Common Themes and Techniques-11

Many poems of the Anglo-Saxon period share many of the same techniques and themes as seen in Beowulf. The first I can think of immediately is the use of alliteration. On every story from A History of the English Church and People to “The Seafarer” and “The Wife’s Lament” alliteration is used frequently throughout the poems. Old Norse and Anglo-Saxon poetry depended heavily on alliteration. Another important theme was the effective use of the kenning. A kenning is two nouns separated by a hyphen used to describe another noun. Because the language at that time didn’t have a large vocabulary, poets combined existing words to create new alliterative words. The epic hero archetype was another key component. Gilgamesh and Beowulf are very similar in a sense of what they did and what they fought for. Both battled and defeated evil and lived up to the reputation as an archetype. They also take the form as an epic, which is a long narrative poem about a quest, told in formal, elevated language. The deal with events on a large scale for a greater cause and often include gods and goddesses as characters. Another theme is that of fate and dependence on the gods. These motifs appear frequently. Beowulf mainly follows the Christian faith but the idea is still the same. They call on a higher power for guidance. Elegies or personal experience is another important aspect. Just about all the characters in the poems enjoyed what they experienced. It all leads back to fate and what the gods have in store. So from this it can be said that they have a lot in common as far as themes and techniques go.

Alliteration in Caedmon's Hymn

There’s alliteration all through out Caedmon’s Hymn and many common trends as seen in Beowulf. The first, “Praise we the Fashioner now of Heaven’s fabric,” has alliteration to describe God who is described as the fashioner of Heaven’s fabric. In Beowulf, he doesn’t hesitate to praise God and give thanks to him. The second line, “The majesty of his might and his mind’s wisdom,” also has heavy alliteration. It’s further putting emphasis on the power of God and what he’s capable of. The third line, “Work of the world-warden, worker of all wonders,” we see a kenning for God, “world-warden,” which is very popular in Anglo-Saxon culture and is all over the poem of Beowulf. Beowulf uses, “The Almighty making, the earth, shaping these beautiful plains marked off by oceans, then proudly setting the sun and the moon to glow across the land and light it (line 7),” to describe the making of the Earth. Much like Caedmon did in his hymn. It also contains alliteration as well. The next line, “How he the Lord of Glory everlasting,” doesn’t contain any alliteration really or none that we see in the previously line where it’s obvious. He’s known as “the Lord of Heaven and earth” in Beowulf. The next line is “Wrought first for the race of men Heaven as a rooftree,” and has some alliteration in it. So far, almost every line contains alliteration which was very common in Anglo-Saxon poetry and writing. The last line, “Then made he Middle Earth to be their mansion,” talks about the creation of man and their domain on Earth. Again, alliteration is seen. Literary elements in both pieces are very similar.

Loyalty and Exile-9

“The Seafarer” and “The Wife’s Lament” both portray the ideal of loyalty and the tragedy of being separated from the lord. In “The Seafarer,” it was the man’s fate to explore the sea. Being separated from the lord, however, caused turmoil and rough seas. The man felt at home when traveling upon the sea but almost met his maker a couple times. The author talks about all the suffering one endures while being separated from the lord. “My feet were cast in icy bands, bound with frost, with frozen chains, and hardship groaned around my heart (line 8).” He also brings up the fact that we all fear God. He turns the Earth and set in space. “Death leaps at the fools who forget their God (line 106).” “The Wife’s Lament” shares a similar story about loyalty and exile from God. She was very loyal to God but her husband’s kinsmen plotted to keep her separated from God. The wife has faced hardships her entire life and being separated from God didn’t help any. Her life continues to take turns for the worse. “So in this forest grove they made me dwell, under the oak-tree, in this earthy barrow (line 28).” She has to continue to live in grief and hardship until she’s reunited again with her lord.