Week 1-3
1. What genres do the following texts belong to, and how do their intended period contexts, purposes, and intended audiences differ?
Voluspa, Volsunga Saga, Beowulf, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
Remember to give some examples from these texts that support your identification (for example: "Voluspa is an example of the _____ genre, as the following references to gods from the poem illustrate: "Hear my words / you holy gods' (l.1) "By Odin's Will I'll speak the ancient lore" (l.3), etc).
2. What are some possible features of residual (or "secondary") orality preserved in Voluspa, according to the criteria Ong (1982) advances?
3. Identify a central incident that happens in at least four of the above texts, and discuss how it is both similar and different in each example (remember to cite from the original texts).
4. How did Tolkien draw on the Old Norse and Old English texts in his The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings fantasy novels? Provide some concrete examples.
5. Discuss how Tolkien's use of "tradition" (e.g. older literary sources) differs from the techniques and agendas of modernism (see Week 7 in your Reader).
6. Identify some recent films, TV shows and/or games which have brought back some of the old gods and heroes from obscurity. What place do the old myths have in the modern world?
7. How does the film Beowulf and Grendel "problematise" the hero-myth of Beowulf ? [Subject to viewing]
8. Discuss what you think any of these texts desire (in the sense of their intention, how they wish to be received, what pleasures they offer, etc).
Voluspa, Volsunga Saga, Beowulf, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
Remember to give some examples from these texts that support your identification (for example: "Voluspa is an example of the _____ genre, as the following references to gods from the poem illustrate: "Hear my words / you holy gods' (l.1) "By Odin's Will I'll speak the ancient lore" (l.3), etc).
2. What are some possible features of residual (or "secondary") orality preserved in Voluspa, according to the criteria Ong (1982) advances?
3. Identify a central incident that happens in at least four of the above texts, and discuss how it is both similar and different in each example (remember to cite from the original texts).
4. How did Tolkien draw on the Old Norse and Old English texts in his The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings fantasy novels? Provide some concrete examples.
5. Discuss how Tolkien's use of "tradition" (e.g. older literary sources) differs from the techniques and agendas of modernism (see Week 7 in your Reader).
6. Identify some recent films, TV shows and/or games which have brought back some of the old gods and heroes from obscurity. What place do the old myths have in the modern world?
7. How does the film Beowulf and Grendel "problematise" the hero-myth of Beowulf ? [Subject to viewing]
8. Discuss what you think any of these texts desire (in the sense of their intention, how they wish to be received, what pleasures they offer, etc).
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ReplyDeleteQUESTION 1 ANSWER:
ReplyDeleteTHE VOLUSPA can be described as a mythological poem, as it has direct references to a God or a higher power. Within the first line it has reference to a god "Hear my words, you holy gods" characterising it as being mythological. It can also be described as a poem, due to it being "...a poem of approximately sixty-six verses." (Pritchard, 1972, p.5). The year in which the Voluspa was written in is unclear, but it is determined that it was written in the 10th century. The Voluspa could perhaps be directed to those of the Christian faith, as it is acknowledging a god. The poem seeks to tell the creation and the end of the world and it since at the time Christianity would soon be introduced, it was giving answers to the creation and end of the world, and was introducing the idea of a single God being all-powerful which was a new idea at the time.
THE VOLSUNGA SAGA was written in the thirteenth century and can be categorised as a legendary saga, written before the colonisation of Iceland. The difference between Voluspa and The Volsunga Saga, is that the Volsunga Saga has "a notable dragon and a notable dragon-slayer" (Abram, 2017). Due to this having a distinctive dragon and dragon-slayer, it falls more into the dragon-slayer category than Voluspa.
BEOWULF can be referred to as an epic poem, as it involves a hero. The story is set in Scandinavia and was thought to be written between the 8th and 11th century. The text characterises Beowulf as a hero, in the way that he slays a monster that has attacked the hall of the King of the Danes, Hrothgar. Beowulf's intended purpose is to mostly entertain, which differs from the Volsuspa. (The Voluspa imagining real life events and Beowulf being the story of a hero). The poem may be intended for those living in Sweden, "whose history and destiny are woven into the narrative" (Heaney, 2009). This differs to the previous two texts as it is set in a distinct place and involves a physical dragon slayer acting as the 'hero'.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS and The Hobbit are both of the high fantasy genre, as the story is taking place in a world different from our own (Middle Earth). The Hobbit was written in 1932 and The Lord of the Rings was written in 1948, both by J.R.R Tolkien. These novels both had one purpose- to entertain. Much like Beowulf, The Hobbit and LOTR are written to engage the reader and to provide a storyline that is different than the norm, with the use of 'fantasy creatures' (the dragon in Beowulf and the dwarves in The Hobbit).
The main point of difference however is that both the Hobbit and LOTR are set in a made up world, unlike the previous three texts. The previous texts have real-life significance, as an example Voluspa involving Christianity, the Volsunga Saga being set before the colonisation of Iceland and Beowulf being set in Scandinavia. All three have elements of our real life, however Tolkien's texts are completely made up; are in a made up world, include made up characters of Hobbits and Dwarves etc. Thus categorising this as high fantasy genre.
References:
- Abram, C. (2017). Bee-Wolf and the Hand of Victory: Identifying the Heroes of Beowulf and Vǫlsunga saga. The Journal of English and Germanic Philology, 116(4), 387. doi:10.5406/jenglgermphil.116.4.0387
- Heaney, S. (2009). Beowulf. Faber & Faber. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=mlg7VKOvsZAC&dq=beowulf&lr=&source=gbs_navlinks_s.
- Pritchard, E. C. (1972). THE 'VOLUSPA': A COMMENTARY (Doctoral dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1972). Pennsylvania: ProQuest Dissertations Publishing. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.aut.ac.nz/docview/302599220/fulltextPDF/AA51582BDEE64712PQ/1?accountid=8440.
QUESTION 4 ANSWER:
ReplyDeleteJ.R.R Tolkien set out to bring back the lost literature of the Old English period, and took inspiration from both North European and Old Norse literature. Tolkien had many experiences with the Old English language and used this passion and interest for the literature in his works. It is seen in his infamous works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings that he has utilized his prior knowledge of Old Norse mythology in these fantasy novels. One aspect that Tolkien had taken from old Northern European literature were the names of each Dwarf. Tolkien took inspiration from two poems "Voluspa and Gylfaginning" (Baker et al, 2014, p. 8) from the Poetic Edda when naming the dwarves. The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse anonymous poems and there is a very apparent similarity between the names of those in the 'Voluspa' (in the Poetic Edda) and in The Hobbit. In the 'Voluspa', names are mentioned which translate into 'Dwalin, Kili, Fili, Nori, Dori, Ori, Bifur, Bombur, Bofur' (Voluspa, n.d.). All of these names from the Old Norse 'Voluspa' are used as dwarf names in The Hobbit, and thus demonstrates Tolkien's influence from Old Norse texts.
References:
- Baker-Smemoe, W., Wilcox, B., Brown, B., Hoskisson, P., & Nuttall, S. R. (2014). Naming Practices in J.R.R. Tolkien 's Invented Languages. Journal of Literary Onomastics, 3(1). Retrieved from : http://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/jlo/vol3/iss1/2
- Völuspá. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Voluspa
QUESTION 6 ANSWER:
ReplyDeleteTHOR is a god from Germanic mythology and is mentioned in many Old Norse texts, including the Voluspa. The Voluspa describes Thor as "Far-famed Thor, the son of Earth, the son of Odin, goes forth to fight the Snake" (Voluspa, n.d.). Modern films seek to bring back those old mythological poems into a more watchable/readable and a more understandable format. With watching these films, namely Thor, we can see the elements of the original Thor in the 2011 film, directed by Kenneth Branagh and starring Chris Hemsworth. In both the Voluspa and the modern film Thor, Odin is a character present. Odin was Thor's father in both and these characters were ultimately taken from the original mythological poem and were transformed into physical characters in the 2011 movie whom the viewers could understand where they came from and what they were fighting for. Film is likely the easiest medium to educate viewers without them knowing it- in Thor's case, viewers watching the film were learning about old mythological gods in a modern format that explained the role of these mythological gods in a simple way.
QUESTION 8 ANSWER:
THE VOLUSPA is a text that may, in the decade it was written, desire to teach those about the start and the end of the world. The Voluspa introduced the idea of Christianization through a single god being all-powerful and this was a new idea in Scandinavian society at the time. For those back then, it is a document of representation of the introduction of Christianity and one god - Odin. In regards to the creation and the end of the world, it may be 'desirable' for us in modern day to compare our views on the world today with how the unknown author of the Voluspa viewed religion and how the world was created.
THE HOBBIT and Lord of the Rings are simply desirable to us in modern day as they are a form of entertainment. The original versions of these stories (being the Tolkien novels) were a classic and involved a whole new dimension - Middle Earth. The desire element in these novels is to ensure the reader has the desire to read on. Due to the novels immense success, there was definitely desire from the reader to keep reading - and that desire has translated into modern day through the making of the movies directed by Peter Jackson. The main characters (Bilbo in TH and Frodo in LOTR) acting as the heroes is also a desirable aspect of the novels as the reader can connect and admire these hero figures in the text, and thus want to read more.
2. The features of primary orality that Ong (1982) outlines can be used to identify, within the text of Voluspa, possible evidence of residual orality.
ReplyDeleteOrality is additive rather than subordinative; aggregative rather than analytic. In other words the text uses epithets and repetition to describe something. For example in Voluspa, “heaven’s rim” describes the horizon and “from a cloudy well” refers to rain clouds (Terry, 1990, 1996, pp. 2-4). Also, “the sun did not know where its hall would stand, the stars did not know where they would be set, the moon did not know what would be its might” (pg. 2).
Orality is empathetic and participatory rather than objectively distanced. In contrast with an oral story, a text is not able to gage the audience’s reaction but through the use of language it can attempt to maintain a connection with the audience. For example, in Voluspa “I remember giants of ages past, those who called me one of their kin” and “Hear my words, you holy gods, great men and humble sons of Heimdall” (Terry, 1990, 1996, pg. 2). The use of I and me include the speaker/writer in the story and the naming of the holy gods and great men and sons of Heimdall include the intended audience.
Orality is homeostatic – maintaining connection between the past and present. Or maintaining consistency and identity of the group. For example in Voluspa, “by Odin’s will, I’ll speak the ancient lore, the oldest of all that I remember” (Terry, 1990, 1996, pg. 2) is referencing where they come from while “there shall deserving people dwell to the end of time and enjoy their happiness” (Terry, 1990, 1996, pg. 4) may also connect the past and present to the future.
6. The DC franchise’s recent remake of Wonder Woman has brought back a previous generation’s hero as well as the ancient Greek gods. Making a female the protagonist, one who is also partly divine, and who has the strength to defeat a male god has given females young and old a modern day role model and hero to identify with.
ReplyDelete1. Voluspa is a mythological poem thought to have been written around the 9th or 10th century and, according to Abram (2014), is “…the cornerstone of both medieval and modern reconstructions of Scandinavian mythology” (pg. 1144). Its categorization as a mythological poem comes from its reference to gods – “the holy gods met to give judgement, the holy gods took counsel together” (Terry, 1990, 1966, pg. 2).
ReplyDeleteBeowulf and the Volsanga Saga belong to the epic genre as they are about heroes rather than gods. Beowulf dates back to the 10th century where its intended audience remains a point of contention among scholars as Neidorf (2018) states that while it is said to have been classified as an English epic, it makes no reference to England within the text. Over time it has been accused of having nationalist intentions although Neidorf (2018) concludes that it is pre-nationalist and more likely to provide an account of a specific King during the 8th century. Volsunga Saga is an Icelandic saga dating back to the 13th century that Mellor (2001) suggests is explaining what it means to be a hero in Icelandic culture.
The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings are both of the fantasy genre. Tolkien wrote these during the 20th century for children as a sort of ode to history. The Hobbit was initially well received and as a result, The Lord of the Rings was written to be the sequel. However, according to Shippey (2000), subsequent reviews were highly critical and broadly suggested that these works were not of a high literary standard and would not stand the test of time. As we know, this has not proved to be the case.
References
Abram, C. (2014). The Nordic apocalypse: Approaches to “Vọluspá” and Nordic days of judgement. (Acta Scandinavica 2) Terry Gunnell and Annette Lassen. Speculum, 89(4), 1144-1147. http://ezproxy.aut.ac.nz
Mellor, S. (2001). Multiform and life cycle: An Armenian and a Scandinavian narrative. Scandinavian Studies, 73(3), 417-436. https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.aut.ac.nz
Neidorf, L. (2018). Beowulf as pre-national epic: Ethnocentrism in the poem and its criticism. ELH 85(4), 847-875. doi: 10.1353/elh.2018.0031
Shippey, T. (2000). J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the century. London, England: HarperCollins.
The central incident in each of these texts is the slaying of a dragon.
ReplyDeleteIn Voluspa, this is succinctly described:
“Far-famed Thor, the son of Earth, the son of Odin, goes forth to fight the Snake. Midgard’s defender dies triumphant but the human race no longer has a home: nine steps beyond the Serpent’s body, Thor, wounded, walks in pride” (Terry, 1966, pg. 4). There are many details omitted such as how Thor killed the dragon and how he got his death wound.
In Volsunga Saga Sigurd is talked into fighting Fafnir and during the slaying, a conversation ensues thus going into much more detail the circumstances of and motivations behind the incident. “Now the worm down to his place of watering, and the earth shook all about him as he went; but Sigurd neither trembled nor was adrad at the roaring of him. So whenas the worm crept over the pits, Sigurd thrust his sword under his left shoulder, so that it sank in up to the hilts; then up leapt Sigurd from the pit and drew the sword back again unto him, and therewith was his arm all bloody, up to the very shoulder” (Morris & Magnussun, 1888).
The Hobbit, like Volsunga Saga, provides a more detailed account of the slaying of the dragon:
Then Bard drew his bow-string to his ear. The dragon was circling back, flying low, and as he came the moon rose above the eastern shore and silvered his great wings. “Arrow!”said the bowman. “Black arrow! I have saved you to the last. You have never failed me and always I have recovered you. I had you from my father and he from of old. If ever you came from the forges of the true king under the Mountain, go now and speed well!” The dragon swooped once more lower than ever, and as he turned and dived down his belly glittered white with sparkling fires of gems in the moon – but not in one place. The great bow twanged. The black arrow sped straight from the string, straight for the hollow by the left breast where the foreleg was flung wide. In it smote and vanished, barb, shaft and feather, so fierce was its fight. With a shriek that deafened men, felled trees and split stone, Smaug shot spouting into the air, turned over and crashed down from on high in ruin (Tolkien, 1937, pg. 236).
8. The Hobbit appears to have been intended to provide a modern fantasy account of literary history to children. Perhaps a desire to make tradition relevant again in the wake of modernism where tradition had been usurped by science and technology.
ReplyDelete1. What genres do the following texts belong to, and how do their intended period contexts, purposes, and intended audiences differ?
ReplyDeleteVoluspa and the Volusanga saga both belong to the myth genre. They are based on Gods and Godesses that people once believed were real and they prayed to and based their lives around. “Odin gave life’s breath, Hoenir gave mind,
Lodur gave hair, fairness of face.” (1)
In my opinion, this makes the Voluspa and Volsunga saga more like historical documents as for a long time, according to a lot of people, the stories told in them were as good as fact. The actual intended purpose of the author however is not clear, as at the time and place of publication, Christianity was the popular religion leaving no room for Nordic “Pagan” beliefs. The purpose for this text then, is presumably conservation of history.
The Hobbit and Lord of The Rings are both fantasy tales that were written for fairly modern audiences and were primarily made for entertainment purposes. Since their completion, Tolkien’s world has been adapted for several films and video games that have been incredibly popular.
2. Identify some recent films, TV shows and/or games which have brought back some of the old gods and heroes from obscurity. What place do the old myths have in the modern world?
There is a T.V show called “American Gods” that has many figures from myth and legend. In it, the Gods of old have to try and survive in a world of “New Gods” (things like the internet that have been given a physical representation). The show poses lots of questions – what are we losing by replacing the old with the new more and more in our lives? Is it worth it? What place DO the old Gods (myths) have in the modern world?
The answer depends on who you ask. But I think that the old myths are still important. Myths have been told and retold through different characters and formats throughout history, but the main themes of these myths often remain true. And those themes are often of bravery, strength and loyalty. Regardless of where humanity is “at” those three themes are important to keep a hold of.
3. How did Tolkien draw on the Old Norse and Old English texts in his The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings fantasy novels? Provide some concrete examples.
Tolkien drew heavily on old Nordic and Old English people, race, place names and many more. For example, Orcs as described in “The Hobbit” are literally just big Goblins, or Hobgoblins. Tolkien says as much himself,
“Orc is not an English word. It occurs in one or two places but is usually translated as goblin (or hobgoblin for the larger kinds)” (2)
Also, the whole idea around having a massive Dragon guarding a hoard of gold is very reminiscent of old English myth, specifically Beowulf. Beowulf fights a dragon for a cup, which seems a tad excessive to me but to each their own. In The Hobbit, Bilbo steals a cup and probably would have just tried to run away (a much more reasonable approach in my eyes) were it not for all the dwarves he was travelling with.
(1) Voluspa Terry, P. Translation
(2) The Hobbit, Tolkien
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ReplyDeleteQuestion One.
ReplyDeleteWhat genres do the following texts belong to, and how do their intended period contexts, purposes, and intended audiences differ?
Voluspa mythological poem, which describes the creation of the world in relation to Nordic myths. As suggested by it's genre, Voluspa mentions Gods and other supernatural beings, for example - dragons.
Volsunga Saga is a legendary saga, which takes root in the mythical genre. The characteristics of which, again being the mention of Gods and supernatural beings.
Beowulf is an Epic Poem. It's an extended narrative poem which, characteristically, focuses on the actions of a hero who displays deeds of great valor after or when he comes into contact with supernatural forces, such as gods, demons or dragons.
The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings are both epic high fantasy novels which detail a large backstory to the plot, along with a larger, well-designed fantasy world setting.
Question Two.
ReplyDeleteIdentify a central incident that happens in at least four of the above texts, and discuss how it is both similar and different in each example.
Beowulf and The Hobbit both feature a primary protagonist who can be seen as the hero, the texts also include an adversary, in the form of a great dragon along with a weapon or sword which is set up as the means to defeat said adversary. While The Lord of The Rings, unlike the other texts, doesn't include 'a dragon' it does have a supernatural enemy; The Dark Lord Sauron, which functions similarly to the dragons as being the antagonist of the text. There are many weapons and swords in The Lord of the Rings, however they don't factor in when it comes to defeat the adversary - Sauron. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings could be considered part of the same story, or more a continuation of an arc in that universe's history, and as such, they are very similar in terms of characters and setting.
Voluspa is a text about creation and destruction. It tells the tale of the Nordic Gods and how they are all defeated when Ragnarok - the 'fate of the gods' - ultimately comes. Where in Voluspa the heroes of the narrative, the gods, are killed, in the other texts the heroes, for the most part, are the victors.
Beowulf, also being an old text, is more like the Tolkien stories. Beowulf is near the textbook perfect example of a classic hero story, where the hero goes off to face the beast. Voluspa is an outlier when it comes to these four texts and is only similar because of it's inclusion of supernatural beings, Gods and the like, the structure of the narrative is far less comparable, as it's less descriptive - it tells the tale with minimal detail compared to The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings, but that is ultimately due to genre. The section which speaks of dwarves - "Dvergatal" - can be considered a good example as to how the poem lacks description and leaves gaps in such a large amount of information, this is especially apparent when compared to Tolkien's highly detailed work.
Question Three.
ReplyDeleteIdentify some recent films, TV shows and/or games which have brought back some of the old gods and heroes from obscurity. What place do the old myths have in the modern world?
The God of War video game franchise follows the protagonist 'Kratos' who is a fictional Spartan warrior from Ancient Greece. Throughout the first three games in the franchise he is pitted against the Ancient Greek Gods, he fights 'immortals' such as Medusa, Ares, Poseidon, Hermes, Hades, Hercules and eventually his (revealed to be) father Zeus.
Last year the tenth God of War game - being the forth in the mainline series- serving as both a sequel and a soft reboot of the franchise, released.
While the original trilogy certainly showcased the God's powers and their unique traits, the newer game takes a different path when it comes to storytelling and mythology. I don't want to go on to describe the plot of the game, but it does well to blend mythologies, by taking the Greek character Kratos, along with his history, to the land of Midgard where he is faced with new, Nordic enemies, obstacles and (of course) Gods. Unlike the previous entries in the series, the Gods are built up more as characters than simply enemies to fight. The game is surprisingly long and feels like a true adventure, one which manages to teach the player some of the ancient legends without making them feel like they're in a lecture.
I watched a rather interesting interview with the game director for the latest God of War game, who spoke about how he and his writing team struggled to decide which parts of the Norse mythos to include in the game, as there is so much content to choose from, not all of which could be discussed throughout the course of the game.
In recent memory, but perhaps not 'recent' media, I saw an episode of the Original Series of Star Trek which focused on the protagonists coming face to face with the Greek God Apollo. In this fictional universe it was revealed that the Gods of old were nothing more than a group of aliens with different and powerful abilities, who visited Earth and were worshiped as gods due to their seemingly superior physiology.
Today, I think the old gods serve as a great pool of classic ideas from which inspiration can and should be derived, as there are so many different myths and legends surrounding each culture - such original stories which can be twisted and rewritten into different stories with similar or matching morals.
Question Four.
ReplyDeleteHow does the film Beowulf and Grendel "problematise" the hero-myth of Beowulf ?
It's been a very long time since I've seen the film, but from what I remember the movie's short budget and poor translation from the myth resulted in a very lackluster affair. The use of language was off, rather modernized for a work based on such an old text. It also did some disservice to the character of Beowulf, I think when people think of Beowulf and his courageous acts, they think of him as a hero, whereas the film painted him as an almost vengeful madman - who yes, slayed the beast, but - also countless men in his quest for revenge. Which didn't come across, at least to me, as very hero-like.
Hi there, did you find it difficult trying to understand the differences within the different genres? It took me a while to realize that they all kind of overlapped with each other with the mythical, magical and other specific terms that just seemed to mean the same to me. What sites did you use to help you learn what genres these texts fell under?
ReplyDeleteIdentify a central incident that happens in at least four of the above texts and discuss how it is both similar and different in each example (remember to cite from the original texts).
ReplyDeleteBased off the four readings derived from Norse Mythology and Scandinavian folklore, the texts Voluspa, Volsunga Saga, The Hobbit and Beowulf all communicate the central idea of ancient, evil dragons being guardians of gold and treasure. For example, in the text Volsunga Saga, Fafnir; the supernatural dragon slayed by the heroic figure Sigurd, guarded treasure in his lair and warned those who came near the gold will consequentially result in bad fate such as death. Nidhogg, the dragon that survived underneath the roots of Yggdrasil, was illustrated as a “dark dragon flying, flashing upward from Nidafells; on wide swift wings it soars above the earth carrying corpses.” (Terry, 1990, 1966) Even though Nidhogg was not a guardian of treasure, his existence in the epic poem is one of darkness and horror and illustrating him as a devourer of guardian of dead souls. Similarity to the case of Fafnir, Tolkien was inspired by the supernatural begins of Norse mythology and recreated a dragon by the name of Smaug who had an imaginable greed for gold and guarded his treasure in the inside of the mountain for many years. The anonymous poet of Beowulf also references the idea of a dragon guarding it gold lair from warriors and going on an act of revenge if his possessions are stolen from, “until one began to dominate the dark, a dragon on the prowl from the steep vaults of a stone-roofed barrow where he guarded a hoard.” (Heaney, 1999.) Time and time, dragons of Norse mythology, especially in these texts have similar characteristics to one another but all being unique in their narrative.
References:
Heaney, S. (Trans). (1999). Beowulf: a new translation. London: Penguin,pp 70-80.
Wikipedia (2018) Hygelac. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygelac
Terry, P. (trans). (1990,1966). Poems of the Elder Edda. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press
How did Tolkien draw on the Old Norse and Old English Texts in his fantasy novels; The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
ReplyDeleteIts obvious that J. R. R. Tolkien was drawn to the ideologies of Old Norse and Old English texts as he included elements of them in his most-popular high-fantasy texts, The Hobbit and Lord of Rings. Tolkien has always valued the characteristics of Old English mythological aspects of oral poetry derived from anonymous poets of Beowulf and Volsunga Saga, Tolkien quotes (1997. pp.ix) “This is a story of long ago. At the time the languages and letters were quite different from today.” Another example is the dragon Smaug, found in the novel The Hobbit, who was inspired by his early readings of Norse mythology - Tolkien quotes, “my armor is like shields, my teeth, are swords, my claws spears, the shock of my tail a thunderbolt, my wings a hurricane, and my breath death.” Just like the treasure hoarding dragon, Fafnir, found in the Norse epic poem, Volsunga Saga, Fafnir was also a keeper of gold. Eschner (2017) states that The Hobbit is not just a repeating of the dragon slayer mythology and the idea of good versus evil that we have frequently seen, it’s the fact that Tolkien is a scholar of Beowulf and the read multiple traditional Icelandic texts as well as Anglo-Saxon English. Another example that Tolkien was inspired by Old English texts such as the Poetic Edda; ‘Voluspa’ and the ‘Volsunga Saga, Tolkien borrowed 8 of the 13 dwarf names as well as the name Gandalf which was taken from a section of Voluspa (Michael, 2006).
References:
Eschner, K. (2017, September 21). J.R.R. Tolkien Gave the World His Childhood Fascination With Dragons in 'The Hobbit'. Retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/smaug-dragons-deep-roots-real-mythology-180964935/
Michael D.C. Drout (2006) J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment retrieved from
Tolkien, J.R.R. (1997; 1937). The Hobbit, London: HarperCollins, pp.ix; 233-242,
Q1: What genres do the following texts belong to, and how do their intended period contexts, purposes, and intended audiences differ?
ReplyDeleteAs told in Old Norse and reconstructed in English - Völuspá or Song of the Sibyl is an illustration of classic mythological poetry as it refers to Volva; a prophetess (in Norse mythology) and Odin; a widely respected god. The mythological poem is communicated in the voice of Volva as she tells the story of the past, “Hear my words, you holy gods, great men and humble sons of great men…I’ll speak the ancient lore, the oldest of all that I remember”, the creation of the world, and its destruction through conflict, greed, war and supernatural creatures, “Brothers will die, slain by their brothers, kinsmen betray…battle-axe and sword rule, split shields asunder, storm-cleft age of wolves until the world goes down, only hatred in the hearts of men.” (Terry, 1990;1966) According to Henry Adams Bellow (Wikipedia, 2019), a translator of the poetic Edda; an attribution of the unidentified poems written by unspecified poets, proposed a 10th century dating on Voluspa due to the evidence. It’s evident that there are Christian/religious influences on the text through the following reference of a beautiful renewed world emerging from the ashes of death, “The sun turn black, the earth sinks below the sea, no bright star now…she sees the earth rising again out of the waters, green once more”, conveying the idea of the Christian belief in life after death.
Beowulf, one of the most significant pieces of Old English Literature written by an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet; referred to by scholars as the Beowulf Poet, is an epic poem consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines (Wikipedia, 2019). It goes on to tell the tale of a hero’s journey, the victories and battles of Beowulf against Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the fire-dragon – “Then Beowulf was given bad news, the hard truth: his own home, the best of buildings, had been burnt to a cinder… so the war-king planned and plotted his revenge.” (Heaney, 1999). From a young, brave warrior to an admirable king, the central character Beowulf illustrates the true meaning of being a legend, by travelling unlimited distances to demonstrate his strength and courage beyond the bounds of possibility in the face of supernatural creatures. As many story-telling devices, the primary purpose of the narrative was composed for entertainment. However, the fictional characteristics alongside the historical events and figures of Scandinavia during the 6th Century provides the audience a source of cultural information as well as insight to the Scandinavian figures such as Eadgils; son of Ohthere, king of Sweden (Wikipedia, 2018) and Hygelac; king of the Geats (Wikipedia, 2018). The text (Heany,1999) expresses the following, “Wandering exiles, sought him o’er seas, the sons of Ohthere.” Another purpose of the text is to teach that heroism is at the mercy of on God, and the relationship between man and God
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ReplyDeleteQ1 (part 2): What genres do the following texts belong to, and how do their intended period contexts, purposes, and intended audiences differ?
ReplyDeleteOriginally written in the 13th century by an anonymous Icelandic author, The Volsunga Saga is a legendary poem/prose based on Norse mythology. Divided into three segments, the story communicates the themes of love and betrayal, adventure and tragedy, extending over a course of generations, concentrating on the disastrous love of Sigurd and Brynhild as well as the heroic struggles against the worm, Fafnir – “Now crept the worm down to his place of watering, and the earth shook all about him, and he snorted forth venom on all the way before him as he went; but Sigurd neither trembled nor was adrad at the roaring of him.” (Morris, W. & Magnussun, E., 1888) This quote conveys the repeated idea of heroes fighting against giant, venom-filled supernatural creatures like dragons, serpents on in Sigurd’s case, a four-legged dragon. Besides the fact that this heroic mythology carries entertainment values it allows the audience to question of the narrative – “what does it want to tell us?” This could arguably be an understanding into the world of Norse literature, values of the Norse, as well how one perceived morality, kingship, and war during that time.
From the 20th Century author, J. R. R. Tolkien’s texts, The Hobbit (1937) and Lord of the Rings (1954) is an example of the juvenile, high-fantasy genre or otherwise known as children’s fantasy. Originally, Tolkien was inspired to write these stories for his son, Christopher and Michael, through his knowledge of Old Norse and Norse Mythologic poems (Aleteia, 2017) – allowing them to enter an alternative world that they never knew existed. Also known as Middle-Earth, which is an equivalent term to “Midgard of Norse Mythology” (Wikipedia, 2019), is the world the author has was inspired by, illustrating a land with humans and supernatural creatures such as trolls, wizards, dragons, elves, etc., “The dragon swooped once more lower than ever, and as he turned and dived down his belly glittered white with sparkling fires of gems in the moon.” (Tolkien, 1997; 1937, p.236) This quote conveys the reputed idea of hero vs dragons, as influenced by the northern European literature, myths and languages.
References:
Aleteia (2017). How a 5-year-old boy inspired J.R.R.Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings'. Retrieved from https://aleteia.org/2017/11/13/how-a-5-year-old-boy-inspired-j-r-r-tolkiens-lord-of-the-rings/
Heaney, S. (Trans). (1999). Beowulf: a new translation. London: Penguin,pp 70-80.
Morris, W. & Magnussun, E. (Trans.). (1888). The Story of the Volsungs (Volsunga
Saga). London: Walter Scott Press, pp.58-62.
Terry, P. (trans). (1990,1966). Poems of the Elder Edda. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press
Tolkien, J.R.R. (1997; 1937). The Hobbit, London: HarperCollins, pp.ix; 233-242,
Wikipedia (2019). Beowulf. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf
Wikipedia (2018) Eadgils. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eadgils
Wikipedia (2018) Hygelac. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygelac
Wikipedia (2019) Middle-earth. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle-earth
Wikipedia (2019) Völuspá. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%B6lusp%C3%A1
1. What genres do the following texts belong to, and how do their intended period contexts, purposes, and intended audiences differ?
ReplyDeleteVöluspá is an example of a mythological poem. Cambridge Dictionary defines a myth as “an ancient story or set of stories, especially explaining the early history of a group of people or about natural events and facts.” This poem makes many mentions of early history for example ‘Nothing was there when time began’ and ‘by Odin’s will, I’ll speak the ancient lore, the oldest of all that I remember.’ (Voluspa, 1990 trans.). The poem then talks about the creation of a world, this is apparent in lines such as; ‘Odin gave life’s breath’.
Beowulf is an example of an epic poem. Epic poems often focus on a single heroic figure which, in this case, is Beowulf. A common characteristic of epic poems is war or one on one combat. The final battle in Beowulf occurs after he has a successful reign as King, but his town comes under threat of a dragon: ‘One began to dominate the dark, a dragon on the prowl’ (Beowulf, 1999 trans., p. 70). This begins an epic battle, one where Beowulf succeeds in slaying the dragon; but dies in the process. Owlcation (2018) states another characteristic of epic poems is their length. Beowulf is a large poem, sources online give mixed information; but it seems this poem is between 65-100 pages.
The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are often described online as ‘high fantasy’. Goodreads defines high fantasy as “fantasy fiction set in an alternative, entirely fictional world”. This can be said about both texts, in terms of fantasy this is best shown through J.R.R. Tolkien’s use of fantasy creatures such as dragons, elves, hobbits etc. These two texts naturally deviate from Voluspa and Beowulf by not being poetry, and instead being a series of novels. However, what also separates them and gives them ‘high fantasy’ status, is the inclusion of a fictional world, as previously mentioned. The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings both take place in the large fictional world Mordor.
2. Identify a central incident that happens in at least four of the above texts, and discuss how it is both similar and different in each example.
ReplyDeleteThe central incident amongst these texts is a heroic quest and epic battle often involving dragon slaying. A similarity I found amongst Beowulf, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings was the heroic nature of the protagonist, in all cases slaying the dragon or committing the heroic deed for the benefit of others rather than themselves.
Receiving treasure for their heroic deeds is a recurring incident in these texts, yet in all the hero's intention is to bring those riches to the people. “Men spoke of the recompense for all their harm that they would soon get from [the treasure]” (The Hobbit, 1997 p. 240). This shows the townsfolk desiring treasure rather than the hero; Bard; who then leads the townsfolk to the treasure that is now unguarded.
In Lord of the Rings the treasure takes form of the ring. A difference in this text, is that rather than hoping to use the treasure for good; Gandalf wants to destroy the ring. Once again, however, this is for the betterment of all but those who want to do evil with it. Destroying the ring is the central quest of the novel; which places the battle in the chapter The King of the Golden Hall as being a battle with the ultimate goal of Gandalf getting closer to destroying the ring.
Another common theme in the battles amongst these texts, is the value of trust and acquiring information from others. Perhaps a hero that works solely alone is not relatable to readers, or perhaps these texts are trying to promote working together as the best option to overcoming evil. Either way, I noticed this in many of the texts.
“Then answered the old man and said, ʺThou doest after sorry counsel: rather dig thee many pits, and let the blood run therein; but sit thee down in one thereof, and so thrust the wormʹs heart through.ʺ” (Vulsanga Saga, 1888 p. 58). This shows quote describes an old man giving key information to the hero of the text, that ultimately leads to the hero slaying the dragon. There is no reason for the author to include this advice if they believed the hero could have killed the dragon without it. Which means its purpose is show the necessity of the help of others, even to the bravest.
In The Hobbit, the dragon is slayed by the hero Bard after he is given advice about how to kill the dragon from a thrust: "Wait! Wait!" it said to him. "The moon is rising. Look for the hollow of the left breast as he flies and turns above you!" (The Hobbit, 1997 p. 236). This is significant because Bard is on his last arrow “"Black arrow! I have saved you to the last.” and after recieving and listening to the thrusts advice, kills the dragon instantly.
3. Discuss what you think any of these texts desire (in the sense of their intention, how they wish to be received, what pleasures they offer, etc)
ReplyDeleteVery much in summary of my answer to question 2; I think the pleasure in reading most of these texts as a reader; is to live vicariously though the stories brave heroes who are fiercely loved and admired, yet are still seen as having good morals by never doing anything for their own benefit. I think the authors had a connection in how they desired their texts to be received by their implementation of values into their work, as I showed above with their inclusion of teamwork and trust in others as a means to solve problems, and make heros more powerful than they were alone.
References:
ReplyDeleteArn, Jackson. (21 Jul 2015). "The Hobbit Chapter 14: Fire and Water." LitCharts. Retrieved from: https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-hobbit/chapter-14-fire-and-water
Cambridge English Dictionary. Myth. Retrieved from: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/myth
Goodreads. High Fantasy. Retrieved from: https://www.goodreads.com/genres/high-fantasy
Heaney, S. (1999) (trans). Beowulf: a new translation. London: Penguin.
Morris, W. and Magnussun, E. (Trans.) (1888). The Story of the Volsungs (Volsunga Saga). London: Walter Scott Press
Owlcation. (April 3, 2018). The Epic: Definition, Types & Characteristics. Retrieved from: https://owlcation.com/humanities/The-Epic-Definition-Types-Characteristics
Terry, P. (trans). (1990, 1966). Poems of the Elder Edda. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press
Tolkien, J.R.R. (1997; 1937). The Hobbit. London: HarperCollins.
Tolkien, J.R.R. (1993;1954). The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. London, HarperCollins.
Q1. What genres do the following texts belong to, and how do their intended period contexts, purposes, and intended audiences differ?
ReplyDeleteVoluspa, Volsunga Saga, Beowulf, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
A. The following texts seem to be largely divided into ancient and new literature. Classical literature has Voluspa, Volsunga Saga and Beowulf and modern literature has The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. To further refine, we can see that Voluspa is a genre of a Mythological poem, as the following references to gods from the poetry illustrate: "Far-famed Thor, the son of Earth, goes north to fight the Snake (l.75-76)". Also, Volsunga Saga is a legendary prose of Iceland's Volsung Family in the 13th Century, and Beowulf is an epic poem with heroic figures: "He thought of his youth on his way to attack the dragon. In the final battle, as the king of the country, Beowulf killed an evil dragon for his people, but at the same time he lost his life." The Hobbits are categorized as children's fantasy novel and there are fantastic aspects and heroes in the story. As children read books, they can distinguish between right and wrong by the image each element represents. Lord of the Rings can be viewed as an epic fantasy novel with a vast stage unlike The Hobbit. Fantasy genres, such as Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, develop the whole plot in different ways, mainly because they depict stories from dereistic worlds. In addition, there is a change of rhetorical figures from past to nowadays, particularly old literature is orally transmitted and has colloquial poetic dictions, while narrative descriptions are more common in new literature.
REFERENCE:
Heaney, S. (Trans). (1999) (Trans). Beowulf: a new translation. London: Penguin
Morris, W. & Magnussun, E. (Trans.). (1888). The Story of the Volsungs (Volsunga Saga). London: Walter Scott Press
Tolkien, J.R.R. (1997; 1937).The Hobbit, London: HarperCollins
Tolkien, J.R.R. (1993;1954).The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. London, HarperCollins
Q2. What are some possible features of residual (or "secondary") orality preserved in Voluspa, according to the criteria Ong (1982) advances?
ReplyDeleteA. Ong (1982) says stories over a long time are preserved through memory-device (secondary orality). He mentions the secondary orality is "an orality not antecedent to writing and print, as primary orality is, but consequent on and dependent upon writing and print" (Ong, 1982, 167). From this point of view, it can be said that secondary orality is mainly based on the use of letters and typography. It exists in the form of sound (oral) but does not have primary oral properties. Because, for example, like an anchor reading something from a teleprompter someone has written into, it relies on textual thinking and expression, and a person reads texted documents. In other words, "Voluspa" is a song written by someone who wants to memorize it so that it make easier for him to memorize. It also shows that the poem was composed in pre-literacy era before it was translated into a secondary orality, through a line, such as “Hear my words, you holy gods" and "by Odin's will, I'll speak the ancient lore". Another feature of "voluspa," which can add value in colloquial style, is its historical trace of people's lives centuries ago. People no longer speak in ancient English way, so it represents the language of people who could not be existed today.
REFERENCE:
Ong, W.J. (1982). Orality and Literacy: The Technologizing of the Word. Routledge
Q1. What genres do the following texts belong to, and how do their intended period contexts, purposes, and intended audiences differ?
ReplyDeleteVoluspa is a mythology poem genre, as the following references to god from the poem illustrate: “Here my words / you holy gods”. “Far-famed Thor, the son of Earth, the sone of Odin, goes forth to fight the snake.” Voluspa describes the story of the beginning, middle and end of the world. It has features of the Nordic legends, as the following references to gods from the poem illustrate: “Silence I aske of all the sacred folk, high and low ones, Silence of the kin of Heimdall”.
Volsunga Saga can be described as a legendary saga that was written in the thirteenth century. It talks about the hero, Sigurd who is a hero of north mythology. As the following references to Sigurd from the saga: “Sigurd answered, ‘Unknown to men is my kin. I am called a noble beast; neither father have I nor mother, and all alone have I fared hither”
Beowulf is an epic poem involving a hero. As the following references to Beowulf from the poem: “Sorrow not, sage! It beseems us better friends to avenge than fruitlessly mourn them. Each of us all must his end abide in the way of the world; so win who may glory ere death!” The story tells about the process by which he becomes a king through three fights. It highlights heroic deeds as well as describes men who feel powerlessness to struggle in the natural power.
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are both a highly fantasy genre. The hobbit was written by Tolkien in 1932 based on Old Norse and Anglo-Saxon sources. The story is about the journey of Bilbo Baggins and It has some factors of fantasy, such as dragon, elves and dwarves. In the case of The Lord of the Rings, it has more complex structure than the hobbit.
References:
Heaney, S. (Trans). (1999) (Trans). Beowulf: a new translation. London: Penguin
Morris, W. & Magnussun, E. (Trans.). (1888). The Story of the Volsungs (Volsunga Saga). London: Walter Scott Press
Q6. Identify some recent films, TV shows and/or games which have brought back some of the old gods and heroes from obscurity. What place do the old myths have in the modern world?
ReplyDeleteA. These days, there are many fantasy genres rooted in ancient myths. This old myth has survived for centuries and is still widespread today, mostly in mass media such as movies, television and comic books. And through this we can learn the background of legendary events, history and historical characters.
One can see that if myths had not existed, neither could movies nor literature exist. Fantastic elements in myths such as monsters, dragons, and heroes have made stories still popular and adaptable even today, hundreds of years after they were written. It is the basis for today's creators to imagine and has inspiration about their work. Some of the famous modern works from this old myth include The Mermaid, Hercules, Thor, Greek Roman mythology, Lord of the Rings, Hobbit, etc.
Superheroes in myths often teach us moral lessons, showing us how to make ethical choices in the context of chaos and despair, and providing a message of hope by showing the success of good. Also, through myths that remain from the past to modern society people in many cultures understand their ancient cultures and customs, which show the origin of their roots.
Q8. Discuss what you think any of these texts desire (in the sense of their intention, how they wish to be received, what pleasures they offer, etc).
ReplyDeleteAdventure exploits play a big role in Norse mythology. Fantastic adventure allows readers to travel around a fantasy world that they have never experienced. In the story, the way the characters win the challenge through out can give hope to readers. These various adventures in myths inspire the characters with their identity. I believe that in the case of The Hobbit, J.R Tolkien desire to give the readers a sense of closeness to mythological literature works like Voluspa by allowing them to experience epic journey indirectly.
References:
Tolkien, J.R.R. (1997; 1937).The Hobbit, London: HarperCollins
Tolkien, J.R.R. (1993;1954).The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. London, HarperCollins
1)Differences in how stories are portrayed
ReplyDeleteSecondary orality depends on literacy and writing and print and television and radio news casters etc. where primary orality is depends on pre-literate cultures where people speak, sing or chant their stories
Chirography is hand written, (from the Greek word “chiro” meaning hand) as we know we all have different ways of writing and not all very legible so it’s easy to miss spell and miss read what is handwritten making the hand-written work less legible. A good example are Doctors prescriptions. I have no Idea how the pharmacies can read them, and I have known them to phone to double check on what the scripts were. Typography is work done on typewriters, typeset printing as newspapers or computer print, the difference is it’s always legible easy to read unless there a spelling mistakes but it’s still always legible.
2)Valuspa the song of Volva
Oral cultures pass down their stories and history from word of mouth therefore they can differ slightly depending on the point of view of individual person that is telling the story. The way the story is told with emphasis to various details and how the voice is used makes the story intense or dull. Valuspa being a Mythological beginning with “Oh hear my words you Holy Gods” tale told of Gods the story of the beginning of time and how Odin and his brothers created the nine realms and continues its tale to the end of the world.
3)The hobbit and Beowulf and Volsunga Saga similarities
Beowulf and Volsunga stories are Legendary where the hobbit is fantasy but, all three tell of heroes and kings. I watched the movie of Beowulf and read the story the movie was very close to the story and was well done. I watched the animated version. On reading some of the Hobbit also seeing the movies there is a lot of detail put into both. I found certain references to Beowulf in the hobbit Bilbo as much as he wasn’t a thief but was asked to be one, you have the dragon that sits on his treasure and Bilbo must rescue the Gemmed Chalice and because of Bilbo’s actions the dragon gets into a rage and sets fire to the villages below. In the movie Beowulf it’s slightly different Beowulf sleeps with Grendel’s mother and he gives her a son who seeks revenge on his father and being half dragon burns and terrorises the village. But the written story tells that a gemmed chalice is stolen sending the dragon into a rage and burning the village and Beowulf must go and save the day and kill the dragon, in Volsunga saga there was also a dragon that needed slaying.
I love that the old Norse Myths have been able to be re told in modern day movies such as “Thor” “The Avengers, “and others which has Thor and Loki in. It teaches us the Mythical stories in a modern version making it much more interesting and perhaps not so gory for the now generations to learn about them. Obviously, there are changes making the storyline more interesting as a result there are more stories added making more films. There are also video games such as “The final fantasy” which has Odin in it