Wrong turn

In my research of my ancestry, I realized I made a wrong turn, which led me down the wrong track, and I am not paternally related to Thorri and Norr, but maternally related. However, when I got back on the right track, I found I am paternally related to Beowa, or as you probably know him, Beowulf (not the alligator).

This guy, who looks remarkably like Jesus. Lol I was going to try to put a contrasting picture of Forrest's pet alligator, Beowulf, but I could not find a picture of him. Maybe Forrest will generously donate a picture of him to post?

Of course, this is going back past history of written record, but that doesn't mean those legendary kings and heroes never existed. In Scandinavia, like Native America, history wasn't often written, but spoken, passed down from father to son, mother to daughter, through the generations.

I'm sure that over the years, those stories grew a little more embellished with each retelling. You know, like the fishing stories people like to tell. When I was little, my dad shot a six foot rattlesnake in our backyard, That is actually true. But, over the years, my brothers and I have magically grown that snake two feet longer when retelling it. There is a picture of my dad holding that snake somewhere--I'm sure my brother probably has it. I'll see if I can get a copy.

Some oral history recorded from one generation to the next...

It's easy to see how stories can get confused over time. It took some close examination to decipher certain things as I researched. For example. Brunhyld in my family was noted as being both the husband to Ragnar and to Ragnar's father, Sigurd. However, in reality, she was only the wife of Sigurd, while Ragnar married Aslaug. And two other Viking women along the way--one was the famous Viking Pirate and shield-maiden, Lathgertha.

There were a couple very interesting things I learned while studying Beowulf that may be useful when deciphering Forrest Fenn's poem. I'll leave that for you to find for yourselves.

The saga of Beowulf is unique in many ways. I have read it before a few times when I was in college, but I don't remember the story very well. Last night, I read a little about the history behind the story, and found it very interesting.

There is only one surviving copy of the original Beowulf in existence, and it was almost destroyed by fire. It makes me think of Cleopatra's famous Library of Alexandria that burned...what history have we lost because of history written, yet untold?

This is the first page of the only surviving original copy of Beowulf.

The copy we have was written by a Christian trying to convey a Scandinavian (Viking) saga. He invariably tweaked the copy he wrote in Christian slant, so the copy we have is probably very different from the original author's.

One thing the author probably kept the same was the Germanic heroic code Scandinavian warriors tried to follow. This code valued courage, strength and fierce loyalty in warriors. A good warrior also demonstrated hospitality, generosity, and chivalry toward women, as well as upholding a good reputation among all people.

So, as a warrior, you either lived according to the code, making you honorable in everyone's sight, or you violated the code, which could get you exiled (or worse).

The author struggles to maintain the duality between his Christian mindset and the pagan aspects of the story. The warrior believed that revenge and avenging wrongs was the "right" way to go, whereas the Medieval Christians believed in maintaining and achieving peace without warfare (which is much different than Old Testament Biblical Christianity, where many kingdoms were taken by force --think David, Jacob, etc).

Another interesting thing to think about in Beowulf is word choice. Beowulf was written in Old English, which is extremely formal. Modern English is like a giant pot of everything stew. Our word origins are many and varied, which made translating Beowulf tricky.

If the translators had translated everything literally, Beowulf might not be as interesting. For example, the word "monster" in Christian Medieval culture, meant someone with birth defects. It doesn't seem very flattering of Beowulf or heroic for him to destroy some poor soul with the misfortune of being born with a birth defect in an era where that was a sign of evil. And not only was Grendel born with a birth defect that made him a monster, he is also described as being a descendant of Cain, the first murderer described in the Bible.

I'm pretty sure Grendel didn't look like this.

So, it's conceivable that Grendel and his mother were an allegory or a symbol against the marauding aspects of Viking life, where kinsmen killed kinsmen for the sake of land and wealth.

And finally, one of the thing I like the best about Beowulf is the difference between a "good warrior and a good king." This theme is also present in other ancient works like Ovid's Fasti, where the young men are designed to carry out the acts of war, and the old men are there to counsel the young with their wisdom. Sounds like another man we've grown to love, doesn't it?

In Beowulf, we learn that in ancient Scandinavian culture, when a man is young, he has nothing yet to lose, and his desire is for personal glory. If the warrior is a good warrior, upholding the heroic code, and is successful, he will be rewarded by a good king, who will lavish him with gifts and the protection of a mead hall, which represented safety, stability, and fortune.

If all goes according to plan, the young hero of war will grow into a good king, whose role will shift from fighting to advising and striving for diplomatic peace. Here's Beowulf practicing the patience of a good king while still a good warrior:

"I'll just sit here and smile and wait for the monster."

Can you see how this could be seen as a parallel for the chase? We, the young (ish), are searching while hopefully maintaining a certain code of conduct. We're the warriors now, and gleaning advice from a good warrior, who became a good king. :)