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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 December 2020
Many readers of Beowulf must have felt that its first climax, the fight with Grendel, is something of a disappointment. Klaeber's notes mention some of the faults when they say that this passage is
Partly excellent, vigorous narrative—yet the story is very much interrupted by interspersed general reflections on the situation and by remarks on the persons' thoughts and emotions, which greatly lengthen it and detract from its effectiveness. The corresponding combat of Grettir … is a good deal shorter, and also more direct and realistic.
1 Fr. Klaeber, Beowulf and the Fight at Finnsburg, 3rd. edition (New York: Heath, 1936), p. 154. All quotations from Beowulf in this article use the text of this edition.
2 Round 1 (Beowulf alone) has two divisions, beginning at line 2556, and being renewed at line 2591: “Næs ðā long tō ðon, / þæt ðā aglæcean hȳ eft gemētton.” Rounds 2 and 3 show Beowulf aided by Wiglaf: “wyrm yrre cwōm, / atol inwitgæst ōðre sīðe” (2669–70, and / þā wæs þēodsceaða þriddan sīðe, / frēcne fȳrdraca fæhða gemyndig. (2688–89)
3 Christ and Satan, ll. 430–431.
4 Erla Hittle, “Zur Geschichte der altenglischen Präpositionen ‘mid’ und wið,'” Anglistische Forschungen, ii, 111–112.
5 Fr. Klaeber, “Zur altenglischen Bedeutungslehre,” Archiv, cix, 312.
6 Or, “the evil one.” The question whether 749a should read inwitþancum or inwitþanculum is here irrelevant.
7 At least three translators, J. D. Spaeth, C. G. Child, and Cl. Hall, have rendered this passage in a way somewhat similar to that which I am suggesting. However, they have not used the idea of an arm-lock which would become effective by the act of sitting up, and such expressions as “threw himself” for gesœt are naturally unacceptable. Klaeber comments (MP, iii, 263): “of course not ‘he (Beowulf) came down on his (Grendel's) arm’ (Cl. Hall).” If we take the arm to be Grendel's, the arm-lock idea is essential to make sense of the passage—and if we take it to be Beowulf's, we can make nothing very satisfactory of it.
8 J. Hoops, Kommentar zum Beowulf (Heidelberg, 1932), p. 122.
9 We now have an answer to the question propounded in Klaeber's note to lines 736b–738: “Why does Beowulf in the meantime remain lying on his bed?” He remained lying because that was the best possible way to meet Grendel. Thus we are saved the necessity of resorting to hypothetical survivals from an earlier and different form of the story.
10 “Ok í því hljóp Grettir undir hendr honum, ok þreif um hann miðjan, ok spenti á honum hrygginn sem fastast gat hann, ok ætlaði hann, at Glámr skyldi kikna við. En þrællinn lagði at handleggjum Grettis svá fast, at hann horfaði allr fyrir orku sakir.” Quoted from R. W. Chambers, Beowulf: An Introduction (Cambridge, 1932), p. 154.
11 We know from lines 2098–99 that it was the right arm which was torn off.