grendel's glove and his immunity from weapons

8/11/2019 Grendel's Glove and His Immunity from Weapons

1/4

Grendel's Glove and His Immunity from WeaponsAuthor(s): E. D. LabordeSource: The Modern Language Review, Vol. 18, No. 2 (Apr., 1923), pp. 202-204Published by: Modern Humanities Research AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3714596.

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2/4

MISCELLANEOUS

NOTES.

GRENDEL'S

GLOVE

AND HIS

IMMUNITY

FROM

WEAPONS.

THE GLOVE.

The

connexion

which

has

recently

been established

between the

main

theme

of

the Grendel

Fight

and

folk-lore

originals

explains

the

significance,not before understood,of Grendel'scurious glove described in

Beowulf,

11.

2085-92.

Stopford

Brooke

says

that the

glove

was

probably

'a

kind of

pouch,'

and

Chambers,

ollowing

en

Brink,

translates

glof

as

'pouch,

bag.'

The

glove

m,ay

have been

used

as a

bag-there

is

no

definite evidence of its

use

as

such,-but

a

large glove

was

a charac-

teristic

property

of

trolls. The feature

was

probably

nherited

from

the

glove

episode

of

Thor and

the

giant Skrynlir

as told

by

the

Edda.

This

glove

was so

large

that

Thorand his

party

lodged

n a

part

of it.

Thorpe,

in his Northern Mythology, II, p. 149, relates the story of a troll whose

glove

could

hold a

barrel

of

rye.

In

every

case where

the mention

of

a

glove

has been introduced

nto

a

troll-story,

he reason

for its

introduc-

tion

has

been

to

emphasise

the

gigantic

stature

and terriblenature

ot

the

fiend,

and

this

was also the

scop's

ntention

in

Beowulf.

From

what

is known of trolls and their

gloves,

it is

not

impossible

that

Grendel

used

his

glove

as a

game-bag.

But nevertheless

ts

significance

s the

special

mark

of a

troll remains.

THE IMMUNITYFROMWEAPONS.

Grendel's

mmunity

from

weapons

s another

of his

characteristics

which

has not

hitherto

been

sufficientlyexplained.

The

facts as

given

in

Beowulf

are

related

in

an

allusive

and obscure

manner

and are

widely

scattered

over

several

passages.

The

first

mention of

this attribute

in

the

monster

occurs

in

11.

433-40,

where Beowulf

says

he has

heard that

Grendel cares

not for

weapons by

reason

of his

rashness.

This does not

sound

like

magic.

It

gives

the

idea that Grendel

n the

presence

of

his

foe is seized with a blind fit of courage and rage, like a berserker or a

wild

beast,

and

hurls

himself

fiercely

on his

adversary

without

thought

of

the

weapons

which

that

enemy might

possess.

Beowulfscorns o

have

the

advantage

of

arms over an

enemy

ignorant

of their

very

use,

so

at

11.

671-87

he

is

found

disarming

himself

in

preparation

or the

struggle.

So

far the

description

s

consistent.

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3/4

Miscellaneous

Notes

But at

11.

794-805,

where

the

fight

begins,

it is said

that

Beowulf's

followers

try

to assist

him

by

striking

at Grendel

with their

swords,

but

that no war-bill, not even the best of blades, could touch the accursed

foe.

Why

not ?

Now,

the

next

sentence

has

usually

been taken

as

the

explanation:

'because

he used enchantment

against conquering

weapons,

every

sort of

blades'

(Clark

Hall).

But there

is

a

possibility

that this

is

a

mistranslation.

He,

the

subject

of

forsworen,

could

according

to

the

rules

of

modern

English syntax

refer

only

to

Grendel,

in which case

Clark Hall's

rendering

would be

correct.

But

O.E.

syntax

allows

of

such

rapid

changes

of

subject

that

he

quite

possibly

refers to

Beowulf,

and

in

that case the passage merely repeats Beowulf's resolve to trust to his

hand-grip

alone.

Such

an

explanation

does not

require

the invention

of

a

forced

meaning

for

forsvworen.

Nor would

the

sentence be

an irrelevant

reminder

of

Beowulf's

resolve,

for

it would be

a

hint,

in

the

scop's typical

manner,

that the hero

had

been

wise in

rejecting

the

use of

weapons.

Moreover,

his

explanation

fits

in

with what has

been

said

of

the monster's

recklessness,

whereas,

if

he had

laid a

spell

on all

cutting

weapons,

his

disregard

for

their

blows could

hardly

have

been termed

reckless.

What then is the explanation of the monster's immunity from the

retainers'

swords ?

This

is

given

at 11.

985-90:

'Everyone

said

that no

excellent

blade

(even)

of the

harder

sort

would touch

him

or

sever

the

blood-stained

battle-hand

of

that

monster.' It was

therefore this

tough-

ness

of

skin,

in

keeping

with

the

steel-like

claws,

of

the

monster

which

protected

him

against

the

weapons

of

the

Geats. Such

a

characteristic

would be

highly

appropriate

to a

monster,

especially

to one who seems

in

early

versions

of

the

tale

(e.g.

Saxo)

to have

had

some

connexion

with

a

bear.

Nor

would

mere

toughness

of skin

be

incompatible

with the

recklessness of

Grendel,

for

presumably

there was

always

the

possibility

of

his

skin

being

pierced,

just

as his

mother's

was

pierced

later.

Besides,

there

is

corroboration in

11.1518-28

and

1.557-69.

Here

it

is

said

that

even

the

well-tried

blade

of

Hunferth

failed

to

penetrate

the

mere-wife's

skin,

and

in

consequence

the

hero's

life

was

in serious

danger.

But

presently

he saw

hanging

on the

wall

a

mighty

sword

with

which

he

was

able to

cut off his

adversary's

head.

If

the

immunity

of

Grendel

and his

dam

had been

due

to

magic,

this

sword

must

have

possessed

superior

magic

power.

But the sword is described at

length

at 11.

1557-62

and

again

at

11.

1688-98,

and

in neither

passage

is

there

any

mention

of

magic

properties.

What

is

emphasised

is its

great

size

and its

excellence. It was so

big

that

no other

man

than Beowulf

could

wield

it in

battle,

and it

was

said

to

have been

the work of

giants,

those

203



4/4

Mliscellaneous

Notes

liscellaneous

Notes

legendary

smiths to whose

skill

all

excellent

swords

were

attributed.

Hence,

it would seem

that

the success

of the blade was

due

to

material,

and not to

magical, properties.

To

sum

up

then,

one

of the

characteristics of Grendel

was a

tough-

ness

of skin

which

protected

him

against

weapons.

Beowulf realised

the

futility

of

attacking

him with his

sword

and

preferred

to trust

to

his

muscular

strength.

When

the monster's

arm

and shoulder

were

dis-

played,

the

Danes

understood

why

all their

efforts to

rid themselves

of

their foe

had

been

in

vain.

The same

protective toughness

of skin-

though possibly

in

a less

degree-was

also

an

attribute

of

Grendel's

mother, but, by the fortunate acquisition of a swordof special excellence,

the

hero

was able to

overcome

her.

E. D. LABORDE.

LONDON.

BLAKE'S

INDEBTEDNESS

TO

THE 'EDDAS.'

In

Ellis

and

Yeats'

The

Works

of

Williamt

Blake,

I,

p.

336,

we

read,

'Vala,

a Scandinavian

prophetess,

may

have

given

her

name

to

Albion's

wife.' Even in this over-elaborate edition of Blake I find only the above

rather

tentative

statement

bearing

on Blake's

probable

indebtedness

to

the

Eddas.

Other

critics

have,

however,

been

reminded

of Norse

mytho-

logy

in

reading

the

Prophetic

Books.

In

Irene

Langridge's

William

Blake,

p.

129,

we

find,'

Looking

through

the

pages

of

Jerusalem,

vague

memories

of

Norse

sagas...come

to

one

and

cause

a

delightfill

and

yet

fearfil

shudder.'

In P.

Berger's

William

Blake

(London

edition

of

1914),

p.

157,

'From this

first

great

labour

we

get

the

myth

of Los

the

Black-

smith, a sort of Thor, standing hammer in hand...'; and p. 347,

'We

must

not

compare

it

(Vala)

with

the

Iliad

or the

Divine

Comedy,

but

rather

read

it

as we should

read

some

northern

Saga....

He

(the

student)

must

regard

Urizen,

Los,

Enitharmon,

Tharmas,

and

all

the

rest

as

demigods,

of

protean

shapes

and

subject

to

no

logical

rules;

as

gigantic

heroes

of

a

prehistoric

age;

as

beings

like

Odin,

Balder

or

Siegfried.'

But

all

of

this

is

rather

vague.

Can

it

be made

more definite

?

It is of some

interest

to note

that Blake refers

to

Odin

three

times,

to

Frigga

four

times,

and

to

Thor

five times.

One

of the

references

to

Odin

is to

Wodan;

and

Frigga's

name

is

spelled

Friga

in all four

instances.

The

contexts

in which

these

three

names

occur

do

not,

how-

ever,

make

it evident

that

Blake

had more

than

a

very

general

knowledge

of Norse

mythology.

Of more

importance

is the

fact

that Blake

seems

to

adopt

several

legendary

smiths to whose

skill

all

excellent

swords

were

attributed.

Hence,

it would seem

that

the success

of the blade was

due

to

material,

and not to

magical, properties.

To

sum

up

then,

one

of the

characteristics of Grendel

was a

tough-

ness

of skin

which

protected

him

against

weapons.

Beowulf realised

the

futility

of

attacking

him with his

sword

and

preferred

to trust

to

his

muscular

strength.

When

the monster's

arm

and shoulder

were

dis-

played,

the

Danes

understood

why

all their

efforts to

rid themselves

of

their foe

had

been

in

vain.

The same

protective toughness

of skin-

though possibly

in

a less

degree-was

also

an

attribute

of

Grendel's

mother, but, by the fortunate acquisition of a swordof special excellence,

the

hero

was able to

overcome

her.

E. D. LABORDE.

LONDON.

BLAKE'S

INDEBTEDNESS

TO

THE 'EDDAS.'

In

Ellis

and

Yeats'

The

Works

of

Williamt

Blake,

I,

p.

336,

we

read,

'Vala,

a Scandinavian

prophetess,

may

have

given

her

name

to

Albion's

wife.' Even in this over-elaborate edition of Blake I find only the above

rather

tentative

statement

bearing

on Blake's

probable

indebtedness

to

the

Eddas.

Other

critics

have,

however,

been

reminded

of Norse

mytho-

logy

in

reading

the

Prophetic

Books.

In

Irene

Langridge's

William

Blake,

p.

129,

we

find,'

Looking

through

the

pages

of

Jerusalem,

vague

memories

of

Norse

sagas...come

to

one

and

cause

a

delightfill

and

yet

fearfil

shudder.'

In P.

Berger's

William

Blake

(London

edition

of

1914),

p.

157,

'From this

first

great

labour

we

get

the

myth

of Los

the

Black-

smith, a sort of Thor, standing hammer in hand...'; and p. 347,

'We

must

not

compare

it

(Vala)

with

the

Iliad

or the

Divine

Comedy,

but

rather

read

it

as we should

read

some

northern

Saga....

He

(the

student)

must

regard

Urizen,

Los,

Enitharmon,

Tharmas,

and

all

the

rest

as

demigods,

of

protean

shapes

and

subject

to

no

logical

rules;

as

gigantic

heroes

of

a

prehistoric

age;

as

beings

like

Odin,

Balder

or

Siegfried.'

But

all

of

this

is

rather

vague.

Can

it

be made

more definite

?

It is of some

interest

to note

that Blake refers

to

Odin

three

times,

to

Frigga

four

times,

and

to

Thor

five times.

One

of the

references

to

Odin

is to

Wodan;

and

Frigga's

name

is

spelled

Friga

in all four

instances.

The

contexts

in which

these

three

names

occur

do

not,

how-

ever,

make

it evident

that

Blake

had more

than

a

very

general

knowledge

of Norse

mythology.

Of more

importance

is the

fact

that Blake

seems

to

adopt

several

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