'Eldum Unnyt': Treasure Spaces in Beowulf.
Treasure spaces in Beowulf serve as structural and thematic touchstones for Beowulf's fights with the Grendelkin and the dragon, and the locations of these fights-the mere, the barrow, and Heorot-are linked within the poem by their shared tomb-like structure and precious internal content. These thre...
| Published in: | Neophilologus Vol. 95; no. 1; pp. 145 - 165 |
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| Format: | Article |
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Springer Nature
Jan2011
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=55642754&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 55642754 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00282677 OK9 jtl: Neophilologus issn: 00282677 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jan2011 vid: 95 iid: 1 pid: 237 pub: Springer Nature artinfo: ui: 55642754 10.1007/s11061-010-9217-1 ppf: 145 ppct: 20 formats: fmt: @attributes: type: P size: 231KB tig: atl: 'Eldum Unnyt': Treasure Spaces in Beowulf. aug: au: McNabb, Cameron affil: University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., CPR107 Tampa 33620 USA su: Criticism Beowulf Poetics Beowulf (Legendary character) Old English poetry Old English literature Geats sug: subj: Criticism Beowulf Poetics Beowulf (Legendary character) Old English poetry Old English literature Geats keyword: Barrow Heorot Mere Ship Treasure ab: Treasure spaces in Beowulf serve as structural and thematic touchstones for Beowulf's fights with the Grendelkin and the dragon, and the locations of these fights-the mere, the barrow, and Heorot-are linked within the poem by their shared tomb-like structure and precious internal content. These three central locations are framed by two other treasure spaces in the poem-Scyld's ship burial and Beowulf's burial-at the beginning and end respectively, which also mirror the fight locations in structure and contents. Examined together, the parallels between these five enclosures create striking connections between their occupants: the Grendelkin, the dragon, Hrothgar, Scyld, and ultimately Beowulf. These parallels also attest thematically to the poem's overarching discussion on the transitory nature of material wealth, creating a network of associations between the spaces and their inhabitants. This framework complicates the veneration of the human heroes and demonstrates that the accumulation of earthly goods is ultimately as useless to a hero as to a monster. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y custom: Neophilologus is a copyright of Springer, 2011. All Rights Reserved. item: Neophilologus holder: Springer Nature dt: @attributes: year: 2011 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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