Beowulf: An Introduction To The Study Of The Poem With A Discussion Of The Stories Of Offa And Finn - Softcover

Raymond Wilson Chambers

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1318570557 ISBN 13: 9781318570553

Publisher: HardPress, 2019

Synopsis

Beowulf: An Introduction To The Study Of The Poem With A Discussion Of The Stories Of Offa And Finn by Raymond Wilson Chambers. This scholarly guide analyzes Beowulf through linguistic, historical, and folkloric lenses, surveying the poem’s possible origins and its transmission across the North Sea world. It defends an etymology of Beowulf as Bee-wolf (bear-wolf) and argues against theories that Beowulf is merely a Scandinavian loanword, proposing instead a distinct English etymology and bearing on Beowulf’s bear-like character. The work engages with Byggvir and Bjarki as Scandinavian parallels, critiques the Bear’s-Son motif (Panzer) as a European-wide theme, and compares eight North Sea regional variants where bear-heroes descend to the underworld, wield magical devices, rescue princesses, and marry, while noting recurring motifs such as sandheaps and blood-traces. It argues that Beowulf is not a simple borrowing but a synthesis, where epic hall-combat and below-ground ordeals converge. The volume situates Beowulf within a broader cross-cultural frame, addressing manuscript history, dating (including Hygelac’s death), and a substantial bibliographic apparatus, and offering a comprehensive guide to Beowulf and Finnsburg scholarship with emphasis on philology, archaeology, folklore, and myth.

Edition details

• Publisher: HardPress
• Publication date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1318570557
• ISBN 13: 9781318570553
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 464