in Beowulf are by no means determined by the Christian ideals of humility and submission to the will of God.
Thirst for glory, prey and princely awards - that's highest values for the German hero, as they are depicted in the epic, these are the main springs of his behavior. "Death awaits every mortal! - // let whoever can live deserve // eternal glory! For for a warrior // the best pay-memory is worthy!" Such is the credo of Beowulf. When he has to deliver a decisive blow to his opponent, he focuses on the thought of glory. "(So hand-to-hand// the warrior must go in order to gain eternal glory// without caring about life!)" better for a warrior// to die than to live in disgrace!"
"Hrodgar rose in battles, successful, / without disputes, his relatives submitted to him ..." There was a belief that the leader's luck extended to the squad. Rewarding his warriors with weapons and precious items - the materialization of his luck, the leader could pass on to them a particle of this luck.
The struggle for glory and jewels, loyalty to the leader, bloody revenge as an imperative of behavior, the dependence of a person on the Destiny reigning in the world and a courageous meeting with it, tragic death hero - all these are the defining themes not only of Beowulf, but also of other monuments of the German epic.
Repeated repetitions of the same motive accentuate certain episodes of the plot and deepen them. inner meaning. So, four times it is said in the poem about Higelak's campaign. The theme of tribal revenge is heard repeatedly; the repetition of this theme emphasizes the idea that revenge for a dead relative is the duty of a warrior. The technique of repetition is also used in the selection of epithets.
The language of the poem strikes with the richness of metaphorical names-characteristics. Sea, sword, woman
Retreats play an important role. They perform various functions: they introduce the background of the characters, predict their future, complement the plot, clarifying individual episodes.
The poem conveys the local flavor: the features of the nature of Scandinavia and England are reproduced. Features of the Scandinavian landscape are palpable in the descriptions of the rocky seashore, steep cliffs, caves under the rocks (episodes of the battle of Beo-Wulf with the dragon): when we are talking about Grendel, it is said that the monster lives "in the swamps hidden by fogs", "in the bogs", "in the depths of swamps and swamps".
... prayed to idols ... did not honor the Almighty.- This is an incomprehensible place, since the author recently said that the Danes were Christians and that the court poet composed songs about the creation of the world by God. Grendel himself also opposes the warriors of Hrothgar as a product of the devil and a godless spirit. Here it says something completely different. Understanding these lines depends on how different commentators evaluate the role of the Christian element in the poem. The main lines of interpretation are as follows.1) The listeners of Beowulf, like the poet himself, have already deeply imbued with the ideas of Christianity. The pagan plot is fully adapted to the new worldview. In the 8th century, when Beowulf was written, everyone, of course, knew that the Scandinavians were pagans, but the pagan could not be the central person of the epic narrative, and therefore the Danes and Gauts are presented as Christians, a circumstance that bothered few. In the tenth century, when Beowulf was recorded, the Scandinavians not only remained pagans, but also turned into the worst enemies of the Anglo-Saxons (Viking campaigns, the era of the Scandinavian conquest), and the whole passage is an obvious late addition of a scribe who wanted to speak badly about the Danes and prepare a place for them in hell (Whitelock).
2) The poet was rather indifferent to Christianity. He was interested in exploits, and they could only be taken from the pagan past. The episode of the apostasy of the Danes was composed at the same time as the whole poem, and not added later. The poet simply wanted to tell how desperate the people of Hrothgar had fallen. They tried all means, and all in vain. The poet could make them pray to God, and then Beowulf would have appeared as an answer to prayer, but he chose a different path. There is an absolute discrepancy between the beginning of the poem and this episode, but there are many such discrepancies in the poem, and no one noticed them. As for the historical side of the matter, it is well known that the Christianized Germans more than once returned to paganism at the moment of mortal danger (Sisam).
3) "Beowulf" is a poem about pagan times, but told by a Christian. The general tone and ethical position of the poet is, of course, Christian: moderation and altruism are preached, God is recognized as the driving force behind everything that happens in the world, and sympathy is everywhere on the side of the weak; one can find similarities between Beowulf and Christ, and the dragon, although not a fiend, is a well-known symbol of the devil in church literature, so that all the battles of the hero are directed against the forces of evil in the Christian sense of the word. It cannot be imagined that Beowulf was composed in pagan times and only transcribed by a Christian. It is possible that the episode under discussion is really an allusion to the apostasy of the desperate Danes. But it is also possible that, having made the Danes of the VI century. Christians, the poet sometimes forgot about the anachronism imposed on himself. In addition, as textual analysis shows, Beowulf was composed later than the Old English poem Daniel and was influenced by it. There is a story in Daniel about how the Babylonians offer sacrifices to idols, and the episode in Beowulf looks like an echo of this story. But in Daniel the narration proceeds naturally, and in Beowulf literary imitation has been out of place (Klaeber).
4) "Beowulf" - alloy best features pagan and Christian ideals. The poet composed for Christians, and this determined the tone of the story, but he, undoubtedly, was himself a man deeply convinced of the rightness Christian doctrine. The Danes were pagans. Incomprehensible lines (see) mean that Hrodgar could not approach his own throne, because he did not know the grace of God; this was his greatest misfortune. In other words, the author directly states that Hrothgar is a pagan, and there is no question of apostasy in the episode with pagan temples; on the contrary, it is emphasized that the Danes did not believe in the true God, but in idols and were adequately punished. In saying this, the poet was making a forced concession to his time. He only allows himself to say that the paganism of the good Hrothgar and his subjects is not the fault, but the misfortune of these people. He could not but make the Danes pagans, since everyone in England knew that their northern neighbors were idolaters. The poet acted very wisely, immediately naming the religion of the Danes and Gauts. Then he allowed them to express their feelings in accordance with the habits of the Anglo-Saxon audience (Brodeur) (in this version, partly derived from Chambers, it is not explained why the pagan poet sings in Heorot the song of the creation of the world on biblical story). At present, it is hardly possible to make an unambiguous decision regarding this difficult place.
PERSONAL NAMES IN THE EPOS "BEOWULF" : Characters, geography, swords
ABEL- Abel, killed by his brother Cain
AELFHERE- kinsman of Wiglaf
AESCHERE- older brother of Irmenlaf; favorite adviser of Hrothgar; killed by Grendel's mother
BEANSTAN- Breka's father
BEOW- Danish king, son of Skild; Halfden's father
BEOWULF- Beowulf, gaut, nephew of the historical king Hygelak; later the king of the Gauts himself; the hero of the poem
BRECA- son of Beanstan and leader of the Brondings; competed in swimming with Beowulf in his youth
BRONDINGAS- unknown tribe
BROSINGAS- gnomes (brisings), who made a false necklace to the goddess Freya
CAIN- Abel's brother who killed him
DAEGHREFN- Frankish warrior killed by Beowulf in the unsuccessful campaign of Hygelac
DENE- Danes. Often they were called Scyldings, after the name of the ruling royal dynasty at that time.
EADGILS- Swedish prince, brother of Eanmund. He and his brother were expelled from Sweden by their uncle Onela for rebellion; the exiles were sheltered by the Gautian king Heardred, son and heir of Hygelak. Onela attacked Gautland for hosting his nephews there. King Heardred is killed and Beowulf ascends the throne, who helps Eadgil to defeat Onela and become the Swedish king.
EANMUND- Swedish prince, brother of Eadgil
EARNA-NAES- a place in Gautland where the battle with the dragon took place (modern Jörnas in Sweden)
ECGLAF- father of Unferth the Dane
ECG THEOW- father of Beowulf and ancestor of the Wegmundings; husband of the only daughter of the Gautian king Chretel
ECGWELA- unknown king of the Danes
EOFOR- Gaut warrior who killed the Swedish king Ongentheow; son of Vonred and brother of Wulf. King Higelak rewards him and his brother with rich gifts
EOMER- son of Off Angle, kinsman of Hemming
EORLE- a particularly wild and powerful Germanic tribe in the 4th-6th centuries; lived in Denmark and eventually disappeared into the Danes
EORMENRIC- the historical king of the Ostrogoths, who lived at the end of the 4th century; became the hero of many Germanic heroic legends
EOTE- Jutes, followers of Finn, King of the Frisians
FINN- the king of East Frisians and jutes; son of Volkwald; husband of Hildebur, daughter of Hock and sister of Hnefa.
FINNA LAND- modern Finnheden in the south-west Sweden
FITELA- nephew (and son) of Sigmund
FOLCWALDA- Finn's father
FRANCAN- francs; Hygelac is killed in his campaign against the Frisians and Franks
FREAWARU- Hrothgar's daughter; she is married to Ingeld
FRESAN- a tribe of Frisians (western and eastern)
FRES-CYNING- King of the (Western) Frisians
FRES-LOND- country of (Western) Frisians
FRES-WAEL- the valley where the battle between the Frisians and Halfdans took place
FRODA- king of the Heathobards and father of Ingeld"; killed in battle with the Danes
GARMUND- father of Offa Angle
GEATAS- Gauts who lived in the south of Sweden; Beowulf belonged to the Gautian royal family
GIFTHAS- An East Germanic tribe related to the Goths. They lived first in the Vistula delta; in the 3rd century settled in Hungary, where their independent state was conquered by pawnshops in the 6th century.
GRENDEL- a monster from the race of Cain, visiting the hall of Hrothgar and killing people; killed by Beowulf
GUTHLAF- Danish warrior
HAERETH- father of Hygda, Hygelak's wife
HAETHCYN- the second son of Hretel, the king of the Gauts (the first son is Herebeald, the youngest is Higelak); accidentally killed his older brother with an arrow; killed in battle with Ongentheow
HAETHNAS- the name of the warriors serving with Hygelak's gauts
HALGA- Danish prince younger brother Hrodgar; Hrothulf's father
HAMA- steals the Brosing necklace from Eormenric
HEALFDENE- King of the Danes, son of Beowulf, son of Skild; ruled happily and left four children: Heorogar, Hrodagar and Khalga and a daughter whose name has not come down to us
HEALF-DENE- Halfdan tribe ruled by Hnef
HEARDRED- Gautsky king, son of Higelak and Hygd; became king in his youth; killed by the Swedes for supporting Onela's nephews; Beowulf avenges his death by killing Onela
HEATHOBEARDAN- unknown Germanic tribe; worst enemy Danes
HEATHOLAF- a man from the Wilfing tribe, killed by Beowulf's father
HEATHO-RAEMAS- Norwegian tribe
HELMINGS- the family to which Hrothgar's wife, Wealhtheow, belonged
HEMMING kinsman of Offa Angle and Eomer
HENGEST- the leader of the Halfdans after the murder of Hnef; takes revenge on Finn for this murder
HEOROGAR Danish king, elder brother of Hrothgar.
HEOROT- the magnificent hall of Hrothgar; later it will be destroyed by fire. It is located, most likely, on the northern coast of Zealand, in the south-west. from Roskilde, the ancient seat of the Danish kings. The name Heorot - "deer" is associated with the symbol royalty, deer.
HEOROWEARD- son of Heorogar, king of Denmark
HEREBEALD- Gautsky prince, eldest son of Hretel, king of Gautland; accidentally killed by his younger brother, Haethcyn
HEREMOD- the Danish king, after whose death in exile, Skild Skeving mysteriously arrives on a ship to become the head of the Danish kingdom
HERERIC- uncle of Heardred, king of the Gauts; possibly brother of Queen Hygda
HETWARE- Frankish tribe on the lower Rhine
HILDEBURH- wife of Finn, king of the Frisians; daughter of Hawk; returns to Denmark after killing Finn
HNAEF- son of Hawk and brother of Hildebur; killed by Finn's men
HOC- father Hnef and Hildebur;
HONDSCIOH- Gaut warrior, comrade of Beowulf; killed by Grendel
HREFNA-WUDU- a forest in Sweden where the Swedish king Ongentheow killed the Gautian king Haethcyn in battle
HREOSNA-BEORH- a hill in Gautland, near which, after the death of Chretel, Ohthere and Onela frivolously attacked the Gauts, which led to a war in which Haedcyn was killed
HRETHEL- King of the Gauts, father of Higelak and grandfather of Beowwulf on his mother's side; died of grief when his eldest son Herebeald was killed by the second son of Haedcyn
HRETHRIC- Son of Hrodgar and elder brother of Hrodmund
HRETHLINGAS- gauts (on behalf of King Khretel)
HRONES-NAES- a cape on the Gaut coast, where the mound of Beowulf is located
HROTHGAR- King of the Danes; son of Halfdan, in whose kingdom Beowulf's battle with Grendel takes place
HROTHMUND- son of Hrothgar; Hredrik's younger brother
HROTHULF- Nephew of Hrodgar, son of Khalga. This famous hero Hrolf of Norwegian legends
HRUNTING- Unferth's sword
HUGAS- the name given to the Franks when describing the war between the Franks and the Gauts
HUNLAFING- possibly the name of the sword
HYGD- wife of King Hygelac; possibly Beowulf's wife after the death of her first husband; mother of Heardred; offers Beowulf the throne of Gaut
HYGELAC- King of the Gauts and uncle of Beowulf; the only character in the poem mentioned by other sources
INGELD- Prince of the Heathobards, son of Frod
INGWINE- name of the Danes of Hrothgar
MEREWIOINGAS- Merovingians; Merovingian king
MODTHRYTH- Offa's wife
NAEGLING- the sword of Beowulf, with which he fought with the dragon
OFFA- King of the Continental Angles and ancestor of the historical Offa of Mercia; lived in the 4th century
OHTHERE- son of the Swedish king Ongentheow; father of Eanmund and Eadgil; Onela's older brother
ONELA- Swedish king, Ohthere's younger brother
ONGENTHEOW- Swedish king, father of Ohthere and Onela; rescues his wife, kidnapped by the Gautian king (Haedcyn), whom he kills; killed by Wulf
OSLAF- Danish warrior; on Hengest's side against Finn
SCEDE-LAND- southern part of Sweden, formerly part of Denmark
SCYLDINGAS- descendants of Skild; Danish royalty
SCYLD SCEFING- founder of the royal house of Hrothgar
SCYLFINGAS- swedish royalty
SIGEMUND- Sigmund, the slayer of the dragon. His exploits are attributed to his more famous son Sigurd (Siegfried)
SWEON- Swedes who lived in the east.-center. Sweden, north of the Gauts
SWERTING- Uncle Hygelac from mother's side
SWIO RICE- Sweden (modern Swedish Sverige - Sweden)
UNFERTH- temporarily gives his magic sword Hrunting Beowulf walking on
battle with Grendel's mother
WAEGMUNDINGA S - a family related to the Gauth royal house, to which Wiglaf, Wistan and Beowulf belonged
WAELS- Sigmund's father
WAELSING- son of Wels, i.e. Sigmund
WEALHTHEOW- Hrothgar's wife mother of Hredrik and Hrodmund
WEDERAS- "loving wind, storm." Refers to the Gauts who lived on the coast
WEDER MEARC- country of Gauts
WELAND- Völund, the famous blacksmith and wizard of Germanic heroic legends; like the Greek Hephaestus (Vulcan)
WENDLAS- vandals. It is possible that some vandals lived in Vendel (Sweden) and in Vendilla (modern Vendsyssel)
WEOHSTAN- Wiglaf's father; fought with Onela against the Gauts; participated in the Swedish civil war, killed Eanmund and received his weapons from Onela as a gift
WIGLAF- kinsman of Beowulf; prince of the Scylphings; son of Veostan; stayed to help Beowulf in the battle with the dragon; receives treasure from Beowulf guarded by a dragon; arranges a funeral for Beowulf
WITHERGYLD- warrior from the Heathobards tribe
WONRED- father of the Gaut warriors Eophor and Wulf
WULF- brother of Gaut Eophor and son of Vonred; fought against Ongentheow
WULFGAR- prince of vandals (Wendlas); an important assistant to Hrothgar
WYLFINGAS- a Germanic tribe that lived on the Pomeranian coast
YRMENLAF- Dane, younger brother of Aeschere
